republicans are in a bind. their strategy gurus have invented this cultural war for the last 20 years to cheaply get votes because their policy ideas blow. (who wants to campaign on huge tax breaks for the wealthiest 1% of americans? thats a sure loser unless you throw in abortion, school prayer, and evolution crap and artificially make those the issues)
a consequence of this strategy is that the republican base became the religious right and extremely wealthy individuals. now the extremely wealthy people are so small as to have minimal impact in the party, so the creationists/armageddon-is-around-the-corner, end-of-times-ers hold all the power in the party. its funny to see seemingly right wing ‘intellectual’ publications bemoan religion when it relates to republicans but gladly lead the charge with religion aganist democrats.
the chickens have come home to roost in the republican party. the burning question is --- how long will the non-religious right continue to take getting chicken #### on them cycle after cycle? i think you see a lot of them going to bob barr this fall.
republicans are in a bind. their strategy gurus have invented this cultural war for the last 20 years to cheaply get votes because their policy ideas blow. (who wants to campaign on huge tax breaks for the wealthiest 1% of americans? thats a sure loser unless you throw in abortion, school prayer, and evolution crap and artificially make those the issues)
a consequence of this strategy is that the republican base became the religious right and extremely wealthy individuals. now the extremely wealthy people are so small as to have minimal impact in the party, so the creationists/armageddon-is-around-the-corner, end-of-times-ers hold all the power in the party. its funny to see seemingly right wing ‘intellectual’ publications bemoan religion when it relates to republicans but gladly lead the charge with religion aganist democrats.
the chickens have come home to roost in the republican party. the burning question is --- how long will the non-religious right continue to take getting chicken #### on them cycle after cycle? i think you see a lot of them going to bob barr this fall.
We’ve already seen the frustrations between the moderate wing (re: Northeastern, Pacific West) of the Republican Party and the base wing (re: South, Midwest) in the last few years. It’s only going to get worse for them.
republicans are in a bind. their strategy gurus have invented this cultural war for the last 20 years to cheaply get votes because their policy ideas blow. (who wants to campaign on huge tax breaks for the wealthiest 1% of americans? thats a sure loser unless you throw in abortion, school prayer, and evolution crap and artificially make those the issues)
a consequence of this strategy is that the republican base became the religious right and extremely wealthy individuals. now the extremely wealthy people are so small as to have minimal impact in the party, so the creationists/armageddon-is-around-the-corner, end-of-times-ers hold all the power in the party. its funny to see seemingly right wing ‘intellectual’ publications bemoan religion when it relates to republicans but gladly lead the charge with religion aganist democrats.
the chickens have come home to roost in the republican party. the burning question is --- how long will the non-religious right continue to take getting chicken #### on them cycle after cycle? i think you see a lot of them going to bob barr this fall.
We’ve already seen the frustrations between the moderate wing (re: Northeastern, Pacific West) of the Republican Party and the base wing (re: South, Midwest) in the last few years. It’s only going to get worse for them.
I heard the same talk in 1993. Then the Republicans swept America from Fall 1993 to Fall 1995. Politics is cyclical.
...oh, and for those who are preparing to swoon at Arugulaobama’s inaguration in 7 months, let me pester you with those pesky facts: Michael Dukakis had a 15 point lead in the polls at this point in 1988. And he was about as elitist as Dear Candidate was
...oh, and for those who are preparing to swoon at Arugulaobama’s inaguration in 7 months
Popular Iowa crop arugula, above, on “elite” Rachel Ray recipe
The idea of arugula as an “elite” food is a concoction of Republican operatives seeking to tar Obama, and it has been accepted by the press and plastered across the media landscape. And “elitist” foods seem to appear on Democratic plates only. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews and David Shuster critiqued Obama’s “regular guy” appeal because he ordered a “weird” beverage at a diner—orange juice. John Kerry ordered green tea in Iowa, and CNN’s Candy Crowley saw that as proof that he was out of touch with “most of America.” (At the time, green tea was readily available at the Kmart in Dubuque, Iowa.) When Michael Dukakis suggested that Iowa farmers grow Belgian endive, The New York Times reported that “the Republicans realized that they now had a ready-made issue in farm states to show that Mr. Dukakis was one of those Cambridge elitists who not only ate that stuff but knew little about the needs of farmers in the Midwest.”
But why don’t Republicans have their food preferences scrutinized for signs of “elitism”? If arugula, orange juice, green tea, and Belgian endive are “elitist,” then surely something as exotic as passion fruit mousse would qualify as well. Until recently, one would have found a recipe for passion fruit mousse on the McCain campaign website—a “family recipe” that The New York Sun reprinted as one of Cindy McCain’s very own. When a Sun reporter tried to make McCain’s recipe, she couldn’t find a key ingredient and had to buy it online, imported from France. The McCains, however, managed to dodge the elitist label. It may have had something to do with the fact that this “family recipe” was actually lifted word-for-word from the Food Network website. No elitism there—just plagiarism.
Now, I don’t know if passion fruit mousse is any more exotic to the average American than arugula, or if the average American would even consider them to be exotic or “elitist.” But neither does Newsweek. All Newsweek seems to know is that Obama said “arugula” at one point and that John McCain’s campaign staff makes fun of him for it. From that, Obama the “elitist” emerges with his “Bubba Gap.” Meanwhile, we’re all left to ponder how a vegetable touted in a press release for Applebee’s has become haute cuisine for America’s “elite.”
republicans are in a bind. their strategy gurus have invented this cultural war for the last 20 years to cheaply get votes because their policy ideas blow. (who wants to campaign on huge tax breaks for the wealthiest 1% of americans? thats a sure loser unless you throw in abortion, school prayer, and evolution crap and artificially make those the issues)
a consequence of this strategy is that the republican base became the religious right and extremely wealthy individuals. now the extremely wealthy people are so small as to have minimal impact in the party, so the creationists/armageddon-is-around-the-corner, end-of-times-ers hold all the power in the party. its funny to see seemingly right wing ‘intellectual’ publications bemoan religion when it relates to republicans but gladly lead the charge with religion aganist democrats.
the chickens have come home to roost in the republican party. the burning question is --- how long will the non-religious right continue to take getting chicken #### on them cycle after cycle? i think you see a lot of them going to bob barr this fall.
We’ve already seen the frustrations between the moderate wing (re: Northeastern, Pacific West) of the Republican Party and the base wing (re: South, Midwest) in the last few years. It’s only going to get worse for them.
I heard the same talk in 1993. Then the Republicans swept America from Fall 1993 to Fall 1995. Politics is cyclical.
...oh, and for those who are preparing to swoon at Arugulaobama’s inaguration in 7 months, let me pester you with those pesky facts: Michael Dukakis had a 15 point lead in the polls at this point in 1988. And he was about as elitist as Dear Candidate was
Tax - I knew you were a Republican and respect the fact that you would not be voting for most Democrats on purely political grounds, but I never pegged you for the type that would believe crap like ‘Obama is an elitist.’ Do you believe he is a Muslim too?
Why not smear the prez as WArugula?? The answer is, because it would be a worthless, know-nothing cheap smear.
It’s certain that the grandson of Sen. Prescott Bush, son of President George H.W. Bush, graduate of elite Northeastern prep schools, Skull and Bones member, Yale graduate (admitted as a legacy), failed oilman (with dad’s and dad’s friends’ money), baseball team owner (with dad’s money and dad’s friends’ money) is an elitist. He just fooled the average voter with his Texas twang, his syntax that makes no sense, and his cowboy boots. Joke’s on us...and the world.
republicans are in a bind. their strategy gurus have invented this cultural war for the last 20 years to cheaply get votes because their policy ideas blow. (who wants to campaign on huge tax breaks for the wealthiest 1% of americans? thats a sure loser unless you throw in abortion, school prayer, and evolution crap and artificially make those the issues)
a consequence of this strategy is that the republican base became the religious right and extremely wealthy individuals. now the extremely wealthy people are so small as to have minimal impact in the party, so the creationists/armageddon-is-around-the-corner, end-of-times-ers hold all the power in the party. its funny to see seemingly right wing ‘intellectual’ publications bemoan religion when it relates to republicans but gladly lead the charge with religion aganist democrats.
the chickens have come home to roost in the republican party. the burning question is --- how long will the non-religious right continue to take getting chicken #### on them cycle after cycle? i think you see a lot of them going to bob barr this fall.
We’ve already seen the frustrations between the moderate wing (re: Northeastern, Pacific West) of the Republican Party and the base wing (re: South, Midwest) in the last few years. It’s only going to get worse for them.
I heard the same talk in 1993. Then the Republicans swept America from Fall 1993 to Fall 1995. Politics is cyclical.
...oh, and for those who are preparing to swoon at Arugulaobama’s inaguration in 7 months, let me pester you with those pesky facts: Michael Dukakis had a 15 point lead in the polls at this point in 1988. And he was about as elitist as Dear Candidate was
Tax - I knew you were a Republican and respect the fact that you would not be voting for most Democrats on purely political grounds, but I never pegged you for the type that would believe crap like ‘Obama is an elitist.’ Do you believe he is a Muslim too?
I don’t get into the Muslim stuff, to be honest with you. But he does have a sneering disregard for ordinary people (the arugula and bitter remarks are the tip of the iceberg, IMO) and tenses up when anyone challenges his beliefs. Notice all the times he gets offended when McCain challenges his worldview.
Why not smear the prez as WArugula?? The answer is, because it would be a worthless, know-nothing cheap smear.
Tsk tsk tsk. Question Dear Candidate and you’re a meanie. But all the tirades against Bush (some including wishing harm to him or calling him insults) are, of course, OK.
republicans are in a bind. their strategy gurus have invented this cultural war for the last 20 years to cheaply get votes because their policy ideas blow. (who wants to campaign on huge tax breaks for the wealthiest 1% of americans? thats a sure loser unless you throw in abortion, school prayer, and evolution crap and artificially make those the issues)
a consequence of this strategy is that the republican base became the religious right and extremely wealthy individuals. now the extremely wealthy people are so small as to have minimal impact in the party, so the creationists/armageddon-is-around-the-corner, end-of-times-ers hold all the power in the party. its funny to see seemingly right wing ‘intellectual’ publications bemoan religion when it relates to republicans but gladly lead the charge with religion aganist democrats.
the chickens have come home to roost in the republican party. the burning question is --- how long will the non-religious right continue to take getting chicken #### on them cycle after cycle? i think you see a lot of them going to bob barr this fall.
We’ve already seen the frustrations between the moderate wing (re: Northeastern, Pacific West) of the Republican Party and the base wing (re: South, Midwest) in the last few years. It’s only going to get worse for them.
I heard the same talk in 1993. Then the Republicans swept America from Fall 1993 to Fall 1995. Politics is cyclical.
...oh, and for those who are preparing to swoon at Arugulaobama’s inaguration in 7 months, let me pester you with those pesky facts: Michael Dukakis had a 15 point lead in the polls at this point in 1988. And he was about as elitist as Dear Candidate was
Tax - I knew you were a Republican and respect the fact that you would not be voting for most Democrats on purely political grounds, but I never pegged you for the type that would believe crap like ‘Obama is an elitist.’ Do you believe he is a Muslim too?
I don’t get into the Muslim stuff, to be honest with you. But he does have a sneering disregard for ordinary people (the arugula and bitter remarks are the tip of the iceberg, IMO) and tenses up when anyone challenges his beliefs. Notice all the times he gets offended when McCain challenges his worldview.
I’m glad to hear that you “don’t get into the Muslim stuff,” but I had hoped someone on the right like you with seeming level-headedness would unequivocally state you think it is hogwash instead of giving a Clintonesque equivocation on the matter.
I know you and others believe that Democrats in general have a “sneering disregard for ordinary people,” and some on the right love to use the term “limosine liberal” to bring such a point home. But to base this opinion on lettuce choice and the acknowledgement that in tough economic times religion tends to occupy a more central role in our lives, strikes me as glib at best. You mentioned this was just “the tip of the iceberg” IYO. What do you think constitutes the rest of the iceberg?
While we’re on the topic of “sneering disregard for ordinary people,” how is it that this administration’s economic policies that weakened the dollar to epic lows, its foreign policy that is built on the backs of a small sliver of sacrificing citizens from disproportionately “ordinary” backgrounds, not to mention massive budget defecits, its refusal to countenance alternative energy sources that would reduce our dependence on foreign, Muslim oil, how is it that you do not see any of this as “sneering disregard for ordinary people”? Or do you?
Like Obama or not, I’m having trouble labeling him elite based on the lettuce he eats when we’ve had Republican leadership the past 7 years with snottier backgrounds run a domestic and foreign policy that will disproportionately burden two generations of “ordinary” Americans. To me, the epitome of elite would be where you advocate this armed moral crusade for esoteric things like “freedom and democracty,” but your kids and other family members are well out of any harms’ way by attending elite colleges and then working at investment banks and going on “gap-years” to other continents to get material for your children’s book. How many “ordinary people’s” kids do that?
...he does have a sneering disregard for ordinary people (the arugula and bitter remarks are the tip of the iceberg, IMO) and tenses up when anyone challenges his beliefs. Notice all the times he gets offended when McCain challenges his worldview.
That sneering disregard is a rather common attribute among the authoritarian Left. “Marxist,” “Elitist” ... the two kinda go hand in hand, don’t they?
Like Obama or not, I’m having trouble labeling him elite based on the lettuce he eats when we’ve had Republican leadership the past 7 years with snottier backgrounds run a domestic and foreign policy that will disproportionately burden two generations of “ordinary” Americans. To me, the epitome of elite would be where you advocate this armed moral crusade for esoteric things like “freedom and democracty,” but your kids and other family members are well out of any harms’ way by attending elite colleges and then working at investment banks and going on “gap-years” to other continents to get material for your children’s book. How many “ordinary people’s” kids do that?
I think most are labeling Obama elite based on the things he says. (Need some quotes?)
BTW Leon, in case you haven’t been notified, we have an all volunteer military now. Where I live there are many affluent young men serving this country’s military.
