Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Unreasonable people vote

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  • Jacqui Dunn,

    Rage - yes. We've all witnessed rage right here in our fair land just lately, haven't we? It's certainly powerful.

    Deepest, darkest Avondale… • Since Jul 2010 • 585 posts Report Reply

  • Petra,

    Indeed, Jacqui. NZ (oh, shit, that includes me) is not above it.

    An old acquaintance of mine, who is now a friend on Facebook, is still raging against us liberal/left hypocrites and our "CLOYING, MAWKISH DRIVEL!!!"

    !!1111!!!!!one!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!sothere!!!!!!111!!!!!!!!

    *sigh*

    Rotorua • Since Mar 2007 • 317 posts Report Reply

  • Andre Alessi,

    Don't think it would Obama's stock any harm if he had to stand up and say "this is fucking insane, and I'm going to keep vetoing idiotic legislation like this until the GOP stop doing crack in the cloak rooms."

    He would get hit with the big old "Obama's not being bi-partisan!" schtick until he caved. I mean, you would never know from the reporting, but this Republican minority has used the most filibusters of any term ever. Yet "Republican obstructionism" is considered business as usual, while Democrats who try to stand up against it and get stuff done are "radical liberals".

    And don't get me started on the "angry black man" subtext.

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Beard,

    like the John Birch Society, the Tea Party movement receives significant financial backing from the wealthy Koch family

    Twatkochs.

    America has high unemployment and low growth, independents want a change. They don't much care if its left or right wing.

    And they're apparently still wedded to a belief in an American omnipotence that means a President can fix in a few months what a decade of financial lunacy has created. Ironically, I can almost understand the Tea Partiers' rage, since they're (a) bonkers and (b) never going to support Obama, but anyone who voted for Obama and then turns on him for not delivering miracles is really of sub-prime intelligence.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report Reply

  • Andre Alessi,

    Here's how Obama handles this sort of thing though. He's very good at not seeming confrontational:

    President Obama deflected heckling by AIDS protesters during a Saturday rally, suggesting they take up their cause with “the other side” that’s opposed to funding.

    A group of people interrupted Obama’s speech before 9,000 in Connecticut chanting “Fund Global AIDS.”

    The president was quick to respond to the chorus of protesters saying, “You’ve been appearing at every rally we’ve been doing. And we’re funding global AIDS. And the other side is not. So I don’t know why you think this is a useful strategy to take.”

    Obama was in Bridgeport as part of a four-state swing during the final days before the midterm elections, stumping for Rep. Jim Himes, who is in a tight re-election race, and the state attorney general, Richard Blumenthal, who is seeking the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Chris Dodd, who is retiring.

    “I think it would make a lot more sense for you guys to go to the folks who aren’t interested in funding global AIDS and chant at that rally,” Obama said. “Because we’re trying to focus on figuring out how to finance the things that you want financed, all right?”

    That led to chants of “Obama, Obama” as the crowd stirred and the president tried to calm emotions as the protesters were escorted out of the rally.

    (via)

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    And don't get me started on the "angry black man" subtext.

    OK, I don't think hiring Samuel L. Jackson as White House Director of Tea-Bagger Outreach is a good call, but how many times do the Republicans get to tell you to fuck off and die (and court a crowd for whom "secret Muslim Marxist baby-killer" isn't subtext but a blaring neon text) before you get a wee bit pissed? That's not being grown-up, it's being the bottom in a nasty BDSM scene that is neither safe, sane nor consensual.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    Craig, he just *can't* get angry (or more to the point, be seen to be angry), ever.

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    Tub thumping...

    I feel let down by Ms Tucker. I have defended her stomping drumming style to many a paradiddling drum snob and this is how she repays me?!

    I assume you is sprinkling salt over that statement... ;- )
    Lou and John were never the friendliest of people either, the VU may have been counter-culture it doesn't mean they embraced humanitarian or leftist ideals...
    I've never known there to be a correlation between minimal drumming styles (or any of one's favourite musical stylings) and political thought processes...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    OK, this might sound insanely counter-intuitive but would it be such a bad thing if the GOP had (slim) majorities in House and Senate. You know, a position where the GOP's mindless obstruction (and policy black hole) would actually matter.

    There's apparently a glass-half-full group in the Democrats who is thinking that way, yes. And they don't seem very good at having power, so what the heck?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    There's apparently a glass-half-full group in the Democrats who is thinking that way, yes. And they don't seem very good at having power, so what the heck?

    The "heck" is that the Republicans would have to be propose something and be responsible for it -- which would have sheer novelty value, if nothing else. And the US federal government was designed to be a bicameral legislature separate from the executive branch for a reason.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart,

    'I am your senator and, to you who lobbied hardest and most expensively, I will remove the tax on fairy dust.'

    The political ads running in my district basically go "The government has given you lots of money because I made them do it. Vote for me." So......yeah.

    And the sad thing is: I am quite fond of the positions held by the incumbent congressman in my district. But that's simply not what he's campaigning on. (The congressman in the next district over has consistently won 98-99% of the vote in the last few elections. Imagine that in a New Zealand electorate.)

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Talking Points Memo has polling graphs of 38 key races.

    Some well-known Democrats are going to be looking for work on Wednesday.

    And Rand Paul's opponent going negative on him has backfired. I know they've had complete loons in the Senate before, but Paul is really quite special.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    If I was an American Democrat I would be pretty annoyed that Hillary Clinton is at the bottom of the world shaking hands with a right wing Prime Minister, rather than using all her celebrity power to get the Democrat vote out at this crucial time.

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Andre Alessi,

    Reposting this from elsewhere (just because it's relevant, I guess):

    So I have this friend in the US I’ve been chatting to on and off for the last six months maybe? She seemed pretty cool, but kind of uptight (every day she’d be stressed about some minor thing one of her roommates had done.)

    I knew that she was a PoliSci major, and was working for a “local political campaign” in Kentucky as some sort of aide, but she never mentioned the name of the campaign or the politician (probably assuming that, as a New Zealander, I wasn’t really up with the play with US politics.) I didn’t ask her too much about it, because I don’t like talking politics with people online except in the most general terms.

    Anyway, a couple of days ago we were chatting, and she mentioned she was getting no sleep because of the run up to the congressional elections-she had that many rallies and events and media gigs and whatnot that she was fully booked until like a week after the election. Thinking that I was being awesomely witty and topical, I said, “Oh, geeze, I hope your guy doesn’t have you pencilled in to stomp on any protestors’ heads or anything, you’d have no time to yourself at all!”

    So, yeah, turns out “her guy” is Rand Paul. And that the media is so biased (except Fox News) and that foreigners like myself have no right to make judgements on local political events and that that lady’s head totally got itself in the way of a completely innocent stomping motion, etc, etc

    Needless to say, I am no longer her favourite person. Eh, what can you do.

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report Reply

  • Angus Robertson,

    @ Hilary,

    Hillary Clinton also motivates alot of Republicans and independents to vote agianst whatever she is for. Is NZ far enough away?

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report Reply

  • Ross Mason,

    Anyone who's name includes "Hussein", is black (and not even REAL American dinkum "black") is on a hiding to nothing. No amount of Democrat voting is going to overcome rabid right wing religious rantings of woe if you try and vote the party of this 'enemy' back into power.

    As an exercise in futility this past weekend, I irrregularly checked out FOX NOOs. Woe woe woe. Nothing but Democratic Woe. And they have been at it for weeks. And it is all skin deep, shallow and lacking in any form of analysis.

    What scares the living shit out of me is that people listen to it.

    Maybe John Stewart is right about the place needing a sanity injection. The country is not run by "we the people" it is run by Washington marketing witches and technocrats who are paid to wheel and deal in fear.

    Upper Hutt • Since Jun 2007 • 1590 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    So, yeah, turns out “her guy” is Rand Paul. And that the media is so biased (except Fox News) and that foreigners like myself have no right to make judgements on local political events and that that lady’s head totally got itself in the way of a completely innocent stomping motion, etc, etc

    So a PolSci major is working for a candidate who thinks the 1964 Civil Rights Act was a mistake, who belongs to a weird conservative doctors' group that questions the link between HIV and AIDS, and who has been regularly discussing the threat of the New World Order on Alex Jones' radio show.

    America is fucked.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    America is fucked.

    Nice sane T shirt methinks. :)

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic,

    The Tea Party-backed Republican candidate for Senate in Kentucky, Rand Paul, believes in the "Nafta Superhighway", a mythical 10-lane road supposedly being secretly built to help erase national borders and create a single North American state under a collective currency called the Amero. Did I mention he's fucking crazy? Crazier than his dad? And that he's going to enter the US Senate this week?

    Sounds just like the 1st World equivalent of the Tin-Pot Dictator's Palace (TM). An expensive monument to ego, built while the proles starve.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • chris,

    America is fucked.

    Nice sane T shirt methinks. :)

    put me down for 6

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    America is fucked.

    I'll bring you back a 'Rand Paul for President' button in January, if you like. ;)

    (Throughout the Bush II years I thought about wearing a 'Nixon: Now, More Than Ever' vintage button but never got around to buying one.)

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Andre Alessi,

    So a PolSci major is working for a candidate who thinks the 1964 Civil Rights Act was a mistake, who belongs to a weird conservative doctors' group that questions the link between HIV and AIDS, and who has been regularly discussing the threat of the New World Order on Alex Jones' radio show.

    America is fucked.

    The worst thing is: these are not bad people. They're not stupid. They're not spending hours each day burning crosses on their neighbours' lawns. They're not uneducated or ignorant of history. They're lovely people and you could spend hours at their dinner table having the time of your life as long as politics and/or religion wasn't mentioned.

    And yet they support the most extreme policies with this terrifyingly clear-eyed fanaticism. That's where the real disconnect occurs, I think-not between "sane Americans" and "insane Americans" but between almost all Americans and their political beliefs.

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    (Throughout the Bush II years I thought about wearing a 'Nixon: Now, More Than Ever' vintage button but never got around to buying one.)

    I gave the Bush T shirt 'A village in Texas is missing it's idiot" to my Dad. It's the sort of thing he collects.

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    And yet they support the most extreme policies with this terrifyingly clear-eyed fanaticism. That's where the real disconnect occurs, I think-not between "sane Americans" and "insane Americans" but between almost all Americans and their political beliefs.

    Well I think that it actually is your friends . Mine are not like that at all, around the dinner table or smoking a joint with them. They have no problem discussing politics without a brawl breaking out and as the Sanity rally showed ,there are lots of Americans like that.

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Patrick Xavier,

    It's the sort of thing he collects.

    What, ungrammatical T-shirts?

    Since Nov 2006 • 49 posts Report Reply

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