Glenn Beck - The Biggest Con Artist in America

Hear an NPR discussion about the Glenn Beck phenomenon & what it says about the Country. For me, Beck is just a huge con artist who happens to be good at what he does. His popularity is a reflection of our increasingly partisan politics, the intellectual deterioration taking root in the U.S. and "the facts be damned" attitude of the public, an extremely uninformed/misinformed populace, and a deteriorating media that lacks balance and takes part in the misinformation. Beck is also benefiting from anxiety stirred up by the economy... (but that is not the main issue in my opinion). The main reasons for Beck's success are public misinformation from right wing media...and the fact that there is a President in the White House who isn't white.

The rise of Beck isn't surprising in a Country where the citizens don't know basic civics, don't know much about the world, and don't know much about religion. Easy prey for con artists and manipulators.

For Republicans, Lying is Part of the Routine

More examples of how the Right makes things up. I have been trying to tell you all... they're crazy. But they are crazy and organized...which is what bugs the hell out of me.

Republicans Let Their Racism Show in Attack On Thurgood Marshall

I guess Elena Kagan is such a blank slate that Republicans have to find others to attack.... even the dearly departed. They were apparently so desperate this week that they dug up a class paper that Kagan wrote decades ago, before she even entered law school. Of course they failed miserably with that effort.

But what annoyed me most was the way that Republican Senators on the Judiciary Committee used Kagan to attack Thurgood Marshall - a giant and American hero. Listen to the highlights of the hearings from last week, where Marshall is repeatedly brought up, attacked and diminished by Republicans. The effort was led by Senators Lindsey Graham, John Kyl, and Jeff Sessions. Their racism was plain to see and it was clear that they were playing to their base - their white Southern audiences back home. By targeting Marshall, they were attacking civil rights, desegregation, and equal justice...all the things he stood for. In their attacks (in front of at least one Marshall family member) they painted Marshall as a radical...as a judicial "activist". Marshall's opinions as a judge -upholding the idea of fairness, equal rights, etc- were out of the mainstream (although there is no evidence of that whatsoever). What they were really criticizing was Marshall's career before he became a judge. They were basically saying that Brown v. Topeka Board of Education was not decided correctly and was a result of Marshall's work as an attorney & agitator, and a result of an activist Supreme Court which overturned years of segregation. They suggested that since racism, esp. Jim Crow, was the law of the land, and was well established, settled law.... someone like Thurgood Marshall was a radical and activist because he came along and stirred things up by daring to challenge what had been legal precedent prior to May 1954. In other words, these Senators were sending the not-so-subtle message that Plessy v. Ferguson, the 1896 case that upheld segregation in schools, should have been allowed to stand as it was settled law. Racist to the core.

Why has the national corporate media allowed this to go almost unchallenged? I saw the segments on MSNBC...but I have not heard much from any other outlet. Unreal.

Senator Al Franken provided a pretty good rebuttal - see video.
Besides Al Franken.... few Senators/House members have spoken out against this blatant racism.

See Thurgood Marshall Jr's response. Hear an interview with Thurgood Marshall Jr. from NPR.

This comes on top of efforts by racist jackasses like Glenn Beck who want to hijack the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington as a way to mock Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights struggle. Beck says he wants to "restore honor" and dignity to America..... as opposed to MLK, advancements in Civil Rights, and that nigra being elected President.

Further Confirmation of Glenn Beck's Stupidity - Now He Is Attacking American Churches

Caption: Shhhh... (whispering) I'm making a killing by taking advantage of these idiots on the right, especially the dopes in that Tea Party Movement. They buy my act hook, line & sinker...and none of them have caught on yet. These people are so stupid... I can get them to support just about anything. They believe every lie that I tell, and I'm going to keep making money off of them. Thank God for stupid people...and Thank God for Roger Ailes for giving me this great platform.

I don't know if it's stupidity or genius... because after all, he is the one getting over by taking advantage of the ignorance of his followers. Hell, if I had millions of American zombies hanging on my every word & making me richer, I would probably take advantage of them too, as long as it was legal. Who wouldn't? But then again, I have a conscience and a moral compass, two things that Glenn Beck doesn't have. So I don't think I would do very well as a con artist.

This is the most phony right wing hack on the airwaves. He doesn't even make it a secret anymore. He's openly phony, yet his supporters (idiots) love to watch him. His latest antics involve encouraging his Christian followers to leave their churches if they notice any sort of "social justice" being practiced or preached. Problem is... this includes many right leaning evangelical churches, including The Catholic Church...and even his own Mormon Church.

Even though it is clear (no longer a secret) that his activities are part of an ongoing Republican effort to use fear to excite voters, his followers will unfortunately continue to support him. The idiots in the so-called Tea Party movement will continue to back him, even though they are openly being manipulated by scare tactics from the right...all for political purposes. Many of his followers hang on his every word, and will do exactly what he tells them. As I have stated many times before, it is amazing how the right is able to get these folks to even go against their own economic and political interests and their interests simply as citizens. The level of manipulation and propaganda is truly unbelievable to me. But what blows my mind even more is the fact that it works... the fact that so many people embrace the rights propaganda without questioning anything about what or who they are supporting.

Beck, a Mormon, said the word “social justice” is code for communism and Nazism.

From Media Matters:
Beck: Social justice is "infecting all" faiths



From the New York Times Blog The Caucus:

Last week, the conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck called on Christians to leave their churches if they heard any preaching about social or economic justice because, he claimed, those were slogans affiliated with Nazism and Communism.

This week, the Rev. Jim Wallis, a liberal evangelical leader in Washington, D.C., called on Christians to leave Glenn Beck.

“What he has said attacks the very heart of our Christian faith, and Christians should no longer watch his show,” Mr. Wallis, who heads the antipoverty group Sojourners, wrote on his “God’s Politics” blog. “His show should now be in the same category as Howard Stern.”

Mr. Beck, in vilifying churches that promote “social justice,” managed to insult just about every mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic, African-American, Hispanic and Asian congregation in the country — not to mention plenty of evangelical ones.

Even Mormon scholars in Mr. Beck’s own church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said in interviews that Mr. Beck seemed ignorant of just how central social justice teaching was to Mormonism.

The controversy began when Mr. Beck said on his radio show: “I beg you, look for the words ’social justice’ or ‘economic justice’ on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words.

“Am I advising people to leave their church? Yes! If I am going to Jeremiah Wright’s church,” he said, referring to the incendiary black pastor who led the church attended by the Obama family members when they lived in Chicago. “If you have a priest that is pushing social justice, go find another parish. Go alert your bishop and tell them, ‘Excuse me, are you down with this whole social justice thing?’ ”

Congressman Alan Grayson Talks About Republican Obstructionism

In a brief NPR segment Congressman Alan Grayson gives his take on the subject of "bipartisanship". He tells it like it is.

GOP Congressman Mike Pence Denies Obstructionism, Plays Innocent With Campbell Brown

He also criticizes Obama's proposal for tax incentives for small businesses; one of the hallmarks of Republican fiscal policy...and similar to plans that they themselves have proposed in the past. But since it is being proposed by Obama, they are now hinting that they will oppose it - thus opposing part of their own fiscal ideology in the process. The irony is unbelievable. The act that Pence puts on is even more stunning.... even host Campbell Brown couldn't believe what she was hearing.

And one of the only reasons they even invited the President was to make political commercials from his appearance. Prepare for a flood of ads/soundbites.... despite the fact that all in all... he took them to school a bit, and put them on the defensive (although just temporarily).

Republican Spokesman & Tea Party Hero Arrested

A Republican Spokesman and Tea Party hero has been arrested in Oklahoma on several felony charges, including child rape, according to the AP. Stolen military weaponry found in home. But we won't see any news conferences or media frenzies about how we "dodged a bullet" on this one...

Funny how big media decides who and what Americans worry about.

Additional report

Brown vs. Coakley: Gullible Voters & Phony Populism

Another Example of America's Political Paralysis & Decline

Maybe this is just a bad dream. Later today, voters in Massachusetts will decide who will fill Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat. Democrats find themselves desperately fighting to hold on to a Senate seat that they have held for 4 decades in a State that leans Democratic. Worst still is the fact that the Republican opponent, Scott Brown, is a Tea partier, and former nude model. Really? This is who they have been frantically attempting to fight off over the past few weeks? SNL could get enough material from this to run an entire series of skits. This would be hilarious if it were not so pathetically sad.

Voters in Massachusetts and beyond now seem ready and eager to turn back the clock and give their support to the same political party that destroyed the U.S. economy just over a year ago, and nearly gave us the collapse of the financial system and the end of America as we know it. Yet folks want more of the GOP. I guess they want to give Republicans a chance to finish the job (and finish us off as a Nation). We aren't even out of the woods from the last crisis they gave us, and Americans already have a taste for more. The Republicans had 10 years (counting the last 2 years of Clinton’s lame duck period in office), and they thoroughly wrecked the Country. They somehow believe that the a Democrat, who happens to be the first Black/biracial President, should be able to magically turn things around in less than a year. President Obama hasn’t even been given a full year yet, and brain dead voters already want to purge him and his Party. Repairing the damage of the last 10 years would take at least 2 full terms. This is yet another indication that we are unfortunately in a backwards, center-right Country…an ignorant backwards center-right Country.

Whenever these situations arise, I lose more faith in the American system and in the American people. I have no faith in the American voter. None! Yes, the Democrats put forth a weak, mediocre candidate (unfortunately you have to have charisma in the political game…it’s more important than substance), and they ran a lousy campaign, as they so often do. But that’s not the only factor here. In this race, the right wing media propaganda machine decimated the Democrats, despite the DNC spending tons of money on ads. Once again, Democrats have been outfoxed. They have done a poor PR job and are paying the consequences. This has become the norm for Democrats.

But this race says more about the fickle electorate, and provides insight into America’s future. For me, it represents further confirmation of Americas continued decline. With a government that can no longer function or function effectively- essentially paralyzed- the U.S. will continue to be stuck in a sort of political malaise for the foreseeable future. That's basically what we have right now... a government that is unable to work effectively. Gridlock is the new normal. That doesn’t bode well for the Country. Republicans - who vote as a block/seldom breaking ranks- understand that with 41 votes in the Senate, they will be able to stop President Obama’s agenda. They will block every piece of major legislation that Obama pushes. So essentially, Obama has reached a sort of weakened lame duck status already, after just one year as President. Meanwhile, as the nation is stuck in its political paralysis, or God forbid as the clock is turned back, the rest of the developed world and even the developing world, will be on the move, leaving the U.S. behind.

Part of what’s behind Americas decline is an unengaged and often uninformed electorate. Voters have become irrational. There have always been these irrational voters, but there seems to be more of them now, and this band of idiots gets to make decisions for the rest of us….impacting real lives. In many cases it no longer matters which candidate has the best ideas, has the best track record, the intelligence, the vision, or has a platform that will benefit the average citizen. None of that matters anymore. Why? Because an uninformed or misguided electorate can’t make heads or tails of what’s really happening. They aren’t motivated by facts, or actual policy positions. Instead they are fueled by blind anger, propaganda, fear and Party identity....more than anything else. In fact, political candidates, especially Republicans, have figured this out over the last few years and rarely run on platforms, facts, or policy positions. This is boring stuff and voters rarely react to it in any positive way. This is largely because they aren’t able or willing to invest the time in learning the issues, and separating the facts from the propaganda. It's too much work.

Republicans are tapping into the general sense of anger...as misguided as it may be...and they are taking advantage of the short memories or just plain ignorance of voters. Instead of running intense, fact-based/issues-based campaigns politicians in big elections have resorted to dumping millions of dollars into private PR firms for ads to manipulate voters, often with misleading propaganda. They also spread fear and misinformation via news networks and talk radio and in print. And they do this because this is what the lazy American voter responds to. And yes, I see this much more often on the Conservative side, although so-called Progressives engage in some of the same nonsense- Move-On.org is notorious for these kinds of tactics.

Culture is also playing a part here… the fact that we have a Black/biracial President is having an impact on voter behavior, even when Obama himself isn’t on the ballot. Yes, race matters. It’s all about stopping his agenda. And as I mentioned earlier, there doesn’t seem to be the same willingness to allow this President to govern for a reasonable period of time, as has been afforded other Presidents (white Presidents) throughout history. If Obama were white, he would be catching some of the same Hell, but the opposition to him wouldn’t be nearly as intense and more Americans would be fighting off any Republican attempts to freeze his agenda and paralyze the Country. I think a White Democrat would catch more of a break from white independent voters at this point. But as I mentioned in mid 2009, voters are blaming Obama for an economy that he didn't ruin. It's someone else's mess.

Essentially, I am calling out the American voter. I hate to say it, but collectively, American voters are boneheads. The nation is now beginning to deal with the consequences of a mediocre, misguided, and in some cases, a failed public education system (where critical thinking isn’t taught aggressively enough…nor is civics/government, history, world politics, etc). And I see no light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck with energy independence, meaningful healthcare reform, a sensible foreign policy, reigning in corporate abuses, fixing the financial system, labor rights, consumer protection, investing in education/children, investing in the American people, a meaningful social safety net that preserves the dignity of every American, fixing the infrastructure of the Country, saving the economy long-term, creating green jobs, advances in science and technology, keeping America at the forefront, protecting the least of these, etc. None of this is going to happen- at least not in any meaningful way in our lifetimes…not if the Country stays on the same course…. Not without a fundamental shift in American thinking.

Even if Martha Coakley squeaks by in a nailbiter, the Republicans could rightfully still claim victory...under the circumstances. The message would be sent loud and clear... not necessarily that Americans are against wholesome Progressive bread and butter values... but that they have fallen for the Rights propaganda...and that Democrats have a lot of work to do when it comes to addressing their profound weaknesses & disadvantages in media and PR. I personally don't think they can fix it by November.... particularly when they are clueless to the fact that this is a big part of the problem.

I still believe... even in a Centrist... or center-right Country, that if the playing field were fair and level, most Americans would embrace core Progressive values. One of Obama's problems is that he has allowed his agenda to be hijacked by all sorts of side issues and Liberal causes, like Gay "marriage", which has scared off some independent voters. I personally support the idea of civil unions...and robust legal protections but the real bottom line is... this issue is not among the top 10 or even 15 issues that are the most pressing for me. I don't have a horse in that race.

President Obama is also attempting to tackle the wrong issues at the wrong time.... instead of pushing initiatives that he can get through, even with a few drops of bipartisan support... creating a list of successes that he could build on. Instead, he is considering pushing major immigration reform as his next big initiative...something that is extremely dead on arrival. Again, an example of bad counsel from his advisers.... to push the wrong initiative at the wrong time. He will expend a lot of political capital on an initiative that, in the end, won't bear much fruit.

My advice to thinking Americans…. Is become as self-reliant as possible. Be ready for the next crisis...the next bubble (and yes, there will be more). You can’t count on a functioning, effective government anymore to look out for you. Haiti could visit the U.S. anytime, anywhere. Yet, there is an anti-collectivism running rampant throughout the Country that says, you're on your own (unless you are on Wall Street or you're rich and white...in that case, you'll be taken care of).

I still don't want to believe that Americans are this gullible and fickle.

"Daddy, Where Do Democrats Come From?"

I'll tell you in a series of four charts. The basis of this post comes from work I've been doing for my Southern Politics course. I've explained to the class how the Republican Party has evolved into a Southern Party over the last twenty years, but I had no visual evidence of this. Well, here's some evidence.

First, we see that over the last twenty years, the Democratic Party actually appears somewhat bipartisan as 48% of its House members were Democratic. That's balance. Especially when we compare the South to New England, where 75% of its members have been Democratic. Conversely, the six Plains states are remarkably Republican, much more so than the South. And, yes, I use the Confederacy to define the South, not the Census Bureau's definition. In my view, if you didn't secede, you're not Southern.



But, this only tells us where Democrats have come from, in the aggregate, over the last 20 years. It's better if we break it down by Congress. In the second graph, we see that New England hasn't always sent 75% of its' delegation to Congress as Democrats. Instead, we see a steady up tick. IN the 101st Congress, New England showed more balance, a 60:40 ration, then a steady upward creep, culminating in 100% of its' delegates being Democratic for the 111th Congress. Conversely, if you look at the dark, red line, the Plains states, you see something different. Perfect balance, then Democrats fall off the cliff in the 104th Congress. This, of course, is when Newt Gingrich-led Republicans regained the majority in the House after forty plus years in the wilderness. The Mountain West and South also severely experimented with Republicanism during this stage, yet the large Black population in the South, kept (and keeps) the South from becoming wholly Republican. The Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and West were never in serious likelihood of becoming Republican. Obviously, if the GOP wants to grow, New England and the Mid-Atlantic are areas of concern; I'd advise the GOP to concentrate on the Midwest and Mountain West.



Still curious, I wanted to know how Southern the Republican caucus had become. But, first, we'll examine the Democratic side. What strikes me when I look at the next chart is the remarkable balance of the Democratic caucus. This might make reaching intraparty deals a difficult proposition, but it's probably better than the Republican alternative, which I'll get to shortly. In the 101st Congress, four different regions (West, South, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic) each provided at least 14% of the Democratic caucus. No one regional delegation clearly dominated. By the 111th Congress, the Democrats (no doubt, thanks Rahm Emanuel's efforts) had achieved even more balance. While the Southern Democratic share shrunk from 30% to 23%m there are still four regions comprising at least 18% of the Democratic caucus and the delegations from New England and and the Mountain West are larger. That's balance.



Now, let's examine the House GOP. First thing I notice is that in the 101st Congress, the Republican Party had commendable balance. Four different regions comprised at least 14% of the Republican House caucus. But, and quite noticeable, is that by the 111th Congress, only three regions comprised that much (South, West and Midwest). The Republican Party reached oblivion in New England (0%) and the Republican delegation from the Mid-Atlantic was cut in half (18% to 9%). What caused this change? The Southernization of the Republican Party. Southerners went from 22% of the GOP caucus to 41% in just twenty years. In so doing, Southerners pushed out New Englanders and those from the Mid-Atlantic.

Book Review of Grand Illusion: The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-Party Tyranny

The bottom line: the Liberal Arts Dude gives a hearty standing ovation to Theresa Amato for writing this book. I give it an enthusiastic five out of five stars! Why the overwhelmingly positive review? Let me explain by illustrating with a story about ordinary people seeking a change to the status quo to something better resembling the promise of democracy.

In more than one occasion in online forums which discuss social and political problems in the U.S., I have observed people say that they are sick of seeing professional politicians pay lip service to reform and solving problems but who, upon closer inspection are ineffective, corrupt, or turn out to be uninterested in reform despite their political rhetoric.

The disgruntled citizen then offers him or herself as a viable alternative to the status quo and announces his or her intentions to “throw the bums out” by running for office. The citizen seeks to prove that an honest and concerned citizen can do much better at cleaning up American politics than the traditional, professional politician.

For every concerned citizen who has ever felt this way and are serious on a run for electoral office I suggest very strongly that they first read Grand Illusion: The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-Party Tyranny. This book should be required reading for those who seek to make a difference in American society and who aims to make that difference by using political office as a vehicle for social and political change.

I would even assert that every concerned citizen should read this book as a guide to where the roots of the problems lie and to distinguish real, effective reform efforts from non-issues that sidetrack reformers and which distract from what truly needs to be done to reform American politics.

The book, in large part, is an exhaustively-researched and documented chronicle of the pitfalls, traps, lopsided and unfair rules and regulations, legal and procedural hurdles in the American system of running for political office for those who operate outside the traditional major parties, the Republicans and Democrats.

Grand Illusion will strip away any illusions the average, civic-minded citizen might have about the notion of fair play, fairness, efficiency and ease of participation for political outsiders in American politics. In fact, the author puts to question the oft-boasted claim of traditional politicians that America is a shining beacon of democracy, that it values democratic practices and does its utmost to encourage democratic participation among as many and as wide a range of individuals among its citizens as possible.

In reality, the author Theresa Amato argues that the rules for political participation are lopsided overwhelmingly in favor of the two major parties. Third parties and independents are at a distinct disadvantage by design of the two major parties who govern and make up the rules for political participation in the U.S.

From rules surrounding ballot access, signature requirements for candidates to get on the ballot, redistricting rules which favor incumbency, control of the governing bodies which make up the rules for elections (the Federal Election Commission and Congress) to who gets to participate in televised debates the major parties have made it so onerous, financially expensive, and a nightmare to navigate the byzantine bureaucracy of the political process. These processes of course, largely exempt candidates from the two major parties.

Thus, just starting out of the gate, third and minor parties and independents—most likely cash and resource-strapped shoestring operations already—are very much at a disadvantage. And this is just to enter the ring.

Amato also describes in great detail—using the Ralph Nader 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns that she headed as case studies—what happens when a third party or independent candidate presents a legitimate challenge to the two major parties. She presents in mind-numbing detail the outrageous and dirty tactics the Nader campaign experienced largely in the hands of the Democratic Party.

The Democratic party sought to prevent the Nader campaign from getting into the ballot in as many states nationwide as possible. To make this happen they initiated a campaign of harassment, intimidation of campaign volunteers, sabotage, outright threats and even bribery. Most outrageous and maddening were Amato’s description of the Democrats’ strategy of tying up the Nader campaign’s resources, time and energies in expensive litigation and lawsuits.

More than just a disgruntled person with an axe to grind, Amato is a practicing lawyer and activist who is deeply knowledgeable about the strategies needed to fix the flaws of the political system. To this end she details nine important court cases that need to be revisited at the Supreme Court level in Chapter 5.

In addition, in the Conclusion, among the many great ideas for reform she proposes are:

• eliminating the Electoral College


• consider adopting alternative methods of voting which remove the spoiler factor in voting for third parties and independents such as Instant Runoff Voting


• add an affirmative right to vote in the Constitution


• Federalize Federal elections


• adding third-party and independent representatives in the Federal Elections Commission and the Election Assistance Commission to make them truly non-partisan


• federal financing for federal elections


• free airtime for all candidates regardless of political party


• rewarding low-donor campaigns or PACs


• adding proportional representation at the federal, state and local levels to make them more participatory


• Adopt a binding NOTA (none of the above) option in elections


• The Commission on Presidential Debates should be reconstituted as a nonpartisan entity


• Move Election Day to the weekend to encourage greater participation


• Remove administration of federal elections from partisan secretaries of state, state election boards or their subsidiaries


• A permanent, national registration of voters

Regardless of how you feel about Ralph Nader, third parties, and whether or not you consider yourself an independent, Grand Illusion is a book that is, first and foremost, about the practice and procedures regarding democratic participation.

Yes, the book is largely, about democratic participation among those who are marginalized in American politics—those most likely to go against the grain and take on public stands on controversial topics which need to be addressed in the public sphere but the two major parties are reluctant to touch.

But if you believe that in a democracy, that every vote should count, that people should be given a wide spectrum of political options that truly reflect their beliefs and values, and that society should encourage, support and reward political participation and civic-mindedness among its citizens, Grand Illusion is a book that you should read.

The book largely outlines how American society and government in modern times largely fails to live up to the promise and ideals of participatory democracy. But if you care about such matters you owe it to yourself to shake up your perspective of the stability, fairness, and essential benevolence of the American political system. Once your equilibrium has been disturbed by this book hopefully it will spur you into seeking out and joining with the reformers who seek to turn to practical reality the ideals of democracy and democratic participation.

Beltway Centrism and the New Administration

Thomas "What's the Matter with Kansas" Frank, from the Wall Street Journal:

Centrism is something of a cult here in Washington, D.C., and a more specious superstition you never saw. Its adherents pretend to worship at the altar of the great American middle, but in fact they stick closely to a very particular view of events regardless of what the public says it wants...

Yet what the Beltway centrist characteristically longs for is not so much to transcend politics but to close off debate on the grounds that he -- and the vast silent middle for which he stands -- knows beyond question what is to be done...

As this should remind us, the real-world function of Beltway centrism has not been to wage high-minded war against "both extremes" but to fight specifically against the economic and foreign policies of liberalism. Centrism's institutional triumphs have been won mainly if not entirely within the Democratic Party. Its greatest exponent, President Bill Clinton, persistently used his own movement as a foil in his great game of triangulation.

And centrism's achievements? Well, there's Nafta, which proved Democrats could stand up to labor. There's the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. There's the Iraq war resolution, approved by numerous Democrats in brave defiance of their party's left. Triumphs all.

That's why it is so obviously preferable to be part of the movement that doesn't compromise easily than to depend on the one that has developed a cult of the almighty center. Even a conservative as ham-handed as former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay seems to understand this.

As he recounted in his 2007 memoirs, Republicans under his leadership learned "to start every policy initiative from as far to the political right as we could." The effect was to "move the center farther to the right," drawing the triangulating Clinton along with it.

President-elect Obama can learn something from Mr. DeLay's confession: Centrism is a chump's game. Democrats have massive majorities these days not because they waffle hither and yon but because their historic principles have been vindicated by events. This is their moment. Let the other side do the triangulating.

Why Do People Vote Republican?

Jonathan Haidt, delves into the question of why people vote Republican in a recent academic paper. He touches on personality and cultural factors, leading people to vote Republican even when it goes against their best interests.

He touches on a little bit of what I mentioned in one of my earlier posts regarding the McCain/Palin rallies.

It's a tough read.... but interesting. Read it here.

*********************

See my thoughts about the McCain/Palin rallies.... to see how my comments tie in.

Excellent Campaign Ad

Hat tip to Open Left for this.

This is an example of the type of attack ad the Obama campaign should be producing. It hits you straight in the gut and should be enough to wake people up from their Palin-induced stupor. This is still and should remain an election about serious issues, folks, not about personalities or if you feel this or that candidate is someone you can identify with or have a beer with.

As Campaign Heats Up, Untruths Can Become Facts Before They're Undone

From the moment Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin declared that she had opposed the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere," critics, the news media and nonpartisan fact checkers have called it a fabrication or, at best, a half-truth. But yesterday in Lebanon, Ohio, and again in Lancaster, Pa., she crossed that bridge again.

"I told Congress: 'Thanks but no thanks for that Bridge to Nowhere up in Alaska,' " Palin told the crowds at the "McCain Street USA" rallies. "If we wanted a bridge, we'll build it ourselves."

Palin's position on the bridge that would have linked Ketchikan to Gravina Island is one example of a candidate staying on message even when that message has been publicly discredited. Palin has continued to say she opposed a project she once campaigned for -- then killed later, only after support for it had collapsed in Congress.

As the presidential campaign moves into a final, heated stretch, untrue accusations and rumors have started to swirl at a pace so quick that they become regarded as fact before they can be disproved. A number of fabrications about Palin's policies and personal life, for instance, have circulated on the Internet since she joined the Republican ticket.

Full article at the Washington Post

Here’s the money quote from the article:

John Feehery, a Republican strategist, said the campaign is entering a stage in which skirmishes over the facts are less important than the dominant themes that are forming voters' opinions of the candidates.

"The more the New York Times and The Washington Post go after Sarah Palin, the better off she is, because there's a bigger truth out there and the bigger truths are she's new, she's popular in Alaska and she is an insurgent," Feehery said. "As long as those are out there, these little facts don't really matter."

Liberal Arts Dude sez:

I’m speechless. The only thing I can really say is this quote from Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebels

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

The St. Louis Reporters Roundtable - Telling It Like It Is!

Hear a great discussion from the St. Louis Journalists Roundtable - a monthly radio program featuring some of the best reporters from the area.

In this show, they take the gloves off and tell it like it is... as they so often do.
They provide much better analysis than what you would hear from Faux News, or CNN. Topics of discussion include the Presidential race, The Republican Party, Sarah Palin, American Xenophobia, how American voters choose personality over issues, and the national media coverage of the past week.

They seem to support my theory regarding American voters...and their mindless support of candidates to the detriment of their own best interests.

Guests:

Alvin Reid
City Editor
The St. Louis American (one of the oldest Black newspapers in the nation).

Repps Hudson
Freelance Journalist; Columnist, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Mike Fitzgerald
Reporter, Belleville News-Democrat

Listen Here

Source Page

Are Americans Too Ignorant, Uninformed and Ideological?

Are Americans too ignorant, uninformed and ideological (xenophobic) to vote for their own best interests? I believe they are.... at least this seems to be the case for a slight majority of the American electorate.

Better funding for education and voter awareness programs could help, but this might take decades to show the kinds of results necessary to have a well informed electorate. And even with better education & awareness, there are other problems that seem to prevent Americans from "getting it right".

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Young Americans Unable to Locate Iraq on a Map

The Republicans Running Against Themselves

It is clear that the Republican Party has settled on a message: "Washington is not working." The phrase is included in virtually every speech and every statement at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.

We agree completely that Washington is in desperate need of renewal and reform. We're not even going to quibble about the fact that Barack Obama said it first. The problem is that American voters have yet to hear - from John McCain or his warm-up acts - any serious ideas on what, exactly, is wrong with Washington, apart from the fact that a Democrat might win the White House, never mind how to truly fix it.

The difficulty for the Republican ticket in talking about change and reform and acting like insurgents is that they have been running Washington - the White House and Congress - for most of the last eight years.

Full article at the International Herald Tribune

A Message From a Community Organizer

I don't think it's a coincidence that those who mock community organizing, also tend to be less tolerant on race, culture, tend to be more xenophobic, etc. It's also no coincidence that McCain voted against a national holiday for a certain community organizer. Now all of a sudden he's the equal rights guy too... (Can't understand how Obama has allowed McCain to steal half his platform).

The truth is... these people hold us in contempt.... The fact that Americans responded so positively to the racist code language and vitriol of the Republican Convention shows how divided America really is underneath the facade.

Hear a Community Organizer talk about sacrifice, sticking together, and discouragement.

Ted Stevens And The Bridge To Federal Prison?

Ted Stevens, the longest serving Republican Senator in history, has been indicted on Federal corruption charges (7 felony counts). Stevens was caught taking gifts from an Alaskan oil services company and then lying to authorities in an effort to cover it up. (It's probably no coincidence that the Republicans have been so adamant about drilling for oil in Alaska). This could not have come at a worse time for Republicans. It will surely remind voters of "The Republican Swamp" of corruption that helped fuel the mid-term election rebuke from American voters back in 2006.

What was once a safe Republican Senate seat in Alaska will now be up for grabs in November, with Democrat and Mayor of Anchorage Mark Begich looking to unseat Stevens. The Democrats will need all of the Senate seats that they can get this November to get over the Liar-berman obstructionist problem, and to gain the 60 votes they need. I don't think they will quite get to 60, but the closer the better. There are a handful of Moderate Republican Senators who may be willing to join Democrats and a Democratic President in order to get things done.

The fact that Stevens is the longest serving Republican Senator carries a certain level of symbolism...the kind of symbolism that Republicans probably don't want.

Hopefully this will cause the media to finally take a look at other Republican members of Congress and to take another look at John McCain in particular to examine his relationship with lobbyists, especially those who have been connected with his campaign.

I am hoping that the Stevens case drags on well into 2009, after Bush leaves office. That way, Bush won't be able to set his buddy free. Hopefully, if Obama can win in November by some strange miracle, Stevens will actually have to face punishment. Unless Obama sets him free. Hopefully Obama is not going to bring that kind of "Change" to the White House. Of course Stevens's lawyers will site his age as a reason to keep him out of prison (which would be club Fed anyway).

Read the Indictment (pdf)

More from NPR

Republican Party Spokesman Bill Cunningham on NPR

NPR interviewed McCain cheerleader Bill Cunningham, after his attempt to slander Obama at a McCain Rally in Ohio.

Cunningham now says that he doesn't support McCain (because of McCain's objection to his remarks).... but he now thinks he will support Hillary Clinton. Isn't that interesting. It looks like Hillary will be supported by two Republican hacks now.... Bill Cunningham and Ann Coulter.

Will Hillary Clinton now be cornered by the media and forced to denounce and reject the support of Bill Cunningham or Ann Coulter?