Using People

Ryan's phony photo op

by muon

Back when Jon Fox was running for reelection as a GOP congressman, I participated in a charity walk in his district. He showed up, registered to walk, and donned one of the free T-shirts. As the local paper snapped photos, Fox started walking with us. A half-block later, he got into a car and sped away. The rest of us finished the walk and collected our pledges. Oh, Fox may have given a donation, I don't know. But he didn't do the 10K with the rest of us. For him, the event was no more than a photo op.

A few days ago, Paul Ryan and his campaign pushed past volunteers to get into a soup kitchen in Ohio. He wasn't there to help out. In fact, the kitchen was already done for the day, people fed, food put away, everything washed up. But Ryan was after a photo op (one has to wonder why, since his whole budget and philosophy is based on NOT giving handouts to the less fortunate). Still, Ryan donned an apron and washed perfectly clean pots while his campaign took photos. When the administrators of the kitchen heard of the incident, they were outraged. No one from the Romney/Ryan camp had asked permission to allow campaign photos to be taken there. So the news today isn't about what a great fella Ryan is for helping out at the soup kitchen, it's about the arrogance of his campaign in using decent people for his own gain.

Mitt Romney was asked recently to stop telling a story at his rallies about meeting a Navy SEAL who later died in Libya. The family didn't want their son's name politicized (the reason I'm not naming him in this article), especially since, apparently, the SEAL hadn't liked Romney after meeting him.

I'm not saying only Republicans do this sort of thing, though it seems more blatant on their part, at least where I live. I'm much more aware these days of all the personal stories in political ads--how congressman X single-handedly helped this person or that family. The thing is, I know a talent agent, so I've learned that many of the ads are scripted and actors are hired. Or if they're real people telling true stories, there's usually something more to it. While Obamacare was being fought over in Congress, an ad ran featuring a local doctor voicing her professional opposition. I looked her up. She was a real doctor. But she was also a tea party activist with an interest in running for office herself someday. She was using the issue to further her own political career.  I've googled other people who've appeared on ads (if their names are given) and I've found the same sort of cronyism. I'm not saying there are no ads featuring sincere people who have no alternative motives, but I'm now so cynical of all of the ads, it doesn't matter.

Anyway, I'm not interested in stories about how a politician has helped one person or family. I want to hear how the candidates intend to help everyone, every citizen in the country. Not just the rich ones or poor ones or white ones or minorities. Everyone. So, all you seeking office, quit with the phony photo ops and heart-rending stories that are likely more fiction than fact. Start talking issues.

This Isn't Dancing With The Stars

by muon

The early reactions from the VP debate are in and here are my observations.

Everyone's talking about looks, smiles, rolling of eyes, who interrupted who, and who lied. (For the record, both lied to some extent, but Biden's were more in the exaggeration or twisting of words category, while Ryan more often ventured into "pants on fire" territory.)

Every Romney/Ryan supporter said Biden interrupted too much. They didn't say this last week when their candidate interrupted far more. Romney basically tried to hijack the whole proceeding last week. He was obnoxious to the moderator. But everyone said he was aggressive and confident. Mr. Biden was passionate last night. Not aggressive, not obnoxious. The times he did interrupt, it was to ask Ms. Raddatz if he'd be able to respond to Ryan's misstatements. Biden was not rude. On the other end of the scale, Romney supporters were praising Ryan for being "cool." Frankly, Ryan was a lot like Obama last week. Too cool. When he gave details at all (which wasn't often), it was from his position as "The Math Guy"--ie, he made viewers' eyes glaze over.

Last night was a good debate on issues. The differences in the candidates' positions were made fairly clear. Martha Raddatz did an excellent job asking follow-up questions and keeping each man on task and schedule. I would have liked to hear a few other issues, about the Lilly Ledbetter Act, for instance, and about immigration, the environment, education, union-busting and voter suppression.

But really, I'm not sure it would have made a difference because no one's talking about issues this morning.  America seems to be treating these debates as they would Dancing With The Stars. Already having decided their favorites, people are watching the debates hoping to see the other guy fall on his ass. When it comes time to vote someone off the island, it will be because they didn't like the way the other guy smirked or laughed.

Issues will likely have little to do with this election. Apparently, even when two candidates spend 90 minutes talking about them, all people notice are outward appearances. No one listens.

THOU SHALT NOT LIE – Unless You’re Mitt Romney and Company

by Ruth A. Sheets

People on the Christian Right want everyone to live their idea of the Christian life.  They cry out that God is not enough in our country and our actions.  They want the Ten Commandments (the Protestant traditional list) on every courthouse in America.  One might think these are people holier than most.

It seems to me that one would be wrong.  What the Christian Right wants is to be comfortable and to feel righteous, or rather self-righteous.  They pick and choose from the Bible what they will espouse.  They select the Commandments they like and discard the rest.  They claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, yet find most of His teachings unacceptable and put into His mouth things He did not preach.

Some examples might help to put this into perspective.  Jesus said nothing about homosexuality even though it was a common practice in the Greek and Roman world, yet the Christian Right is so sure that it is against God’s law, they would condemn people for it.

The 5^th Commandment is “Thou shalt not kill."  It works for them when related to abortion and human fetuses, but not when it comes to war, famine, capital punishment, over accessibility to guns.

“Thou shalt not commit adultery” is not a problem because one can simply ask forgiveness and go on with life.

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor,” though, does not even seem to cross their radar.  Their candidate, Mitt Romney, bears false witness on a daily basis, as does his team and PACs, yet the Right does not call him on it.  Why is that?  Lying doesn’t count if it will get you what you want and if it will make America a “more godly place?”

As for Obama’s agreement with the states to make more flexibility in their welfare to work programs--Romney calls this “welfare with no work requirement.”  He knows this is a lie, but who cares?

Mitt said “Nobody ever asked me for my birth certificate 'cause they know where I’m from.”  When called on it, he said he was just using humor.  He knew this was a lie, but oh well.

Romney and Ryan continue to claim that Obamacare will take 716 billion dollars from Medicare recipients.  They know that is not true, but scaring older Americans is worth the lie.

Any true Christians would have trouble with the repeated lying of the Romney campaign, but what can the Right do?  He's all they have. The racism that sits at the core of Christian Right beliefs, and their illusion of having achieved everything in their lives on their own, make it impossible for them to rethink their position.  They have to pretend Romney is everything they want, so to avoid the dissonance, they just don’t hear what they don’t want to hear.  Hypocrisy is better than a Black president for one more term.

The Christian Right can’t help themselves, so the rest of us had better get to the polls  to protect all of us from their fear and deliberate hypocrisy.

The Clone Team

by Ruth A. Sheets

Well, Mitt has done it.  He chose a running mate who is just like him.  Paul Ryan is “attractive.” (They're saying  he looks like Romney’s own son.  How much more alike can you get?) 

The two of them will try to out compete each other to see who is more conservative and who can slam the middle class most thoroughly.  And, their speech writers will help them to couch this middle class assault in terms that will make many of the less thoughtful and careful voters believe it is a good thing.

I have heard that both men are pretty smart.  It seems that their intelligence is directed toward making them money and fame with as little pain as possible. 

Both men believe they are crusaders for the American way, yet both are so unaware of what ordinary Americans need and want, that their idea of the American way is only addressing the desires of the wealthiest few, those whom they wish to court.

Both Romney and Ryan are PWGs-- Priviledged White Guys--who, of course, completely understand what will work best for women, minorities, disabled persons, the poor, and everyone else in the United States (not).  They become very angry when voters suggest that they are not in touch with anyone outside their sphere.

Paul Ryan had a lawyer father which put him in the upper middle class while Romney started out in the upper class and stayed there.  Both were born on third base and truly believe in their hearts that they actually hit triples.  What is more, they believe they “earned” everything they got.  Anyone who did not attain their heights has simply failed to work hard enough.  Their arrogance and self-righteousness ring out in every speech.

Paul Ryan is only 42 years old, with little experience beyond the budget.  He is seen as some kind of shining star in the Republican Party.  When one looks at the rest of the field, it is not hard to see that Romney’s selection was limited.  Picking a polarizer may arouse the very conservative, the one-issue crew who are so sure of their own righteousness that they will drag themselves to the polls for their new guy, the one who will take care of those freeloading poor folks who are draining the resources of everyone else.  .

In a nation where the first amendment to the Constitution clearly calls for freedom of religion, Ryan has the gall to claim that any law we have is from God.  It makes me wonder what his god is like.  His budget is not an appropriate response to the Christian gospel which calls for us to care for the poor, the widows and orphans, those in prison, the hungry--you get the picture.  Where are those people’s needs in his tax and spending cuts?  Oh, wait, private organizations and companies are supposed to do that caring thing.

Commentators have been remarking that Romney and Ryan are very close to and comfortable with each other.  Of course they are comfortable.  They are just alike.  There is no new learning that has to take place.  There is no real culture divide.  Romney is Mormon and Ryan, conservative Roman Catholic, but their positions on social and “religious” issues are nearly identical.  They both wield fear with great skill despite their claimed deep faith.

So, Mitt chose his clone for the ticket.  The clone has a bit more personality, but is that enough?  I suspect that for a lot of PWGs and their supporters it will be plenty.

The New Republican Landscape

If you have to read one article today, read this one in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/opinion/18mon1.html?_r=3&ref=opinion

Then decide if this is the kind of America you want your kids living in.  Or maybe barely surviving in.

muon