Politicians in Washington are great at talking the talk. It gets them elected, it gets them soundbites on TV news, and it convinces their constituents to continue supporting them.
But now it is time to walk the walk. The conservative swing in this year's election has been an indictment of overspending in Washington. The Tea party formed in direct response to corporate giveaways and budget busting entitlements. The mission for Congress this session is clear:
CUT SPENDING.
And now it is time for them to walk the walk. It is easy for a conservative to call for lower taxes and spending, but the process of actually cutting things from government is anything but simple. It will be an uphill battle with deep political consequences. Nobody wants to lose their access to the Federal Gravy Train. But it must be done.
So let's do it.
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Friday, November 12, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
The O'Donnell Conundrum
My Facebook news stream has taken on an interesting tenor lately. It is awash with opinion articles decrying the idiocy of Christine O'Donnell, and defending the "elites" she opposes. Liberals are nodding their heads in such unison, that I'd swear they were Republicans.
The meme of a pretty conservative lady with questionable credentials was, of course, pioneered by that lightning rod of liberal disdain, Sarah Palin. Her critics fell over each other to find new ways to call her stupid. She has been used to cast the entire Tea Party movement as merely a know-nothing rabble.
Enter one Christine O'Donnell. Riding on the Tea Party momentum, she ousted the Republican incumbent in the primary. Representing for many Delaware voters a political outsider who might better represent them, she has created a media firestorm.
Images and videos of her deep past have come to light, casting her in a sharply negative light. In fact, the media's obsession has boosted her campaign contributions significantly, and she has collected more money from outside of Delaware than inside.
Yet these things have not helped her campaign. She is a 15-20 point dog, with little chance against her Democratic opponent. And herein lies, for me, a conundrum:
Why does the Left continue to bash her so viciously?
Here's what I think. For one, they are attempting to position her as the figurehead of the Tea Party, so that her loss can be framed as a victory of Democratic Reason over Tea Party Madness.
Second, by piling on, the Left can all feel good about a common cause against the Tea Party menace.
Thirdly, and most interestingly, the Left feels compelled to say, "I'm not an idiot!!!" by loudly insulting Ms. O'Donnell, because if she's a dolt and wrong about everything, then the Left is still smart and right about everything (even though Obama and the Democratic Congress has clearly shown this to be false).
It's the same reason some closeted homosexuals express violent homophobia. To deny their own perceived weakness, they lash out at anyone who reminds them of it.
In order for the Left to deny it's own stupid mistakes, and thus bolster their own belief that they have all the answers, they must excoriate a relatively harmless candidate for perceived stupidity.
In other words, "the lady doth protest too much."
The meme of a pretty conservative lady with questionable credentials was, of course, pioneered by that lightning rod of liberal disdain, Sarah Palin. Her critics fell over each other to find new ways to call her stupid. She has been used to cast the entire Tea Party movement as merely a know-nothing rabble.
Enter one Christine O'Donnell. Riding on the Tea Party momentum, she ousted the Republican incumbent in the primary. Representing for many Delaware voters a political outsider who might better represent them, she has created a media firestorm.
Images and videos of her deep past have come to light, casting her in a sharply negative light. In fact, the media's obsession has boosted her campaign contributions significantly, and she has collected more money from outside of Delaware than inside.
Yet these things have not helped her campaign. She is a 15-20 point dog, with little chance against her Democratic opponent. And herein lies, for me, a conundrum:
Why does the Left continue to bash her so viciously?
Here's what I think. For one, they are attempting to position her as the figurehead of the Tea Party, so that her loss can be framed as a victory of Democratic Reason over Tea Party Madness.
Second, by piling on, the Left can all feel good about a common cause against the Tea Party menace.
Thirdly, and most interestingly, the Left feels compelled to say, "I'm not an idiot!!!" by loudly insulting Ms. O'Donnell, because if she's a dolt and wrong about everything, then the Left is still smart and right about everything (even though Obama and the Democratic Congress has clearly shown this to be false).
It's the same reason some closeted homosexuals express violent homophobia. To deny their own perceived weakness, they lash out at anyone who reminds them of it.
In order for the Left to deny it's own stupid mistakes, and thus bolster their own belief that they have all the answers, they must excoriate a relatively harmless candidate for perceived stupidity.
In other words, "the lady doth protest too much."
Friday, September 17, 2010
Sarah Palin 2012? You Betcha!
I've been reflecting on the recent Tea party candidate win in Delaware, and I've come to a frightening conclusion:
The 2012 GOP Candidate for President of the United States will be Sarah Palin.
And she will probably win.
I got shivers just typing that.
The Tea party is pulling the GOP further Right, but a lack of sophistication has them voting for dumb-but-nominally-conservative candidates. Enter: Sarah Palin.
The GOP is not dumb. They (I think) see the writing on the wall. In order to win the primaries, a candidate will have to appeal to the Tea party. Palin already has name recognition and media cache. The fact that the Left hates her so much is even more motivation for the Right. She keeps showing up at Tea party events for a reason.
She is trying to position herself as the leader of the new push for small government. And right now she is leading the pack.
Barring some terrific show of idiocy (not out of the realm of possibility), Palin will be the GOP nominee. Most independent voters will not vote Obama again. So, assuming she doesn't split the vote with a Ron Paul-type real conservative, she will be President of the United States.
The Mayans were right. The end will come in 2012. The Great American Political Farce will reach its zenith. The curtain will be pulled back for all to see. Democracy will be exposed for the failed experiment that it is.
The great cosmic joke will finally get to the punchline.
Ha...ha?
The 2012 GOP Candidate for President of the United States will be Sarah Palin.
And she will probably win.
I got shivers just typing that.
The Tea party is pulling the GOP further Right, but a lack of sophistication has them voting for dumb-but-nominally-conservative candidates. Enter: Sarah Palin.
The GOP is not dumb. They (I think) see the writing on the wall. In order to win the primaries, a candidate will have to appeal to the Tea party. Palin already has name recognition and media cache. The fact that the Left hates her so much is even more motivation for the Right. She keeps showing up at Tea party events for a reason.
She is trying to position herself as the leader of the new push for small government. And right now she is leading the pack.
Barring some terrific show of idiocy (not out of the realm of possibility), Palin will be the GOP nominee. Most independent voters will not vote Obama again. So, assuming she doesn't split the vote with a Ron Paul-type real conservative, she will be President of the United States.
The Mayans were right. The end will come in 2012. The Great American Political Farce will reach its zenith. The curtain will be pulled back for all to see. Democracy will be exposed for the failed experiment that it is.
The great cosmic joke will finally get to the punchline.
Ha...ha?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
John Cleese Explains Political Extremism
This was filmed over 20 years ago, but some things never change.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Obama Trades Licks with the GOP
Obama met with the Republican caucus on Friday in Baltimore. Skip the speech and read the Q & A session.
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