From the VOMITORIUM
How many of you saw the original “Manchurian Candidate”? Not the cheap knock off with Denzel Washington. In case you missed it (you missed a great movie) there is an idiot senator in the movie named Johnny Eislin (?) and his way of stay in the news was to accuse this department or that in the government that have card carrying Communists working there….keep in mind the first movie was made during the Great Red Scare of the 50’s and 60’s…….
I will bet that you are wondering where I am going with this post…….
There seems to be a return to the days of that scare…..
What’s the quickest way to get in the news? Say something unsubstantiated and controversial. In politics, the quickest way to get attention, besides a full-fledged sex scandal, is to call someone a derogatory name. Or, for results just as quick, label another politician a Socialist, Nazi, or Communist.
Rep. Allen West (R-FL), who is running for re-election, did just that this week at a town hall meeting. In fact, he labeled several dozen Democrats as communists…
The question posed was: “What percentage of the American legislature do you think are card carrying Marxists…?”
“That’s a good question. I believe there’s about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party that are members of the Communist Party,” West told the crowd of about a hundred at a townhall meeting in Palm City, according to the Palm Beach Post.
For several seconds after the answer was given, the crowd talked among themselves. Finally, after about ten seconds, West clarified just who he meant by Democrats that he thought were communists: “… It’s called the Congressional Progressive Caucus.”
Recently there has been an uproar because a CNN pundit made a comment about Anne Romney….let me interject here that it is unacceptable to criticize anyone who has chosen to stay home and raise kids…..but of course the Right has used this statement to strengthen there push to claw the gender gap closed……as they should…it is a perfect situation to further their attempts…..but NOT one GOPer has condemned West for his comments……he has accused elected officials of being communist and has not offered any proof other than his say so……the West people have tried to push back….but all you need to do is watch the video and tell me what he meant……..
Rosen’s comment was insulting…….Rep. West is not only insulting but an out right lie! If everyone wants this type of bullshit to stop then man up and call it what it is….until that is done all concerned, notice I said ALL, are COWARDS!
West was elected in 2010 when the electorate was emotionally distraught about job losses created by unregulated financial investment banks and because the government was bailing them out. The GOP did a good job of convincing voters that Dems were responsible for all of this and thus enabled people like West to get elected over more sane candidates. Let’s hope since then that voters now see things more clearly and will remove the lunatics like West
Larry, we can only hope. Stuff like this is why i do not spend a large amount of time on partisan sites……insults are not the way to change things….I mean there are some policies that smell a t lot like Fascism….at least to me….
I agree with your I Got My Contractor’s License, What Now?, excellent post.
Lobotero,
Yeah, yeah. I got the message. But I’m not going to condemn West’s remark. Not at all. I will simply say that it’s not difficult to understand why he would suggest that the Progressive caucus is made up of Marxists when they push Marxist policies. If someone pushed racist policies, it’s probably safe to assume they’re a racist.
But about Progressivism, people should read their history books. In the early 20th century, the term “progressive” was used by people like Woodrow Wilson to describe themselves and their policies. The young FDR was a self-styled progressive. But eventually the country went in a different direction after having realized how destructive progressivism really is. The word carried a negative connotation, so leftists hijacked the term “liberal” and began using that. Since liberalism is now discredited, having a negative connotation, the word “progressive” is back in style, having been ressurected once the negative connotation faded from public memory. So that’s why I most often say “leftists” or “Marxists,” because all those words are interchangeble; they describe the same destructive, failed policies, just in new dressing.
So, Hear! Hear! Rep. West!
This is why …..everyone wants to believe the worse about their opponents…..it is your opinion that these policies failed and I will let you have your opinion even though I do not see….I try not to making insulting remarks about others except where they are due……there are NO Communists in the Congress…there is NO one with a communist agenda….and to make these types of sweeping characterizations does NOTHING to fix the problems we all write about…..
This is why I will probably never be more successful with this blog…I refuse to throw fuel on a fire by insulting everyone I dislike….
That’s the problem with you liberals, Lob. Everything is an “insult.” You can’t say that some of the things the Progressive caucus supports – like universal healthcare – aren’t socialist policies; they most assuredly are derived from extreme leftist thinkers like Plato, Hobbes, and, yes, Marx.
Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security are broke or are headed in that direction. Public schools are failing rapidly. Welfare has caused a dependency, particularly in the black community. These aren’t mere opinions, Lob; they’re verifiable facts. Leftist policies have failed. Almost all existing “socialist” or “communist” nations that are doing semi-well have instituted a quasi capitalist system, like China, just to survive. 100% socialist nations have all failed.
And the same holds for ‘conservs” everything I say is seen as an insult…we could argue and argue and not agree on much….I will admit that most ‘socialist’ countries have failed….but most were not truly socialist but rather a form of state capitalism…I know semantics but semantics seem to be driving the debate right now….
And there was a time when extreme leftists were proud to say they were Marxists…..But now it’s an insult. Wonder why…. Because they don’t want to be associated with abject failure.
All the Marxists I knew back in the day are still Marxists and are proud to be so…..but to label anyone that you disagree with is not accurate…..I mean if I called all conservs fascist what would be said…..and NO I do not think that but I do see some moving toward authoritarianism…..
On a lighter side….It seems that the due date is approaching….how is everyone?
Lob,
The due date isn’t approaching fast enough if ya ask her. LOL. But we’re all doing well. Thanks for asking.
So how goes things in your neck of the woods?
Terrance, glad to hear all is fine.
Things around here are pretty hectic….still trying to decide whether to have all the metal removed from my leg or not….other than that I am just reading, ‘riting and ranting…LOL