OT – Who will run for President on the Republican side?

[briansd1]

[quote=Arraya] Carlin said something to the effect of what the American ruling class DO NOT want is a nation of well informed, critical thinkers.[/quote]

There is truth in that a docile populace is more productive (more likely to work, and less likely to complain). That in turns creates more wealth for the society.

A servant who is an intellectual and reflects upon class discrepancies is less likely to work with a smile.

The French are poorer than we are because they think too much and work too little.

What is the balance between working and thinking? If you think too much, then you can’t work. But if you don’t work, you don’t have money. And if you don’t have money, you need to work but then you can’t think.

Service in America is better than in Europe because the workers think that will move on to bigger and better things (a myth Arraya pointed to). But without that myth, servive will be worse.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

[quote=briansd1]
A servant who is an intellectual and reflects upon class discrepancies is less likely to work with a smile.

The French are poorer than we are because they think too much and work too little.

What is the balance between working and thinking? If you think too much, then you can’t work. But if you don’t work, you don’t have money. And if you don’t have money, you need to work but then you can’t think.

Service in America is better than in Europe because the workers think that will move on to bigger and better things (a myth Arraya pointed to). But without that myth, servive will be worse.[/quote]

Brian: I’m curious. When was the last time you visited France? You seem very enamored of the French, specifically their culture, and it seems you have this vision of French people strolling along the Left Bank, smoking Gauloise cigs and all with copies of either Camus or Sartre in their back pockets.

The idea that the French are all “intellectualizing” in their spare time isn’t very accurate, unfortunately. Like most of Europe, they’re busy consuming American monoculture with the rest of the planet (those that can afford it, that is).

The French electorate has moved rightward as well, and now Sarkozy is aping the expressions of National Front leader Marine le Pen (yeah, THAT le Pen).

[Allan from Fallbrook]

[quote=briansd1]
A servant who is an intellectual and reflects upon class discrepancies is less likely to work with a smile.

The French are poorer than we are because they think too much and work too little.

What is the balance between working and thinking? If you think too much, then you can’t work. But if you don’t work, you don’t have money. And if you don’t have money, you need to work but then you can’t think.

Service in America is better than in Europe because the workers think that will move on to bigger and better things (a myth Arraya pointed to). But without that myth, servive will be worse.[/quote]

Brian: I’m curious. When was the last time you visited France? You seem very enamored of the French, specifically their culture, and it seems you have this vision of French people strolling along the Left Bank, smoking Gauloise cigs and all with copies of either Camus or Sartre in their back pockets.

The idea that the French are all “intellectualizing” in their spare time isn’t very accurate, unfortunately. Like most of Europe, they’re busy consuming American monoculture with the rest of the planet (those that can afford it, that is).

The French electorate has moved rightward as well, and now Sarkozy is aping the expressions of National Front leader Marine le Pen (yeah, THAT le Pen).

[Allan from Fallbrook]

[quote=briansd1]
A servant who is an intellectual and reflects upon class discrepancies is less likely to work with a smile.

The French are poorer than we are because they think too much and work too little.

What is the balance between working and thinking? If you think too much, then you can’t work. But if you don’t work, you don’t have money. And if you don’t have money, you need to work but then you can’t think.

Service in America is better than in Europe because the workers think that will move on to bigger and better things (a myth Arraya pointed to). But without that myth, servive will be worse.[/quote]

Brian: I’m curious. When was the last time you visited France? You seem very enamored of the French, specifically their culture, and it seems you have this vision of French people strolling along the Left Bank, smoking Gauloise cigs and all with copies of either Camus or Sartre in their back pockets.

The idea that the French are all “intellectualizing” in their spare time isn’t very accurate, unfortunately. Like most of Europe, they’re busy consuming American monoculture with the rest of the planet (those that can afford it, that is).

The French electorate has moved rightward as well, and now Sarkozy is aping the expressions of National Front leader Marine le Pen (yeah, THAT le Pen).

[Allan from Fallbrook]

[quote=briansd1]
A servant who is an intellectual and reflects upon class discrepancies is less likely to work with a smile.

The French are poorer than we are because they think too much and work too little.

What is the balance between working and thinking? If you think too much, then you can’t work. But if you don’t work, you don’t have money. And if you don’t have money, you need to work but then you can’t think.

Service in America is better than in Europe because the workers think that will move on to bigger and better things (a myth Arraya pointed to). But without that myth, servive will be worse.[/quote]

Brian: I’m curious. When was the last time you visited France? You seem very enamored of the French, specifically their culture, and it seems you have this vision of French people strolling along the Left Bank, smoking Gauloise cigs and all with copies of either Camus or Sartre in their back pockets.

The idea that the French are all “intellectualizing” in their spare time isn’t very accurate, unfortunately. Like most of Europe, they’re busy consuming American monoculture with the rest of the planet (those that can afford it, that is).

The French electorate has moved rightward as well, and now Sarkozy is aping the expressions of National Front leader Marine le Pen (yeah, THAT le Pen).

[Allan from Fallbrook]

[quote=briansd1]
A servant who is an intellectual and reflects upon class discrepancies is less likely to work with a smile.

The French are poorer than we are because they think too much and work too little.

What is the balance between working and thinking? If you think too much, then you can’t work. But if you don’t work, you don’t have money. And if you don’t have money, you need to work but then you can’t think.

Service in America is better than in Europe because the workers think that will move on to bigger and better things (a myth Arraya pointed to). But without that myth, servive will be worse.[/quote]

Brian: I’m curious. When was the last time you visited France? You seem very enamored of the French, specifically their culture, and it seems you have this vision of French people strolling along the Left Bank, smoking Gauloise cigs and all with copies of either Camus or Sartre in their back pockets.

The idea that the French are all “intellectualizing” in their spare time isn’t very accurate, unfortunately. Like most of Europe, they’re busy consuming American monoculture with the rest of the planet (those that can afford it, that is).

The French electorate has moved rightward as well, and now Sarkozy is aping the expressions of National Front leader Marine le Pen (yeah, THAT le Pen).

[Anonymous]

Hedges adds the the only difference between a liberal and conservative in todays America is a conservative has values worth fighting for.

If you compare the “big centralized government” wings of the two parties this is correct. You have the progressives/Obama on the left and neocon/Bush (aka ‘compassionate conservative’) on the right. Both favor the merger of corporations and state – with the difference being the neocons want corporations in the driver seat and the state acting as an arm of the corporations (corporatism), and the progressives want the state in the driver seat and the corporations acting as an arm of the state (fascism). And yes, those are the historically accurate terms.

There are plenty of people on both sides who wish we had a viable “separation of board and state” party. We don’t, and won’t (i.e., the libertarian party will never get widespread acceptance; people just love to boss other people around too much). The next best thing is someone who will at least shift power away from the federal government towards the state level, where corruption can at least be avoided by “voting with your feet”. It’s called “federalism”.

[Anonymous]

Hedges adds the the only difference between a liberal and conservative in todays America is a conservative has values worth fighting for.

If you compare the “big centralized government” wings of the two parties this is correct. You have the progressives/Obama on the left and neocon/Bush (aka ‘compassionate conservative’) on the right. Both favor the merger of corporations and state – with the difference being the neocons want corporations in the driver seat and the state acting as an arm of the corporations (corporatism), and the progressives want the state in the driver seat and the corporations acting as an arm of the state (fascism). And yes, those are the historically accurate terms.

There are plenty of people on both sides who wish we had a viable “separation of board and state” party. We don’t, and won’t (i.e., the libertarian party will never get widespread acceptance; people just love to boss other people around too much). The next best thing is someone who will at least shift power away from the federal government towards the state level, where corruption can at least be avoided by “voting with your feet”. It’s called “federalism”.

[Anonymous]

Hedges adds the the only difference between a liberal and conservative in todays America is a conservative has values worth fighting for.

If you compare the “big centralized government” wings of the two parties this is correct. You have the progressives/Obama on the left and neocon/Bush (aka ‘compassionate conservative’) on the right. Both favor the merger of corporations and state – with the difference being the neocons want corporations in the driver seat and the state acting as an arm of the corporations (corporatism), and the progressives want the state in the driver seat and the corporations acting as an arm of the state (fascism). And yes, those are the historically accurate terms.

There are plenty of people on both sides who wish we had a viable “separation of board and state” party. We don’t, and won’t (i.e., the libertarian party will never get widespread acceptance; people just love to boss other people around too much). The next best thing is someone who will at least shift power away from the federal government towards the state level, where corruption can at least be avoided by “voting with your feet”. It’s called “federalism”.

[Anonymous]

Hedges adds the the only difference between a liberal and conservative in todays America is a conservative has values worth fighting for.

If you compare the “big centralized government” wings of the two parties this is correct. You have the progressives/Obama on the left and neocon/Bush (aka ‘compassionate conservative’) on the right. Both favor the merger of corporations and state – with the difference being the neocons want corporations in the driver seat and the state acting as an arm of the corporations (corporatism), and the progressives want the state in the driver seat and the corporations acting as an arm of the state (fascism). And yes, those are the historically accurate terms.

There are plenty of people on both sides who wish we had a viable “separation of board and state” party. We don’t, and won’t (i.e., the libertarian party will never get widespread acceptance; people just love to boss other people around too much). The next best thing is someone who will at least shift power away from the federal government towards the state level, where corruption can at least be avoided by “voting with your feet”. It’s called “federalism”.

[Anonymous]

Hedges adds the the only difference between a liberal and conservative in todays America is a conservative has values worth fighting for.

If you compare the “big centralized government” wings of the two parties this is correct. You have the progressives/Obama on the left and neocon/Bush (aka ‘compassionate conservative’) on the right. Both favor the merger of corporations and state – with the difference being the neocons want corporations in the driver seat and the state acting as an arm of the corporations (corporatism), and the progressives want the state in the driver seat and the corporations acting as an arm of the state (fascism). And yes, those are the historically accurate terms.

There are plenty of people on both sides who wish we had a viable “separation of board and state” party. We don’t, and won’t (i.e., the libertarian party will never get widespread acceptance; people just love to boss other people around too much). The next best thing is someone who will at least shift power away from the federal government towards the state level, where corruption can at least be avoided by “voting with your feet”. It’s called “federalism”.

[Anonymous]

Allan, I don’t have an issue with people like O’Donnell or Palin or Bachmann running for office, or even with the media affording them exposure. What I do object to is journalists treating them with kid gloves, and the manner in which they present them as serious, qualified candidates who are on the same level as their opponents

eavesdropper, I can’t believe you think the media treats O’Donnell, Palin, or Bachmann with “kid gloves.” They are regularly mocked and ridiculed for saying stupid things. Ask anyone who has only a passing familiarity with politics, and thus is relying solely on political news as spoon fed them by the media, and they will tell you that Palin is stupid.

The people who support Palin or O’Donnell (and Bachmann is falling more and more in to this category) are largely doing so because they see these women as being unfairly bullied. Palin is an ‘underdog’ who many people personally connect with, so an attack on Palin makes these people even more aggressive defenders. Going after Palin with even more gusto is not going to sway her remaining followers.

Someone else who is stupid is Joe Biden. But the jokes about him are usually good natured ribbing, and acknowledge that Joe Biden honestly wants to do what is best for the country. Even if it is an insanely dumb idea like ‘high speed rail.’

[Anonymous]

Allan, I don’t have an issue with people like O’Donnell or Palin or Bachmann running for office, or even with the media affording them exposure. What I do object to is journalists treating them with kid gloves, and the manner in which they present them as serious, qualified candidates who are on the same level as their opponents

eavesdropper, I can’t believe you think the media treats O’Donnell, Palin, or Bachmann with “kid gloves.” They are regularly mocked and ridiculed for saying stupid things. Ask anyone who has only a passing familiarity with politics, and thus is relying solely on political news as spoon fed them by the media, and they will tell you that Palin is stupid.

The people who support Palin or O’Donnell (and Bachmann is falling more and more in to this category) are largely doing so because they see these women as being unfairly bullied. Palin is an ‘underdog’ who many people personally connect with, so an attack on Palin makes these people even more aggressive defenders. Going after Palin with even more gusto is not going to sway her remaining followers.

Someone else who is stupid is Joe Biden. But the jokes about him are usually good natured ribbing, and acknowledge that Joe Biden honestly wants to do what is best for the country. Even if it is an insanely dumb idea like ‘high speed rail.’

[Anonymous]

Allan, I don’t have an issue with people like O’Donnell or Palin or Bachmann running for office, or even with the media affording them exposure. What I do object to is journalists treating them with kid gloves, and the manner in which they present them as serious, qualified candidates who are on the same level as their opponents

eavesdropper, I can’t believe you think the media treats O’Donnell, Palin, or Bachmann with “kid gloves.” They are regularly mocked and ridiculed for saying stupid things. Ask anyone who has only a passing familiarity with politics, and thus is relying solely on political news as spoon fed them by the media, and they will tell you that Palin is stupid.

The people who support Palin or O’Donnell (and Bachmann is falling more and more in to this category) are largely doing so because they see these women as being unfairly bullied. Palin is an ‘underdog’ who many people personally connect with, so an attack on Palin makes these people even more aggressive defenders. Going after Palin with even more gusto is not going to sway her remaining followers.

Someone else who is stupid is Joe Biden. But the jokes about him are usually good natured ribbing, and acknowledge that Joe Biden honestly wants to do what is best for the country. Even if it is an insanely dumb idea like ‘high speed rail.’

[Anonymous]

Allan, I don’t have an issue with people like O’Donnell or Palin or Bachmann running for office, or even with the media affording them exposure. What I do object to is journalists treating them with kid gloves, and the manner in which they present them as serious, qualified candidates who are on the same level as their opponents

eavesdropper, I can’t believe you think the media treats O’Donnell, Palin, or Bachmann with “kid gloves.” They are regularly mocked and ridiculed for saying stupid things. Ask anyone who has only a passing familiarity with politics, and thus is relying solely on political news as spoon fed them by the media, and they will tell you that Palin is stupid.

The people who support Palin or O’Donnell (and Bachmann is falling more and more in to this category) are largely doing so because they see these women as being unfairly bullied. Palin is an ‘underdog’ who many people personally connect with, so an attack on Palin makes these people even more aggressive defenders. Going after Palin with even more gusto is not going to sway her remaining followers.

Someone else who is stupid is Joe Biden. But the jokes about him are usually good natured ribbing, and acknowledge that Joe Biden honestly wants to do what is best for the country. Even if it is an insanely dumb idea like ‘high speed rail.’

[Author]

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