The overwhelming lessons of Iowa and New Hampshire are ones that shouldn’t be a surprise to any American, but clearly are to the political power elitists and their old media symbiotes: Americans are tired of the angry political partisan divide.
- We saw it in 1998 after the impeachment
- We saw it in 2000 during the election tie
- We saw it in 2002 when H. Dean deliberately divided the nation and the world by opposing US action in Iraq for his own political power grab.
- We saw it in 2004 when John Kerry lost the popular vote and the electoral vote to a President with less than 50% approval ratings!
- We saw it in 2005 with President Bush’s uber low approval numbers which continue today.
- We saw it in 2006 with a change of Congressional power wrapped around a message of “A New Direction” of this, that, and the other
- We saw it in 2007 with the almost immediate plummet of Congressional approval ratings to the lowest in recorded history!
- We saw it in Iowa where the two candidates who ran almost exclusively as “nice guys” promising “hope” and “change” and bi-partisanship ran away with it.
- We saw it in New Hampshire where an inexperienced new guy almost blew away the Democratic Party’s most partisan player, and he did it on a message of “Yes we can.”
The point is that the American people have been deliberately divided by political partisanship. Republicans are not innocent, and only fools don’t try to identify and accept the Democrats’ sins as well. Average Americans are people who normally don’t care, aren’t interested, or just don’t have the time to pay attention to politics. They are RINOs, DINOs, independents, centrists, or some other labeled demographic. When they see political reporting, they see name-calling, spin, half truths, and misleading statements; politics. As this has steadily increased over the past 10yrs, more and more Americans have become apathetic in disgust and despair.
But Obama and Huckabee are right. There IS something happening here. In addition to the apathy, there’s a new generation taking power. The “Me Generation” (ie “Baby Boomer” generation) has failed. They failed to meet or surpass the patriotic contribution of their parents; members of “The Greatest Generation.” Now, those children of the 50’s, youth of the 60’s, young disco dancing adults of the 1970’s, and the junk bond investors of the 1980’s are about to retire. As they do, their children are taking power, and this generation (people in their 20’s and 30’s) has never known a JFK, a Martin Luther King, a Bobby Kennedy, or for that matter a truly great American President. Some would argue that President Clinton or President Reagan should be on Mount Rushmore, but those are partisan calls not the voice of Americans as a whole.
While the men and women of this new generation take power, they not only have their own lives to shape, but in the past few years they’ve started having children, and now they’re also concerned about more than just themselves. As adults they no longer have the luxury of apathy and despair that they were kids. They see today’s threats and problems and concerns, and they see the legacy of debt, dishonor, disgrace, and divide; an inheritance of political problems are too big, too numerous, and too dangerous to shrug off and pass on to another generation as the “Me Generation” has done.
Democrats and Republicans alike grow more and more desperate for a change in the American political climate. Americans as a whole-regardless of their own individual or group ignorance-cannot fail to see that politics as usual means business as usual; i.e. no business, no accomplishment, no greater United States of America. The impotence of Washington D.C. has just grown too limp to ignore anymore. Viagra and Lipitor sales are just too big inside The Beltway.
The example has been set, seen, can no longer be accepted. People really do want change.
All men may be created equal with certain inalienable rights, but some are born with more than that. Some people are born with unequal skills, abilities, gifts, and particularly resources. Americans are those people. The world knows it, we know it, and politicians know it, but the latter has no problem repressing or dismissing the abilities of a person or this entire nation for their own personal political gain.
It’s been said that, “Words are not action–and as beautifully presented and passionately felt as they are, they are not action.” That’s not entirely true though. Words are in fact action. Words are the lifeblood of a free nation. It’s why freedom of speech is the key to everything in the United States. Words are an action in and of themselves-an action that can divide a nation and stall it, or unite, inspire, and propel a nation forward through even the gravest of times. Whether it’s JFK, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy, FDR, or Lincoln, or our founding fathers…words do matter.
The United States of America is at war, on the edge of economic crisis-even disaster, and bogged down in a quagmire of challenges left behind by a generation that claims to have been “changing” things for 35yrs. Well, that generation has failed. Baby Boomer Presidents have failed. Baby Boomer politicians have failed. Baby Boomer advocates and activists have failed. Now, they want to grab power yet again, try yet again, and at the same time most of their generation is retiring-retiring on a financial gift from their children and grandchildren. That generation’s time has come, and passed.
A new generation is taking responsibility for America. That generation wants this to be a United States of America – not the Democratic Republic of North America, or the Republican States of the Western Hemisphere. No. This is the United States of America. When the American people are united, this new generation knows that the world trembles in awe. People who are oppressed by economic, religious, cultural, or political circumstances look with respect and hope while oppressors and tyrants flee in fear to live for years in caves. This generation, and the world, knows that when united, this country can put men on the moon and make the most incredible endeavor in all of mankind’s history actually look boring.
This generation also knows that it cannot follow in its parents’ footsteps and pass on burdens to yet another generation. The past promise of Americans has always been to pass on from one generation to another a better nation has simply been ignored by the “Me Generation.” Their children want that to change.
Democrats and Republicans are trying to find ways to market the idea of “change” because most of all, the American people are finally standing up and telling aging leaders that it’s time to either pay up or get out. It’s time to either really change things, or retire like the rest of the “Me generation.”
Author of “Reparations and America’s 2nd Civil War
Reparations and America’s 2nd Civil War: Malensek, Scott: 9798864028674: Amazon.com: Books
Re: “It seems apparent to me that Steve believes actionable intelligence should be ignored if there is any dissenting or contrary intelligence.”
The key is competent vs. incompetent actions.
Again a transfer into pre-war information, not accountablity for a botched occupation.
You have yet to prove that the occupation has been incompetent by comparing the occupation to similar scenario in military history.
Until you do, the claim of incompetence is nothing more than an opinion of an incredibly biased and openly, admittedly partisan person; not a genuine claim based on historical comparison.
What made John Kerry guilty were his own actions. What proved John Kerry guilty were his own words.
” I have been to Paris. I have talked with both delegations at the peace talks, that is to say the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government and of all eight of Madam Binh’s points it has been stated time and time again,”
His own words admit he met with the enemy, adopted the enemy positions and was promoting them in the US. This was at the same time the North Vietnamese were trying to kill those of us who were fighting for the US in Vietnam.It isn’t something that was posted on some internet blog by someone who was angry that the enemy was trying to kill us in Vietnam, because Anti-Americans like John Kerry were encouraging them by telling them that leftist Americans would help them defeat America. It was John Kerry’s own words
Nixon met with the Red Chinese was he guilty too ?
Nixon was President on official duty. Kerry was a Navy O-3 and NOT sanctioned to conduct “negotiations” with a hostile power. Also, China and the USA were not at war when Nixon visited.
What Kerry did is a violation of US Code and UCMJ.
Excellent answer ChrisG,
Duty versus selling out your fellow countrymen during enemy action.
Re: “You have yet to prove that the occupation has been incompetent by comparing the occupation to similar scenario in military history. ”
I compare it to the documentation of incompetence in books such as “Enemy at the Gates” and “Fiasco”.
Your demands that I review occupations from other wars in history is a specious argument.
I don’t care how others botched their occupations. I care that George W. Bush botched this one, and Americans will die next week to pay for that incompetence.
Re: “His own words admit he met with the enemy,”
So did Henry Kissinger. Was he guilty as well?
Oliver North met with, and sold weapons to the Iranian government (one of the Axis of Evil as I recall). Was Oliver North also guilty of treason?
Donald Rumsfeld met with Saddam Hussein in the 1980’s (as a private citizen, by the way). Was he guilty of Treason?
Dick Cheney, when CEO of Haliburton authorized his company to bid on, and accept contracts with the government of Saddam Hussein while they were under sanctions in the 1990’s.
Was Dick Cheney guilty of Treason?
Zalmay Khalilzad, a manager of the 2000 George W. Bush presidential transition team, was negotiating with al Qaeda and the Taliban in 2001 (prior to September) on behalf of Unocol to build a pipeline through Afghanistan.
He was on very good terms with al Qaeda at the time.
Jose Padilly was convicted, and will likely receive life in prison based almost solely on his application to be part of al Qaeda during that same time.
Should Zalmay Khalilzad, friend of George W. Bush receive that same punnisment?
it should be Jose Padilla
Steve,
As one of those Americans you seem so concerned about, I completely disagree that the occupation and reconstruction was incompetently managed. It had a lot of growing pains and mistakes. Mistakes the US Military also made. I addressed that WAYYYY up there.
Also, John Kerry was part of the Weather Underground, a group calling for the destruction of the United States and forced “re-education” of its people. He perjured himself in front of Congress as an officer and much more.
What contracts was Haliburton bidding on BTW? Also, were we at war with Iraq in the 1980s? Please use only sources I approve of and not those I deem leftist shills.
Maybe if you stopped spam-posting it would be easier to keep up with your bile, but multiple 3-4 line posts are annoying the heck out of my “White House Staffer”.
*Edit*
Amazing!! Another two spam posts by Steve in the time it took to write one post!! Probably another will be up after I hit enter on this edit.
“I don’t care how others botched their occupations. I care that George W. Bush botched this one, and Americans will die next week to pay for that incompetence.”
Steve, if you don’t have an example of a similar military scenario to compare it against, then your claim that the occupation was ineptly handled is just opinion, and worse yet it’s not an unbiased opinion but the opinion of someone who is openly biased and has stated his partisanship while demonstrating the willingness to distort truth and misrepresent it to fit that political partisan bias.
Until you can compare it to another occupation in a similar scenario, you just can’t factually make the case. You can only state your opinion which…has little value here for the reasons stated.
““I don’t care how others botched their occupations. I care that George W. Bush botched this one, and Americans will die next week to pay for that incompetence.”
There is no doubt, IMO, that more American Service members will die in Afghanistan and Iraq. They will not die as a result of botched operations.
They will die because the American left, since before the war even started have been promising the terrorists that the American left will help them defeat America.
Back in post 113, I cited a statement by a Democrat Sen that he had flown to Syria in Jan 2002 to insure that they had the latest American intelligence. Now we are at post 165 and still no reply as to why the enemy has to be given the latest American intelligence by the Democrats.
Re: “Also, John Kerry was part of the Weather Underground,”
Flat out lie.
John Kerry was a member of “Vietnam Veterans Against the War”. Now shortened to “Vietnam Veterans of America”.
But, as a Conservative, you will believe it anyway.
Re: “What contracts was Haliburton bidding on BTW? Also, were we at war with Iraq in the 1980s? Please use only sources I approve of and not those I deem leftist shills.”
NesMax good enough for you:
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/6/24/80648.shtml
UNITED NATIONS, June 23 (UPI) — Halliburton Co., the oil company that was headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, signed contracts with Iraq worth $73 million through two subsidiaries while he was at its helm, the Washington Post reported.
During last year’s presidential campaign, Cheney said Halliburton did business with Libya and Iran through foreign subsidiaries, but maintained he had imposed a “firm policy” against trading with Iraq.
“Iraq’s different,” the Post quoted him as saying.
Oil industry executives and confidential U.N. records showed, however, that Halliburton held stakes in two companies that signed contracts to sell more than $73 million in oil production equipment and spare parts to Iraq while Cheney was chairman and chief executive officer, the Post reported.
Re: “They will die because the American left, since before the war even started have been promising the terrorists that the American left will help them defeat America.”
Can you document, with names and dates, when such promises were made by those unnamed “Leftists” with actual power to carry them out?
Or is this, as usual, the FoxNews generalizations that Conservatives use when accountability is too inconvenient.
Re: “Back in post 113, I cited a statement by a Democrat Sen that he had flown to Syria in Jan 2002 to insure that they had the latest American intelligence. Now we are at post 165 and still no reply as to why the enemy has to be given the latest American intelligence by the Democrats.”
The delegation included Republican Senator Arlan Specter. But, however it is all the Democrats’ fault, isn’t it?
Additionally, if you actually read the information, Senator Nelson was gong to brief the State Department, not Syria. But, once again, facts are unimportant to Conservatives when a good “hate” can be generated.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/12/15/white_house_criticizes_senators_trip_to_syria/
Nelson said he planned to brief the State Department and his committees on the meeting.
So let me guess, Jane Fonda was not part of it either. Please prove the “lie” wrong. The FACT is that you cannot and only rely on far left sites to promote your hate and bile. I have used multiple cross referenced sites from all over in the reference post I gave you (way above). You really do prove Scott correct in this thread with every paranoid “the Christians are coming to get us” fantasy you spout. Here is a hint: I do not go to church except for weddings and funerals. That’s it. Yet to you, I seem to be some sort of “evil conservative”(tm) out to get you.
Oh, yes, as a leftist, you will believe anything your masters tell you. Does that make sense either way it is told? At NO time did I ever use a source you despise and demand CENSORED. However, since these sources offend you so, maybe I will start reading them more. It cannot be any worse that watching CNN make up a lie a block away from me while in Iraq. In fact, since it upsets your paranoia so, it must be a good source.
By the way “Vietnam Veterans of America” is in no way associated with “Vietnam Veterans Against the War” or ANY such group. THAT is a flat out lie and disgusting even for you (which is difficult to do). I have been to their sites, met and worked with their members and they would be livid knowing you compared the VVA to VVAW. The shear fact that you even suggested something SO simple to disprove makes me wonder about your hatred and bile even more.
Though I am sure you will spam post again before I am completed with this post.
Steve, ever hear of Code Pink? Their website’s archives will answer the question for you on the names and dates for their aid to terrorists. Zombietime.com has photos of “anti-war” protests showing the same things.
Who was President of the United States when Haliburton sold civilian use only items (oil drilling equipment cannot be used to make illegal arms) to Iraq fully sanctioned under “Oil for Food”? If this third party trading (one party buys something and then resells it) was illegal, than why did not the Dept of State not have and End User Certificate requirement for it?
Since you are such and expert, I assume you know what an EUC is and will not get into it. I would not want to slow down your spam postings and leftist hate.
Re: ” I have been to their sites, met and worked with their members and they would be livid knowing you compared the VVA to VVAW.”
You were right. I ws wrong on that one. I thought that VVAW had, after the war, shifted its focus to serving veterans and changed its name. Sorry.
However John Kerry was still not part of the Weather Underground, as you claimed.
“there are horses a**’s in the Democratic party, hypocrits and even those who are incompetent. John Kerry is an example of the first.”
Re: “Who was President of the United States when Haliburton sold civilian use only items (oil drilling equipment cannot be used to make illegal arms) to Iraq fully sanctioned under “Oil for Food”?”
As usual, the “it’s all Clinton’s fault” line comes from Conservatives, as they are required to do in every argument.
I was just posting links to where “good Conservatives’ also had close ties with Saddam, to counter your commenet about John Kerry for his “contacts”.
Everyone “meets” with representatives of countries or governments that later proide grist for attack.
I’m sure you are not proud of the autographed Bible and birthday cake that Saint Ronald Reagan gave to Ayotollah Khomennie, the holder of American hostages, are you?
But then, that would mean applying the same Conservatives standard you use to club me to your own heros. Something that no Conservative will ever do.
Besides, this thread was originally about how meanness is permeating ourpolitical discourse.
I agreed with that premise. Along the way I made a comment about what I believed to be the cost of George W. Bush’s incompetence regarding the occupation of Iraq. In retrospect that was a mistake on my part and I apologize.
Since then I have had the topics of:
Congressional authorization votes
Terry Schiavo
John Kerry’s Vietnam war protests
Bush Derangement Syndrome
And a stream of personal insults trown at me. My only “insult” in return was accusing Conservatives of being subservient to dictates from the Bush White, as delivered through conduits such as FoxNews, Newsmax, or Rush Limbaugh. (apparently hit quite a nerve with that as well). And of accusing the Republican Party of being subservient to James Dobson (with demonstrated proof, also quite a nerve).
Sorry if I offended anyone with my opinions.
“As usual, the “it’s all Clinton’s fault” line comes from Conservatives, as they are required to do in every argument.”
-no one said, “it’s all Clinton’s fault” except you as a means of distracting from proof that all which is bad in the world doesn’t stem primarily or soley from neocon Bushies as has been suggested so many times by you
“this thread was originally about how meanness is permeating ourpolitical discourse.”
-which you agreed was a problem, then proceeded to immediately and ad nauseum demonstrate by arbitrarily labeling and stereotyping anyone who disagreed with you as a bible-thumping conservative who follows lock step the party line without question
“I agreed with that premise. Along the way I made a comment about what I believed to be the cost of George W. Bush’s incompetence regarding the occupation of Iraq.”
-If you agreed with the premise, then you wouldn’t have started labeling people and name calling and stereotyping, and if the occupation of Iraq has been incompetently handled you’ve failed to prove such a claim by comparing it to historically comparable operations.
“My only “insult” in return was accusing Conservatives of being subservient to dictates from the Bush White, as delivered through conduits such as FoxNews, Newsmax, or Rush Limbaugh.”
-not true at all. Again, but arbitrarily labeling people and stereotyping them you insulted people, feigned apology, then immediately and repeatedly went right back to insulting. The meme that everyone but you and/or members of the partisan left must be lemming-locked to Fox News, Limbaugh etc., is false, inaccurate, insulting, and dramatically hypocritical for this reason: your primary insult is that “conservatives” (ie, anyone who disagrees with you) ignore facts and follow partisan news sources, but in making your case, you’ve repeatedly ignored counter facts and simple logic that completely evaporated your own political talking points which you not only got from politically partisan sources which are as partisan or more than Limbaugh and Fox, but you even had the audacity/stupidity to link to them. Imagine if a “conservative” called you a treasonous communist and then cited Fox News, The Weekly Standard, or even The Washington Times? You’d scoff. And despite the fact that yes, you have been called treasonous (some things are treason ya know) no one that you’ve accused of being a “conservative” who “subservient to dictates from the Bush White, as delivered through conduits such as FoxNews, Newsmax, or Rush Limbaugh” has cited those sources or any sources which are as incredibly partisan as your own. Hypocrisy and irony as very close friends.
I get your point.
The Republican party has been ordained by God as the most talented, enlightened political party to ever grace the face of the Earth.
George W. Bush’s beknighted leadership has ushered the United States into the golden age of peace and prosperity, and his noble presence will be remembered as the most wonderful presidency in the history of the world: All Americans should be on their knees every day, praying that his wisdom and impartiality will be with us forever and immediately abolish Congress and the Courts and make him President-for-Life so we may benefit even more.
All Democrats, on the other hand, were invented by Satan to promulgate his will upon the earth, and should not be permitted to exist in the presence of such holy people as Republicans.
I get this on a daily basis from my Conservative ciurcle (about 90% of my friends and family are Conservative Republicans, who repeat what I said above, almost word-for-word).
Sorry that I introduced comments that were not in line with what is supposed to by on this site.
You win.
“The Republican party has been ordained by God as the most talented, enlightened political party to ever grace the face of the Earth.”
and
“All Democrats, on the other hand, were invented by Satan to promulgate his will upon the earth, and should not be permitted to exist in the presence of such holy people as Republicans”
Now where on here has anyone said anything even close to this you lying sack of fecal matter?
“I get your point.”
-If you did, then you wouldn’t have followed immediately afterwards with a demonstration of divisive polar thinking that is completely counter to the idea of the UNITED States of America, and instead you’d have followed with some sort of comment about HOW you think the United States of America could and should unite under common ground as opposed to submission to one political dogma or the other; dogmas like:
“The Republican party has been ordained by God as the most talented, enlightened political party to ever grace the face of the Earth.”
and
“All Democrats, on the other hand, were invented by Satan to promulgate his will upon the earth, and should not be permitted to exist in the presence of such holy people as Republicans”
To put it bluntly, someone needs to examine whether or not all of his crayons have been properly sharpened; and also if the bright ones are still in the box.
And either you are projecting their “hatred” onto us, constantly setting up strawmen conservatives to knock down; or, based upon what I’ve seen you write here, you are projecting your own self-delusions onto them and misinterpreting their counter-arguments.
I pray for you, Steve. I really do.
(Psst: I’m non-religious, on the right, btw)