One Word: “Elitism“
Hey, guess what, dear readers? I have a surprise for you today — I’m going to try and write something thoughtful versus the satire and smart-assed columns I’ve become fairly well known for over the years. Please remember: I used the word “TRY“, so give me a break if I fall shy, please. I’m going to attempt to help my fellow Citizens from that other side of the political divide to regain their common sense and regain a tad bit more power in our Democracy. Why? Despite the fact I lean a bit to the “Left”, I believe and always HAVE believed The Eagle needs both a right and a left wing to fly and if one of those wings is broken, Houston — we’ve got a problem. Consider this post a PSA (Public Service Announcement) and my patriotic attempt to do my small part to keep our Eagle flying in a fairly straight, slightly-left line of flight from point “A” to point “B” — the latter being a touchdown in this political blogger’s version of Utopia.
First suggestion to conservatives — stop the infighting (Source: Associated Press via Yahoo! News). The inbreeding will probably continue. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the infighting needs to become a tad bit more civil amongst you in your “he said, she said” meetings. I can tell you first-hand as a former junior high (“middle school to many”) classmate of Sarah Palin’s, unless she has alsheimers disease, she does, INDEED, know Africa is a continent and not a sovereign country. How do I know this? We attended geography class together when our Geography teacher by the name of “Mr. Dinkel” taught us this fact in Wasilla, Alaska when we were kids. Enough of that crappola, please.
Second suggestion, and speaking of Sarah Palin and the Religious Right side of the spectrum she seems to have become a representative figure of these days, STOP BASHING THE “ELITES”. Long lost are the days when the “conservative elites” (On oxymoron today maybe but it hasn’t always been the case); the THINKERS of the conservative movement; were the ones speaking of and selling the virtues of conservatism to their fellow Citizens from all across the political spectrum. Why? Because the GOP has adopted this strategy of bashing the “elites” while pandering to the Religious Right and/or the low-wage earning, undereducated amongst them.
There are, INDEED “conservative elitists” out there who can and ARE able to make constructive points — MANY of them, but they don’t get the respect and “world stage” where they can make a difference in the conservative movement. Why? Easy answer — the “Kill HIM!” (in regards to Barack Obama at the last Palin-McCain rallies) crowd can’t decipher right-wing elitism — they need a translator who can “dumb down” the message. Well, start “dumbing down” or keep losing elections, Republicans. Simple as that.
Last but not least; just who ARE these “right wing elitists” of whom I speak, of whose time for a little respect and a few more cameras and microphones during election time anyway? Glad to give you a couple of quick examples:
Andrew Sullivan of The Daily Dish — a “must-read” on this same topic can be found HERE. Click on it and read. “Elitist” isn’t the dirty word your pastors and “God-Appointed spokesmen and women” wish for you to believe it is. Either read and heed or keep that broken wing, folks.
Dennis Miller. Enough said.
Oh, and before you assume I’m just targeting the “Religious Right” for needing a small shot of “elitism”; let’s go for the “Religious Left” for a moment. You can thank THEM for ramming a “NO” vote on California’s Proposition 8; a proposed constitutional amendment to allow consenting adults who are in love with each other to marry. Apparently, California’s “Religious Left” who insured this defeat were largely responsible for it. The main issue behind their anti-prop-8 motivation?
Not unlike their brethren whom make up the “Religious Right”, apparently they had a hard time remembering our Founding Fathers INSISTED upon a separation of Church and State in the Constitution of the United States of America and chose to forget the days when they themselves were prohibited from enjoying the same God-Granted Civil Liberties as the rest of their fellow Citizens based PURELY upon their skin tone. Apparently, religious blacks in the Great State of California were in great need of an “elitist” to come to their churches to explain the fact that just because the Bible told the story of “Adam and Eve” versus “Adam and Steve”, the point doesn’t have a DAMNED thing to do with Civil Liberties and our Founding Fathers’ great document; a document which, as awesome as it is, was still lacking perfection due to the fact it allowed these same black, “Religious Left” Citizens to remain in slavery.
How soon we forget, eh?
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12:57 am on November 9th, 2008 1
I have tried to feel sympathy for Palin but I can’t. Not after she complained that Couric had asked her only “gotch” questions. I watched the interview and I thought Couric was soft on her. I wonder if Palin has ever watched a news interview with Hilary Clinton? I also wonder if she has followed the right wing treatment of Hilary “lesbian” Clinton since 1992. Now part of the right is axing her and another part is trying to promote her to sainthood. Get used to it Sarah; this is what happens when you want to run with the big dogs. But maybe as a not real American I don’t have the right to an opinion.
I honestly could not believe that Prop 8 won in California. Still can’t. As Sullivan says, there’s still a lot of education needed. The thing that makes me the maddest is that for many people, gay seems to equal pedophile. Not even close. The average pedophile is white, male and quite often married with children of his own.
If the far right dumbs down their message any further, it’s going to consist of “They’re not us. Kill them”.
My favorite conservative of all time is James Kilpatrick and I don’t believe that he has written for the conservative movement for many years. He does still write opinions about Supreme Court decisions and about how not to use the language.
Sorry for the book.
4:27 am on November 9th, 2008 2
Well I for one am shocked GTL! You must be a closet gay or something when you compare my oxygen and them folks oxygen as the same damn air? For shame on you sir for tossing out your ethics and thinking that love has anything to do with marriage.
I’ve visited many of your advertisers in the past and I don’t think I can continue to support your message any longer. I don’t see how you think that gay people should have the same rights as the rest of us God fearing Americans? And then when you stole my Prozac it just offended me more. Bring my little pills back and I will support every post you talk about. Hold on, shiney object, have to run. No it was just that evil cat in the dark reflecting messages from the aliens again.
I’m getting off the computer because Mom is screaming at me again. Damn it she knows GTL isn’t porn!
ROFLMAO GTL!!!
12:49 pm on November 9th, 2008 3
Gaia, please don’t ever stop writing those “books” — they should be best sellers and they’re always welcomed here
Mat: “… You must be a closet gay or something when you compare my oxygen and them folks oxygen as the same damn air? …”
SHHH!!! STOP IT, MAT!!! My lovely wife might read this column and your “outing” of me and that’s not good. I’m trying to figure out a way to break it to her, bro! LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3:36 pm on November 9th, 2008 4
William F Buckley is spinning in his grave right now as the Republicans attempt to dumb down to the lowest common denominator.
I think that it is a hell of a spin when people who are college educated, rich, and unlike most Americans to complain about the elites of our society.
5:48 pm on November 9th, 2008 5
Guns, I gotta smack you here. We have a Republic, not a democracy. Thank God for that. It is one of the checks against the tyranny of the majority.
Second, the founders and framers did not “INSIST(ED )upon a separation of Church and State in the Constitution of the United States of America.” They clearly said that Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of religion. A huge difference between that and the “wall of sparation” so famous from that letter by Jefferson (one wonders why that part of a letter is given weight of law, but his “therefore let the gun be your constant companion” bit from another letter is ignored by the progressives).
Other than that, your piece is on the mark.
Re: Prop 8. As people like DiFi are tellling conservatives about the presidential choice: Get over it, the people have spoken. It is a source of amusement to me that those who cry “we are a democracy, the will of the people is the law of the land” are the first to whine when the “will of the people” goes against their progressive cause of the week. This is the second time this issue has been voted on by We the People. The first decision was overturned by a court, so it was changed slightly and again, the will of the people is that there should be no same sex marriage in CA. I expect that the courts will again overturn the will of the people and that it will be brought up again in two or 4 years, when again the will of the people will say that there should be no same sex marriage in CA. And that the progressives (or whatevery they are calling themselves then) will cry foul and ask why we are having to vote on this again when the COURTS have made it clear. Funny how progressives can bring things to the people or the legislature time after time, some bills have been in the Assembly of CA 12 or 15 times and keep getting voted down, and that is fine with them, but let a piece of conservative legislation be brought up a few times and we get accusations of trying to subvert the will, or intent, of the people. Strangely inconsistant.
6:07 pm on November 9th, 2008 6
Right on target Joe Lovell.
12:26 pm on November 10th, 2008 7
Strange-In a way, I agree with Joe and F&B. I don’t think gays should be allowed to marry, and the respect that the people keep voting that way. However, I don’t think straights should be allowed to marry either. This outdated relic from the past isn’t working for our society anymore. Civil unions for all, I say.
I kind of liked William F. Buckley-Of course, he was wrong about everything, but at least he was literate, which is more than most conservatives could say, if they were literate. He was probably a closet homosexual too.
GTL-Keep up the good work. It doesn’t have to all be parody, although you can communicate effectively some things tongue in cheek that you can’t otherwise.
1:16 pm on November 10th, 2008 8
lol nice.
1:37 pm on November 10th, 2008 9
Girardia wrote: “Strange-In a way, I agree with Joe and F&B. I don’t think gays should be allowed to marry, and the respect that the people keep voting that way. However, I don’t think straights should be allowed to marry either. This outdated relic from the past isn’t working for our society anymore. Civil unions for all, I say.”
OK, I can see the headlines now “Satan goes ice skating!”
Thanks, Girardia. The State has no business in the marriage game.
7:33 pm on November 10th, 2008 10
The state has no business in the marriage game? WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Marriage is a contract. One of the primary functions of the government is to enforce civil contracts through the court system. Since marriage is a very widespread and traditional contract, it makes sense for the state to make it standardized. It says, in effect, “This is the contract you enter into when you marry. If you want something different, write your own”.
As for prop 8, it seems both sides say “the people have spoken” when the vote goes their way, but will take it to court when the vote goes against them. Virtually every California proposition that passes seems to end up in court, no matter what the subject.
7:51 pm on November 10th, 2008 11
There is a difference between being elite and “elitist”.
The elitist are those who think they are better than others. They think that normal rules of law and society don’t apply to them. They should be able to do pretty much what they want because they are so smart and know what they are doing. And besides, their motives are pure and thats what really counts.
The elite are simply those who know their subjects extemely well. They can (and do) come from any walk of life. They do not claim special privilege. So in a sense I do agree, but I don’t see much bashing of the elite, although there is some. I do see a significant amount of well deserved bashing of the elitists.
9:38 pm on November 10th, 2008 12
Excellent definitions there Gunboat, and of course, George Bush and his cronies have been the ultimate elitists of late, acting in our best interests because we didn’t know any better, what with their illegal war based on false pretenses, and their illegal surveillance, and their illegal torture, and their no bid contracts, and all the other things they’ve done for our good because they know better than us common folk. I’ve heard a lot of confusion as to what an elitist is lately. I’m glad we were able to team up to make this clear.
1:59 am on November 11th, 2008 13
And yet another reason the Repubs will keep losing:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-bergthold/palin-calls-bloggers-kids_b_142872.html
1:50 pm on November 11th, 2008 14
Elitism is far from new. Here is (finally!) a new take on it, publicly, anyway:
I watched Charlie Rose interview Toni Morrison about her latest novel. This is an excerpt from Seattle Times book review:
[Morrison's book, "A Mercy," examines what might be called a "pre-racial" America, the formative years at the end of the 17th century when our forebears still had a chance of turning their collective backs against slavery. As the 1993 Nobel Prize winner shows in this slight but powerful story, many forces — economic, sociological, psychological — combined to reinforce racism and sexism before they were institutionalized.]
I think I blew an opportunity last night of sharing with my class years of cumulative research into pre-colonial American History that I was so vindicated to learn I now share with Toni Morrison.
I no longer feel so alone !
Her novel describes the climate of 17th century Jamestown-era Virginia and the London Company.
During this period, free blacks flourished and many owned slaves.
There may not have been many of them, but their legacy and families remained powerful and independent all through the subsequent centuries of war and turmoil despite governmental efforts and they produced great and learned Americans as they sustained agrarian and commercial dynasties that lasted even through reconstruction to today.
You never hear about them. Why?
I think it is a damning message we give to children that all they are is descendents of human chattel when in fact, their “race” despite momentarily having come from a technologically different universe, immediately joined the new world as equals and were never “inferior”–in fact, they were respected and treated as such, UNTIL:
The early democratic Jamestown colony became ruled by a tiny minority of elites appointed by the King.
Poor white and black indentured servants (separate from the independent merchant/farmer/shipping class of free blacks) were truly equal and racism had no part in their lives. Intermarriage was normal because they were of the same “class”.
An uprising (detailed in Toni’s book) resulted in the minority of ruling elites recognizing they were dangerously outnumbered— and theirs was a government solution: manipulating social behavior through draconian laws that demonized color so that blacks and whites would no longer join against them.
Its the institutionalization of racism and prejudice through government and laws that we continue to suffer from today. I believe our schools and students suffer from a continuation of not viewing people as united against ruling elites.
My message has always been that we as educators, are constantly reminded of principles like
to avoid ” not expecting high expectations” and avoid the “self-fulfilling prophecy of labeling” our students but we support policies that continue to divide us and discourage us based on race, and only serve that purpose for those in power as plainly as when they were first devised in Jamestown colony.
The timing of this book is propitious with our new president.
The condescending lies (or at best, omissions) perpetuated in our history textbooks that I have tried to point out over the years have been met with utter confusion, rejection, and calling me a racist!
I hope this book finally means I won’t have to keep silent and suffer ostracization.
My hope was that through education of real history, Americans would come to the conclusion that the roots of hatred are top-down and were never bottom-up and that truth would unite us in common against our rulers who only pretend to “left/right” fight among themselves in order to distract us.
If history shows governmental power is the cause of racism, then lessening its sociological and economic impact will bring us to back to the natural harmony we naturally had as equal people.
History education has failed us in this, because of wanting to preserve the same kind of power imbalance tnat started in pre-colonial government, only today it is a bureaucratic, political, and academic one–more nuanced and involving way more people than the simple Royal governors, but the evil principle and destructive human effects are the same.
I only hope that Obama doesn’t perpetuate divisiveness in our country. I really hope he hasn’t truly joined with those in power to continue to bamboozle us.
Hopefully the “change” his presidency represents isn’t merely that the power elite have now welcomed a more effective tool to perpetuate themselves, but instead reminds us that we don’t need anyone but ourselves—I hope that becomes his overt message, and if it doesn’t, the results will guide us to see it for ourselves as a nation.
Toni’s book might just open our eyes to how ‘ one ‘ we Americans once were and really should always have been, had we not accepted racial difference to seduce us into unjust power.
Education gurus preach about the teacher’s role of guarding against “social injustice”.
Top-down polices have always been its cause, they cannot be its solution. Education is the key.
Thank you Toni Morrison– I cannot wait to read this book.
I wonder if she was among he supposed 4-6% of blacks who did NOT vote for Obama.
I would like to see Oprah interview those educated blacks. —-I hope history proves them mistaken; only time will tell…I would just like to learn their motivation
Sincerely,
A New Teacher
2:48 pm on November 11th, 2008 15
Regarding Gaia’s link to HuffPo, I am reminded of a quotation from Charles Spencer; “Genuine goodness is threatening to those at the opposite end of the spectrum.”
Regarding Gunboat’s discussion of marriage, *MOST* people see Marriage as a religious bond, not as a civil contract. For that reason, many people are opposed to gay “marriage” while being agreeable to the concept of a “civil union”. That would provide all of the legal benefits (and obligations) that hetero couples enjoy while avoiding the religious issues related to homosexuality.
3:07 pm on November 11th, 2008 16
“New Teacher”, Thanks for the insight. Very powerful!
3:39 pm on November 11th, 2008 17
While most people may view marriage as a religious bond (I am not sure that is true – I certainly don’t), it is still a civil contract. No reason it can’t be both. Personally, I have mixed feelings about gay marriage. Many feel the traditional marriage restrictions denies them rights. But then do we allow marriage between siblings and first cousins? They could make the same claim. Anyway, I just don’t see any pressing need to change something that has worked pretty well for thousands of years.
I am reminded of a quote, but don’t remember the source. There are two kinds of fools.
1. Those who say this is old, therefore it is good.
2. Those who say this is new. therefore it is better.
7:22 pm on November 11th, 2008 18
as for what marriage is, I’m with gunboat. Marriage is always a social contract, sometimes with religios implications as well. Rejection of homosexuality is always disgusting bigotry, whether it comes from some outdated and counterproductive mythology or from some other hateful source. Marriage between siblings is not allowed anywhere in the US, but first cousins can marry in some states.
New Teacher-Very interesting. I’m sure that the institutionalization of racism exacerbated things immensely, but I hardly think there was ever a utopian period void of racism whatsoever. It is natural for humans to fear and distrust those not like themselves. It is unfortunate that the powerful are able to exxagerate and exploit these fears to perpetuate the status quo.
12:55 am on November 12th, 2008 19
As someone from the GOP, and born and raised on the west coast, I have voted for several Democratics. I voted for DeConcini up until he aided the attack on Bork, one of the ugliest pages in our history.
I voted for Morris K. Udall, because, even though I did not agree with all of his politics, he cared about my district and the workers in it whether his party liked it or not.
But, here is my simple definition of real elitism today as a conservative in the GOP.
Presidents 41 thru 44 graduated from Yale, Harvard, or Columbia.
Also …
Our Supreme court has seven justices from Harvard, one from Yale, one from Northwestern.
That is what the Democratic Filibuster gave us.
The Filibuster trashed only one candidate from Harvard, but targeted and blocked many qualified people from SMU, UCLA, University of Chicago, and too many other fine colleges of Law throughout this country.
The downfall of the Democrats is inevitable when, in the next few years, the narrowness of their intellectual base, being Harvard almost exclusively, will yield only a shallow and hollow amount of good ideas.
It is the quality and diversity of the Elite that is at question for many of us conservatives.
And right now, its diversity and depth is the most shallow it has been in years.
It is too inbred!
I was taught to revere Ivy League schools. My grandfather went to Princeton. The man who was a father to me growing up graduated from Harvard Law and got his undergrad from William and Mary.
The irony right now is that one cannot, with the exception of a few minor obligations to their voting base, tell the difference between Bush or Obama.
By the way, Dr. Dean, aka Dr. Dino, went to Yale — I know, big surprise for y’all!
And, Ted, mr. plagarism, Kennedy went to …
Oh well, you get the idea.
A diverse and healthy Elite is not a problem.
The sickly and too inbred Elite now in power is dangerous and too unhealthy in a country desperate for change.
1:20 am on November 12th, 2008 20
Well Texas GOP Guy, I was unaware of this concentration of Harvardites in the Supreme Court and other positions of power. I agree that this should be broken up, so long as their replacements are mostly bleeding heart liberals, better yet, pro-gun bleeding heart liberals.
1:32 am on November 12th, 2008 21
Dayum, G — what else can I add to that statement besides a hearty, spiritual (versus blindly-RELIGIOUS), AMEN, brother???
Bring on the pro-2nd Amendment bleeding heart libs — this country hasn’t seen that many since the days of Thomas Jefferson
2:43 am on November 12th, 2008 22
Too late! We got bleeding brains instead suffering from hemophilia who can’t stop the hemorrhaging of our legal system that is going on these days.
To wit, we have now voted in a Harvard educated dude with a Harvard educated wife who claim they are really bleeding hearts.
And Michelle’s only claim to fame in the protesting world was when she protested the ethnic diversity of the Havard faculty. Maybe she wanted to be a professor there one day. I don’t know.
I asked my wife tonight what will a 55 year ex-pres with a law degree have to look forward to. ( Yea, I think he will get two terms — though I will vote for the other guy again ).
Yep, he wants to be on the Supreme Court and attend those wicked cool Harvard alumni parties.
No, these next eight years are going to be more like Herbert Hoover caught in incest more than any real substantive change.
Which is rather ironic, since President Hoover strongly felt that the Supreme Court should not be stacked but instead have a diversity of opinion and a healthy minority opinion to challenge the majority and keep them on their toes.
Then again, he was a Stanford man, not a Harvard Bull Dog.
In recent years, the Elite court of court’s “decree’s” have started to sound more and more like Tweedle Dee and Twiddle Dumb rather than like cogent and comprehensive settled law that the honest hard working American can respect and which the lawyer can’t use to line their billfolds trying to untangle the mess that has been created.
In other words, thanks to them, you can keep your guys as they kick you off the land you own because they want to develop it to get more property taxes from it than they can get from you if you stay on it.
What idiocy! A case in CT in Yale’s back yard being settled by Harvard dude’s. I wish they seized Souter’s little domain in NH to teach the guy a lesson about what it means to live free or die. But, they didn’t.
Thanks for killing diversity in our courts Senator Reid and all you Dem bleeding hearts.
I beginning to think Douglas Adams had it right all along. The universe might really be being perversely run by someone who doesn’t even admit to its existence nor the simple laws of cause and effect.
And we don’t have the Heart of Gold to get to this truth because the Elite’s heart of stone is weighing us down with so much with ridiculous and arduous decisions from a bunch of Harvard dudes.
It is hard to be hopeful when they are acting more like their court is a Harvard dorm fight instead the highest more important court in the land.
2:46 am on November 12th, 2008 23
Sorry, I meant to say that you can keep your GUNS as they kick you off your land. Opps!
5:09 pm on November 12th, 2008 24
Obama was raised by a single parent i.e. his mom, who had to apply for food stamps to survive at times. His Kenyan father came up from a financially challenged background. Obama moved to Indonesia and being of a dark complexion was a challenge I’m sure…especially in a place where the lighter you are it’s an advantage…in some cases Hawaii can be that way also. He also chose to work in the Chicago southside which far from an Ivy League utopia. He might’ve received and elitist education but his childhood upbringing was “modest” at best without the George Bush Silver Spoon is his mouth. He knows what it is like being broke.
9:45 pm on November 12th, 2008 25
Jdozzew,
I was raised by a single mother also ( I am a year older than Obama is, btw ). So, I am well aware of the challenges he faced. And my father also did not pay one dime in child support forcing my mother to provide for us. So, I am glad he had food stamps. I am thrilled he raised himself up.
My problem with Obama is what did he become when he had money coming in. Did he look back and say he ought to do something about it himself or does he look at government as the only solution?
According to his tax returns, in 2001, when he made $240,000 adjusted gross income, he donated $1,500 ( figures rounded ). It changed very little until 2006 when he woke up and realized he would be running.
Taking the same year in comparison with Obama, 2001, my wife and I had an adjusted gross income of about $44,500 and we donated almost $4,000 to charity. That included monies to help the blind and for drug rehabilitation for women on the street. We did not itemize donations on our returns that we gave to the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or the food banks.
In the years following up till 2005 for us, our income changed very little also, but while we donated old cars to schools for scholarships or other charities ( instead of using them as trade-ins ), gave more clothes to charity, food to food banks, and 10% of our income to charity on top of that, Obama donation’s averaged around 1.5% to charity from his income of $250,000 plus.
And that does not include the amount of time my wife and I have personally donated to charity as well.
Lastly, for my vote this year, I took the time to look at McCain’s tax returns. I found that he and his wife have consistently donated 10% or more of their income a year to charity.
Donating $1.2 million to charity since 1992 is nothing to laugh at for me. I respect that.
I know what it is like to be broke. I hope Obama has not forgotten it. But I respect someone more who, when no one is looking, isn’t a Scrooge with what they have and does not think their taxes are a sufficient contribution alone to the world’s ills.
And you know what, I am not telling you this to brag. In truth, in comparison with most of my fellow social conservative Republicans, we don’t give as much total donations as a percentage of our income.
I tell you this because I want to assure you we do care about others because we have been there too.
My impression of the current Elite is that they talk a good talk, but don’t walk a good walk. My research has borne this out.
So, gun toting liberals, what do you give to the poor relative to your income? Are you thinking that your vote for Obama will take from the rich so you won’t have to give more of yourselves?
Are gun toting liberals a thousand points of light or a thousand words of darkness?
10:28 pm on November 12th, 2008 26
I appreciate your position and how you structure your points…well thought out…it’s all good!
“Texas GOP Guy” you said, “I know what it is like to be broke. I hope Obama has not forgotten it.” I think TIME Will answer that question…one way or another.
As The World Wobbles
10:42 pm on November 12th, 2008 27
TEXAS GOP GUY:
“… Are gun toting liberals a thousand points of light or a thousand words of darkness? …”
Do a Google search on Thomas Jefferson and there lies your answer, Sir
1:18 am on November 13th, 2008 28
Jdozzew,
Just know that I have dealt with liberal democrats politicians before.
My favorite anecdote on this matter can be found when I had to go to CA during the primary season in AZ and choose to vote absentee. I was charged a $15 fee by a Notary because at that time one had to use one in order for the vote to be counted ( not a bad idea ). She was a die hard democrat by the signs in her window and the buttons on her lapel.
Later, I had to go back to CA during the general and again used an absentee ballot ( ironically voting for a freshman senator by the name of McCain ). This time, I used a different Notary. When I went to pay him, he said that he did not believe in Poll Taxes and it cost nothing. I inquired as to what party he was in. He was Republican. It spoke volumes to a young recently graduated college student called upon to help his family in California during a health crisis.
My observation has been that to call liberal democrats I have dealt with two faced liars would be to ignore their other faces.
As to Googling Thomas Jefferson, I can only say that I cannot get past his being a slave owner and never having the courage to free them while he was alive. I admire some of his other accomplishemts though. I much prefer either John Adams or John Quincy Adams to Jefferson.
My basic point is that this country gives to charity in the range of $260 billion a year. Far more than any other country in the world.
We are a generous people.
And when many of those people, people like myself, who have given of our time and money to charity without looking for recognition or reward have people spend time on their blog sites spreading hateful and ignorant ravings about us and how we are racist bigots who are out of touch, it really really stinks!
I voted for McCain because he leads by example rather than let my vote be swayed by the rhetoric of an Elitist who wants me to pay more in taxes so he can he can say he helped the poor and downtrodden.
I still can’t get over watching Biden denouncing McCain for voting 19 times against increasing the minimum wage and ignoring the fact that McCain had voted to increase it five times every time it was not tied to pork barrel spending.
Ah, the many faces of the liberals. Lies, lies, lies.
The one thing I have come to learn they will never give me is fairness or opportunity. From personal experience, they have, to their great shame, kicked me when I was down and spit on me.
2:09 am on November 13th, 2008 29
Wow “Texas GOP Guy”…you feel pretty disgruntled…kinda like I’ve felt over the past 8 years with George Bush in office…the true epitome of an arrogant Elitist.
2:12 am on November 13th, 2008 30
“kinda like the way I’ve felt”
Sarah Palin had a better chance of being the President than John McCain.
12:02 pm on November 13th, 2008 31
Jdozzew,
And that is still how you will feel for the next 8 years too.
Remember …
Presidents 41 thru 44 went to either Yale or Harvard.
You just replaced one Elitist with another one.
I too was disappointed with Bush like other conservatives. Mostly because he tried to act like the biggest, baddest Liberal Democrat out there, Ted Kennedy. His “No Child Left Behind” and prescription drug program for Medicare were/are straight out of the Lib playbook — only with a few Republican hooks.
My observation in 2002 was that he was taking us down the road of a “guns and butter” approach to the war. LBJ all over again. And that was what made me mad during his term.
None of us were happy that he and the congress increased the national debt to 10 Trillion.
But, I would challenge you not to be so hypocritical as to not see that your side has its inherent evils too that you will come to regret over the next eight years.
You will be betrayed just like I was. You will regret your choice.
The fact is that we need to bite the bullet. Canada did so in the late 90s. They determined they would balance their budget and pay off their debt.
It meant curbing the growth of social programs. It meant people did not receive the promised care.
But they did it. They are out of debt. And now their dollar is stronger than ours.
They protected their economy.
Now the Obama administration has to tackle the national debt. There is no contract with America forcing them to do so.
I do not see in the news anything that tells me Obama is taking the debt seriously. In fact, I just see him continuing the failed policies of the previous three administrations and making them worse.
Namely, ignoring the debt!!!!
You might be happy to see Gitmo and the Patriot Act gone, but one day even you are going to realize that you were more prosperous under Clinton than Obama.
And I place this fiasco squarely at the Democrats feet. Eighteen years ago, they talked Bush 41 into sitting down at the table to discuss higher taxes amongst other things to bring the national debt under control and restore the economy. And then they turned on him in a vicious manner and used his going back on his pledge of “no new taxes” to crucify him and get into the White House.
If the Democrats said 18 years ago that we will be “fair” and not be partisan and respect Bush 41’s leadership to get the economy and the debt healthy again, you would not have had your wilderness years 1994 thru 2006 in the Congress.
I see the same seeds of destruction today for your party.
Until you say no new social agenda until we are fiscally responsible adults, we all are doomed to failure.
My prediction is that by the end of an Obama administration we will be $20 Trillion in debt if we are lucky.
1:41 pm on November 13th, 2008 32
“Texas GOP Guy”…I’m not in the business of PREDICTION and PROHECY but your totally entitled to doing so.
You place the fiasco at the Democrats feet eighteen years ago. I place it at the feet of Ronald Reagan and Reaganomics that busted up all the Unions along with the shrinking of the middle-class that George Bush has pretty much wiped out now using the same type of policy tactics. History has shown us that a Bush has been in the middle of corporate corruption over the past 20 years that is for certain and not a prediction.
Time will tell, not predictions and forecasting on what Obama will enact. However, Obama isn’t close to being the tyrrant George Bush has been. George Bush is a republican and please name me one Democratic President that tried to operate as a DICTATOR like this idiot?
Time will be the judge on what Obama does as President.
Don’t worry though, I’m sure Sarah Palin will run for President in 2012. Maybe we’ll have our first reality Presidential TV show following her around.
1:42 pm on November 13th, 2008 33
“PROPHECY”
1:59 pm on November 13th, 2008 34
One of the ways Canada was able to get their economy turned around was by socializing medicine. Although far from perfect, in survey after survey Canadians prefer their system to ours by a ratio of 94% to 96%.
I place the blame squarely at the feet of the Republicrats. It was a mighty team effort to fu4k things up this bad. We need a stronger Green Party, a stronger Constitution Party, a stronger libertarian Party and a stronger Socialist Party. The religious nut-jobs should have their own party too. I’ll be in the Keg Party!
2:42 pm on November 13th, 2008 35
“G” — I’m with ya’ on this one. I say public campaign financing ONLY and equally divided between the top 5 or 6 highest polling Independents, Greens, Constitutions, Reforms, whatever. This 2-party BULLSHIT has GOT to STOP. Nowhere is a 2-party system of gub’mint mandated or even MENTIONED in the Constitution and it’s time the 2-party CARTEL is put in its rightful place — some members behind bars; and the CARTELS themselves on an even, fair, and balanced playing field with the rest of America seeing as they are BOTH minority groups membership wise as compared to the rest of America.
2:47 pm on November 13th, 2008 36
Oh, and of course, I’m all for overhauling the FEC so ALL publicly-funded candidates get equal time in ANY national debate as well. Ross Perot once took us SOMEWHAT down this road and well, we all saw what happened afterward — no more multi-party, televised, national debates and the 2-Party CARTEL stole America from the people because just the thought and threat to them posed by another “voice” scared the hell out of them. And, oh, my God — it was fun watching them (Bush-Clinton) squirm nervously as Perot and his famous charts FORCED them to address the economy and balancing the budget despite the CARTEL’s “wink-wink” behind the scenes agreement to “not go there”. No Ross Perot that year? No balanced budget under President Clinton’s next eight years.
Again, I say EQUAL airtime and EQUAL public campaign financing for multi-party voices and NO DNC/RNC “loopholes” for more donations combined with a complete destruction of McCain-Feingold will be the ONLY way the People will win America again. If it’s $87m for the Dems and Reps, it’s $87m for the rest of ‘em, too, and NO OPTIONS to buy elections in the fashion in which Barry won. Not that I’m complaining about the Obama-Obiden victory (YET!); he just used the loopholes legally to get what he wanted. SHUT those damned loopholes and if we can’t repeal McCain-Feingold, leave the rest to We and Our 527’s and NOT A DAMNED THING ELSE.
3:27 pm on November 13th, 2008 37
The Canada Health Act which created universal health care was passed in 1984. That is not the reason Canada balanced the budget!
It took them a while before they realized how out of control their health care system and their budget was and then they began to reign it in.
Once they did, it began to work.
Now, only if we could learn that lesson. Balance your budget!
As for corporations, frankly, it is the unions who are chasing jobs out of the country. You work for a multi-national corporation and go on strike, they are going to look elsewhere for cheaper labor. Duh!
Particularly, the Chinese slave labor camps.
I used to buy only GM. I never owned a foriegn car until 2000 when I saw my dollar going to a company that encouraged the use of slave labor in China. And the unions helped them do that by their bickering and meanness.
I have read all the arguments against Bush, and in the final analysis, I keep coming back to the fact that the Unions don’t wish to own up to their vindictive nature towards coporations.
Like all liberals, they hate corporate America with a passion. There is no middle ground. No working together.
Only hatred. And that is the alternative you guys are giving me. Exchange one hatred for another.
Even Cratchet thanked Mr. Scrooge for the small feast he had.
Today, thanks to the election, it is o.k. to hate corporations and love the worker.
But what will that mean?
As an example, about three months ago, I saw a sign on the road in the DFW area from Allied Pilots Union slamming American Airlines for having the worst service in the industry.
As someone wrote in the local paper about the sign, that is like someone killing their parents and then pleading for mercy because they are orphan’s now.
It is hard for me to respect pilots who make 200k a year when my family is middle class and just getting by.
After years and years of crappy cars. I finally listened to my friends and went foreign.
Now I own two Hondas and won’t go back to GM.
Remember, it was Clinton that pushed through NAFTA.
But you only see Bush as the Fascist.
Well, all I know is that since Reaganomics, the unemployment rate has averaged 5 per cent or less. New economic engines have blossomed. New sectors of the economy now exist that didn’t exist twenty years ago.
I am better off for Reagan being in office.
I am not better off for 50 million people not being here because of abortion being legal. That kissed 1 trillion dollars in the economy goodbye.
But if you are going argue that Bush is a dictator and a Fascist, the only politicians I see out there hanging out with Billionaires is Obama and the Dems. Soros loves him and them. Buffet adores him and them. And the Democrats do so love Soros and Buffet. Ted Turner thinks they are great too! Well, even Trump prefers the Democrats.
Of course, the Sandlers too have a love feast on Obama too. After all, their 24 billion dollar sale to Wachovia of their sub prime loan package netted them a couple of billion dollars before their package went bust and took Wachovia out.
Kinda explains why Obama could spend over a billion dollars getting the White House.
No, today, the average American, like myself, has no clue what they lost on Nov. 4th.
They won’t go to opensecrets.org and read through carefully to see who is the richest and who is the poorest congressman.
They won’t see that Tom Delay was worth a negative $250,000 and was later succeeded by Pelosi who is worth $62 million. They won’t ask why or how that happened.
They won’t check and find out that Pelosi won’t let the staff in the hotel she and her husband owns join a union.
They will just believe the lie that Republicans are the party of the rich and Democrats are the party of the average working man.
This country has lost its sense of gratitude and thankfulness.
I see nothing in the rants about elitism and the Republicans that reflect the dedicated Republicans I saw go down and work in Louisana to help restore it. I see nothing about the dedicated Republicans I saw working in soup kitchens. I see nothing about the dedicated Republicans I see working getting woman off the street and drugs and rehabilitating them.
All of them are shaking their heads and wondering what happened.
What they see is that liberals condoned and affirmed the attacks on Joe the Plumber. They hated him with a passion bordering on insanity. And they hated Tito the Builder too.
None of these guys is a huge corporation. But liberals hated them nevertheless.
Did you think we would not notice?
4:27 pm on November 13th, 2008 38
I love seeing all of these signs at the gun shops around here with “November 4th, 2008 — The Day Freedom Died”. What a bunch of doomasses they are. They need to change the year to 2000 when President Bush took office and methodically created new government branches with new department heads (DHA) and gub’mintized airport security. Soon followed were the USA Patriot Act, RealID, McCain-Feingold and other great Republican/GOP “hits”. There’s always imminent domain as well; a Liberal SCOTUS decision with absolutely no verbal backlash by the POTUS. Speaking of President Bush, as an OIF vet, I’ve watched him allow the military to sell our troops down the river for failure and alleged failures to follow Traffic Cop procedures while under hostile fire in a rightfully (arguably) recision of UN Article 1441, which should have been CEASED and DESISTED with myself and my fellow troops coming home to victorious ticker tape parades the day they handed Saddam over to the Iraqis. He stood by without saying a single damned WORD in support of those (mostly now acquitted) victims of the Bush-Cheney version of supporting the troops.
Nation building was where the real money was though; headed up by the Bush-Cheney criminal gang and the answer was “no – the “war” continues under OUR watch, funded by OUR money”. TREASON. They should have been and still SHOULD be impeached, followed by a criminal investigation for their big oil and nation buildin’ bidness, self-serving misappropriations of our military, its troops and our MONEY. Wonder why we’re in a depression? Re-read the last paragraph again and count the money.
But, oh no — we NEED that money to be thrown with little accountability into Iraq instead of using it to finance a better way to take care of our uninsured children, Medicare, solidifying Social Security, etc., etc., etc.
Last but not least, look at that last paragraph above this one and you’ll learn one money dump; the first one; pays something back to the Reagan-esque “trickle down theory” (which fails to work, by the way — just my opinion) while the other money dumps pay dividends which ONLY benefit the Citizens themselves. That’s the GOP for ya’, isn’t it?
And let’s get one more thing straight — I’ve said this before and I’ll be happy to say it again. The billionaires (so-called “self-made” ones and most others) are reaching into our big old bags of tax dollars in ways the GOP and its supporters either haven’t considered or remain in total denial of the FACTS.
As a mid-level manager for a Fortune 500 Corporation myself, a corporation controlled by a majority owner worth BILLIONS, I do my great corporate “duty” to ensure the vast majority of my work force I’m responsible for managing is given only enough hours to keep them from receiving affordable health care through our employer. Sounds nice on the surface to the average Republican, doesn’t it? They can always just go get two or three more side jobs and buy their own damned health care or go to work for somebody who actually will provide it to them, right? Yeah, I know the argument well. But there’s another side to it maybe you haven’t considered…
Those people are FORCED, via corporate greed and corporate welfare, firmly backed and established by the Republican Party, to apply for and receive gub’mint assistance in the forms of welfare and foodstamps to help the bottom lines of those (including my own) corporation and who pays for it? We lilly-livered Libs and uninformed conservatives who actually think this arrangement makes sense if they are thinking at all.
Last but not least, those of us who are BLESSED to have health insurance pay exhorbitant prices for it based on, yep — you got it — all of those ER visits the poor amongst us must go to to treat the common cold. The GOP and their supporters are all too happy to point out at least they can GO to the ER’s for these preliminary (no followups; no healthcare, remember?) treatments. And who pays for it? Not the Bill Gates’s out there because they hide their income in corporate loopholes so they can pay themselves a “modest” pay check and say “See? I pay MY “progressive” taxes just like the guy I pay $10K per year does and MY rate is even a tad bit higher.
Speaking of the “Rich” who own and/or operate these corporations, who pays to ensure their roads are paved and those potholes are filled so their company-owned eighteen wheelers can move their products around the country? WE, the poor and the middle class (what’s left of it) do. Who financed the public education of those work forces who directly contribute to their wealth? WE do. Who financed their higher educations for the middle and upper management and lower management teams via student loans? WE did. And very little, if ANY of it, “trickles down” into our pockets. We LOSE on all of the above investments; the corporations and their BOD’s WIN.
So please, don’t try and convince me what’s good for the corporation is good for the average American Citizen. I’ve just slain that argument as far as I’m concerned and will not address any opposition to it in this thread since I’ve given you and any other poster here to feel free to voice those arguments.
Small businesses on the other hand; NEITHER party is giving them more than lip service — neither is doing a damned thing to help them to flourish. There was a time when a Mom and Pop bidness had a legitimate chance to submit bids for small support contracts during times of peace and war for our military. Thank the Right and thank the Authoritarian Left (Dems) for seeing to it such contracts today, unlike the days of old, are all-encompassing and way beyond the scope of the Mom and Pops. It wasn’t that long ago the goverment had a fair process of saying “We need a bid for feeding the troops at XYZ base”. Now they say “We need a bid for feeding all of the troops and bussing the troops in every base in the Area of Responsibility” — say hello to KBR and Enron on that one.
Oh, sure, the Mom and Pops get to bid on a SUB-contract under the “big boys”; that is, AFTER the big boys have already raked their MINIMUM of 33% of OUR tax dollars right off of the top and right into their bottom line corporate coffers and for what? Making a couple of phone calls to a couple of Mom and Pops and doing what the gub’mint once did — slicing the AOR into a bunch of little pieces for the Mom and Pops to bid and AGAIN — after the KBR’s have already raked their 33% MINIMUM right off the top just to do so since the KBR’s never did have the capability to conduct the (no-bid) contracts themselves since they never had the work forces under their direct employ to get the job done in the first place.
Am I a capitalist? I make money from this bid’ness called the GTL — not much but enough to call me a capitalist since my customer base and outreach alone make this site worth seven figures easily. I’m also a 4-time CEO, by the way. Capitalism isn’t a dirty word; it’s just that we have the GOP mainly to thank for the filthy, costly (to WE taxpayers), well-deserved, modern day version of it. And I’m tired of financing all of these needless deficits and overpayments to the big boys with MY hard earned tax dollars.
Clear enough?
4:42 pm on November 13th, 2008 39
Texas GOP Guy. Where to start? You are right, Canada made some stark choices and reigned in spending on health care so their national budget is in better shape than ours and now their corporations are able to compete without worrying about healthcare. The unions have had some positive effects and some adverse effects which will continue to do until they successfully organize globally to address the needs of workers everywhere. Workers unite! A lot of those jobs you say went to China actually went to Canada, with their much stronger unionization and socilized medicine. “Like all liberals, they hate corporate America with a passion. There is no middle ground. No working together.Only hatred.” This gross generalization is stupid and ridiculous. I’m a liberal who owns a tiny corporation and there isn’t a liberal I know that fits that description. Besides, the GOP is and always been the party of hatred and fear, not that liberals are free of hatred. I hate George Bush and his cartel of murdering thieves that don’t give a rat’s ass about America. Many rich folk like Obama because the economy has historically fared better under Dems. Maybe Delay is broke because he’s a dumb-ass pice of chit. Obama was able to spend a lot of money to get his job because Americans stepped up and made it happen. Don’t like that? Too bad. I give a hearty shout out to the dozens of Republicans that broke ranks and helped out after Katrina instead of exploiting the situation for political and economic gain like most Repuglicans involved did. Hannity said those damned librals hated Joe the plummer so it must be true. Most of us spotted that Sam (not really Joe, not really a plumber, behind on his taxes, former public aid recipient) was really just a stupid, ineffective and disingenuos ploy to try and distract us from the fact that McLame had nothing but more of the same stupid, corrupt and disastrous failed Rethuglican policies to offer us. Your party will go down in flames but I have no illusion that the Democrats are some kind of panacea, just the clearly better choice at this point in history.
4:52 pm on November 13th, 2008 40
Wow GTL! You Rock!
5:09 pm on November 13th, 2008 41
“Girardia” I want whatever your taking in the morning bro lol! GTL, “EQUAL” yes sir!
“TexasGOP” You got 4 years to blaze it up…trust me, I spent the past 8 on lighting up George Bushes Ass so feel free to go at it! If you were much better off under Reagan then I can see where your coming from and your free to “be” with how you feel and what you think about Democrats…it’s all good man. That’s what makes our nation a DEMOCRACY
Reality TV Presents: Sarah Palin’s Run For President Coming Soon 2012. Should be entertaining!
5:32 pm on November 13th, 2008 42
Looks like her campaign was well under way two weeks before the election.
5:54 pm on November 13th, 2008 43
Thanks, Gents… glad to do it
6:13 pm on November 13th, 2008 44
WASHINGTON — Want a top job in the Obama administration? Only pack rats need apply, preferably those not packing controversy:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/13/us/politics/13apply.html?no_interstitial
4:57 pm on November 20th, 2008 45
The elitist illuminati only look out for themselves, and other elitist. That is the entire problem with Washington.