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POPSThe Jew Problem Let's see how many people click on that title! I hope I have your attention now, because this is important! Some politically active Jews, although certainly passionate, often have trouble telling friend from foe. The belief among Jews that the Christian Fundamentalist Evangelical community is a friend is a big mistake. Some worry that Obama is part of the nation of Islam, or Palestinian, or that he won't help Israel. But they think the GOP will. But what is the Christian Right's agenda in helping Israel? Clearly, right-wing evangelical fundamentalists like Hagee have no tenderness or fondness for Jews. They believe Israel is simply a part of God's ultimate plan leading to the apocalypse. Although they support the Jews returning to Israel, they also believe it is Biblical prophecy that there will be continuous warfare, so they don't support peace, but an Israel besieged. Many believe this is the prelude to the final destruction of the Jews by a wrathful God.
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POPSThe New Face of Racism: Hilary Clinton Hillary Clinton may well be the youngest living Dixiecrat. Basically, her campaign strategy has come down to this: 1. There are lots of Americans who would vote against a person based on the color of his skin. (I bet you can't guess which color they "aren't quite ready for"!) 2. These people are so important to the Democratic Party that we should on no account offend their delicate sensibilities by fielding an, ehm, colored candidate. 3. By virtue of her being white, she has the key character trait that appeals to the DNC base, which is the ability to pander to the much vaunted "Racist Redneck" demographic. Are her values in line with the Democratic Party? They certainly don't represent me! In fact, I would prefer it if racists didn't vote for the candidate I support. After all, nobody is looking for the David Duke endorsement!
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POPSThe Verdict on Bush's Reganomics: Guilty as Charged
There were those who were critical of Bush's economic policies, who said it would lead to disaster. We were dismissed as not understanding economics. We were accused of being anti-business. Well, a few years later, whaddya know... One of the central tenants of the resurgent Republican Revolution, among the GOP leadership ascendant in the mid-to-late nineties, was the idea that Regan's "trickle-down" economics worked, and that lowering taxes on the rich and encouraging rapacious spending would somehow develop an economy despite nagging social problems in the lower strata. This "well, I guess I feel rich..." approach was a lie everyone wanted to believe, because they didn't want the party to end. Now, though, even before Bush's term is over, we see a stunning economic crisis, for which he has no one to blame but himself, and which was clearly created, gift-wrapped, and delivered with flowers by the GOP's bizarre and destructively delusional view on economics.
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POPSThe Question of the South Now, I would like to disagree with the author (Matt Bai) on two points... First: He argues that the loss of the South for the Democrats was due to desegregation, which is no doubt party true. But if that's the case, what does he mean when he says Democrats have to run a candidate who "resonates in the south..." As I see it, the Democrats are already suffering from a retreat in their values. Pandering to isolationist extremists still absorbed in racism and a antebellum culture of violence is not the way to win the country, its a way to lose your credibility. On the other hand, I think Mr. Bai stereotypes the South as most Northerners have, by presuming that it is and always has been a land of Bible-belt anti-government racists and redneck gun nuts. The truth is the South is not nearly so monolithic as pundits portray it. Southerners are not as backwards, not as ignorant, and not as conservative as most political analysts think. The Democrats need to Awaken the Radical So
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POPSOn The Difference Between Belief and Politics If someone holds conservative, right wing beliefs, I've got not problem with them. I might even find myself agreeing with them sometimes. On the other hand, right wing politics are what really get under my skin. And when it comes to Bush, it's pretty much 100% pure politics. So what's the difference? Well beliefs are ideas - principles you think are right, and that you are willing to stand up for. Politics is using other people's beliefs to get what you want. Bush doesn't believe in being a "fiscal conservative!" He just talks about that so that right wing voters will support him. He wants to be fiscally conservative on public schools and health care and other areas that don't directly benefit him or his friends, but when it comes to something he wants, belief takes a back seat to unadulterated greed. Why do conservatives feel they have to defend him? Why deny reality to defend something that is against your values? Bush has dragged the entire GOP into deluded solipsism
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POPSA Positive Political Process Frank Rich, in an op-ed I don't feel like clipping (too glib), declared the GOP Platform to be Dead on Arrival. I beg to differ. Although McCain had a dark period of pandering, he seems to be back to saying what he thinks, and playing clean. He's the Boy Scout of Electoral Politics, and he's got my respect. (Not something I give out often to candidates.) But the really interesting thing is that Huckabee, who was always a nice guy, seems to have become more insightful and philosophical as the campaign goes on. His observations on political process I thought were exactly what America should be. We'll put him on my "provisional respect" list. Although his last bizarre bit about the Confederate flag will probably cost him the Hootie and the Blowfish vote, I'd bet they were already going to vote for Hillary anyway. Now if only the losers like Thompson and Giuliani will take a hint: sharpen up, start thinking, or drop out.
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POPSThe Middle Swings Left this Year I was discussing this with Kmcolo, and this seems to bear out some of my hunch. It would appear that the Republican Party is polarizing in the primaries, rather than gaining strength as it did in the past. It would appear that only the core party faithfull are turning out for the primaries. This is especially striking in Michigan, because there was no functional Democratic primary. (Their delegates got suspended) This should bring up independent numbers voting GOP since it was pretty much that or stay home. Given this, it looks like the independents in Michigan are pretty squarely waiting to vote for the ultimate Democrat nominee. Romney, Huckabee and Ron Paul are all riding high on a wave of pessimism that drives away normal voters and leaves only extremists.
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POPSPutting Huckabee in Perspective: Understanding Caucuses Although various people have come up with various interpretations of the Huckabee (almost all of which reinforce the positions they held to begin with...) they have all overlooked one critical element: This was a caucus primary! What does this mean? It means that, a certain number of people who woke up that morning had decided already that they were going to support a republican but they didn't know who. They then went to the caucuses, and talked with their neighbors for an afternoon, and slowly, the candidates with less support were eliminated in favor of those with more. Like an endless series of run-off elections, with your friends and neighbors acting as cheer leaders, it finally comes down to one. This means that Huckabee had the most zealous and energetic adherents among the voters so conservative that they defacto caucus for the GOP. While most moderates are swinging behind Obama, it seems like Huckabee is simply cashing in on the influence of the fringe in primaries.
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POPSWho is the greediest? Communists or Capitalists? Although I do not believe that socialism and capitalism necessarily conflict, this article raises a very interesting point. To talk about a slightly different point, I think Communism definitely does make people more greedy and materialistic. Communism (and to be more specific, I refer specifically to Marxism, and large-country model Communism, namely Stalinism and Maoism) is much more complex than simply being the opposite of capitalism, thus it doesn't offer a true counterpoint to capitalism free of other complicating variables. But, even if its not perfect, it provides some valuable insight. From my experience studying the Chinese culture and the way it changed in the last 50 years, communism breeds nothing but greed, materialism and elitism. Most alarmingly it creates a sense of entitlement without the sense of responsibility. It is the freedom of capitalism that saves it. We should be very careful to ensure that our markets are in fact free. Otherwise we are no differen
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POPSWhy the GOP Gerrymanders Better It should be an important question: why the GOP plays the political game of controlling our country better than the Democrats. One reason that occurs to me is elitism. These days the Grand Old Party is heavily entrenched in the milieu of the elite, or as Bush calls them, "his base." When placed in the uppermost echelons of any social body, it is easy to develop a distorted sense of entitlement. This mentality of elitism and entitlement is inherently resistant to the chaos of democracy and seeks to establish a predictable order in the system. Thus as long as there has been democracy in America, there have been those seeking to diminish it. Elbridge Gerry, for whom gerrymandering is named was a Founding Father who signed the Declaration of Independence. In the end, the question is not about left and right, or Democrat and Republican. The question is who has critical momentum at this point? The forces of order of the forces of reform?
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POPSAn Articulate Voice for the Conservative Cause: Fred Thompson? You know, I can understand why many people are interested in Fred Thompson, but perhaps this is going a little too far. I mean seriously, is he considered articulate by conservative standards? Sure he's conservative, but articulate? Vaclav Havel is articulate political voice. Fred Thompson is still in the minor leagues. I mean, don't conservatives have plenty of more articulate voices? Why not start with William F. Buckley Jr. or William Safire, or does anyone still still watch John McLaughlin? For the sake of all of America, I hope the GOP and conservative voters start raising the bar before they start gushing over another pugnacious actor with few inhibitions.
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POPSDemocracy at work: Unity in Contempt Just as Clinton galvanized the GOP into the unified organization that took back congress, and then the white house, Bush now does the same for the left. So it's time for the pendulum to swing the other way... ...and you can't even get off it, even if you get dizzy!
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POPSFred Thompson Shakes Up the GOP Primary So, from the conservatives I talk to, here and elsewhere, I get the impression that Fred Thompson would really energize the GOP. The Republicans aren't running as disciplined of a process as they usually do, so it seems this could shake up a rather sloppy field. Who do you think stands to lose the most from F. Thompson's candidacy? Who do you think stands to gain the most? (I see a boost for Tommy Thompson, riding a wave of twin Thompson confusion...)
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