Folksy Fascism

I have decided that I too will jump on the bandwagon of comparing people whose political Ideology I do not like with Fascism. I was inspired after reading about Dr. Seuss; we need to bring back “folksy fascism” to describe what Sarah Palin, Tea Party people and now Christen O’Donnell. I can think of no better term to use to describe this group of people. They are determined to force the rest of us to accept and live by their “higher” standards, as if they possess the right higher moral code. These folks want us to believe they have all the right answers, even answers to questions that never existed.

Christen O’Donnell has exploded on to the political scene after many failed attempts, failed attempts at the hands of more rational people. She, like other religious fascist, thinks that all aspect of human sexuality needs to be controlled. Sex to them seems to be an area they have not issue allowing the government to intrude into our lives. Not Health Care though, that place the sanctity of the Doctor-Patient-Health Insurance is more sacred than the Home or Bedroom. They believe that the proper place for the government is to regulate what we do with our bodies or what we put in it, but not to regulate what corporations do with our environment or put in it. It is nothing more than a brand of control, a selling of ourselves so they can feel good about something.

This is folksy fascism, this “oh gosh darn, how is that hopey changy thing working for ya?” This is what the Tea Party ultimately wants to bring to us. They think we need to be saved from something, and they know what it is and how to save us. I hope that we continue to push back and point out the crazies and call them what they are “Folksy Fascists”

Palin the Accidental Politician

Maghan McCaine describes in her new book "Dirty Sexy Politics" her reaction to hearing her father's choice for Vice-President, "Who the hell is Sarah Palin?" Her reaction is probably the same one most of us had when we heard Sarah Palin's name for the first time. From that moment forward Palin cemented her legacy in the political mind of America.

Her name is now synonymous with Tea Party and no one can deny she has political adeptness that seems to defy logic. The question though is does she deserve this position in Americas political pantheon? I believe she does not, I truly think she is, in the most literal sense, an accidental politician. Palin is adept at the use of wedge issues to gain support. In her first run at political office, city council, she campaigned on opposing closing Wasilla's bars two hours earlier. An issue that defies logic for her considering she is a member of a church that opposes drinking. When she ran for Mayor of Wasilla she introduced national or at the minimal state issues regarding abortion, gun rights and term limits. Issues that are divisive and almost rarely issues at local levels she used to divide and win. Her campainge was so effective making these issues front and center she was called Wasilla's first "Christian mayor."

This was the beginning of the Political career and campaign style of Sarah Palin. This style carried her through a republican primary, knocking off an incumbent Governor, and a few years later helping to knock out that same governor's daughter from a Senate seat. She did not even complete her first term before she was tapped to run for Vice-President, but these style stayed with her through the national spot light. This type of wedge issue is Palin's bread and butter, and it servers her well as she emerges as one of the Tea Party darlings.

What makes her the accidental politician is that she has no fresh ideas, she does not bring anything to the table but division and diversion of the real issues. The only thing Palin has going for her, and a consequence is what keeps her in the political spot light is her looks. If it was not for the fact she is sexually desirable by the masses of GOP men, she would have long ago been relegated to the dust bin of political history. She would have found her place next to all other failed Vice-Presidential nominees, never to be heard from again or to have been a faint memory to all but historians.

What will happen with Palin and her brand of politics? In my opinion this is nothing more than a form of negative campaign ads, and like negative campaign ads they are slightly effective at turning out the voters, but they are more effective at turning off your target audience and turning out your opposition. The Tea Party is doomed to fail, as I have blogged about in the past, the average Tea Party member cannot come to terms with how this country has changed and how it will continue to change. Palin and Beck will capitalize on it for the short term, but they, like the Tea Party will soon pass.

Fable of the Bees

I was inspired from the Blog The Big Picture to read the "Fable of the Bees" and how it relates to what is currently going on in the US economy versus Germany. More to the point it deals with the paradox of thrift, the idea that the more an individual saves, the less the whole group saves overall. Broadly the increase in savings will harm the over all economy. To me it is a no brainer, as long as people are out buying stuff, what ever that stuff may be, then in turn it keeps people making, shipping and selling that stuff. But during a recession, people panic and business lay-off as consumption slows. And here is where the paradox sets in, as people try and save more, they naturally spend less, and as the spend less more businesses panic and lay off more workers. While saving for the future, we are in turn killing that future.

Saving is not a bad thing, to me overspending is the problem. Buying with credit is not a bad thing, it becomes a bad thing when we use credit to buy disposable things. Buying a house is good, buying food is bad. But I get off my point, saving is not a bad thing, and by nature we should save when times get tough. That is why I am with Keynesians on this one, in recessions the government must step in and start consuming. Governments need to invest in infrastructure, be the ones who buy roads and bridges. I am all for the stimulus bill, I think this is an opportune time for the government to start investing. There is much complaining about the deficit running up, but when is a better time to borrow money than when the cost of borrowing money is at its lowest? With people still working, tax revenue is still being generated.

If the government gets involved and applies a slow steady hand then as a whole the economy will merely slow down and not stop. This will keep people working and will allow consumption to continue. This will also keep our infrastructure in good shape or improving what we already have. With Keynes solutions many problems can be avoided, the biggest is the paradox of thrift

Beckapaloza

I think this picture pretty much express how I feel about the Tea Party movement. There is some dissatisfaction with the way the government is handling some of the "problems" we are facing, to me they are more of challenges than problems, but it seems to me the tea party has a common thread to it, this irrational dislike of the president. I can remember the days when Clinton was in office and there was also this dislike of him, but this time around it is absolutely irrational. There is a grasping at anything to make a rational reason to an irrational dislike, Obamacare, how can you dislike the idea that more people will be give an opportunity to receive medical care? The only rational reason would be if it make the country go deep into debt, and the only way for that to be a rational reason would be to have always cared about going into debt. The Bush years showed us this is not a big deal, so this cannot be the rational reason. Digging deeper it is inevitable the real reason for the dislike is racial sentiment. Glen Greenwald wrote in Salon on Friday 27 August,"It requires extreme blindness or extreme dishonesty to deny that our politics is more racially and ethnically polarized than it has been in a long time." This is the heart of the disagreement, this is what is at the heart of all the vocal opposition to the president and his policies, not a true political ideological, thought that has some to due with it. Rather a dislike that a black person, or a Bi-racial person occupies the White House. This dislike runs deeper, one in which the War on Poverty has become not a war to eliminate poverty in American, but rather a war on the poor of American. A war to prevent the poor from being give any sort of help, because someone else feels it is undeserved or unearned.

I will share with you an anecdote from my life. For me both of these stories demonstrate the feeling of privilege some people have and how they feel it is being taken away from them. I was sitting at my cubical at work, when one of the ladies I work with came by me. Our conversation turned to the health care debate, at this time the legislation had not yet passed. As our conversation unfolded she complained about the idea that she heard that with the health care reform she would be forced to wait longer to visit her doctor. The reason she felt she would have to wait longer is because more people would now be able to see a doctor, and she implied it to be more poor people. As I pulled back I ridiculed her as I said loudly, she does not seem to be bothered that some people cannot afford to see a doctor, but it would bother her that she may have to wait a little longer to see a doctor. Her reaction lacked any sort of shame or embarrassment, rather she felt she has a privilege that she must preserve even at the expense of her fellow man. This coupled with her stories of why she voted for Regan, because of the welfare queens driving around in there Cadillacs living off welfare, paints a picture of who she thinks will benefit from the health care reform. This to me is the essence of a Tea Party member.

Deep down inside there is a racist element to the Tea Party, and I know Glen Beck has found a way to expose and exploit that very element. This movement though is dead and in it last gasps, the demographics of this country are shifting. Tea Party members want to take America back to the ideals that no longer exist, that the majority no longer believe in. The 1950s are long gone and soon Mad Men will be off the air and that decade will be gone from our collective memories.

Primary Results not Suprised

No big surprise, I think though this anti-incumbency fever is only affecting those on the right. Murkowski seems to have lost her position, but I also think that it has a lot to do with how easily Alaskans are manipulated by the politicians. Alaskans, like most red state people, seem to live in a world of white noise about themselves. They hate the Federal Government and all the Federal Welfare that flows from it to someone else. They see it as though someone else is taking there tax dollars and buying fur coats and nice cars. What they seem to fail to see is they are the ones who are on the receiving end of this money. They fail to see as they send their kids to elementary school, they are suckling on the teat of government. They drive on the roads, more government milk, and when their kids go on to higher education, it is also on the back of the Tax Payer. The ultimate problem for all the Tea Party people is an absolute lack of any sort of knowledge or understanding of what the function of the Government is, what "provide for the general welfare" means, and a complete lack of awareness that they too are Welfare Queens.

My Two Cents on Koch Connection

One thing I find strange about some of the comments about the Koch brothers is the way commentators have seemed "stunned" by there right wing tea party connects and the philanthropic giving. To me I see nothing contradictory in what they are doing. Exam where they are giving there money, opera houses and private hospitals, thing that will benefit them or their wealthy friends. Their giving does not seem to include to charities that help alleviate the suffering of the poor or disadvantaged. I could be wrong, and I will continue to look into it, but it seems to me there philanthropy is consistent with there right wing views.

Political Cognitive Dissonance.

Can anyone understand why Lynne Cheney is still even a credible Sunday morning guest? Having her in a Sunday morning talk show discussing political matters would be the same as having Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity or Keith Olberman. She does not bring any sort of intelligence to the discussion, only an ideology. When discussing about the health care debate she introduces Obama's speed of speaking about the underwear bomber, and cannot rectify Bushes 6 days to address the shoe bomber.

Continuing in on cognitive dissonance; Harry Reid's comments do not rise to any sort of racial slur. The man is from the Depression area childhood, and using the world Negro does not rise to the same level of calling a comment "honest in'jun." What Steele said, from anyones lips, would be racial slur, it takes a stereotype to describe someone or something. Steele is a bumbling fool and is incapable of understanding who he is or who he should be. He is trying to be cool and hip, instead of a leader of a political party. Maybe now all the criticism will force him to realize the path he needs to take and be a leader. The witting is still on the wall, the Democratic Party will remain in control for years to come, until the Republican Party can get its house in order and change the parties trajectory.