Quotes of the day
posted at 10:07 pm on September 18, 2009 by Allahpundit
“Maureen Dowd of the New York Times hears Rep. Joe Wilson shout, ‘You lie!’ And her instinctive response is: ‘Fair or not, what I heard was an unspoken word in the air: You lie, boy!’
It’s the ‘fair or not’ that gives Dowd away. She admits to hearing racism whether or not it’s warranted. That’s called prejudice. And unlike Wilson’s foolish outburst, Dowd’s was carefully considered. Dowd, Carter and Sharpton can’t grasp that conservatives are less hung up on race than they are and that we can get past Obama’s skin color. ‘Some people just can’t believe a black man is president and will never accept it,’ writes Dowd. She’s right. She’s one of them.”
***
“Barack Obama leads a government of the highly educated. His movement includes urban politicians, academics, Hollywood donors and information-age professionals. In his first few months, he has fused federal power with Wall Street, the auto industry, the health care industries and the energy sector.
Given all of this, it was guaranteed that he would spark a populist backlash, regardless of his skin color. And it was guaranteed that this backlash would be ill mannered, conspiratorial and over the top — since these movements always are, whether they were led by Huey Long, Father Coughlin or anybody else.
What we’re seeing is the latest iteration of that populist tendency and the militant progressive reaction to it. We now have a populist news media that exaggerates the importance of the Van Jones and Acorn stories to prove the elites are decadent and un-American, and we have a progressive news media that exaggerates stories like the Joe Wilson shout and the opposition to the Obama schools speech to show that small-town folks are dumb wackos…
It’s not race. It’s another type of conflict, equally deep and old.”
***
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next »
Yes, and this is what scares my friends. They though BO was going to be some transformational guy but he’s just caused more division. Real let down for them.
MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:15 AM
Not so natural, really. My mother was an extremely prominent democratic leader. She was a superdelegate during four presidential elections. Growing up, there was a veritable Mardi gras of senators, governors, and even presidential candidates traipsing through my house. I loathed the lot of them. Still do. My mother is still staunchly democratic. She knows that I’m conservative, but she tries to ignore it.
anXdem on September 19, 2009 at 2:16 AM
Poor “new John F Kennedy” he doesn’t get that “overexposure” is for avant-garde photographers, not “Presidents”….
the key to his power was in being the beloved sniper not the barely tolerated machine gunner….
he should have called his shots and used stealth and fieldcraft…instead he watched and listened to too much “Rahmbo”.
sven10077 on September 19, 2009 at 2:16 AM
I liked when Hillary told Obama that he should be ashamed of himself. I know that’s a different story but I think she had had enough. I honestly don’t know how she does it working for him. He has really ruined her career.
MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:17 AM
That part didn’t bother me. There’s a kind of timing that was working against McCain on those issues. The public truly had made up their mind to ignore the Wright deal.
(I think that it was due to recognizing he probably was in that church for political connections, not real spiritual guidance.)
I personally wondered how they could trust him. He made such a big deal out of how Wright was a spiritual leader. Then he talked about how he couldn’t abandon him in the big Race speech.
So I was surprised that people STILL overlooked that whopper.
But people really wanted change. That was clear.
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:18 AM
I see AnninCA thinks Hillary is a ‘populist’.
Yep, the most insider populist evah.
Sapwolf on September 19, 2009 at 2:19 AM
McCain’s loss is no mystery…what is worthy of study is how he managed to keep it so close…and the answer is in who drew what crowds….
even inarticuate George Bush the younger knew who was stirring the GOP’s drink on election 2008 and it wasdn’t MAVERICK!
Sarah outdrew him so badly that he took to keeping her near to craft the illusion he was the draw.
sven10077 on September 19, 2009 at 2:19 AM
“MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:15 AM”
go light on “i told you so” and heavy on “wanna make it better? melt the phones now and pull the lever for real change in ’10″
/jmo
Buckaroo on September 19, 2009 at 2:20 AM
Yes, he has. She trusted when she should not have trusted. He’s made her completely irrelevant in the cabinet.
BUT…..that’s Hillary’s weakness showing, too. She made a mistake in taking the job. Sort of like letting what’s-his-face run her campaign. I will always be a fan, but I can see her weaknesses, too.
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:20 AM
Actually, even my D-friends are starting to call their congressmen on certain issues.
MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:21 AM
ANY argument about Hillary being the smartest woman in the world needs end only with “so smart she gave up power brokering for a make work cabinet job with no overt power in Barry’s flow chart”….
unless she truly saw the writing on the wall for 2010 she screwed the pooch.
sven10077 on September 19, 2009 at 2:21 AM
Yes, bad political move on her part. I’m surprised Bill didn’t advice her differently. Perhaps they aren’t as close as they claim they are.
MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:22 AM
I agree. I realize it was tricky. Sarah remains a great deal better at campaigning than McCain. He’s just a stiff. Face it.
I still think he’s one heck of a bright guy. When he came back in debates, he was sharp and ran circles around Obama.
But he just doesn’t have an easy approach to regular campaigning.
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:22 AM
After associating with team Obama, I doubt that Hillary will ever be able to reclaim most intellegent woman of the year title.
MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:23 AM
I will, sven. Thanks. It’s true, I just wasn’t paying attention before. Now I am, thank heavens. It’s just the process of playing catch-up at this stage. Any more reading material you can suggest will be appreciated.
anXdem on September 19, 2009 at 2:23 AM
Apparently, she kept Bill out of the daily meetings until it was a bit too late.
But I still think that her name was a bigger problem. People just wanted change. They are sick of Clinton and Bush labels. Ah well….
I really don’t know that she’d be in any better shape than Obama is right now, either.
People are just plain miserable right now.
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:24 AM
The man won’t let her even give a press conference! LOL* So you’re right.
She’s absolutely boxed out. And there’s really no going back, frankly. It was be drama-trauma if she resigns.
(I personally would tell her……*uck it, let em’ spin.)
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:26 AM
The thing is Hillary never carried the hope-change banner. People might not have been as let down – well, at least liberals. Don’t know. Honestly, I think the liberals bit off too much. They didn’t realize how unpopular some of their views were.
MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:26 AM
I recommend “Liberty and Tyranny” by Mark Levin
Dire Straits on September 19, 2009 at 2:27 AM
This was another thing that was annoying about Michelle Obama trying to appeal to women today. Doesn’t she see what her own husband did to Hillary? Of course she does.
MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:28 AM
another good book…I am a bit of an econ wonk and Levin’s book while awesome is more generalist…
I have given away several copies of Levin’s book and do suggest it.
sven10077 on September 19, 2009 at 2:29 AM
America Alone by Mark Steyn
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright
Buckaroo on September 19, 2009 at 2:29 AM
MO owns BO….
bank on it.
She was his passage into the corridors of Chicago power, without MO BO would have been John the Baptist to some other con man posing as “The One”….
Bambi’s path to becoming the “Fresh Prince of Bill Ayers” was right through his little missus.
sven10077 on September 19, 2009 at 2:31 AM
I’ve already started my “going to DC fund”. Hope we can go next year, and we will show them what 2 million looks like!
I was up all day watching and checking out the twitter sites–it was thrilling. I’m glad you were all there–makes it so much more personal to those of us who couldn’t go.
lovingmyUSA on September 19, 2009 at 2:31 AM
Hillary is far smarter than Bill or Barry. She just wasn’t prepared to deal with how much the party brass hated her (Pelosi, Reid, et al). They couldn’t allow her to win the nom. Barry is easier to control.
anXdem on September 19, 2009 at 2:32 AM
She can’t stand her. LOL* Oh, Michelle has figured out how to be the first lady, in my opinion. Wear nice dresses, but choose your timing well about speaking up.
She’s doing OK.
Obama is the one in trouble. He is starting to look easy to push around. He just really doesn’t have the votes to get his agenda through.
I personally think that’s OK for the country. We need to duke it out on a lot of issues.
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:33 AM
Yup, she thought it was really about her personality. She worked hard to build relationships in the Senate, and she succeeded.
The problem was it had nothing to do with her personality. It had everything to do with the same thing that Bill faced. Dems in DC want a president in their pocket. They don’t really like a strong Dem president.
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:34 AM
pretty much anything by Thomas Sowell and/or Milton Friedman …
The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek
My Grandfather’s Son by Clarence Thomas
Fighting Terrorism by Benjamin Netanyahu
Buckaroo on September 19, 2009 at 2:35 AM
Thanks!
anXdem on September 19, 2009 at 2:36 AM
Personally, I think that Laura Bush mastered first lady. We didn’t vote for her and she realized this.
My ex has been getting a little edgy about Michelle, but her politics are a strange type.
MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:36 AM
Oh yes, I agree. I still think that what we really needed, as a country, was an implementer. Not a speechmaker.
I think that Bush let some programs that we actually rely upon deteriorate. He did some stuff really well, but some of the internal structures were struggling too much.
That’s not his forte.
We needed someone who was truly practical and focused on making whatever the program was actually work.
But then, I’m a big believer that we can all adjust to whatever philosophy, but do be sure to make it workable. People go NUTS over small stuff as it is. They can’t handle true incompetence for too many years.
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:37 AM
Laura is the last of a great breed of first ladies….complete class.
She’s a gem. Even the progressives like her. *haha
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:39 AM
Good thing I’m an academic, and love to read. Thanks Buckaroo.
anXdem on September 19, 2009 at 2:39 AM
Silent America by Bill Whittle
The Case for Democracy by Natan Sharansky
/ok, I’ll stop for now
[!!]
Buckaroo on September 19, 2009 at 2:40 AM
Buckaroo I agree with you on Sowell and Friedman. Now here is where I may get in trouble… I recommend all of Micheal Savage’s books. In my humble opinion they are very worthy reading materials.
Dire Straits on September 19, 2009 at 2:41 AM
Well, my reading list this year are biographies. The one on Abraham Lincoln? Boy, terrific. I just finished the one on Andrew Jackson. It wasn’t as well written, but it was still engaging. And I also really enjoyed the one about the Supreme Court. (Shoot, can’t think of the name.)
We have this great book deal in LA annually, where authors come and do free panels, etc.
The biographers are my fave. They spend 10 years on these books. They are worth savoring.
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:41 AM
IDK. My progressive sister didn’t like her. Same goes for my ex. They preferred the Hillary type. It kind of irks them that people are now focusing on Michelle’s dresses instead of her strong policies.
I on the other hand thought Laura was great.
MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:42 AM
Interesting. I’m probably as independent as you’ll ever meet. But I still don’t quite get the feminist reactions over stuff.
I suspect it’s because it’s not an intellectual thought for me. I live it. *haha
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:44 AM
“Dire Straits on September 19, 2009 at 2:41 AM”
I’ve not read a single one of savage’s book so i shan’t comment except for — if they are anything like the radio show they must surely be entertaining and engaging!
Buckaroo on September 19, 2009 at 2:45 AM
Yeah, it’s hard for me to explain what my ex or sis think. I think it’s just that they wish that Michelle would be more like Hillary. I try to tell them that Michelle would be best to learn from Hillary’s mistakes. That said, it seems like perhaps Michelle’s hands weren’t so clean after all… at least from what I’ve seen on FOX by MM.
MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:46 AM
I was so busy writing my own book (textbook) that I regrettably didn’t have time to read more interesting material. Now I do, and thanks to sven, Buckaroo, and Dire Straits, I’ve got my work cut out for me.
anXdem on September 19, 2009 at 2:48 AM
Trust me .. They are worth it.
Dire Straits on September 19, 2009 at 2:49 AM
“Dire Straits on September 19, 2009 at 2:49 AM”
perhaps soon …
is the new one out?
Buckaroo on September 19, 2009 at 2:50 AM
Michelle can’t win. First of all, she’s a bright lady but not nearly as determined as Obama. He figured out how to manage his own history early.
Remember the flap over her thesis? I laughed. We all write goofy MA thesis. That’s the “age.” Of course, hers would be radical and oriented to Black politics of the day.
But that doesn’t wear well at all. *haha
My grandmother’s thesis was about how women should be allowed to continue working, even in times of non-war. What a radical! :)
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:51 AM
BTW, AX…….what’s your textbook on?
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:52 AM
Well I wasn’t per se talking about Michelle’s academic history, but since you brought it up, I don’t know what to think about that aspect of her.
MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:54 AM
Are Savage’s books meaty? I enjoy Ann Coulter. She’s sassy.
But her books are really cut-and-paste type deals. Not worth buying, in my opinion. I can skim them in the bookstore in 30 minutes.
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:54 AM
Ah, the preacher’s son. LOL*
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:56 AM
the only coulter book i spent much time on was Treason — but imo that one was quite “meaty” …
Buckaroo on September 19, 2009 at 2:57 AM
Yes I think you can get it at his website. Name of new book is Beating The Liberal Blacklist.
Dire Straits on September 19, 2009 at 2:58 AM
God night all. Thanks for the reading list.
AnninCA:
Business Communication and Management. It’s a cool read (at least cooler than my competitors), but alas, not the greatest bedtime reading. I’d send you a link, but that would compromise the anonymity thing, right?
anXdem on September 19, 2009 at 2:58 AM
Well, gee, this was actually relaxing! I won’t expect it everytime I’m here.
But it was lovely to let down the armour and exchange for a change.
thanks!
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 2:59 AM
“Dire Straits on September 19, 2009 at 2:58 AM”
ah, if he hits on the British thang that should be good …
Buckaroo on September 19, 2009 at 2:59 AM
Business Communication and Management. It’s a cool read (at least cooler than my competitors), but alas, not the greatest bedtime reading. I’d send you a link, but that would compromise the anonymity thing, right?
anXdem on September 19, 2009 at 2:58 AM
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 3:00 AM
Hey, you just show your feisty side during the normal hours. Too much for some people to handle ;)
MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 3:02 AM
Business Communications? Man, I prefer simple chemistry. It just flows so much better. Like poetry.
Rightwingguy on September 19, 2009 at 3:02 AM
My deal was employee communications, but it was strategic communications in the S&L industry during the meltdown.
My big claim to fame was that I established an award-winning program that held Cal Fed’s customers, via keeping employees fully informed.
Open communications. I’m actually cited on the internet for my program even today. *woohoo!*
I like to say, “It put kids through college. Lighten up.” :)
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 3:02 AM
Not certain how to do that without everyone knowing who I am (publisher, colleagues, Mom). sarc
anXdem on September 19, 2009 at 3:03 AM
The “feisty side” is too PG-13 for the AM Hot Air.
Rightwingguy on September 19, 2009 at 3:03 AM
You can’t imagine how much I agree with you at this stage in life. *haha
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 3:03 AM
LOL.
Rightwingguy on September 19, 2009 at 3:04 AM
I promise I won’t tell.
Rightwingguy on September 19, 2009 at 3:05 AM
We’ll figure it out, Ax.
I actually like that topic.
Anyway, night to all.
Tomorrow, we’ll bash each other again. :)
But it was nice to let it go for a couple of hours.
AnninCA on September 19, 2009 at 3:05 AM
All the chemistry profs are crusty old weirdo’s–heh.
anXdem on September 19, 2009 at 3:05 AM
Goodnight. Sleep well. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.
MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 3:06 AM
Fused is the wrong word. It is called a take-over.
Johan Klaus on September 19, 2009 at 3:07 AM
That’s the truth. My last P.Chem prof was great. He used overhead-projectors for everything. Not a single powerpoint to be found. Man, I love old school.
Rightwingguy on September 19, 2009 at 3:07 AM
AnninCA:
I’ll give you a yahoo email, if you’re still online now.
anXdem on September 19, 2009 at 3:08 AM
OK, all. I will wish you all goodnight.
MeatHeadinCA on September 19, 2009 at 3:09 AM
Good night everybody.
Rightwingguy on September 19, 2009 at 3:10 AM
I guess I’m going Crazy but we have left out the Boss’s Book. May I get 40 lashes. While I have not read it, by every conservative’s standard that is in the know ( Hannity, Ingraham, Fox News, Glenn Beck.. ect., ect.) Michelle Malkin’s book Culture of Corruption should be on the list. Boy I dodged a bullet there. :)
Dire Straits on September 19, 2009 at 3:12 AM
“Dire Straits on September 19, 2009 at 3:12 AM”
if one is going through the Malkin reader however, they need to start with Invasion and then go right to In Defense of Internment …
:-)
Buckaroo on September 19, 2009 at 3:16 AM
+ 1
Dire Straits on September 19, 2009 at 3:20 AM
When Did Opposition Become ‘Racism’?
The former president threw rhetorical kerosene on the political flames this week when he twice advanced the lowdown argument that political opposition to Barack Obama — in town halls, faltering presidential poll numbers, the colossal anti-Obama demonstration in Washington — boils down to “racism.”
The allegation is contemptible but, particularly in the wake of the Wilson story, has been pushed by journalists on the Left and Democratic U.S. Representatives mainly from the Black Congressional Caucus. Evidence of racism is so thin, though, the racism-ists must invent lurid details. The New York Times’ Maureen Dowd writes that when she heard Wilson say “You lie” she felt as if, “fair or not,” she heard him say: You lie, boy! Georgia Democrat Rep. Hank Johnson draws a straight line from Wilson’s remark to “folks putting on white hoods and white uniforms again and riding through the countryside intimidating people.” Yeah. En route to Bellevue.
It would almost be funny if it weren’t so grotesque. Of course, Jimmy Carter, who last appeared in this column after he laid red roses on the grave of Yasir Arafat before resuming his pursuit of face-time with Hamas terrorists, is no stranger to grotesque. Certainly after Osama bin Laden this week actually endorsed Carter’s anti-Israel book, “Palestine: Peace not Apartheid,” the former president needed a good, unctuous wallow in sanctimony to deflect our attention from his new fan. But Carter went too far — even for him.
“I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man,” Carter told NBC. There exists the belief “among many white people, not just in the South, but around the country,” he continued, “that African-Americans are not qualified to lead this great country. It’s an abominable circumstance, and grieves me and concerns me very deeply.”
What’s “abominable” here is the spectacle of a former president attempting to asphyxiate democratic debate with the stranglehold charge of “racism.”
MB4 on September 19, 2009 at 3:31 AM
I was at the Bicentennial also. Spent over 8 hours in the Air and Space Museum. Walked back to RFK after the fireworks. Enjoyed that day the most. The most people I saw visiting DC, ever.
Walked over to the Million Man March from work. Got a good story out of that. A fun day. Not as many people there as at the 9/12 march, IMHO.
The 9/12 walk — wow. Lots of great signs. Open to thought and ethnicity, but the core of the crowd was the love for America at it’s best. Felt the love for our Constitution, checks and balances, budgetary restraint, and reinforcing success. Lots of happy, polite, and determined Americans. I was so glad I went, and so are my wingmen.
NaCly dog on September 19, 2009 at 5:48 AM
Yesterday I heard some silly blond girl from the Democratic party yakking it up on Fox with some conservative commentator and she said that of course Joe Wilson was a racist…she seemed shocked that there was any doubt. And she said that those tea party people probably were too…when it was pointed out that Americans did vote for Obama and make him president…she countered with a smug..but not those people..so she said we really can not be sure if they were driven by race or not…hence the only people in America who can claim with certainty that they are not racists, are loyal Democrats who voted for Barack Obama. The sheer banality of this exchange floored me. It really did.
Terrye on September 19, 2009 at 5:59 AM
You would be amazed how many of those Hollywood elites never finished school. They are not highly educated as a class of people. In fact some of them are really pretty stupid. They are just pretty or they are good mimics, they can act..perform, whatever. That does not mean they are smart.
Terrye on September 19, 2009 at 6:03 AM
Don’t forget, you’re talking about a Democrat. They’re not very bright. They can be distracted in a conversation with either a ball of string, or something shiny, like aluminum foil.
Jeff from WI on September 19, 2009 at 6:12 AM
People knew about Wright and had decided it did not matter. Beating it to death would not have mattered, if anything it might have backfired at that point. However, like a lot of things it might come back to bite Obama in the end.
I think McCain lost because of the economy. Plain and simple. I don’t think it had anything to do with McCain being a maverick or any of that. And as far as I am concerned, any conservative that set out the last two elections and let the likes of Pelosi, Reid and Obama take control of the government without casting a vote for their opposition..might as well have pulled the lever for the bunch of them. Same difference.
Terrye on September 19, 2009 at 6:14 AM
Jeff:
Well, she is trying to do her job, which is blaming others for the stupidity of her own party.
Obama can say he does not think this is race, but I can not help but notice that his apologists have no problem saying it, no problem at all. And he does not seem to be doing much to stop them,either.
Terrye on September 19, 2009 at 6:15 AM
Although I agree the economy and the acceptance of the need for TARP (I have tinfoil hat problems with incident) was the main reason for Sen. McCain’s loss, I still think the fear of being called a racist was huge. The dissenting public has had it a bit easier because they have been called many less derogatory names and by the time the Left got to racist most of us are immune. Of course it’s different for a politician because they have to worry about over half the voting public believing the charge. I no longer care what they call me.
Cindy Munford on September 19, 2009 at 6:23 AM
What the sudden mention of Maureen Dowd the last few weeks. Anyone that’s ever read her stuff realizes that she’s an insipid, brainless twit with nothing of value to say and her job as a writer could easily be done by rotating leftist soccer moms with too much time on their hands and they’d probably write it for free.
Jeff from WI on September 19, 2009 at 6:29 AM
Well, she is trying to do her job, which is blaming others for the stupidity of her own party.
Obama can say he does not think this is race, but I can not help but notice that his apologists have no problem saying it, no problem at all. And he does not seem to be doing much to stop them,either.
Terrye on September 19, 2009 at 6:15 AM
Jeff from WI on September 19, 2009 at 6:33 AM
Maureen Dowd has appeared from time to time usually when she makes an a$$ out of herself which is every time she writes a column about something other then the lack of men interested in her. It’s amazing that she doesn’t see the correlation but then she hears things that aren’t said so it explains a lot.
Cindy Munford on September 19, 2009 at 6:36 AM
I love when Rush does those clips showing the echo chamber. It’s no wonder we have to rely on two kids to do reporting, the journalist today just “report” what the DNC emails them daily. And they aren’t even smart enough to use different words.
Cindy Munford on September 19, 2009 at 6:39 AM
Yeah, and I never thought I’d see the day when Republicans would snuggle up to the rich and ignore social issues.
What’s the world coming to???
Incredible.
Why would anyone from any party think that those “up there” are really looking out for us? Maybe Dems just aren’t as cynical as us Republicans…but it would behoove them to get the stars out of their eyes and shake hands with reality.
Dr. ZhivBlago on September 19, 2009 at 6:41 AM
I don’t much care myself.
I have tinfoil moments when it comes to the entire meltdown. I still wonder exactly who and what lead to the huge withdrawal of funds in one day that helped kick this whole thing off. I did read a couple of articles here that state the TARP money is being repaid with a profit. Here a couple of links if you are interested.
I think that if the TARP money had been the beginning and end of it, there would not have been such a backlash..I think it was all the other crap that came with Obama..the stimulus package, the cap and trade, the health care, all of that just sort of piled on until it became more than people were willing to tolerate.
It is one thing, to act in an emergency..it is another to milk it.
Terrye on September 19, 2009 at 7:07 AM
Well, yeah. That’s what they do.
When will people begin to realize that the Dhimmicrats, and sadly most, it seems, Republican,leadership are all about power and control.
They don’t give a rats H1N1 about the “people” They view us as just one notch up from the “cooking-ape”. It is they who have evolved enough to take control of human evolution.
Survival of the fittest, and they will (try to) survive at all costs. Even if it means killing those of us they deem unfit for their purposes.
And that’s the logical outcome of an evolutionary worldview.
This is serious business. Ignore it at your peril.
davidk on September 19, 2009 at 7:18 AM
When the Left starts whining that no one cared when W was in office, I have only to point to TARP. Not that it was the first thing I wrote to my congress folks but it was the one that almost qualified me as a stalker. From the minute they started talking about it, it had “wrong” written all over it. Add the “Stimulus” package to it and you have a recipe for disaster. I have zero respect for Washington and I am pretty sure they don’t care.
Cindy Munford on September 19, 2009 at 7:22 AM
Cindy:
I am not sure what to think of it. I don’t think Bush was part of some conspiracy to hand money over to banks or whatever, I do think that something happened to the global financial markets that created an honest to God panic in governments all over the world.
I do think there were better ways to handle the whole thing, but to be honest, I am not sure what would have happened if they had just ignored it all.
I just do not know. This is not exactly my field of expertise.
The other day on Special Report I was shocked to hear Krauthammer say that Paulson brought the economy back from the brink..and Krauthammer is not liberal or whatever. Of course he also made the point that the money spent then [about $330 billion] seems like lunch money today.
So, I guess it all depends on whether or not you think that there was a real financial emergency that threatened to bring down the global financial system. I just wonder exactly what created the crisis and what brought it to fruition.
Personally, I have always thought that the high price of energy played a part in it as well. Everyone everywhere felt that $145 a barrel oil spike.
Terrye on September 19, 2009 at 7:31 AM
That was an above-average column by Brooks, but he misses or underestimates the significance of Van Jones and other fringe idealogues being mainstreamed into the hopeychangey administration, and what that says about the mind-set of our president and his inner circle.
hillbillyjim on September 19, 2009 at 7:57 AM
I don’t think W was part of a conspiracy but I think he bought the “fix” hook line and sinker. There are plenty of conservatives who think that TARP was the way to go but I just don’t buy it. Certainly not on the scale and depth of it implementation. A lot of the banks that were made to take money didn’t need it, they were just a cover for those who did. Also some of the huge financial companies that took money, only a portion of their business was in trouble, they could have absorbed the loss. I am not saying it wouldn’t have hurt but there was no reason for the taxpayer to do it. I scanned the articles you linked, talking about profits from TARP, I don’t trust Washington to handle that and I am skeptical of there being an overall profit. Time will tell.
Cindy Munford on September 19, 2009 at 7:57 AM
W had the best intentions, but you have to realize who may come after you…that was his biggest failing.
tomas on September 19, 2009 at 8:09 AM
It’s a good point Cindy.
Tarp denied this economy a bout of creative destruction, and allowing the Auto Makers to avoid real bankruptcy was simply a Christman gifft to the UAW and Russia. The manufacturing plants that GM and Chrysler have destroyed all along I-75 would have been forced into liquidation which would have opened them up to use by new business. Instead they were allowed to destroy them, and take billions of our money while building manufacturing plants overseas.
Tarp’s a trap.
sven10077 on September 19, 2009 at 8:09 AM
To equate what’s happening now with the ravings of Father Coughlin is disingenuous to say the least. Coughlin, a rabid Jews-hater, had an audience perhaps 5 times larger than Rush and used the airwaves to rail against Jews, tying them en masse to the policies of FDR, which was just a secondary target to him.
The tea party movement has NOTHING to do with race, color or class. It has to do with average, ordinary people of every socio-economic background who recognize the dangers of government control. It’s the David Brooks’ of this world, the so-called intellectual elites who are shocked that the common man rejects the good intentions and supposed superiority of their betters.
I’m a Jew. I grew up and live in New York City. My mother survived the brutality of Hitler and then the Hungarian communists. I am also a conservative who identifies 100% with the tea partiers and rejects lock, stock and barrel the policies of this administration, the Democrats and the left wing. How does that square with you, Brooks??
J.J. Sefton on September 19, 2009 at 8:09 AM
The term ‘redneck’ is one which everyone pretty much associates with ignorant white Southerners. It has a more (D) connection. The Rednecks were a group of WV miners wearing red bandannas as seen here:
http://www.wvculture.org/hiStory/minewars.html
So in the future when you are calling out a ‘redneck’ remember this link and where the term came from.
GnuBreed on September 19, 2009 at 8:13 AM
Here’s to your mother! Obviously a strong and hearty woman.
The logic in which people decide tea parties are about race is really dumbfounding
blatantblue on September 19, 2009 at 8:14 AM
There is no logic.
I am against racism in most all its forms, ad unlike our superiors across the aisle I have not decided to throw Israel to the wolves out of expediency.
sven10077 on September 19, 2009 at 8:20 AM
Obama is guilty of using this tactic. He race baits using his minions, appears above it all, then downplays it and tries to appear the reasonable man by strawmanning any opinions unaligned with his own. These minions pull left then let Obama open the door to the center left, then repeat. End-result–country gets pulled left. The Dowds, Carters, Wrights, Olbermans, Mathews all tug of war, then Obama gives slack, then they pull again. Only, the unreasonableness of the initial tactic is never disputed, nor are the facts surrounding the matter and the Gates, now Carter issues are perfect examples.
The minions are soldiering and Obama is the marshall. See these tactics for what they are folks. Either we pull back or we let the rope go and watch them fall on their rear ends. Either way, we’re winning this debate, the president is losing because he’s losing trust.
ted c on September 19, 2009 at 8:21 AM
I have two stories from the Carter era. One, I was a gas station attendant during the OPEC embargo in around 1975. Cars were lined up for miles and we were limited to 10 gallon sales. As is the wont in the USA, some customers with clout were able to buy full tanks.
In 1980, I was able to buy my first house with 5% down thru FHA. The interest rate was 13.5 % and I was glad to get that rate since rates had been as high as 18% that year. It took seven years before my investment showed a modest profit. That was in the Reagan years.
GnuBreed on September 19, 2009 at 8:24 AM
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next »