"Obama!" The Musical

Confederate Teabaggers

There are people in America who want Sarah Palin to be President. Some of our compatriots don't believe that the earth is older than a few thousand years. Many of them think that our government is too large. They are taking to the streets in Teabag 'uprisings.' They think that our overgrown government spends too much money on "programs" and "special interests". Meanwhile, they also send their kids to public schools, get to work and church by driving on public roads and highways, live in relative comfort and safety with public police and firefighters, and know that their own freedom and that of their families has been earned and is preserved by the US military, by far the largest (and most expensive!) public institution in the history of the world. When they are interested in fueling their righty knowledge by reading a book like "The Wealth of Nations" or "Atlas Shrugged", they head to their public library and check it out for free.
One of their biggest complaints is that the government infringes on their liberties. These same provincialists want to determine what goes on between a woman and her doctor from their own remote locale somewhere in the middle of the country (far far from where most Americans actually live--and make such decisions--on the coasts).
And some of these folks are moronic, confederate-romanticizing jerks who think that post-Civil War American history is a story of the "Nawth" stealing the wealth of the South. The idea that taking anything using any degree of force from slaveowners in the South could ever be remotely wrong is just ludicrous, but the argument (see below) that Lincoln was basically conspiring to steal from the South is positively insane. These are basically the same teabagging people who want to keep our country far behind the curve as far as: health care, global warming, education, public infrastructure, economic recovery, etc. "Which horrible idiots?" you say. Oh, here's one now:



If someone is hanging teabags from their ears, they qualify as an official "teabagger". I think that's more than fair. But, seriously. These people suck. I'm tired of them getting to talk and everyone pretending like we have to care what garbage comes out of their mouths. Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinions. Yes, we are all free to express whatever crazy idea or belief we have--especially unpopular political ones. But, I really think we need to make one thing clear: Normal, sane, not-crazy America is a whole lot bigger than these Teaparty morons. AND we don't have to listen any more. For my own mental health, I'm going to try to stop listening to this crap. It's disturbingly interesting, I know, like seeing an accident on the freeway or something. But, like real accidents, the thought process here is just kinda gross. Apparently, it's so gross that it sometimes grosses out other drivers and causes minor fender-benders and the like, tying up our political traffic for a while.
Let's stop listening to their stupid ideas and their stupid arguments. We don't need to engage them. They have made this much obvious: they don't know what they're talking about.

Oooh, sick burn

"The last I checked, Sarah Palin is not much of an expert on nuclear issues."

Glenn Beck = Hannibal

Jon Stewart's coverage of the Glenn Beck-Sarah Palin interview almost makes one feel a little sympathy for the Alaskan Wolf-Hunter. Not quite, but almost.

Economic Rights

Michael Lind boosts economic rights in his Salon column this week. Lind often refers to himself as a "New Deal Democrat", so it's fitting that the piece centers around the policies of FDR. The money is in the FDR quote:

"This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights ...As our nation has grown in size and stature, however -- as our industrial economy expanded -- these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness."

In addition to arguing for the extension of "economic citizenship" to the general populace, FDR rebuked the notion that economic rights should take priority over political rights and liberties, but in doing so underscored the point that without economic rights, citizens of a state are unlikely to truly enjoy said rights and liberties.

"We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. 'Necessitous men are not free men.' People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made." (emphasis mine)

With the news that Sarah Palin is getting her own show, FDR's words really stand out. I am concerned that we may be in a situation that is ripe for something like dictatorship. Not that Palin is herself a fascist or a dictator, but that sort of rabid tendency is there in her intended audience. Look: Palin, Tea-Parties, Glenn Beck, Minutemen, Lou Dobbs, etc. For all their rhetoric about "liberty" and retro "Don't tread on me" flags, there is an undeniably scary feel to the way they stand around with boogey-man signs of an African-American President, openly brandishing guns, endlessly blaming our country's troubles on immigrants, and rambling on about other baseless garbage (ie. death panels and the like).

With such a terrible economic situation, and a relatively tame government response (at least by FDR's standards), should we be surprised that so many have reacted this way? Right-wing crazies have always been with us (see: Slavery), they were quiet for a while, but now they are back big-time. The problem is, this time, they are getting quite a few more fans than just nuts like Timothy McVeigh.

What to do about this?
For one, this shouldn't just be about winning. It should be about creating a situation in which more people get a fairer share of the pie. More economic security, more political freedom, and a greater stake in preserving and protecting those securities for future generations. This is what the President should be working on. A newer New Deal. Then I'll call myself a "New New Deal Democrat".