Dec 29 2008
“Real Conservatives” Are A Lost Cause, How The Dems Can Succeed
Updated
I tell you what, the conservative movement is now totally destroyed. Some idiot running for RNC chairman took a sweet child’s song and twisted it into an ugly, racist, turd of supposed humor:
The sending of a Christmas greeting by Chip Saltsman to the members of the Republican National Committee that includes a recording of the so-called parody, “Barack the Magic Negro” is not only offensive, it is shocking and saddening in the extreme. It flies in the face of America’s deeply held hope for a new era in which common ground and mutual respect characterize the exchanges between our national leaders.
I and my co-writer of “Puff,” Lenny Lipton, have been eagerly awaiting an end to the mean-spiritedness, outright disrespect and bigotry that was commonplace prior to this last presidential election. What might have been wearily accepted as “the way it was” in the campaign, is now unacceptable. Obama is not a candidate. He is the President-Elect, and this song insults the office of the Presidency, the people who voted for him, as well as those who did not — and taking a children’s song and twisting it in such vulgar, mean-spirited way, is a slur to our entire country and our common agreement to move beyond racism.
Ideological idiots. Obama is very popular and now respected, and this stunted adult goes off in a fit of 3rd grade thinking and tarnishes the brand of conservatism that Reagan and the Bush’s had turned into a respectable political movement. With this muck sticking to the word ‘conservative’ I will not be associated with the movement anymore. I have limits to what I will tolerate and this is well beyond it. This guy needs to be marched off the public square.
It would seem the GOP and its extremist wing have a generation of growing up to do before they are ready for prime time and leadership again. I see no path to salvation with the current crop of haters. From the obsession with Obama’s middle name to this scum-duggery, the right has completely self-destructed. Unless the GOP treats haters like this (and Savage, and Levin and others) like their close cousin David Duke and disavows them their tolerance for what is wrong is just intolerable for most Americans.Â
Now, with the GOP and the extreme conservatives basically a lost cause, here is how the Democrats can gain lasting control of the political stage in America. Basically shed the liberal and leftist demons and come clean, and you will have the center of America for decades to come. Here’s my list of actions the Dems could take to push the right out of play for a long, long time:
- Accept Iraq as a hard fought victory. Give up on blaming Bush for having tough challenges and a determined enemy. al Qaeda declared Iraq the prime battlefield of the war with the West and lost. Noe only militarily but it lost the hearts and minds of the Muslim Street. In 2001 al Qaeda was the future of Islam on the Muslim Street. Today it is the Enemy of Islam. Build on this.
- Accept Al Gore is a scientific idiot. The world economy is in a shambles. Much of this was predicted as the Baby Boomers go from producers to consumers as they transition into retirement. The world cannot afford to invest trillions into crack pot mumbo-jumbo about Global Warming. We will have decades of economic challenges as the US market contracts with the retirement wave of Boomers. Give up on Global Warming and move to real issues, like saving the Rain Forests and Whales, etc.
- Forget about soaking the rich. We all want to be rich. Reduce the burden of government because we are going to be taking on a huge burden of aging Boomers. Make room by cutting government.
- Don’t allow factories of young humans to be harvested for spare parts. Realize that the Adult Stem Cell options are outperforming Embryonic Stem Cell path (which has produced zilch so far – unless you count tumors and cancers). Show respect for life while preserving the right of parents and mothers to decide their own medical issues.
Really, four simple adjustments away from the liberal fringe and the center-left could hold for years and years. Especially given how bankrupt the right has become. One thing the left cannot afford to do is become impotent. That is what destroyed the conservative coalition. Years of getting nothing done (but plenty of screaming and blaming and demeaning comments) was the death knell of the conservative movement.
America surely doesn’t need more than that. For the sake of the people and this country I hope the Dems, with their newly acquired control, make things better. But to do so they need to moderate their own extremists. The current economic stress will not support radical liberal policies. Best to dump those ideas right now.
Addendum: I have to expand on this because of the lame excuses I have been reading in the comment section about this crap. Some are trying to claim this bile is OK because some racist liberal started the theme in the LA Times. Sorry, that is a load of crap. From what I am learning once the theme was established Limbaugh and one of his small-minded racists friends decided to expand on the theme and make the full up parody, with the excuse that the LA Times piece gave them license to be as idiotic as the LA Times.
Here’s the difference between Repulse-icans like Limbaugh and his KKK ‘song writer’ and me. If I had read the LA Times piece I would have been just as disgusted and repulsed as I am now. I would not see one racist schmuck’s efforts as a green light to let out my own extended version of racist muck. If Johnny jumps off the bridge could all like minded jerks please follow!
These excuses, that the bad behavior is OK because someone on the left behaved badly, are pathetic. All these faux patriot, who love and respect America more than any others, can’t seem to muster any of their love and respect for the President-elect. You don’t have to support him or even like him. You do have to respect the office and this country.
This is so over the line I am ready to shutter this website. It is just beyond the pale. The mentality surrounding this is that of an electronic mob, where all boundaries of civility, maturity, responsibility and respect have gone out the window and have been replaced by hate. How far a jump is it from the electronic mob to a real mob, and all its threats to life and liberty? How far is the jump from any form of mob-think to lynch mob-think? If all the rules of decency and respect are gone, how long until the rules of law are thrown out as well?
The more people try to excuse this crap the more they repulse me. There is no excuse. There is no way to tolerate this. All I see is a bunch of insecure whities trying to keep ‘the man’ down by playing on Obama’s race. President-elect Obama has enough challenges to face and personal limitations as it is. Race is not one of them – not in my book.Â
I am sick of how this sewer rot spoils the image of Americans, Caucasians, etc. I thought we had moved beyond this. Clearly, some insecure schmuck’s have not.
Saltsman was EXTREMELY stupid. Was the parody racist? No, but it was easily painted as such, and the kinds of idiocy.
I’ve not listened to talk radio for a long time. I do not think I will any time soon.
It does seem that both parties are headed for the extremes. The country’s becoming polarized. We get to pick our poison – the hard left or the hard right and it is going to get worse before it gets better.
I don’t have any problems with the parody (I’m familiar with the history of it, also). However, it was stupid for any respectable politician to use it in any way. It is one idiot’s action…..but, of course, it would reflect badly upon the whole party. I think he just lost the job.
Statement from Mike Huckabee
http://www.huckpac.com/?FuseAction=Blogs.View&Blog_id=2028
excerpt:
Chip should have been more careful in his selection of Christmas gifts, but no one who knows him would ever suggest that he in any way would purposely disparage other people. Chip knows how sensitive such issues are. It shouldn’t be the main factor in the RNC race.
The LA Times article that brought about the parody:
Obama the ‘Magic Negro’
The Illinois senator lends himself to white America’s idealized, less-than-real black man.
By David Ehrenstein
March 19, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-ehrenstein19mar19,0,5335087.story
[…] “conservative” is taking on narcissistic properties of a borderline sociopath. Like AJ Strata so aptly said, if we cannot remove these sociopath conservatives from the GOP, and completely distance the GOP […]
excerpt:
Limbaugh criticized the op-ed as racist, claiming, “The left’s saying all these things. Now he’s the ‘Magic Negro,’ which is a convenient trick for the L.A. Times to blame a bunch of white people for being racist
excerpt:
“The term ‘Magic Negro’ has been thrown into the political presidential race in the mix for 2008. And the term ‘Magic Negro,’ as applied to Barack Obama has been done by an L.A. Times columnist, David Ehrenstein.” Limbaugh later asserted: “I’m going to keep referring to him as that because I want to make a bet that by the end of this week I will own that term,” adding, “If I refer to Obama the rest of the day as the ‘Magic Negro,’ there will be a number of people in the drive-by media and on left-wing blogs who will credit me for coming up with it and ignore the L.A. Times did it, simply because they can’t be critical of the L.A. Times, but they can, obviously, be critical of talk radio.”
http://mediamatters.org/items/200703200012
Jim Geraghty explains it best:
You Can Explain a Joke, but You Can’t Save It
http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NmMwYzNlNWVkNTdlNWVlNTY3YzI1Y2I0NzIxYjA3YTk=
That’s pretty much how I see it.
The reason conservatives get painted with this crap is that they defend it. They immediately blame a liberal. They make excuses for the guy…that sort of thing.
This is how they lost the hispanic vote. They allowed a few loud mouths to define the conservative position on immigration and then rather than distance themselves from the extreme rhetoric they defended it. The result? The number of hispanics voting GOP went from 44% to about 20% in a couple of years. Way to go. Needless to say way too many of them responded to the loss of votes by blaming Jorge Busho and shamnesty or some such nonsense.
That is why I am disgusted with a lot of these guys. They do something stupid and then they join liberals in bashing Bush. It is the one thing the liberals and conservatives can agree on.
Frogg:
My folks grew up during the Great Depression. My mom was born in 31 and my Dad in 26. They were from Oklahoma. The only time I ever saw my Dad come close to fighting another man was when the guy called him a Okie. To people of my parent’s generation it was a slur, an insult. I can remember my Dad telling the guy…I can call me that, you can’t.
I think that is how this sort of thing works as well. Republicans can not keep walking into unforced errors like this and then just blaming everyone else. Under the circumstances, it was a dumb thing to do.
Terrye:
I’m not “morally outraged” at all. To the contrary, I find it hilarious that some of you are actually trying to defend this. The fact that someone could be so utterly tone-deaf as to think that yelling “but it was in the LA Times!” would mitigate this whole action is, to me, utterly amusing. It’s as if you actually think that:
A) The public perception that the GOP is racist is solely a liberal media conspiracy, and has no relation to any actions from the GOP in the last 28 years.
B) The GOP actually has a chance of winning a national election while actively driving away the black/hispanic/minority vote.
Geraghty’s post in NRO that Frogg posted above was spot on. A few of you really should take the time to read it.
Stop taking yourselves so seriously, because I won’t. The use of humor to expose “racist” stereotypes is healthy and if not for the show”All in the Family” we would still be afraid to speak what’s on our minds whether it is right or wrong. Imagine all the whining ninnies bouncing off one another if Archie was allowed to express his views in this day and age.
Oh and when did Obama become so “respected”? Did he all of sudden get a job, buy a resume or do anything other than be bought and sold on the auction block of Chicago/Illinois politics?
“Ideological idiots”
I couldn’t have said it better myself — and note that that applies to a great deal more than just this example of idiocy.
Ah, at last. Finally I have been saved. For months I have been a lost soul…wavering over the precipice, unable to determine right from wrong, good from bad, left from right. But now, with just one short article of faith, you have convinced me that the Hegel/McCain system of political pandering, bowing, scraping and meek acceptance of our inevitable subjugation by the forces of leftist munificance is really the only way to go. The practiced art of hiding under one’s desk, betrayal of fellow party members and automatic, heartfelt apology in the face of mainstream media criticism…only these will return the republican party to national prominence and acceptability. Remember the battle cry of the republican future: PLACATE, SUBMIT, ACCOMODATE and when in doubt, GIVE IN!
AJ,
I don’t believe I’m the one ‘bent out of shape’ here, but believe what you will. My sense of humor is still in tact and I recognize constructive humor when I see it, as well as flat out lies and name-calling. Best of luck in the New Year.
“The reason conservatives get painted with this crap is that they defend it. They immediately blame a liberal. They make excuses for the guy…that sort of thing.”
Thank you Terrye. That has been the problem for a while.
It is one thing to point out to the American people the truth about a situation. For example: McCain and Palin should have said the TRUTH that Obama had Rev Wright as a religious leader for many years and did not have a problem with his anti-American sermons. If he did have a problem he and his family would have found a different church. But to try to repeat crap that was in bad taste to begin with and then try to explain it away because the liberals do it. Come on. Are we all in kindergarten.
“Mary Jo why did you write a bad word on the wall?” “Because Jack did.” That is the type of excuses you get from elementary age children. Can we at least get to a high school level where the excuses get a little bit more creative?
Yes, Republicans need to stand up to the liberals and their media backers. But they DO NOT need to join in with them. Let Rush and the comedians come out with parodies such as this, but the people who want to lead and to be public figures (which is what the RNC Chair is) need to fight the battles in a more educated and civil manner. Eventually the American people will get sick of the mudslinging. And if the Republicans are showing them that there is a group who is above the mudslinging then they will come join us. But when there are two little groups of cry babies throwing mud at each other, I would probably pick the one who has been the underdog as well.
Not to mention all those conservatives who helped the liberals blame Bush look like traitors. And who has ever trusted a traitor?
DJStrata:
The problem is, McCain did not even want to try to touch Wright – in what must have been an effort to “rise above” mudslinging – and he lost the election, with Obama carrying states Democrats hadn’t carried in over 40 years. I could even argue that Bush turning the other cheek back in 2003 over some of the stuff that went on also has come back to haunt the GOP.
Right or wrong, that perceived political malpractice on their part (and that is an appropriate term) has lead to a fair number of conservatives feeling they can make the case that the GOP didn’t fight HARD ENOUGH.
Now, this does not excuse the extremely poor judgment of Saltsman, nor should conservatives defend someone with that lack of judgment.
But there is a very strong desire to fight hard. The good news is that Obama will probably remain largely a captive of his party’s base, which is just as bad – if not worse – than the conservatives.
Aj… Please control your language… Do I have to block this site on my Grandkid’s computer?
Harold,
Believe me I am 100% behind the fact that the Republicans need to fight harder. But they need to fight in a strong but efficient manner. Not a childish mudslinging manner.
McCain did ignore things rather than confront issues. But that is not what I am talking about. McCain should have fought back but in an adult way. You can “fight” without mudslinging. You need wit, knowledge, perseverance, maturity, and class.
If all Republicans want to fight HARDER by stooping to the liberals’ childish behavior then I’m with my dad, count me out.
Republicans need to call out bad behavior WHEREVER it is.
American parents of all races, creeds and religions would stand up and cheer!
DJ,
“You can “fight†without mudslinging. ”
I’m not so sure, sometimes the good guys run out of legitimate ammo when fighting in the mud (that’s the only place the opposition hangs out) and all you have is mud to sling.
The only thing McCain did right in the whole campaign was Palin, other than that, he didn’t even appear to ‘want’ to win.