Day: August 31, 2009

What Are The Chances For a New Party?

Professor’s Classroom

Subject:  American History/Political Science

The GOP is floundering on the rocks of political destruction…..they have no direction other than to be in opposition to the Dems….they have NO energy plan other than drill baby drill, or NO health plan other than savings accounts and tort reform, or their answer to the economic crisis is tax cuts, which have been discredited as a stimulus to a economy in dire straits.  The members in Congress are using misinformation and lies try and halt the health care debate and they have signed on to such idiocy as socialism, nazism, fascism citizenship etc, etc…….they are not governing with intelligence and resolve, instead they use slogans, buzzwords and outright lies to try and motivate the people……yes, it is working somewhat, but those that are signing on to the Repub BS would hate without any help from the GOP.

With that said is there an answer?  Yes, there is but it will take guts and resolve….sad to say I do not see much guts in the Congress anymore.

Let us step into the “way back machine” with a special thanx to infoplease.com

Liberal Republican party, in U.S. history, organization formed in 1872 by Republicans discontented at the political corruption and the policies of President Grant’s first administration. Other disaffected elements were drawn into the party. Among its leaders were Carl Schurz and B. Gratz Brown, both of Missouri, who had defeated the regular Republicans in the state election of 1870, Horace Greeley, Charles Sumner, and Lyman Trumbull. The party convention, held at Cincinnati in May, passed over Charles Francis Adams (1807–86), David Davis, and others to nominate Greeley for President; Brown was named for Vice President. In their convention at Baltimore, the Democrats also accepted these candidates. The party program called for civil service reform and an end to the strong Reconstruction program of the radical Republicans; so as not to offend the party’s divergent segments, it avoided adopting a position on the tariff question. Greeley’s nomination was not popular with many of the party leaders, who supported him without enthusiasm, and Grant was easily reelected.

In the past I have writing about what it would take to be “liberal” Republican.  And yes, I think there is enough disatisfication within the GOP for a splinter party to break out and redefine Republicans for the 21st century.

Why not give it a try?  It could do no harm….the GOP, as it is now,  is doing all the harm to itself…….it is crushing itself under the weight of its own fecal matter.

How To Handle The Health Protesters?

This is a paper by the Inkwell Institute:

The townhalls have been going on for about a month now and surely everyone has heard the BS coming from both sides of the political spectrum and yes there is a way to handle the protests, the shouts, the accusations……..

Please gentlemen and ladies do not use the Rep. Barney Frank technique of insulting and antagonizing your questioner that leads to more anger and more accusations and even more anger…..

In the last couple of weeks and months there has been much debate on the Dem health care bill.  Some of it is legitimate and some of it is pure fantasy.  But beyond that the people protesting the bill have come armed with posters and shouting.  The Dems are not handling the protesting very well….they are impotent in selling the bill as a good bill.

We have talked it over at the Institute during our monthly Agitatus Round Table and we have agreed that the Dems need a bit of assistance on the matter.

The question is how do we handle the townhall protests?

The townhall format is an old established way for the reps to meet and answer questions of their people.  These days they, the Dems, have let the townhalls become nothing more than shouting matches of accusations and misinformation.  No one in attendence has learn anything useful from most of the meetings.

We offer the following technique to dampen the protests.

If protesters start heckling and shouting…the rep should get on the mic and say that they may have their day if the rep is allowed to continue when they are finished.

After the protesters are through the rep should:

1–ask are you anger with the bill or the ideas?  ask for a show of hands and have someone recording the count

2–ask, have you read the bill–show hands and a count

3–ask where they got their information that they are basing their objection.

4–ask if they believe that bill is socialized medicine–show hands and count

5–ask who here has Medicare–show of hands and count

6–ask are you happy with your Medicare?  show of hands and count

Once the count has been taken and the questions asked, reps should then begin explaining the bill, always have a copy of the bill with so that sections can be read out loud or copies made for anyone who wants to have them.

The reps can fight the misinformation and they can win the argument if they treat the people with respect even if the people cannot do the same.  The rep must realize that people, most notably the elderly, are afraid and confused….every opportunity should be made to reassure them that there is nothing hidden or deceitful in the bill.

The Dems can win this argument but they must have a unified plan not a bunch of willy nilly comments on television or radio.  They must talk with one voice with one answer to the questions that are plaguing the people in their districts.