Translating Conservative Nostalgia: what does it REALLY mean?

demosthenes2007

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Thursday February 04, 2010 · 8:44 AM PST

2010/02/04 · 08:44

Some many decades ago I had a high school teacher who was a surprising adept and knowledgeable person. I say surprisingly, because, of all the many years I spent in education, High School was the single biggest waste of my time of any life experience I have had. I have been to management seminars taught by consultants that were more valuable to me than high school. But every now and then, even in the intellectual desert of high school, you find a good one.

This social studies teacher condensed 40 years of partisan conflict down to a simple equation:

"The American Right wants things to stay the same or change slowly. The American Left wants things to change quickly. This alone is the difference between Republicans and Democrats. Look under the hood on any major issue of our time and you will find this difference lurking under there."

demosthenes2007

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Tuesday April 28, 2009 · 10:02 AM PDT

2009/04/28 · 10:02

The Torture Debate and the Innocence Project
There is a worthwhile and productive debate going on in our society about two major issues: the utility, morality and techniques of torture as applied to enemies of our nation in the context of modern terrorism AND the now frequent evidence that many many people in our nation are convicted of crimes that they did not commit.
The why and how of that situation (the far too frequent discovery of exculpatory evidence 20 years after some poor schlep is sent to jail) is the source of much debate on all sides and of great sociological interest.
It is my position that discussing this rationally and intelligently is in our nations best interest. But, I also feel that we cannot have that debate if we ignore the crucial link between the high incidences of wrongful and occasionally deliberate convictions of innocent men and women and the question of the utility of torture.

demosthenes2007

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Thursday April 16, 2009 · 10:51 AM PDT

2009/04/16 · 10:51

Ummm. Spy on Members of Congress. Spy on members of his own administration?
Todays NYT reports that we finally have some clear sense of the line that Alberto Gonzales wanted to cross but could not convince John Ashcroft to do.

"While the N.S.A.’s operations in recent months have come under examination, new details are also emerging about earlier domestic-surveillance activities, including the agency’s attempt to wiretap a member of Congress, without court approval, on an overseas trip, current and former intelligence officials said." (NY Times).

demosthenes2007

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Wednesday September 10, 2008 · 5:46 AM PDT

2008/09/10 · 05:46

On The Fast Track to Negativland
Or what we learned about the media in 1988, and promptly forgot

The history of the traditional media in the United States is rife with bad examples. We have made an art form out of ignoring, mocking or devaluing traditional concepts like fairness, accuracy and honesty in reporting while at the same time, pretending to hold those values very highly.

Many people get outraged, upset and angry when time and time again, the traditional media fails to deliver important information, or more commonly, delivers inaccurate information without any substantiation whatsoever.

It befuddles me how this can come as a shock to anyone.

demosthenes2007

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Friday May 30, 2008 · 11:22 AM PDT

2008/05/30 · 11:22

Opportunity Knocking:
The 2008 Presidential Election and the Progressive Movement

For the first time in my lifetime, the Democratic party has an opportunity of huge proportions lying ahead of it. In large part this opportunity is due to the Republican Party and their leader-of-the-moment, President George W. Bush. Without President Bush’s ham-handed approach to politics and leadership, we would not be standing at this crossroads looking at the day when we could nominate a true progressive Democrat for the presidency, and see beyond, the day when that progressive Democrat would win.

demosthenes2007

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Wednesday April 02, 2008 · 10:23 AM PDT

2008/04/02 · 10:23

A Modest Proposal for Michigan and Florida:
A means to the end of resolving the current primary dilemma.

Here is the problem – if we continue to punish Florida and Michigan, we as a party, and Howard Dean as our party’s Committee leader will be WILLING pawns in the biggest Republican dirty trick since Watergate. We risk all of the gains we have made in the last few years by turning both states more Democratic and by electing more Democrats to more offices in those states.

And we risk losing a presidential election we should win, we can win, and we ought to win if we are not hamstrung by our own foolishness.

demosthenes2007

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Tuesday February 05, 2008 · 8:21 AM PST

2008/02/05 · 08:21

Here we have reached the big day and we have essentially a showdown of two titans, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Others have come and gone, but these two remain. Supporters of both candidates seem me unusually vitriolic about the other candidate. They are nothing, apparently, if not loyal and vocal.

Here's my take:

They are both excellent leaders, and we'd be lucky to have either represent our nation to the world.

I like this outcome to a degree. I wish it wasn't so vitriolic, but at minimum I think it's a huge plus that people are so engaged. I am truly happy with either one -- I like many things about Mrs. Clinton -- I think she is articulate, intelligent, realistic and hopeful. I like many things about Mr. Obama -- I find him fun to listen to, wise, and thoughtful -- I am truly thrilled with how he is trying to cross boundaries of race and class. He is truly trying to bridge a divide.

But I shall vote for neither of them. I will cast my vote for Joe Biden.

Poll

40 votes Show Results

WSJBD -- What should Joe Biden do?

40 votes Vote Now!

WSJBD -- What should Joe Biden do?

serve out another term as the Senior Senator from the First State.

8 votes

Vice-President

6 votes

Attorney General of the United States

2 votes

Secretary of State

12 votes

Ambassador to the United Nations

7 votes

U.S. Supreme Court Justice

4 votes

a quiet retirement

1 vote

Fighting the Right, Fighting the Right Way

demosthenes2007

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Thursday November 01, 2007 · 1:43 PM PDT

2007/11/01 · 13:43

Waking up the Democratic Party to the brutal reality of the Republican Party

If one thing has become abundantly clear in the last 6 years is that the Republican’s are playing for keeps.

One of the things I think is most agonizing for progressives, Democrats and left-leaning people of all flavors is the fact that while the Democratic party has the people on their side on nearly every major political issue of our time, they continually squander this advantage with strategic incompetence in the political arena.

Poll

33 votes Show Results

What is an acceptable number of Republican Senators for the U.S. Senate?

33 votes Vote Now!

What is an acceptable number of Republican Senators for the U.S. Senate?

33 - 33 More than enough to annoy us

5 votes

20 - 20 a marginal minority

2 votes

15 - 15 is about right for the right

2 votes

10 - I could live with them if there were only 10

3 votes

5 - we could live with Collins, Snowe, Lugar, Walnuts McCain and Leiberman

1 vote

1 - Joe Lieberman only

0 votes

0, the only good Republican is one who has been defeated and removed from office

18 votes

For the trolls, I think the 48 we have now is just fine.

2 votes

The GOP is not a Conservative Party

demosthenes2007

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Tuesday October 23, 2007 · 7:36 AM PDT

2007/10/23 · 07:36

The GOP continues to perpetuate a moral, intellectual & political fraud on our nation.

They do so bearing a banner of conservatism which is patently false.
The Reality is that they care only about power, not about governing.

What is lost because of their power grab is our capacity for rational discourse and ultimately, responsible self-government.

It's a pretty high price to pay.

RSS

Translating Conservative Nostalgia: what does it REALLY mean?

Things we Learned from the Inquisition

WWJAD? What Wouldn't John Ashcroft Do?

On The Fast Track to Negativland

Opportunity Knocking:

A Modest Proposal for Michigan and Florida:

The Primary Dilemma of the Thinking Democrat

Fighting the Right, Fighting the Right Way

The GOP is not a Conservative Party