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Author Topic: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?  (Read 3482 times)

mgod

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Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« on: September 12, 2008, 04:40:30 PM »

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-reiser>Paul Reiser
Posted September 12, 2008 | 10:24 AM (EST)

Yeah -- You and Who's Army?

So everyone's talking about the nasty spike of nastiness in the presidential race -- a spike brilliantly orchestrated by the Republican machinery -- and Republican John McCain takes a moment to point out that even this is Barack Obama's fault.

Y'see, all the crap being thrown at Obama -- the fear-mongering, the half-truths, the full lies -- all the character assassination hurling Obama's way, is in fact, his own doing.

"I think the tone of this whole campaign would have been very different if Senator Obama had accepted my request for us to appear in town hall meetings all over America," the Senator from Arizona <http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/55573>tells us.

Am I just losing my friggin' mind? Seriously. I keep looking around the room to see if I'm living in some suddenly altered state where everything we know is now called the opposite, and nobody notices. Or can stop it.

"I wish I didn't have to take your lunch money, but you should'nt of hadda brung it."

We're in the 3rd grade again. The skinny, smart kid who just moved in to the neighborhood is getting roughed-up by the asshole bully. The kid who hits you in the head with your hand and says, "Why're you hitting yourself? Why're you hitting yourself?"

"Um, actually I'm not. You're hitting me."

"You calling me a liar?"

"No, I'm just pointing out that..." SMACK!

"Why're you hitting yourself?"

And there seems to be no one to appeal to. There're no grown-ups around when you need 'em. No one to step in and say, "Alright, that's enough now. We don't do that here, fella." And in the absence of any authority, the asshole gets to keep doing it.

"Why're you hitting yourself? SMACK! Why're you hitting yourself?"

From the few minutes of the GOP convention I could stomach watching, all I could think was that Giuliani and Sarah Palin were doing some big-person, lethal version of "I know you are, but what am I?"

America: "Well, respectfully, Governor Palin, it could be argued that you are, in fact, relatively inexperienced."

Her: "I know you are but what am I?"

"Hm? No, perhaps you misunderstood. We are talking about you."

"I know you are but what am I."

"Well, Governor, just listening to your speech, you seem awfully caustic."

"You are."

"And, frankly, a little bitter."

"You're bitter."

"I mean, where's your sense of humility?"

"I'm rubber, you're glue. It bounces off me and sticks to you."

"My God - you're... dangerous."

"I know you are, but what am I?"

Maybe that's the problem. Obama treats us like adults, and McCain's team treats us like children.

Obama seeks to inspire and raise us as a nation. McCain's people want to reduce us to infants.

Obama asks us to be deep. And courageous.

McCain prays that we're simple. And cowardly.

Now everyone is calling for Obama to "get angry." "Get out there and frown this way, curl your lip that way, and clench your fist like so." And, I don't know..... That'd be cool. Sure. But I don't think the fix can come just from him. There's only so much the guy can do. It's going to have to be us. I don't know what exactly we need to do, but I know we'll do it. I have to believe -- I mean I really have to believe we're big enough, strong enough and smart enough to reclaim what's ours. I love my children too much to let the assholes take over the school yard.

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grantis

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Re: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2008, 07:30:14 PM »

mgod wrote on Fri, 12 September 2008 15:40

spike brilliantly orchestrated by the Republican machinery




Ya know, I AM beginning to believe that republicans are quite brilliant.

I see your point Dan.  I believe that since the republicans are slingin' mud, sling some right back at 'em.  If democrats don't reduce themselves to that level, the election will pass them by once again.  A shame.
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Grant Craig
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Jessica A. Engle

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Re: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2008, 10:03:00 PM »

grant richard wrote on Fri, 12 September 2008 18:30

mgod wrote on Fri, 12 September 2008 15:40

spike brilliantly orchestrated by the Republican machinery




I believe that since the republicans are slingin' mud, sling some right back at 'em.



Ooo, bite your tongue!

Eye for an eye does not an ounce of Dignity make.  Why do you think everyone out there looks like such a ridiculous fool (I think the catchy phrase at the moment is "empty suit")?  The last thing we need is even lower standards than we already have.

Jess
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cerberus

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Re: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2008, 11:18:49 PM »

they have no shame. that is the mark of the beast.

jeff dinces

grantis

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Re: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« Reply #4 on: September 13, 2008, 12:08:05 AM »

I'm just sayin'...if democrats are better than republicans for not slingin' mud, they can enjoy their egos somewhere other than Washington.

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Grant Craig
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grantis

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Re: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« Reply #5 on: September 13, 2008, 12:09:27 AM »

cerberus wrote on Fri, 12 September 2008 22:18

they have no shame. that is the mark of the beast.

jeff dinces


I believe it was Adam and Eve that had no shame before sin corrupted everything...but you don't have to believe me.

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Barry Hufker

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Re: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« Reply #6 on: September 13, 2008, 12:51:13 AM »

I believe Grant makes a good point.

I'm really quite torn about this but this is what I've been mulling.

Every election cycle the Republicans attack opponents (and each other) using lies and character assassination.  This is of course despicable but it is true and consistent.

There is a certain segment of the population which obviously understands this type of communication and responds to it.  This too is unfortunate but a reality.

While I'm not saying Dems should behave as Republicans, I think someone in the Dem camp has got to understand this dynamic so a technique can be created which reaches this audience while not being as vile as the Republicans.

What exactly should be done I have no idea but one can not ignore it.

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YZ

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Re: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« Reply #7 on: September 13, 2008, 12:56:41 AM »

grant richard wrote on Sat, 13 September 2008 01:09

cerberus wrote on Fri, 12 September 2008 22:18

they have no shame. that is the mark of the beast.

jeff dinces


I believe it was Adam and Eve that had no shame before sin corrupted everything...but you don't have to believe me.




No.

Adam and Eve were A-OK until the snake tricked Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, who then took it to Adam to eat.

Adam and Eve's first reaction after eating the forbidden fruit was shame, for they saw that they had no clothes on and hurried to cover themselves.

The meaning is that before eating the forbidden fruit there was no reason to be ashamed, for they were pure; afterward they became impure, thus bringing shame unto them.

Even having become impure, they remained honest: when G*d asked them what they've done, they told it as it happened.

The serpent? well, the serpent was impure _and_ had no shame; it would lie, deceive, twist G*d's words to trick the innocent into doing things that would ultimately cause them harm, all to fulfill it's hidden agenda.

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regards,

YZ

Berolzheimer

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Re: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« Reply #8 on: September 13, 2008, 01:14:24 AM »

Barry Hufker wrote on Fri, 12 September 2008 21:51

I believe Grant makes a good point.

I'm really quite torn about this but this is what I've been mulling.

Every election cycle the Republicans attack opponents (and each other) using lies and character assassination.  This is of course despicable but it is true and consistent.

There is a certain segment of the population which obviously understands this type of communication and responds to it.  This too is unfortunate but a reality.

While I'm not saying Dems should behave as Republicans, I think someone in the Dem camp has got to understand this dynamic so a technique can be created which reaches this audience while not being as vile as the Republicans.

What exactly should be done I have no idea but one can not ignore it.




I don't think Obama should fight back in the same way, lower himself to their approach.  They're masters at it, he's (thankfully) too nice & thoughtful to be as good at it as they are.  He has to be a Pa Kua or Aikido master, avoid the strikes & spin the opponents movement & energy back around so they collapse on themselves.  The thing right now that makes that difficult of course is that they own the media outlets & control the message.  But he's got to be masterful & find a way. And as (the other) Paul says, it's up to us too.

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Edvaard

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Re: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« Reply #9 on: September 13, 2008, 02:05:29 AM »

YZ wrote on Sat, 13 September 2008 00:56



The serpent? well, the serpent was impure _and_ had no shame; it would lie, deceive, twist G*d's words to trick the innocent into doing things that would ultimately cause them harm, all to fulfill it's hidden agenda.





Now now. What are you talking about?

I'm sure that Dick Cheney and Condi Rice and Donny Rumsfeldt are all good, church-going people.

I mean, they roped millions of good church-going people into voting for "their boy" didn't they?


Please don't pick on the "cynicism-at-it's-height" aspect of politics/religion as it exists, in every part of the world.


No saying that "God approves" whatever the frick stupid humans choose to do means "not elected."



That's just how it works.






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Saltydog

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Re: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« Reply #10 on: September 13, 2008, 04:06:10 AM »

Double post because the Internet had a hiccup.
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Ron Jenkins
Saltydog

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Re: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« Reply #11 on: September 13, 2008, 04:08:24 AM »

When I was growing up in Canada in the 50's and early 60's, I thought of America as a "can do nation". Nothing was impossible, it just took hard work and ingenuity. If people believed in your idea they would wholeheartedly support you. Now, 50 years later, it might seem that that was a naive ideal of your nation. As a kid, I knew nothing of the racial tensions, the political intrigue or the perception of America abroad. All I knew was that America could DO it. Wow, what a country. It proved it time and time again:
The space missions, the IC chip, the incredible centres of learning. Communications, transport, the list goes on.

Please don't stop striving for that ideal of "can do"
Don't let the naysayers, gossipers, and venal politicians dissuade you from that goal. America deserves the best. Give it to her in the next election.

Yeah, maybe I'm still naive. It's nice to believe in a dream though.
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Ron Jenkins
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Barry Hufker

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Re: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« Reply #12 on: September 13, 2008, 11:41:33 AM »

WOW!  What a great post!  I mean that sincerely.  You've given me a day-brightener.

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Jay Kadis

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Re: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« Reply #13 on: September 13, 2008, 11:47:28 AM »

In the last 50 years marketing and greed has largely replaced innovation and hard work in the US.  Manipulating markets has replaced research and development.  We've eaten the seed corn and now the majority of science graduate students in US universities are from elsewhere.  If this isn't a wake-up call nothing is.

And still the easily-influenced voter is susceptible to manipulation that is so simple to see through.  The effects of undervaluing education play right into the hands of corporate political machinery while the workers are reduced to irrelevance.

Wake up.

danickstr

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Re: Yeah -- You and Who's Army?
« Reply #14 on: September 13, 2008, 05:15:26 PM »

Saltydog wrote on Sat, 13 September 2008 04:08

When I was growing up in Canada in the 50's and early 60's, I thought of America as a "can do nation". Nothing was impossible, it just took hard work and ingenuity. If people believed in your idea they would wholeheartedly support you. Now, 50 years later, it might seem that that was a naive ideal of your nation. As a kid, I knew nothing of the racial tensions, the political intrigue or the perception of America abroad. All I knew was that America could DO it. Wow, what a country. It proved it time and time again:
The space missions, the IC chip, the incredible centres of learning. Communications, transport, the list goes on.

Please don't stop striving for that ideal of "can do"
Don't let the naysayers, gossipers, and venal politicians dissuade you from that goal. America deserves the best. Give it to her in the next election.

Yeah, maybe I'm still naive. It's nice to believe in a dream though.


Every young American should read this post.  

We arguably don't deserve this kind of adulation at this time, but it sure helps to stroke fire in this GOP-quenched brain.

Thanks so much for sharing.

Nationalism aside, I know I would like us all to be a part of a world that could stand for such achievement.  Just wanted to heap some syrup on this idealism parfait.   Smile
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