Monday, June 21, 2010
Politics Duh! MSM Discovers Right-Wing Loons in the Legislature
Posted by Jeff Woods on Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 6:20 AM
For one thing, it won't be an election year, so there should be less pressure to pander to powerful lobbies such as the National Rifle Association or well-organized activists demanding symbolic attacks on illegal immigrants, people who don't speak English or the big, bad federal government.For another, frustration has been building among Republicans for their many years as the minority party, but much of that frustration has been released with the party's ascendance to majority status in both chambers for the first time since 1869.
This assumes we're talking about reasonable adults, not the lunatics in the legislature. They draw from a bottomless pit of frustration. More likely, Republicans will gain seats in the fall elections and run rampant, gerrymandering Democrats out of existence as Job One. Next, they'll open college campuses to firearms, gut environmental regulations, restrict abortion rights in weird and devious ways (such as forcing pregnant women to look at ultrasounds of the fetus before they can have the procedure) and pass an Arizona-like immigration law that will brand our state as intolerant and racist and drive away tourists. Then they'll really get down to business.
Last week, Andy Sher wrote an article like Locker's. We guess it's better late than never from the MSM in this state, which typically won't report obvious truths like this for fear of offending someone. If the media would call out these legislators more often, constituents might clue in and vote the culprits out of office in November.
Comments (11)
Showing 1-11 of 11
I dream that someday "constituents might clue in", but, as my mantra goes, the public floats somewhere between clueless and possessing a little dangerous knowledge (aka 'truth' in talk radio). We have to teach our youth to both pay attention and think critically. Unfortunately, it is these very skills which the cacophony of media beat out of our collective consciousness.
like
dislike
The one solution to our current sad state of affairs in our legislature would be to count votes the way they are cast. Tennessee citizens are not stupid, most of them are not brain-washed and many of them (inside both major parties and outside them) want an intelligent, responsive, competent, moderate government. However, as the current strain of reich-wing Republicans who control our body politic well know, the last thing they can let happen is honest elections. That is why they repealed the Voter Confidence Act (oops, I should have said "delayed" ... or should I?) and that is why they will never let that law be enacted.
It is a sad state of affairs when the party of Howard Baker and Winfield Dunn must resort to stealing elections to obtain (and maintain) power. Republicans like those two would not stand for election theft. That is why moderate Republicans will be as scarce as real Democrats in our legislature next year. Instead, we will have more gun-toting, knuckle-dragging Neanderthals -- the loudest and crudest that money can buy and nonverifiable voting machines can deliver.
Our situation would be humorous, but stupid is never funny. It is, however, sinister, un-American and very dangerous.
Ideology is the basis for politics. What you believe is how you determine the best course of action. Wouldn't it be wonderful for you if we conservatives and libertarians would just abdicate our beliefs for the sake of your little social experiments? You will succeed where the Soviets failed!
You say an Arizona-like immigration law will brand our state as intolerant and racist, but Federal law already requires non-citizens to carry documentation, and police officers are already expected to use their training to determine if the law is being broken. How is that racist? Last time I looked, the tourists downtown seem to be pretty much all European Americans. I doubt they will listen to your little pissy fit. They came to listen to white people music!
Phoenix, Arizona is the kidnapping capital of the world, yet the liberals who post here literally say "fuck you" to the real citizens of Arizona! Is hatred of your own kind somehow better than racism? Your skin may look white, but the fact that you don't side with white people suggests that you are something else. Jews, gypsies, breeds, but not Anglo/Saxon/Scandinavian/Slavic.
Chadwell has a dream! He has a mantra! That radio talk is dangerous! The public is floating around in a clueless state! Comrades, this is a call to arms! We must indoctrinate the children!
It is predictable that people like "Small "d" democrat" associates "knuckle draggers" with Tennessee's law abiding gun permit holders. And yet, in an informal count, the large majority of the people that I personally know that have carry permits are college graduates and all of my aquaintences that have permits are productive members of society (job holders and taxpayers). And I've also noticed that the number of my friends and aquaintences that are permit holders and are Democrats and Republicans (plus Independents) are pretty evenly split, so there goes the stupidity of automatically associating permit holders with being exclusively Republican.
"Unfortunately, it is these very skills which the cacophony of media beat out of our collective consciousness."
There is no such thing as a "collective consciousness".
Damn right, Big G! Hell, you and I don't even have an individual consciousness! That consciousness stuff is for the libtards!
All Democrats are commies.
I spend peaceful off time in a very quiet rural place. It's lovely. No traffic noise. Airplanes. Traffic signals or Interstate highways. Would stay there all the time if economics didn't demand otherwise. However, as in many rural counties in the South, things there are run by a small gang of 'good ole' boys. They are at the top of the local political money chain. They get pay-offs from assorted illegal activities. I.e: the ubiquitous gaming machines, complete with labels announcing there is no pay-off (which is total bullshit), what remains of boot-legging; also regulating distribution of local political power. And don't fuck with 'em 'cause they will fuck you up.
Unfortunately Tennessee conservative politicians, many of them at least, are products of those rural 'good ole' boy networks. Many seem to arrive in our legislature with the same mind set as while attending cock-fights and guzzling beer with other local red-necks. So, what else can we expect from them? Election doesn't imbue red-neck fools with intelligence.
What is the answer to this problem. Damned if I know. Things are what they are and only social evolution will solve it. Trouble is, I'm prob'ly not going to live long enough to see things substantially improve.
It is predictable that people like HorseSense would only be offended by my failure to kneel at the phallic altar of warm guns that seems to be the only true belief of too many Tennesseans of a certain reich-wing persuasion these days. H-S takes no offense at my allegation that Repubs have ascended to power in Tennessee by manipulating unverifiable voting machines. Perhaps that is obvious or something that those bizarro Amurikans are proud of. (See Tre Hargett and Markie Mark Goins.) But no, use the phrase "gun-toting" and H-S gets his diaper in a wad.
Don't get me wrong -- I enjoy deer hunting and believe that using a 30.06 is more humane than using a bow and arrow. But when I go home at the end of the day, I put the deer rifle in the closet, I don't take it to bed with me.
H-S, you should get out more, and leave your "gun" at home. We'll all feel safer if you do.
Both G's:
Your's are exactly the psyches the marketing folks love. Be they retail sales folks, political hacks or radio talkers you soak up what they sell and it becomes part of your mindset and you don't even know it much less acknowledge it.
Euphemistically, collective consciousness exists if I say it does. Especially, if I define it as I just did.
Mr. Chadwell says anyone who doesn't agree with his muddled viewpoint is a media sponge? Sir, you are incapable of stating concrete facts. Speaking for myself, there is no marketer who can sell me on something that I don't want to buy. And that includes you.
