May 25 2010
Insipid Arrogance Abounds In Today’s Politics
It has become very tough to blog these last few weeks as two forces of arrogance collide in our political national theatre. The one which is most troubling is the group who which has to be deemed as the better of two lousy choices. This group is the far right. You can identify them as the ones who have never learned the lesson about democracy and respect. They claim to be the only ‘true’ conservatives, and endlessly bash those who don’t toe their small minded ways. Anyone who uses the terms ‘RINO’ or ‘faux conservative’ is not only compensating but is also turning off potential political allies. There are no ‘true’ conservatives, any more than there are ‘true’ Americans. We are all flawed and imperfect, and we need the help and support of our fellow citizens to achieve great things. Self aggrandizing is not the sign of strength or wisdom.
Our democracy was built on finding common-ground solutions to enormous challenges. We are libertarians at our core, not lemmings. We respect diversity and abhor the idea of political correctness. The Mark Levins of the world, while they claim loudly they are ‘great Americans’ and the such, don’t even understand what makes America great. It used to be the banding of brothers, the collective will to take on humanity’s challenges large and small. And to do so in a free markets, where ideas and solutions come from any and all corners. It never was about cliques who claim superiority over all others.
Those who demand fealty to their world view are anti-American, whether they demand it from a perch the far left or on the far right. I have no interest in championing the causes of these people. None. But sadly we are faced with an even more insipid arrogance on the other side of the aisle. One of even greater proportion and danger. We as a nation need to oust the Democrats from power before they destroy this country (and this world economy) any more. They, on the other hand, have other plans.
For instance, how about a $165 billion dollar payout to unions:
A Democratic senator is introducing legislation for a bailout of troubled union pension funds. If passed, the bill could put another $165 billion in liabilities on the shoulders of American taxpayers.
Does anyone think those who mismanaged the pension funds into trouble should now be handed another large some of OUR money to manage? How did the tool Rep Grayson put it – isn’t that like letting al Qaeda fly the plane?? We are running annual deficits over a trillion dollars a year, people are barely getting by and the Democrats plan to send the unions a huge slush fund? Funds which will free up cash for unions to use in political races – Doh!
Or how about quadrupling the tax on oil so every single form of transportation costs more, driving up the cost of everything people purchase:
Responding to the massive BP oil spill, Congress is getting ready to quadruple—to 32 cents a barrel—a tax on oil used to help finance cleanups. The increase would raise nearly $11 billion over the next decade.
The tax is levied on oil produced in the U.S. or imported from foreign countries.
I did not make this mistake, why the hell should I pay for it? Or how about a government full of crooks who bailout one company in order to hurt their competition:
How many golden parachutes will this quid pro quo create?
The thieves are running the bank with all our money, investments and futures in it. They are so arrogant they not only demand we accept their vision of a new world order, but they demand (under the punishment of law) we fund it.
Which makes the left the worse of two evils. I am not supporting the holier-than-everyone-else uber conservatives in the country. But we can put up with them as long as a new governing coalition can roll back Obamanomics and Obamacare. As long as its not costing me and family I can put up with arrogance. Its a free country after all.
Update: Examples of our future without repealing the Democrat madness are on display all over. Here is the future of Obamacare:
The future of US medicine under ObamaCare is already on display in Massachusetts. The top four health insurers there just posted first-quarter losses of more than $150 million. Most of them blamed the state’s decision to keep premiums at last year’s levels for individual and small-business policies, when they’d proposed double-digit hikes to match the soaring costs they’ve seen under the state’s universal-coverage law.
The companies have gone to court to challenge the state’s action — it apparently had no basis for its ruling beyond the political needs of Gov. Deval Patrick. If they win, Bay State health premiums will continue their rapid rise; if they lose, they’ll eventually have to stop doing business in Massachusetts — and the state will be that much closer to a “single payer” system of socialized medicine.
And here is the future of Obamanomics:
World stock markets tumbled Tuesday, extending Wall Street’s sell-off as the sliding euro fueled a new wave of pessimism about the global economy’s health.
Renewed worries about Europe’s debt problems rattled already anxious investors, who grew more uncertain about the outlook for the U.S. and global economies.
How’s that “Hope & Change” working for you all?
No big fan of the uber-right but the normal left is destroying our country.
Found this article on protein-wisdom listing all the companies that are leaving Cal for brighter more conservative fields.
http://67.59.172.92/article/Local_News/Local_News/Flood_Of_Calif_Businesses_Abandon_State/67412
AJ, I don’t know exactly what Mark Levin has said that you don’t like but you have to give him credit that he has pegged this administration correctly, imho. Same with Hannity.
Also, we have to acknowledge that there are many politicians out there who run on conservative principles as we are a center/right country but who do not VOTE as such in office. The public has had enough of this.
If Levin or Hannity or Rush or Beck have not spoken the truth I, for one, would like to know. We, as conservatives, like to have the facts, not wishes, on which to base our judgements.
And you know that you and I are the “last standing” Bush supporters on the planet…:)
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“And you know that you and I are the “last standing†Bush supporters on the planet…:)”
Hey, there are a few of us left.
(at least, a few of us who don’t have to start every compliment towards the guy with “I didn’t agree with everything he did” or “I know he made a lot of mistakes, but…”)
ivehadit,
Levin is a classic arrogant ass. He is way too snarky about independents and centrists who aren’t buying is brand of Kool Aid, and that is my point. Even if he happened to get it right on Obama (and many people did), it does not mean is IQ points increased.
The guy is poison for creating political coalitions to strip control from the libs.
I am honestly going to try not to upset you too much with this reply, for I mean this to be a serious post, which hopefully can help all of us move into the future with clear eyes. Can’t do that as long as we deny the lessons of the past.
What you’ve been lamenting is the death of your idea that there could be some kind of “centrist” movement in this country that would become some new governing paradigm. That’s the idea that Obama used to sucker a majority into voting for him, of course, so there’s no denying the idea’s superficial popularity.
But it is a lie, at it’s core – the reason it *always* falls apart is because it is not based on any true ideals or longstanding principles, and instead is just based on sad sounding pleas of “can’t we all just get along???” No, when this nation is plunging into an existential fight for it’s very survival, we can NOT all just get along! Those who are driving it into the ground have got to be fought tooth and nail and must be defeated utterly – or else we shall all be destroyed. We face the very real chance that this nation will not survive through the next 10 years, and anyone who doesn’t realize that these are the stakes needs to sit down and look very seriously at just how
many destructive forces are at play today.
And I think you realize this intellectually, you just haven’t been able to accept it emotionally yet.
Where the centrist idea has completely collapsed is in the set of sad characters who have taken it up as their banner – men like Charlie Crist and Arlen Specter. You’ve got to understand that *these* men – men who you loudly supported – are the men who destroyed your dream of “centrism”, not anyone on the supposed right, and they destroyed it through their own complete lack of any principles and pursuit of their own self interest.
I’m sure you don’t want to try and defend some of the things you’ve said about these two in the past, wheras men who you decry like Limbaugh, Levin, and Beck will be proud to defend *everything* they ever said about these men last year. That ability to see clearly even when it’s not popular is a thing that should earn your admiration, not your scorn.
Everyone makes mistakes, but you can’t move forward unless you admit your own mistakes to yourself. A lot of people you don’t really like were right and you were wrong – face up to the fact honestly.
Dreams die hardest, and the myth of Centrism was a beautiful dream. But nothing more. Letting go of it will make the future a much better place for all of us, and for you especially.
For me, the people on the far right and left highlight points that the center needs to work on. That is their purpose. If we had an honest MSM, the center voices would be heard, but the media only hears the screamers, those on the fringes because that is what sells.
WWS, the center is not dead – that is idiotic. The GOP can be dumped just as quickly. There are tons of poll showing the uber conservatives are as respected as the uber liberals.
My views are not a mistake – doh! LOL!
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I agree with WWS and you should not dismiss his ideas so quickly AJ. I am not fan of purity tests for Republicans but the so called “centrists” are the noting but self promoters. How can anybody with common sense look at a man like Graham, Specter, Christ and even to some degree McCain and not see that their primary motivations are not based on principles but self promotion and preservation. These are the people that are killing the Republican party.
When their feet are held to the fire by the MSM for supporting conservative principles that would actually do something for our nation they change their stripes under the guise of “reaching across the aisle.” On nonessential issues that usually go under the radar of the MSM they vote conservative but the big issues like immigration, health care, cap and trade, off shore drilling and ANWAR they side with liberals. This gives men like Bob Bennet the cover of an 84% conservative rating when primaries come, but when it really matters they are not with us. The power of the Tea Party is that is sees through such guises as it did in Utah, Fla and NY-23 where the favored centrists were replaces by more dependable conservative candidates.
Centrism may have worked when their were such men willing to compromise in both parties, as during the Reagen presidency, but with the radicalization of the Left and the democratic party it has become a useless designation.
AJ
Let us move out of the relm of theory. Who currently would you point out as “ideal centrists” in office, from either party, and what particular ideas or policies you find attractive.
What are the particular beliefs of the “ultra right” that you have problems with.
I read your posts consistantly, and agree with your take on current issues a vast majority of the time. However, when you write about your agnst for ultra right I find myself wondering just what it is you find problematic.
Just wondering? Thanks
Oneal,
You are all bass ackwards on this. I respect people’s opinions and the right to debate AND come to consensus. That is what I am promoting, not necessarily a centrist, leftist or rightist view. I am promoting American democracy and the strength of our diversity and backgrounds.
What I cannot stand are arrogant know-it-alls who denigrate people for simply not bowing down to their self proclaimed superiority. And this is not theory my friend, these people are real. I don’t have to find the perfect centrist to deride abject failures who exist on the fringe.
And I am NOT putting someone down because we differ of opinion. I am simply pointing out how un-American people are who are incapable of showing respect for diverse (and sometimes totally wrong) views. Guess what, most people are sick of this tit-tat-crap as well. We expect people to listen to We The People, not preach or insult.
Nice try .. OK, it wasn’t even that good of a try.
AJ
Wow, all I was seeking was just some real world examples of what you find attractive about the “center” and unattractive about the “far right”.
It’s not a set up. I was just trying to move towards less theory and something solid. Just seeking to understand your point of view.
I have been reading here for at least a year and your consitantly touting centrism, thats why the question on centrists.
Now your backing away, and promoting civility in politics etc. well thats ok too. Well right now I think you need to take a dose of you own medicine.
If you rip posters for asking simple questions your kind of practicing exactly what you claim to be preaching against.
Now I will leave, I need to go sew my head back on.
“all I was seeking was just some real world examples of what you find attractive about the ‘center’ and unattractive about the ‘far right’.”
Just go over to National Review and search the word “Bush” in their archives.
I’d agree that there’s not all that much attractive about a lot of self-styled “centrists” today (although there are men and women of goodwill who often find themselves in the “center” due to a few divergent opinions who are very laudable), but the hissy-fit the Right threw over Bush and his myriad “apostacies” was extremely unattractive. Maybe I’m just not able to look past old debates, but the behavior of a lot of people on the right towards a good man, an ally, and frankly, one of their own, will always leave me viewing what they say and do with a jaundiced eye.
Colin,
You’ve got to be kidding! The criticisms of Bush on NR are hissy-fits. Sure, they disagreed with Bush and pointed out his mistakes but saying they were hissy-fits? You’re joking right? Or did I misunderstand your post?
It is pretty strange when we have to make a choice between Rand Paul and Barack Obama.
BTW, Rand Paul is practically a lefty on national security issues.
I am still a Bush supporter. Count me in.
As far as center goes, we have to remember that people who call themselves conservatives might be 40% or so, but people who call themselves very conservative are about 9%…and that is the problem. People self identify themselves in these surveys etc. I consider America to be a center right country, I consider myself center right. That does not mean I lack principles, it means I am not a neo Bircher for heavens sakes.
A lot of people who would call themselves conservatives would no doubt be told by true conservatives that they were in fact RINOs or some such silliness. A lot of this needs to stop. All of this stuff of deciding who is and is not good enough to be in the club needs to stop if we are going to bring some sanity back to our political system.
Colin,
Thank you. Also think war hero McCain. I don’t support his views 50% of the time, but that does not make him a traitor, any more than Oliver North could be called a traitor (a person I refused to vote for when he ran for the Senate).
Alert:
Really? I don’t think they were hissy fits, they were hateful attacks. Beck said Bush should be impeached. Malkin’s hatred of the man was downright bizarre. After those billboards of Bush start showing up with the words do you miss me, she did a piece on how not only did not miss him she listed all the things she despised about him.
A lot of people on the right helped the left to undermine Bush and that in turn helped the Democrats. They were more concerned with trashing the GOP than they were with defeating Democrats.
In fact one reason Rand Paul walked right into that big blunder with Maddow on msnbc is that he had been so used to getting an atta boy from those folks for trashing Republicans that he was not really used to being in the hot seat himself. Rookie mistake.
I’ve got to be kidding?
It seems when Rich Lowry or Mark Krikorian aren’t going after Obama, they’re going after some egregious sin of the Bush administration, or blaming some Obama malfesiance on some deep, dark betrayal of conservative values committed under Bush. John Derbyshire can’t post on politics without savaging Bush.
The majority of the authors and posters over there are unfailingly negative towards the former President, and can only grudgingly admit ANYTHING positive came out of his administration. It’s not just pointing out his mistakes.
A little tast from Rich Lowry:
“How does President Bush’s second inaugural address, meant to be the defining speech of his presidency, look in retrospect? Exactly the way it seemed at the time — a grossly simplistic vision of the universal victory of liberty that created an impossible standard for Bush to meet in his second term.”
And that’s the first paragraph of a piece that’s meant to be praising Bush’s actions on Iraq!