Who the hell comes up with this? Tom Kaine…governor from a Mason-Dixon line state, talking super slow, looking ridiculous on the wide-lens shot of what I figured must have been the ladies parlor of some church nearby. I hate it when the Democratic Party shits a cheese-ball like this. John Murtha, his points ring true and he doesn’t look like a ‘Ken doll’. He speaks in front of a PODIUM! Imagine that, all ‘official looking’ and dignified.
This is what I know. There are Karen Hughes clones all over politics, from the local level on up. Some take up the cause by chance, being married to a politician or in the right place at the right time. Some simply have a character flaw that draws them to a job like ‘director of bullshit, drapes and wardrobe’. Worse than that though, is the clown who allows this to be done to them.
It’s a simple concept. Sit the person down, or have them stand in front of a podium. Speak clearly, and try not to look like you’re hawking jewlery on home shopping at 3AM.
You got something against the Mason-Dixon line Chris?
He was not a good choice, Dems seem very desperate to get someone who can appeal to southerners. Dems our not going to outpander republicans when it comes to these voters and all they do is annoy the base.
I didn’t watch the post SOTU show, too much of a downer. Does anyone think that Murtha might be trying to sabotage the Democrats by giving National Defense credibility to the Republicans? Just a thought, it seems odd that after so amny years in the military that Murtha would turn on them so readily. America really hates the surrender argument.
I heard Tim Kaine’s response on the radio. It sounded fine to me.
I think the latest New Republic email-newsletter comments on the same issue.
I’ll tryt o dig up the link.
Paul, no problem, except that a governor of a state that’s not Florida, New York, California or Texas probably isn’t known nationwide.
The governors from Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri…put them on a piece of paper and jumble the names of each governor. How many people in this country do you think would get even half of them right?
That’s the first mistake. Second is filming his bit like he was a spokesmodel on Star Search.
Idiots running that party. It’s like rooting for Antoine Walker…the guy can single handedly win a game with big shots when you need them, yet he misses about half of his layups, only shoots 60% from the line…that’s what being a Democrat feels like in moments like this.
Definitely not looking down on those states Paul, sorry if it came across like that.
Chris you mention idiots. There are a few in the Democratic party too. The Democrats have no idea what the average American wants, needs or desires !
and you are saying that the Republicans do. They are just better at scaring Small Town Joe into thinking that terr’ists want to blow him to bits.
Chris you mention idiots. There are a few in the Democratic party too.
I think he was talking about the Democrats. The radical Left has taken over the DNC like Osama has hijacked Islam. Kerry, Dean, Kennedy and Clinton do not represent mainstream America, no way in hell.
They are just better at scaring Small Town Joe into thinking that terr’ists want to blow him to bits.
Maybe that is because terr’ists REALLY DO want to blow him to bits. Too bad Democrats don’t take terrorism seriously.
“radical – hijacked – mainstream America”
Why do right-wing talking points make use of these words?
A hijacking isn’t taking place – it’s a situation where everyone wants to be the next President, and none of them have a clue of how to go about it.
Maybe they need to use more words that blow things out of proportion!
Maybe they need to use more words that blow things out of proportion
I don’t think that is even possible. Senator McKinney said Bush was involved in 9/11 and many senators wondered if the military blew up levies in N.O. Blown out of proportion is the mantra of the Democratic leadership – Reid, Dean, Kerry, Kennedy and Clinton.
You can’t deny that radical elements of the liberal base have steered the DNC into a no win situation. While the RNC has it’s radical elements, they don’t hold even close to half the sway of the liberal elements.
You yourself, Chris, has negative things to say about Leiberman who is center left. Only 25 Democrats were radical enough to try to filibuster Alito but it freaks people out that such an alien force has taken hold in the U.S., the ultra-liberal agenda.
Well Wisenheimer for some reason a majority of Americans DO accept what the Republicans advocate. Can you tell me why? (By the way, I am not a republican)
Paul:
This is from the washingtonmonthly.com I think it kind of speakes to your question.
CULTURE WAR POLITICS….Matt Yglesias reminds me today that I had planned to excerpt another part of Garance Franke-Ruta’s article, “Remapping the Culture Debate,” but forgot to do it. Here she’s talking about why low income voters — who seemingly ought to be receptive to liberal pocketbook politics — are instead strongly receptive to conservative culture war politics:
Lower-income individuals simply live in a much more disrupted society, with higher divorce rates, more single moms, more abortions, and more interpersonal and interfamily strife, than do the middle- and upper-middle class people they want to be like. It should come as no surprise that the politics of reaction is strongest where there is most to react to. People in states like Massachusetts, for example, which has very high per capita incomes and the lowest divorce rate in the country, are relatively unconcerned about gay marriage, while those in Southern states with much higher poverty, divorce, and single-parenthood rates feel the family to be threatened because family life is, in fact, much less stable in their communities. In such environments, where there are few paths to social solidarity and a great deal of social disruption, the church frequently steps into the breach, further exacerbating the fight
Right now the Dems are definitely lost, I hated the the response to the state of the union. The repubs are doing a much better job of marketing themselves, back when I was a liberal I would have said that “well they do a good a job of marketing they do a terrible job of governing”
Now of course I say that all the failures of the last 5 years are just part of a conspiricy by the liberal media and other people who hate America to make George Bush look bad.
Right – singling out one senator who said that about 9/11 doesn’t equal anything but to the person who wants to blanket an entire party with that one man’s sentiments.
I can quote Senator Inhofe, who’s about as ridiculous in his statements as any politician I’ve ever been alive to see, but his position that global warming is a ‘hoax’ doesn’t tell me that everyone in his party feels the same way.
As for the culture debate, the Massachusetts analysis is apt, as another factor is definitely evangelical religion of any kind. The church plays heavily into millions of voters’ lives and feelings on politics. They’re thinking about the ‘end times’, and voting against the preacher could jeopardize their spot in heaven when armagedon arrives.
We shouldn’t discount though, the fact that people want to be involved. Many if not most Americans, feel they have no say in how the flow of wealth is distributed, but can make a difference on spiritual matters, so they focus on those and discount the others.