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Why are they all water-carriers for GOP corporate fat cats? These people don't understand that the GOP has been the party of the rich for at least 100 years? Don't the evangelicals remember that Jesus is quoted as saying "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven"?
Today's GOP neo-cons are willing to bankrupt the USA to increase a false sense of security for Israel and to establish military bases to guard new oil exploration operations in mostly unexplored Iraq? Wean this country off of imported oil, from Nigeria and from the Middle East. Do working people understand that REAL WAGES haven't increased in the USA for about 25 YEARS? Think about offshoring of your jobs and increasing illegal immigration, then remember which party has held the White House longer in the last 25 years.
Last edited by ParkTwain; 08-23-2007 at 12:30 AM..
Why are they all water-carriers for GOP corporate fat cats? These people don't understand that the GOP has been the party of the rich for at least 100 years? Don't the evangelicals remember that Jesus is quoted as saying "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven"? These GOP neo-cons are willing to bankrupt the USA to increase a false sense of security for Israel and to establish military bases to guard new oil exploration operations in mostly unexplored Iraq? Wean this country off of imported oil, from Nigeria and from the Middle East.
The success of the GOP to establish itself as the party of morality goes back to at least Richard Nixon, and his claim to represent the "silent (moral) majority." With the support of leading televangelists, he was able to build much support for the GOP, and that carries on today. In addition, Lyndon Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 alienated much of the "working class" in the entire country. The subsequent push for integration, significantly through the expansion of welfare, subsidized housing and school busing, created a view that the democrats were for the "welfare state", and that hard working folks weren't adequately rewarded for their diligence with the handing out of benefits to those who hadn't "earned" them. It has absolutely nothing at all to do with the neocons, it happened well before them. Looking at the issues, their sentiments in support of the republican party seems to have a legitimate foundation.
The subsequent push for integration, significantly through the expansion of welfare, subsidized housing and school busing, created a view that the democrats were for the "welfare state", and that hard working folks weren't adequately rewarded for their diligence with the handing out of benefits to those who hadn't "earned" them. It has absolutely nothing at all to do with the neocons, it happened well before them. Looking at the issues, their sentiments in support of the republican party seems to have a legitimate foundation.
First, I am talking about today's GOP neo-cons. Neo-cons were not a factor in the GOP 25 years ago.
Second, so Southern whites (which is the group you're talking about) thought that it was actually OK, even less than 50 years after there were still widespread race-based lynching going on across America, to feel sorry for themselves compared to their history of terrorizing free blacks after the end of the American Civil War. See also the Tulsa race riot (whites on blacks) of 1921, where a white mob armed by the local police completely burned down the black section of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The fact that the GOP fed this self-righteousness of Southern whites is not to the party's favor; rather "Nixon's Southern Strategy" was an example of a pattern of inculcating divisive social ideas among the public that continues to this day.
My main point is the historical support started way before the neocons. And the impact of the civil rights act, and the subsequent administrative decisions (such as model cities and bussing) served to alienate a large number of urban middle class, or working class, from the north and midwest. Take a look at the evolution of Cleveland, Detroit or Philadelphia after 1964, and see how the demographics changed. Many of these folks moved to the close in suburbs, and out of the city, and they have a very heavy orientation towards voting republican. When you get out of those cities, the voting pattern changes substantially, and many of those folks are the working class remnants from the northern and midwest cities.
In addition, many women are not as confident that the Democrats would be as quick to protect this nation if under a terror threat. The "soccer moms" who voted democratic in the 1990's somewhat swung towards the republicans after 9/11. Considering the base the republicans already had, this vote really assisted with putting them over the top.
In addition, many women are not as confident that the Democrats would be as quick to protect this nation if under a terror threat. The "soccer moms" who voted democratic in the 1990's somewhat swung towards the republicans after 9/11. Considering the base the republicans already had, this vote really assisted with putting them over the top.
Well, this is partly also a function of the GOP manufacturing the idea of a "terror threat" compared to the fact that a dozen guys armed with box cutters were able on the same day to overpower pilots of four commercial airliners whose cabin doors were not physically secure, which in turn was the result of American airline companies lobbying the FAA to avoid having such a requirement add to their costs. If those doors had been secure, there would have been no 9/11 tragedy. Now we get to watch the GOP lead the nation into spending untold billions of dollars to secure in our domestic public lives what is not possibly securable in a free society. Have a great day!
DHS | Homeland Security Advisory System (http://www.dhs.gov/xinfoshare/programs/Copy_of_press_release_0046.shtm - broken link)
// Color-coded Threat Level System is used to communicate with public safety officials and the public at-large through a threat-based, color-coded system so that protective measures can be implemented to reduce the likelihood or impact of an attack. Raising the threat condition has economic, physical, and psychological effects on the nation; so, the Homeland Security Advisory System can place specific geographic regions or industry sectors on a higher alert status than other regions or industries, based on specific threat information.
//
OK, but in some ways you are providing insights in your response as to why folks may not be voting in their "financial" self interest. These other issues are out there for consideration too, and didn't just start in the 2000 election.
In addition, didn't Clinton champion trade agreements? If so, how does the export of jobs become a democratic party issue?
In addition, didn't Clinton champion trade agreements? If so, how does the export of jobs become a democratic party issue?
Can you clarify your second question.
The offshoring of jobs is a decision by owners of businesses to move capital in the form of plant and equipment (the means of production) out of the USA. There should be additional (perhaps new forms of) tax/other incentives for business to invest in improving the competitiveness of domestic production. Some industries are more sensitive to labor costs than others -- those industries would benefit from greater investment in labor-saving technologies, for instance. Look at how poorly the American automobile manufacturing industry has reacted to competition from Japanese and South Korean manufacturers. Detroit has not invested well in (1) understanding product preferences among American auto consumers, and (2) labor-saving technologies.
America's national policy (or lack of policy) on health care benefits for workers also adds to the costs to business of employing domestic labor. Any legal or other impediment to making American labor competitive on the world market is counterproductive to America's economic health. Lessening this particular "burden" on American business would be a step in the right direction, but no progress has been made on this front in my lifetime. Both national political parties should be addressing this issue (that is, America's broken health care system as an economic competitiveness issue), but I hear NOTHING about it at the national level.
Last edited by ParkTwain; 08-23-2007 at 12:47 AM..
If those doors had been secure, there would have been no 9/11 tragedy.
You are right. There would not have been a bunch of hijacked planes crashed into buildings. Instead, we would have seen something like a dozen vans full of explosives strategically planted to create a huge terror effect. The fact is they were after us long before 2001. The '93 WTC bombing, the embassy bombings of '98, the USS Cole bombing, no doubt they weren't just gonna decide they had attacked us enough and now its time to stop. They wanted more. Commercial airliners just happened to be the easiest way to make a massive terror impact on the US. Otherwise, they would have had to settled for a few van bombs '93 WTC attack style. Would have been VERY bad, but not as bad as the towers and pentagon being attacked.
As for the terror color code system, I think it is a joke, and I really don't know of any one who actually pays attention to it. We all know that if they "raise the threat level" color, they are going to announce why. So why bother constantly putting up a static "alert". It breeds complacency more than anything.
The Republicans sell false hope with evangelical fervor. The Democrats sell harsh reality. Both parties are owned by the hyper wealthy and will never challange the financial elite.
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