On top of Chris Matthews, that partisan hack, muttering “oh god” as Jindal gave his response to Obama’s speech we have another perfect example of partisan hacks from a local Los Angeles station. It gets embarrassing as the hosts of Good Day LA (a local Los Angeles show) and Bill Handel gush over Obama and his speech which said nothing. Gush, gush and more gushing. They even gush about the fact that Democrats showed up early for the speech so they could touch the messiah. Bill Handel say’s “can you imagine the aura Obama has now?”
Get ready for your barf bags:
Bill Handel: “No specifics, but I don’t think last night was about specifics. Last night was his version of the we have nothing to fear but fear itself”
Yeaaaahhh.
They even believe Obama’s assertion that he will cut the deficit in half.
In between their gushing they did their best to tear apart Jindal, calling his performance a complete “disaster,” “contrived,” “fake,” and “none of it was real.”
At about the 1:30 mark Bill Handle gets pissy over the fact that Jindal had the nerve to complain about 140 million going to volcano warning sensors. He said that there ARE people who live near volcano’s who would like to know when it was going to erupt. Calling it a program that makes sense.
Whoakay….
Rant time…..Listen, there will always be someone, somewhere, who could use something from this stimulus. That doesn’t magically make it money well spent.
The difference between the two speeches, other then the delivery, is the role of government. Obama said he doesn’t want to grow government at the same time he ensures that government will be growing to a size unseen before. While Jindal pointed out that anytime the federal government gets involved, it leads to disaster. There is no way the federal government will manage this economic crisis.
It comes down to this:
“This is the issue of this election: whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them for ourselves.”
Obama spent little time dealing with specifics but said the plan will save or create over 3 million jobs while Jindal argues that tax cuts, not more power and money in the hands of politicians, or as Reagan called them the “intellectual elite”, will ensure that this economic crisis fades away quickly.
Instead of trusting us to make wise decisions with our own money, they passed the largest government spending bill in history, with a price tag of more than $1 trillion with interest. While some of the projects in the bill make sense, their legislation is larded with wasteful spending.
That’s the difference in a nutshell. More government will not fix anything. /rant
But back to the Good Day LA gagfest. This part of the show I had to transcribe it was so incredible:
Steve Edwards: Listen, here’s the deal, at least from my perspective. Nobody knows anything in this. Nobody understands anything, but we do understand the emotional resonance and at this moment the Republicans are on the wrong side of that and they don’t understand that the public wants to cheer and love and wants to feel good in spite of the bad times and only a few of them say “wait a minute, wait a minute, we gotta go along with the tide at least a little bit.”
Bill Handel: What they should do is just shut up and just sit back and if they can’t and if they can’t embrace Obama and at least not rip into him…and at least let the programs fall and fail if their right and then sit back and go “guys, we tried that, it didn’t work…now lets try it our way.”
Just shut up Republicans. Don’t try to fight, just submit to programs and bills we don’t agree with. Submit and obey.
Just like the Democrats did during Bush’s two terms right?
See author page
“…the public wants to cheer and love and wants to feel good in spite of the bad times…”
Keep drinking that kool-aid, Steve. Just don’t get all pissy when the conservatives want to know what’s in it BEFORE they think about taking a swig.
I’d rather die of thirst.
Jeff V
Gah! I’m sorry, I’m trying to see the good in Obama, I really am. He’s my President and I want to be, if not supportive, at least respectful. But he just won’t let me. And it doesn’t help when his supporters do the “Just shut up, Repbulicans” schtick. It really doesn’t advance their cause, which is sad, because it should be OUR cause.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a rabid us-and-them mentality; even when W. was president, way back 6 weeks ago, it wasn’t this bad. Yes the BDS was there, but by then I guess I’d had 8 years to get used to it. This is, I don’t know, something different. It’s very disturbing. I guess it’s like that “chill wind” that Tim Robbins was moaning about back in 2003. Only this time, it’s real and far more sinister.
Guess it’s time to stock up on ammo.
“Bill Handel: “No specifics, but I don’t think last night was about specifics. Last night was his version of the we have nothing to fear but fear itself.”
No specifics??? That is the hallmark of this president and his administration. What we have to fear is Obama and the MSM.
Bill Handel: What they (Republicans) should do is just shut up and just sit back and if they can’t and if they can’t embrace Obama and at least not rip into him…and at least let the programs fall and fail if their right and then sit back and go “guys, we tried that, it didn’t work…now lets try it our way.”
In the meantime the country goes to hell. This is not a basketball game, Handel, this is our country.
“A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.”
George Bernard Shaw
Thanks for the transcribe, Curt… because I’m darn sure I couldn’t handle the 3D version right after having some lunch.
But now, I’m going to play devil’s advocate. Handel is right, tho truly classless in his delivery. But then, he has a record of attempting to be the LA conservative shock jock. That’s his tacky style.
But here’s the reality. The GOP can make a stink about this piss poor policy coming out of the Dome heads and the Oval Office. But the smell is only going to stick to them… the Dems will make sure of that. And if there is one thing the Dems are good at, it’s gutter fighting, and covering their opponents head to toe in their own liberal excrement.
But the crux of what Handel is saying is true. The GOP Congress need to state their opposition to spending plans – and avoid the parroted “big government” and “tax cut” phrases. In the public’s eyes, Obama has now claimed “tax cuts” for the Dems. Forget the reality… it’s not going to sink in because the Dems won’t let reality sink in.
The GOP needs to make their objections with economic forecasts of the proposed spending…as simply as possible… and then consistently vote NO on wasteful spending. Period. Their records need to be clear and reliable on this.
Since they don’t have the numbers to stop anything Obama/Pelosi/Reid want to do, the only “fighting” should be behind the scenes… in the halls and offices of Congress… trying to sway some of the newly arrived moderate Dems. That’s the only way to win the fight – sway some of their own from the leftist leadership fold. But every time they get in front of a fawning media’s camera, they are committing PR suicide. Obama and the Dems *will* target and isolate them… Alinsky rules. They have the method down pat now, and the slick mouthpiece to deliver the verbal arrows.
But rest assured… any Republican protest that’s too loud can and will be used against them. Just as the Dems are doing with them even now on the stimulus vote. We blogs and media can try to lay out the realities, but I assure you…. logic is a poor replacement for “hope” when so many are caught in the currents of “the swoon”.
The Dems will rise, and fall on their socialist principles now. They are omnipotent, and awash with the arrogance of ultimate power. They have their own rope… they don’t need any extra lengths from the conservatives. So now it’s time to let them hang themselves, while we look around for a real conservative who can present the economics in a way the public can understand, and be entertained by (or, Wordsmith’s “packaging” argument).
One small point that apparently had gone unnoticed by this “ahem” dynamic duo. Certain members of Congress always go hours early,no matter who the president is, to get their faces on TV. Brit Hume used to bring that up in the past, he especially got a kick out of Barbara Lee D-TX. She dressed in red, would wait til Bush got near and would reach out to get a hug and kiss from him.
Even the Clintons didn’t get this kind of attention, these people have lost their minds. There are way too many of them in the news industry that are failing to keep themselves in check, redirecting their BDS and making fools of themselves in the process.
Hmmm. If only Vladimir Lenin would have had mass media available…
Mata,
You are correct in pointing out that Republicans need to show restraint, and not let the Democratics goad them into a PR war. Because of the Obamamania in the MSM, the GOP is simply outnumbered.
That’s why I suggested that this might be a good time for third-party leaders to take advantage of the fighting between the Big Two (especially the Green party, given the hysteria over environmental issues.) Personally, I’d like to see civil libertarians (like Bob Barr or Wayne Allyn Root) step up to the plate, even though they are not too keen on spending as a stimulus measure. Still, if they can accept a moderate amount of spending (to fend off the Democrats) and preach a “fairer” tax system (like a flat tax, to garner conservative support), they might be able to gain enough “creds” to be seen as a viable option.
Alas, the timing may be a bit late, as it would have been better for independents to take the stage before the stimulus bill got passed. I still think it will Be worth a shot if the Republicans get too much bad press.
Your thoughts?
Jeff V
Jeff, if you are asking me would I like civil libertarians… or any third party that demonstrates even a modicum of fiscal conservative traits… to take a PR bullet? Would love it. With some caveats.
Meaning, if you are asking me if I’d like civil libertarians to step up to the plate to assume a position of power as the “2nd party” in our not-so-multi-party-system… no. But then, I speak as an EX-libertarian.
Civil libertarians have many base beliefs I agree with. Then again, they also carry a lot of baggage on beliefs I don’t by taking them to the extreme. As an example, the ACLU was born of “civil libertarians” and – as a result – “Reason”… (pardon the party pun) blew out the window.
In fact, the wide spread garden variety of libertarian spans from far left (i.e. the Libertarian Socialist and Geolibertarianism) to the far right (the Anarcho-Capitalists or Paleolibertarianists).
In politics, associations generally matter… unless, of course, your name is Barack Obama. But when it comes to the GOP, those associations become all important. At this moment, the GOP is easily infilterable by radical groups that can only further abuse the “brand”.
Personally, I’d just like to see some future conservatives who are interested in Congressional slots start becoming activists for fiscal responsibility. The electorate has proven they can’t absorb too much at one time, and we need to limit it to soaring nouns and verbs, all while looking good in a suit. Evidently, if you review the left and the media snobs, Palin style stillettos are not acceptable.
But I’d like to see some new faces – with clean backgrounds (no KKK wackos and extreme conspiracists need apply) – appear to take those bullets instead. This means it depends on which end of the libertarian spectrum they come from.
INRE Barr. Used to like him. Unfortunately he took his reincarnation as a civil libertarian too far left on foreign policy and isolationism for my tastes when he chose to align himself with Ron Paul over McCain. Fiscally? Has value. But unfortunately, the “brand” must be homogenous over a wide spectrum.
Don’t care much about the stock market since I got out when the democrats won in 2006. Hanging on to a dying horse seemed like a losing proposition. Good decision to buy medal that I can hold in my hand and keep in my very own safe.
Someone (democrats) should tell O’Dumbo to shut up before Wall Street has to sell the building they work in. Every time he opens his yap the market tanks. I wonder how many trillions of dollars made the trip overseas today. The threat to tax and retax the people who make the country move by employing the people is really a stupid move. But just think, if you figure it correct and make less than $50-60 K per year you will get a tax cut equal to $1.25 per week under O’Dumbo’s plan. Wow, you can almost buy a Coke with the money. Meanwhile the pork spreads and gets kicked back by the billions to the democrat congress critters. They answered the question ‘is there and honest democrat left in the country’? , the answer is a resounding ‘NO’.
People sure have it bad for Sarah Palin. She’s so cute and they can’t have her. For the mentally unbalanced (BDS sufferers) that may be what’s kicking a lot of them over the edge.
Mata,
I figured you to be an ex-Libertarian; your disdain for the ACLU was probably the kicker, though your staunch support of “real” Conservative values INRE foreign policy and the need for a strong defense pretty much set the stage.
I agree with you to a point concerning Barr’s alignment with Ron Paul, but I still see him as a superior choice to the golden-tongued empty suit we have now. (By the way, when did you decide to leave the Libertarian Party? Around 2003-2004?)
I’m not hoping for any particular Libertarian or other third-party leader to make a showing now, but anything would be better than the empty suit. I also appreciate the value a third-party leader could have in drawing “enemy fire” away from the Dem’s usual target.
We’ve lost the constitutional protection of our civil liberties, and the left doesn’t seem to care. I’m convinced that the far left 30% wouldn’t at all mind living in an openly proclaimed socialist state. That leaves 70% of the electorate available if the GOP can clarify its message, solidify its base, and let the Liberals fall on their own swords.
What I would really like to see is for the Republican Party to return to core constitutional principles. They need to be able to deflect the charges from the left that they are merely puppets of the Religious Right, while not abandoning the church-goers. Republicans would also do well to stick to a message that rings true with most of the electorate. The liberals have made their message “Free stuff”, and it’s going to be tough (but not impossible) for conservatives to find a suitably simple yet more alluring message. Ultimately, the GOP needs to show that they have compassion for all of society, and not let the left own that claim!
Thanks for your response. I feel like I know you a bit better now.
Jeff V
One problem with the GOP is that they are continually painted with the same two brushes. The “Religious Right” brush, and the “Pro-Big Business & Wealthy People” brush. Whether you think it’s fair and accurate or not, this is also how they often come across to people. It is how many of them sound in interviews & often it is their very own words that the MSM turns back around on them to support the way they have been painted.
Where the GOP has screwed-up:
1. Over-selling of “Trickle-down economics”. The general public understood this as a policy whereby: You tax the wealthy people less, they invest it and some of the money eventually flows downstream. Frankly it is just as valid to sell a policy whereby the middle class are taxed less, They will spend it, the money they spend circulates within the local community, causing it to have a viable and strong economy, which creates more jobs. Some of the money flows up in profits to the upper class, and some reaches down help the lower class.
2. Jumping on the deficit spending band-wagon. Republicans have not tried to make the government smaller, nor have they practiced financial responsibility.
3. They have too heavily supported unbalanced “free” trade agreements and actively worked to transform the US economy from the world’s greatest manufacturing nation, into a “service” economy. These trade agreements have continually resulted in a flood of products from foreign nations while lowering our own exports. We have also lost manufacturing capabilities and the jobs that the factories used to create.
4. The Bush administration’s watering down of our 4th amendment rights. Yes, I know it was considered “necessary” after 9-11, but at the same time the administration refused to secure our boarders. Hypocritical, inconsistent and stupid. Many Americans, (especially former military,) do not appreciate it when either party tries to whittle down our constitutional rights. Local, state and the federal government has continually expanded there power over the people, and forced us more and more into an over regulated society. When was the last time a government repealed laws and reigned in bureaucrats?
5. Public image. Whether it’s Democrats or biased reporters, the GOP has become rather wimpy when it comes to debate in the public arena. They need to take clear stands on issues and have well planned supporting arguments. The GOP needs to get it into their thick skulls, that the MSM is not out to do them any favors, and that they need to think before they speak. The last election season is ample proof of this.
The GOP badly needs to overhaul both itself and Washington DC. IMO their new party leader and Sara Palin’s reforming government views are are what is necessary to get the people excited about the Republican party again. The GOP should have gotten a clue from the surprising popularity of the Reform party and the polls continually showing growing dissatisfaction with Dems & Reps. Even the Democrats keyed in on this with their campaign rhetoric promising “Change.” The American people are fed-up with the the way that Washington DC works, and the direction the nation has been going DUE TO BOTH PARTIES! I have no doubt that IF the Democrats and Obama do not succeed in changing things for the better, (and how could they with all the deficit spending the Dems want,) the public will be ready for alternative leadership. By then the GOP has to have their head on straight and rebuild their party into one that will appeal to both conservative and moderate voters. With an emphasis on:
Protection of ALL Constitutional rights. {Not just the ones you like}
Clean-up Washington DC, including reigning in the power and influence of lobbyists.
Restoring the American dream for the middle classes.
A return to a 1950’s family economy. (Where one middle-class parent can earn a decent enough wage to raise a family.)
Create Fair Trade treaties that will benefit the USA. not “Free trade” agreements that mostly favor foreign nations and multinational corporations.
Re-industrialize this nation. (If they are not going to try to bring the jobs back, then they damn well better think of ways to create new, well-paying jobs. Both parties promised and never delivered on this.)
Learn fiscal responsibility and BALANCE THE DAMN BUDGET!! We want to see the National Debt paid off, and government needs to spend within it’s means!
Start working to downsize the government. Make it leaner, more efficient, citizen friendly and less intrusive. While you’re at it, make it more sensible.
Lower taxes for all taxpayers! Not just those at the top.
Ditto:
The GOP must also find a way to woo the ~30% (my guesstimate) of voters who would be perfectly happy living in an openly Socialist state. These are the ones who fall for the “free stuff” and “tax the rich” gimmicks. For too long, the Republicans have believed that everyone can be motivated to improve their own standards of living, but the naked truth is that a very large portion of the voting public is either too lazy, too disenfranchised, or for other reasons not interested in working any harder to make a difference.
In her Feb 25 2009 post “A CPAC Discussion”, the GOP realized that the media and the rest of the left were successful in mobilizing voters around a common “Bush hatred” theme, which painted Bush as a reverse Robin Hood (steal from the poor, give to the rich.) This killed the motivation for lots of people who figured they could never become part of the privileged class, so they voted for the “less work” option.
To be sure, Obama motivated a lot of younger (and naive) voters to vote Democratic, but not because of a desire to work hard to improve themselves and their standards of living. Obama was able to convince others that the GOP was responsible for giving away their “good life” (and future good life), as well as instilling into their minds that government is the only entity capable of taking care of them.
For that reason, Republicans *must* widen their platform to include funding social programs for the truly needy, and make the kind of reforms that you mentioned to bring back the notion that each individual has the ability to improve his/her themselves as well as the rest of society.
And as much as it may pain the old GOP stalwarts, Republicans have to recognize that the problem with “trickle down” economics is that there is ttle incentive for those at the very top to part with enough of their assets to make trickle down successful. Conservatives have been painted as selfish, so they need to push for an image of government that provides incentives for the better off to help the less fortunate.
Jeff V
Jeff and ditto:
I posted this link in the “Not-So Subliminal thread right after reading thaDeetz’s fine post, don’t miss it:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/02/how_he_did_it_a_diagrammatic_a.html
I think we are up against a marketing juggernaut that we will have to pay close attention to in addition to all or the suggestions and critiques we have for/of the Republican party.
Just lie back and think of England — er — America.
Talking about shutting dissenters up. Check out Judi Mcleod’s great article at http://www.canadafreepress.com other great articles there by Caruba, Ewart, McConnell, Swirski.
True American Patriots, and the Canada Free Press is doing much in the fight to preserve Americas Freedoms.