Originally Posted by KaiserD2

Speaking of the corporatist ideology, here is a remarkably frank interview with a Chicago hedge fund manager who feels, among other things, that the superwealthy don't have enough influence in our political system.

Of course the CEOs and hedge-fund managers established the fishing fleets, cleared the forest and plowed the 'new' fields, opened the mom-and-pop shops and introduced one-price shopping, discovered petroleum, invented such things as the mechanical reaper and the telephone, established great universities, and even established modern medicine. If they did none of that, they still deserve command of the economy! And the Chicago Cubs will be the World Champions of baseball this year! (Irony intended!)

Grabbing money and creating wealth are two different things. The new economic elite of bureaucratic manipulators and political bosses make the so-called robber barons of the Gilded Age seem saints by contrast. The "robber barons" at least spurred innovation, created and managed wealth well, and cut costs for consumers. The contemporary economic elite looks more like a Soviet-style nomenklatura than like economic innovators. These are not industrialists, inventors, or venture capitalists; these are the vulture capitalists who bleed the people who do the real work on behalf of people who neither toil, innovate, nor invest.

When it comes time to tax people into ruin to save America as usually becomes the norm in a 4T, then these people or their heirs will be the easiest marks.

I don't like to be inflammatory and light the oldest fire in American history, but this time I can't help it, goddamn it.

This story shows that more than half the voters in Mississippi thinks that Obama is a Muslim.

Of course, this has nothing to do with Mississippi's stature as the state that held out the longest and most violently for segregation, right? Oh, no. (If Marc Lamb were still with us he'd be explaining that Mississippians dislike Obama because of their views on national security.) Oh,. no, racism is dead in America, it doesn't make people crazy anymore. .. we know that. . .

I'm sorry to have to report, 50 years after James Meredith, that yes, it does.

Originally Posted by KaiserD2

I don't like to be inflammatory and light the oldest fire in American history, but this time I can't help it, goddamn it.

This story shows that more than half the voters in Mississippi thinks that Obama is a Muslim.

Of course, this has nothing to do with Mississippi's stature as the state that held out the longest and most violently for segregation, right? Oh, no. (If Marc Lamb were still with us he'd be explaining that Mississippians dislike Obama because of their views on national security.) Oh,. no, racism is dead in America, it doesn't make people crazy anymore. .. we know that. . .

I'm sorry to have to report, 50 years after James Meredith, that yes, it does.

To clarify, it's more than half of GOP voters, not all voters in Mississippi, but still...the level of ignorance is disturbing.

Originally Posted by KaiserD2

I don't like to be inflammatory and light the oldest fire in American history, but this time I can't help it, goddamn it.

This story shows that more than half the voters in Mississippi thinks that Obama is a Muslim.

Of course, this has nothing to do with Mississippi's stature as the state that held out the longest and most violently for segregation, right? Oh, no. (If Marc Lamb were still with us he'd be explaining that Mississippians dislike Obama because of their views on national security.) Oh,. no, racism is dead in America, it doesn't make people crazy anymore. .. we know that. . .

I'm sorry to have to report, 50 years after James Meredith, that yes, it does.

Voters in the Republican Party primary, that is. Southern Democrats are likely better informed.

It's really sickening that a Party relies so heavily upon ill-informed or disinformed voters. Is that what it takes to hold onto power in a region?

Originally Posted by pbrower2a

Voters in the Republican Party primary, that is. Southern Democrats are likely better informed.

It's really sickening that a Party relies so heavily upon ill-informed or disinformed voters. Is that what it takes to hold onto power in a region?

Alas, "Republican voters" is fairly close to a synonymn for "white voters" in Mississippi.

http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m411/trophyfish2/RPKCMO.jpg


Thousands Gather In Standing room only for Ron Paul in Kansas City Union Station February 18, 2012

Originally Posted by JDFP

Originally Posted by Odin

Just to make it clear, I wasn't attacking you, JP, so don't take it personally.

I know you weren't, and I'm not.

j.p.

Admirable settlement. More admirable settlement:



Best...

Originally Posted by KaiserD2

Originally Posted by pbrower2a

Voters in the Republican Party primary, that is. Southern Democrats are likely better informed.

It's really sickening that a Party relies so heavily upon ill-informed or disinformed voters. Is that what it takes to hold onto power in a region?

Alas, "Republican voters" is fairly close to a synonymn for "white voters" in Mississippi.

The anti-Southern rhetoric will backfire.

Best...

Originally Posted by summer in the fall

The anti-Southern rhetoric will backfire.

Best...

Whose anti-Southern rhetoric?

Originally Posted by katsung47

http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m411/trophyfish2/RPKCMO.jpg


Thousands Gather In Standing room only for Ron Paul in Kansas City Union Station February 18, 2012

They were probable told Paul was coming in on a circus train and bringing magic ponies - one for each of them.

I bet they were disappointed.

Have you noticed that every Republican Presidential candidate says, "I will repeal Obamacare?" I'd like to read their copy of the Constitution.

Originally Posted by KaiserD2

Have you noticed that every Republican Presidential candidate says, "I will repeal Obamacare?" I'd like to read their copy of the Constitution.

Thank you!

.....................

Originally Posted by KaiserD2

I don't like to be inflammatory and light the oldest fire in American history, but this time I can't help it, goddamn it.

This story shows that more than half the voters in Mississippi thinks that Obama is a Muslim.

Of course, this has nothing to do with Mississippi's stature as the state that held out the longest and most violently for segregation, right? Oh, no. (If Marc Lamb were still with us he'd be explaining that Mississippians dislike Obama because of their views on national security.) Oh,. no, racism is dead in America, it doesn't make people crazy anymore. .. we know that. . .

I'm sorry to have to report, 50 years after James Meredith, that yes, it does.

Some people will believe whatever they want to believe to be true because it only confirms their prescribed view of the world.

In the end, we all end up picking a little and talking a little cheap, and talking a lot and picking a little more.

For some reason I think we'll get a respite from this kind of thinking in the High...

~Chas'88

From the linguist, George Lakoff.

The Santorum Strategy

"Democrats tend to be literalists, assuming that the presidential campaign is only about the presidential campaign and that birth control is only about birth control. In 2010, they thought that health policy was only about health policy, even as conservatives were metaphorically making it about freedom ("government takeover") and life ("death panels")."

http://www.informationclearinghouse....ticle30796.htm

Originally Posted by KaiserD2

Alas, "Republican voters" is fairly close to a synonymn for "white voters" in Mississippi.

True. The Republican Party has effectively become the White People's Party in much of the South. As such it there gravitates to the most extreme positions available.

Originally Posted by summer in the fall

The anti-Southern rhetoric will backfire.

Best...

Huh? That depends upon the concept that "Southern" means "White".

Originally Posted by KaiserD2

Have you noticed that every Republican Presidential candidate says, "I will repeal Obamacare?" I'd like to read their copy of the Constitution.

Obviously not without the aid of Congress. The Republicans will not have a filibuster-proof Senate.

Mitt Romney just endorsed a national Right-to-Work (for much less) policy that would eviscerate the right of workers to stand up to corporate bureaucracies. No front-running Republican candidate for President has endorsed such legislation since at least the 1940s. Giant corporations hate unions because they keep internal bureaucracies from negotiating down pay based not so much on productivity as on economic vulnerability. In essence, a worker whose wife has a baby can be told "So you just had a baby? Congratulations! So that you can maintain your stability of employment which is in your best interest ,you can do the right thing and make a sacrifice on behalf of this company and take a 20% pay cut. The shareholders and management will appreciate it."

The worker of course has no choice.

Unions are paradoxically the best defense against Marxism because they give the worker a stake in the system.

Originally Posted by annla899

Originally Posted by summer in the fall

Originally Posted by KaiserD2

Originally Posted by pbrower2a

Voters in the Republican Party primary, that is. Southern Democrats are likely better informed. It's really sickening that a Party relies so heavily upon ill-informed or disinformed voters. Is that what it takes to hold onto power in a region?

Alas, "Republican voters" is fairly close to a synonymn for "white voters" in Mississippi.

The anti-Southern rhetoric will backfire.

Best...

Whose anti-Southern rhetoric?

How would you define the teetering conversation?

Originally Posted by summer in the fall

How would you define the teetering conversation?

I couldn't tell to whom "whose" was referring, that's all. No agenda, just wanted clarification.

Originally Posted by pbrower2a

Huh? That depends upon the concept that "Southern" means "White".

Who are you trying to convince?

Originally Posted by annla899

Originally Posted by summer in the fall

How would you define the teetering conversation?

I couldn't tell to whom "whose" was referring, that's all. No agenda, just wanted clarification.

Here's more of the "teetering conversation."


Best...

There are two separate variables here which I don't trust ppl are recognizing.

One is these people's political opinions, with which I could not disagree more.

Two is their poverty (and a particularly southern poverty at that), which is distressing in our country.

I often fear that MUCH ANTIPATHY for these characters arises actually from point 2, but gets rationalized as pt 1.

Not too terribly different from driving downtown and locking all your doors because "those ppl are scary" even though "I'm not a racist but..."

Another poll shows Obama's weakness as the incumbent. According to the SeeBS/NYSlimes poll Obama has a 41% approval. One thing to note on this poll, it, like the ABC poll usually oversamples Democrats so you may as well knock off another 5%. In the poll he is in a statistical dead heat with Romney and barely leading Santorum, yep Santorum....

This of course is just more evidence that despite the Democrat Media Complex's meme that the Republican nomination fight shows how weak they are. Despite the fighting the two top candiates are essentially tied with Obama who has a VERY low approval rating.
The meme actually should be how weak Obama, the incumbent is....he has reached Bush 1/Carter territory.....

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/us...l.html?_r=2&hp

Originally Posted by Weave

Another poll shows Obama's weakness as the incumbent. According to the SeeBS/NYSlimes poll Obama has a 41% approval. One thing to note on this poll, it, like the ABC poll usually oversamples Democrats so you may as well knock off another 5%. In the poll he is in a statistical dead heat with Romney and barely leading Santorum, yep Santorum....

This of course is just more evidence that despite the Democrat Media Complex's meme that the Republican nomination fight shows how weak they are. Despite the fighting the two top candiates are essentially tied with Obama who has a VERY low approval rating.
The meme actually should be how weak Obama, the incumbent is....he has reached Bush 1/Carter territory.....

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/us...l.html?_r=2&hp

One can also say that once the general gets going and the GOP nominee has to actually lay out what he would do, and look fairly stupid doing it (e.g. “drill, baby, drill” just isn't going to cut it when there are 4x more drilling rigs up and running under Obama than Bush).

These clowns have been monopolizing the media with their internal war and getting a free pass on attacking Obama. None of them are capable of going toe-to-toe with the guy. He'll make them look as stupid as they are, and remind people (who do generally suffer financial amnesia) that these are the clowns that nearly took our nation down just four years earlier.

Americans may often exhibit fairly ignorant if not borderline stupid behavior, but I have faith that they're not that stupid to give you guys the car keys again.

Originally Posted by antichrist

There are two separate variables here which I don't trust ppl are recognizing.

One is these people's political opinions, with which I could not disagree more.

Two is their poverty (and a particularly southern poverty at that), which is distressing in our country.

I often fear that MUCH ANTIPATHY for these characters arises actually from point 2, but gets rationalized as pt 1.

Not too terribly different from driving downtown and locking all your doors because "those ppl are scary" even though "I'm not a racist but..."

I certainly don't hold the poverty of southern whites against them. What makes me tear out my hair is that their parents and grandparents voted for FDR for economic reasons in the days when the racial issue was not yet paramount, and that they have turned solidly Republican, which isn't helping their economic status at all, since the days of LBJ. In addition, their elected representatives, many of whom were very impressive men half a century ago whatever their views, are now. . much less impressive.