Hi guys, I have teleconfernces this morning. But I have found some interesting things to chew on and mull over in the meantime.
- There is a reason why we don’t let children vote. It’s because they seem to treat candidates like teen idols. In the New York Times this morning, there is a piece on how children have persuaded their parents to register as Democrats and vote for Obama in Obama’s Young Backer’s Twist Parents’ Arms. And these parents have relinquished all parental responsibility and are following their children’s directions. Bad, bad, bad. It is time we re-established our parental authority and told our kids to eat their vegetables and clean up their rooms.
- This American Life had a recent podcast you may want to listen to. The Audacity of Government tells the stories of several people who were directly affected by the Bush Administration’s grab for power. This will leave you bewildered at what is motivating their decisions. And disturbed.
- Terry Gross, the best interviewer on radio, has had a number of superb podcasts lately that I highly recommend. Find out about derivatives and “instruments” that are screwing up our economy in Our Confusing Economy, Explained. In “Bush’s Law”, Secret Surveillance Efforts Revealed, Eric Lichtblau details what the Bushies were up to with the FISA court. Black Liberation Theology, In its Founder’s Words, defines and explains what it’s all about and what is really going in in Obama’s church. Very informative and highly recommended.
- Eriposte at TheLeftCoaster provides more evidence that the progressive blogosphere 1.0 is less about pro-Obama and more about anti-Clinton in Stories of Love and Hate. Is this a real political difference with Clinton or is it indicative of the higher number of men in the blogosphere and therefore, a greater propensity to support one of their own? And if it’s the latter, isn’t “progressive” a misnomer?
Filed under: Barack Obama, Economy, government, Jeremiah Wright, Presidential Election 2008 | Tagged: Black Theology, Economy, Eric Lichtblau, Terry Gross, This American Life, young voters |
The Confluence 
I can rant on the subject of support for Obama, especially among college-age young adults on campus and on such soul-destroying “social networking” sites as myspace, and how it is being “marketed,” in vulgar terms for a long time. But I don’t want to do that.
I will only say that there is a lot of “social-engineering” going on that, if you knew about it, you would find (at the least) scary.
This stuff has a history going back at least to the WWII days. For those interested, and willing to face reality, I recommend the LaRouche Youth Movement’s “Is the Devil in Your Laptop?” as a primer. (It also has a great chapter in the end (scientifically oriented, rather than politically, on the history of computers, which is worthwhile reading in itself.) This link will get you there safely:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/34ttuc
NOTE: this is not intended to be racist in any manner, so I aplogize in advance if anyone sees it this way. It’s just that as today’s “feminists” are dismissive of the work we “older” women/men did to gain women’s rights, it seems some AA’s see the work done to
help race relations in the past is passe, and doesn’t count for anything. As gendergapper said at Anglachel’s Journal the other day (about today’s young women…not the ones here, I might add!), “Personally and professionally, they landed on 3rd base and
thought that they got a triple.”
So in addition to sexism and racism there’s also ageism to add to the ever-widening great divide!.
Here’s what Spike Lee has to say (from over at HuffPost):
“The Clintons, man, they would lie on a stack of Bibles. Snipers? That’s not misspeaking; that’s some pure bullshit. I voted for Clinton twice, but that’s over with. These old black politicians say, “Ooh, Massuh Clinton was good to us, massuh hired a lot of us,
massuh was good!” Hoo! Charlie Rangel, David Dinkins–they have to understand this is a new day. People ain’t feelin’ that stuff. It’s like a tide, and the people who get in the way are just gonna get
swept out into the ocean.”
Does Spike Lee attend Trinity Church in Chicago?
Progressive may or may not be the right label for them. As for myself I have never used the progressive word. I am proud to be a LIBERAL. I’ve always thought that by adopting the progressive label that meant that they were either ashamed or not committed to a liberal ideology leaving them to pick and choose. So we get people committed to equal rights for everyone, except….., everyone deserves health care, except…….., everyone deserves equal opportunities, except……… What we now have is a whole bunch of people who have convinced themselves that they are morally superior because they are “progressive” but you know without the stigma, heartache or obligations of actually being a true liberal. We can call them liberal lites or neo-liberals or whatever label you want. What they really are is liberals with exceptions. A convenient way to take the easy way out and avoid being ostracized when discrimination is the vogue thing in their circles. Being liberal means always sticking to your guns and standing up for and being friends with people who are completely different from yourself. It means not discriminating against your transgendered neighbor, your AA neighbor, or your conservative neighbor. It means walking away from people who tell tacky sexist, off color or gay jokes. It isn’t easy being a liberal, but it is damned well worth it. These folks just want to have the label without actually having to make the sacrifices or the committment to live the ideology every day. It is pick and choose with them.
Regarding Obamania, I don’t understand it.
I recognize it though, because it’s virtually identical to the support for Bush 8 years ago, with a big glob of CDS on top.
Both Bush and Obama are vague candidates that their supporters project what ever they want to see upon.
I guess those 27% who still think Bush is doing a great job are what the Obots will look like in a few years.
That second to last sentence should read: These folks just want to have the benefits of the liberal label without actually having to make the sacrifices or the committments to live the ideology every day.
Gregoryp: They aren’t “progressives,” they are “fauxgressives.”
So sayeth Melissa McEwan
I too am a liberal and proud of it. And while I hate to cite Fox News, sometimes even a repugnant source can be correct. Last night on Hannity (I really don’t stay glued to this, I just happened to be getting home from work at 9:30) there was evidence that Obama was friends with a former Weatherman who had admitted in his memoir that he was involved in the bombing of the Pentagon. I recall the guy, because on Sept. 11, 2001, a piece just happened to be published in The Chronicle of Higher Education with an excerpt from that memoir about the Pentagon. Anyway, this is a man with whom Obama has given speeches and served on boards. Now, I am fairly far to the left of everyone I know, but the Weathermen were just criminals. They weren’t like the Black Panthers with a poverty program, etc.
Obama keeps coming up with these “friends” and colleagues who are really questionable. The worst they can say about Hillary Clinton is she supported NAFTA.
Good news from PA:
Exclusive Poll: Obama Loses Popularity With Pa. Men
My cousin went to PA on Sunday and called me yesterday. They are very confident and there is no letdown. He said they are working as if they were behind.
That will help me start the day on a better mood, before I address some idiots who brand themselves as progressives and race baiters like Spike Lee.
Hello and thank you for being here.
I treasure every word.
Damn, Spike Lee! How can this man vote for the less progressive candidate, let alone one so damn cowardly? Is it really just about skin color (or gender)? To make a mockery of slavery is beyond repulsive. Damn.
As a Latino, I hated other Latinos who supported the nomination of Alberto Gonzales primarily, if not solely because they foolishly believed him breaking a barrier would benefit “us”…somehow. Now “we” can lay claim to one of the worst AGs in modern history (at least), a man who considers the Geneva Convention to be “quaint.”
Note: I am not comparing Gonzales to Obama; it’s just an example of how “pride” can make one blind.
Meanwhile, over at the Iraq Senate hearing:
I’m just posting Jay Carney’s summary of Hillary’s performance:
I know, I know, Obama a “transformational figure” and the only one who can bring “transcendental change”. To which this illiterate rube here says: ” Yeah whatever!”
A couple of points:
Talkleft reports that the latest SUSA poll in PA shows Hillary leading Obama by 18 points. Hooray!
Joe Liebertoad, in questioning General Petraeus this morning, asserted that Iraq has made MORE political progress towards reconciliation than the United States has, criticizing Democrats of refusing to recognize the enormous strides made by Iraqis. [litigatormom retches]
He also asked a series of questions about Iran suggesting that he is as eager as his BFF McCain to “bomb bomb bomb Iran.”
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/04/lieberman_hooray.php
I guess Jay Carney doesn’t realize that what he really is saying is that a Clinton loss in the presidential race would be the country’s loss, too.
LGM: HOLY HEMIOLA!!! 18 points. I guess my instincts about this are right. Pennsylvanians are taking this race very seriously.
I am going there this weekend and I can’t wait. Yes, we have to work like we are behind. We have to fight for every vote.
They are paying attention and waking up.
Thanks for the poll info MABlue. Got me in a better mood as well.
Spike Lee is no spring chicken. There is ageism, but it only applies to women. Men are free to jump on the bandwagon and experience instant rejuvenation. Hillary reminds them of their first wife, remember? The one they probably wronged and convinced themselves to hate in order to not feel guilty. Richardson grows a beard, etc, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I love men…especially my husband, son, brothers and Stephen Colbert. But if these old dudes think that they are really going to be let into the club they are sadly mistaken.
There are a some big ass thunderclouds heading toward Obama. Check out what’s happening in Kenya. Plus there’s more to come on Reverand Wright. And the Ayers Thunderhead is bearing down too.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E1DE1438F932A2575AC0A9679C8B63&scp=1&sq=%93I+don%27t+regret+setting+bombs%3B+I+feel+we+didn%27t+do+enough%2C%94&st=nyt
The wheel of justice turns slowly, but it turns.
Go, Hillary!
RD: I’m glad you commented on the NYT article about kids leading their parents around politically. Some of my first run-ins on DK, even before the current mess, involved “Kids for Edwards” as well as that Democratic radio response that used a 12 year old. I’m all for political literacy and issue advocacy among kids who’ve reached the age of social reason, but it’s an offense against their childhood to egg them on, even if it’s for our favored candidate.
I left this comment on youngsters influencing the mature vote on a different site:
I propose to add another facet to the Obama appeal of guilt and emotional blackmail – the emo factor.
A lot of kids fervently cheering, screaming, and bawling for Obama can be described as emo-culture. Emo-kids are interesting because they are unlike any other social group in modern history in the way they fight for their acknowledgment and social status.
Throughout humanity and no matter how unfair the situation, social groups had to fight for their recognition and status by being tough and strong – “If you don’t give us what we think we deserve, YOU will suffer”. A classic Darwinian survival of the fittest.
Today, perhaps for the first time in human history, because they don’t have to fight for their survival, emo-kids can afford to be sensitive and to proudly display their sensitivity. Also, cleverly aware of their role as the ‘future of humankind’, they cunningly manipulate their emotional suffering in order to get what they want – “If you don’t give us what we think we deserve, WE will suffer (and you’ll be sorry for it).”
And this is exactly the line emo-kids are using to attract support for Obama. If it seems ridiculous, think of the explanation Gov. Sebelius offered for her endorsement of Obama – she was coerced by her kids. Many kids use the similar tactics – “THIS is the HOPE and CHANGE we need in order to be happy and if we don’t get it… we will not fight, we will simply be inconsoleably miserable”.
And some sort of parental guilt kicks in (works even for Pres. Carter)…
SUSA is a rock solid pollster so that 18 has got to mean something!
But it’s weird that all the other April polls show Obama trailing by only a few points.