dagblog - Comments for "King Obama & The East India Republicans"

There is a lot of opinion

moat — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 00:20:58 +0000

There is a lot of opinion penned (on both sides) that hopes to gather the strength of moral gravitas so I am not much convinced by judgments about pop culture made by anybody.

But if there was an agreement on both sides to talk about things without recourse to such rhetoric, well, that would, could, be interesting.

Interesting. I'll have to

Watt Childress — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 23:53:46 +0000

In reply to We hang out on different

Interesting. I'll have to think about that.

On first blush, I'd say news stories that pivot on issues involving moral activism do tend to be treated with disdain by the mainstream press. It could be our pop culture has come to accept moral detachment as a prerequisite for credibility, maybe even on the op-ed page.

These days feel like I'm in the aisle fussing at folks on both sides. When my wife proofread my latest column, she said "you preach!" She meant it as a compliment. Maybe that's why I'm only published in smalltown newspapers.

We hang out on different

moat — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:43:03 +0000

In reply to Good article. Thanks.

We hang out on different sides of the aisle but I take your point regarding Democrats and the "business as usual" nature of legislation.

While I admit I cited the article as evidence of hypocrisy, what mostly caught my eye in the article was the tenor of schadenfreude displayed by the Washington Post. It seems there is an element in the press that has a non-partisan distaste for claims of moral superiority.

Good article. Thanks.

Watt Childress — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:26:21 +0000

In reply to That link just plain doesn't

Good article. Thanks. It names some of the new dogs/cogs in the same old Washington kennel/machine.

Will reformers on the right call out this hypocrisy? Some lead voices at RedState are doing so. Several days ago Erickson posted a front pager calling out Michele Bachmann for her flip-flop on earmarks. Bachmann responded with a blog defending her position. I was among a number of folks who countered with reasoning she should appreciate.

No doubt Republicans are intimate with the Washington machinery. Many who championed change during the campaign are now getting cozy in their status-quo digs. I suspect they'll seek to distract their base by attacking Obama the opportunist left-wing socialist (even though he abhors the left, from what I've seen).

The same dynamics dominate Democrats. Those most familiar with the routine assert -- in essence -- that we all have to sleep with dogs. The experts who know the kennel's inner-workings are always here to tell us which dogs are better under the sheets.

That link just plain doesn't

moat — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 13:17:00 +0000

In reply to That link doesn't work on my

That link just plain doesn't work. Let me try just giving the address:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/08/AR201012...

That link doesn't work on my

Watt Childress — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 04:46:50 +0000

In reply to Musing on what these men have

That link doesn't work on my computer. I'd like to read it if you don't mind sharing it again. Thanks.

Musing on what these men have

moat — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:13:28 +0000

In reply to King Obama & The East India Republicans

Musing on what these men have written makes me think that today’s Tea Party Patriots will either broaden or discredit the movement before the end of the year.

The wait is over. Cue the Lobbyists. Lie down with dogs, wake up surrounded by dogs.

Getting rid of earmarking

Watt Childress — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 21:49:37 +0000

In reply to If one looks at who is

Getting rid of earmarking doesn't mean we abandon everything that's currently funded in that manner. It just means we find another way of budgeting that's not closely tied to political position.

Pushing money down from the federal to the state and local levels is a good idea in terms of public works. I've watched how those funds are squandered on new pet projects. But the federal government needs to set standards so that the problem isn't perpetuated by state and local governments. Use that money to leverage reform so it goes to priority public needs.

You're right on the money with military contractors. And you're also right that getting rid of earmarks won't derail the corporate influence of politics. But it would add momentum in the right direction.

If one looks at who is

moat — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 17:52:15 +0000

In reply to King Obama & The East India Republicans

If one looks at who is getting the big money from earmarks , military contractors are the biggest beneficiary. Next in line are certain universities. After checking out what the money was going to in those universities, I learned that there was a preponderance of research related to defense and science projects that pertain to advancing the nation as a whole. There are regional projects in the mix too but most of them encompass problems beyond any one states' concern. So the process of "pushing Federal revenues to the state level" might address whether a bridge gets replaced or not but doesn't address what most of the money is being spent upon.

I agree that more transperancy is needed and that the way earmarks are developed is certainly an oppurtunity for corruption. But the notion that getting rid of them and tax expenditures as such will derail the corporate influence of politics is naive. What Erikson is really saying is that no good can come from the Federal government investing in specific projects. But he doesn't quite put it that way. His lack of transpearancy makes all his more-fiscally-conservative-than-thou routine sound disingenuous.

Looks like leaders throughout

Watt Childress — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 16:56:32 +0000

In reply to Oh the repubs will just

Looks like leaders throughout Washington are saying that. And Erickson's post bears witness to the fact that some conservatives are challenging them.

Some days it seems The Truth isn't a member of any political party.

Man, this post needs some music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsMQbedCZj0