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Same Old Political Same Old?

Posted Saturday, January 31, 2009, at 12:30 AM

By Charlie Crow

I've looked at life from both sides now

From win and lose and still somehow

It's life's illusions I recall

I really don't know life at all

--song by Joni Mitchell

An article posted in The Daily Beast entitled "The South vs. Obama," by Michael Lind of The New America Foundation, asserts that when the recent unanimous Republican vote in the House of Representatives against President Obama's stimulus package was joined by several conservative Democrats, it was really a message to America to "drop dead."

Lind's thesis is that the hookup of magnolia-scented Republicans and so-called "Blue Dog" Democrats of the South was nothing more than the Old Confederacy reborn and that their opposition to the stimulus package was simply another round in the" battle of the Union against the South." He states:

Those who think that the Democrats could have won over more Republicans by making more concessions do not understand the neo-Confederate/Dixiecrat mentality. There was no one to bargain with on the other side...The rest of the country needs to understand. This is not the nation-minded Republican Party of Lincoln and McKinley, Eisenhower and Dole. Nor is it the party of Herbert Hoover who, if he were alive, would be denounced by the Southern Right as the flawed but public-spirited Progressive he was. No, this is the party that was hijacked after the civil-rights revolution by former Democrats on the Southern far right. Its spiritual ancestors are the old states' rights Southern conservative Democrats, like John C. Calhoun and Jefferson Davis and Strom Thurmond and Orval Faubus. The slogan of the segregationist Democrats--"massive resistance"--characterizes today's Southern conservative resistance to necessary federal economic action, just as it inspired yesterday's Southern conservative resistance to equal rights for black Americans.

To those of us who grew up in the South watching conversion of Democrats into Republicans know most of them were just the old Dixiecrats with new-found respectable social cover who wanted to maintain their tradition of keeping black wait staffs in their country clubs, not to mention out of their neighborhoods or sitting in class with their daughters. There were once liberal and centrist Southern Republicans, but they vanished with picking cotton by hand. These descendants of the Confederacy have ironically wrapped themselves in patriotic devotion to the Union, while stealing the populists' distrust of central government and deflecting civil rights and unions with laissez-faire economic drivel.

The Republicans' wholesale rejection of President Obama's unprecedented invitation to collaborate in the design of the stimulus package is simply the latest iteration in heavy-handed partisan politics. Granted, they are in a pretty weak position, having just lost two national elections in a row. Further, the secretive Billions for the Big Banks Bailout was their man's idea, and it has been poorly executed. Nobody knows where the money went for sure or whether it will ever reach the people it was ostensibly supposed to help--but the public is mad as hops at CEO bonuses and corporate jets being bought with taxpayers' bucks. No wonder the Republicans are rushing to pin the tail on the Democratic donkey--they are hoping the public will forget this incredibly disastrous economic tsunami happened on George W. Bush's watch and blame Obama. Fat chance.

Obama must move with bold strokes to stop the hemorrhage of lost jobs and shuttered businesses, and his solution seems to be to ratchet up government spending on an unprecedented scale. The massive numbers are staggering--somehow (m)illions have become (b)illions and they are beyond calculation. We have a right to be scared.

Although Lind tries to put a guilt trip on anybody who sides with the Blue Dog Democrats' joining with the Republicans against the stimulus bill, I don't. There is nothing wrong with demanding real accountability and a plan for reconciling the revenue shortfalls with the budget. Just as the bailout/stimulus plan was botched on the first try, the Obamans are pushing the second phase out the door so fast that there is no time to think about anything but who gets the checks. The unfathomable amounts of money that are being shoveled out with almost no sober contemplation of their possible unintended consequences--such as rampant inflation and distortion of priorities by borrowing trillions to fund pet programs--are terrifying. All we see is a plethora of panicked politicians who have no idea whether such a massive flood of money will bring the nation back to economic health, but who will vote "aye" on anything that might work.

Obama is right that there is no time to waste--but there is also only one more clean shot at doing it right before his political capital dissipates and we all start pointing fingers. He would be well advised not to just ram through the Bush Plan Redux and to take enough time to think it through so it can be understood and explained and carefully monitored. So far, nothing is working and nobody knows what will.

Borrowing trillions may or may not turn the ship around, but somebody needs to be the responsible adults at this keg party. The centrists and conservatives should not be admonished for wanting to know what the money is for as it is being allocated, how it will be repaid, and whether it will reach its intended goals. It is neither unpatriotic nor out of order to demand that this gargantuan jolt to the economy not simply amount to throwing money at every worthy cause and crisis.

In the meantime, we can all be forgiven for being more than a little bit concerned for the country's future, for the health and judgment of our leadership, and especially for our new President. He seems to be thriving so far, and that in itself is comforting. He was elected with the support of several Southern states and there is no reason to believe that it will not continue and grow if he handles the economic crisis well. We are seeing a more collaborative, consultative and consensual presidential management style than ever before, as well as a determination to be bi-partisan. It should pay off, regardless of who needs to be brought around. He certainly has my blessing (not that he needs it) to knock heads, kick butt and call names wherever it is needed to get the job done, regardless of party or political allegiance...

By Charlie Crow © January 31, 2009

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Charlie,

Though our philosophies are vastly different and I don't agree with your assessment of the Southern resistance (I think it involves more than anything else, cramming the Northern-California elitist's social and moral agenda down our throat that doesn't sit well with Southerners). I do, however, see progress in your rational concerning the necessity of balance within the 2-party system. You stated, "Borrowing trillions may or may not turn the ship around, but somebody needs to be the responsible adults at this keg party. The centrists and conservatives should not be admonished for wanting to know what the money is for as it is being allocated, how it will be repaid, and whether it will reach its intended goals. It is neither unpatriotic nor out of order to demand that this gargantuan jolt to the economy not simply amount to throwing money at every worthy cause and crisis." On that we can fully agree!

From a Republican perspective I believe Obama is trying to bring some necessary political compromise to the table, but as long as Nancy and Harry think they run the show he is going to have a difficult time with his own party. Pelosi and Reid remind me of Barney Fife of Andy Griffith fame. Give them a gun and one bullet and they think they can lock up the whole town. They are hurting Obama's first impressions due to their own egos.

My opinion is that the stimulus package under Bush and now under Obama is a bailout for the fat cats and the hard working Joe is still in a lurch. I'm certain it will work if done correctly but only temporarily. There needs to be a change of philosophy at the very core of this country in order to make lasting progress and I think perhaps you would agree, though our prescribed means may vary to a great extent.

Thanks for the provocative thoughts!

Roy Hargrave

-- Posted by razorback on Sat, Jan 31, 2009, at 9:07 AM

To all Concerned:

In light of Charlie's Blog line - "Same old political same old?" HOW TRUE!

Change of President - Same old Bull from our enemies who want nothing less than our destruction. And when our President offers to talk with them they demean him as well as America in response - I'm fed up with it! AMERICA HELPS MORE NATIONS IN TIMES OF TROUBLE THAN ALL OTHER NATIONS PUT TOGETHER BUT THEY CONTINUE TO BLAST US DOWN THE RIVER INSPITE OF IT! - PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING . . .

IN THE NEWS TODAY:

US President Barack Obama's offer to talk to Iran shows that America's policy of "domination" has failed, the government spokesman said on Saturday.

"This request means Western ideology has become passive, that capitalist thought and the system of domination have failed," Gholam Hossein Elham was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.

"Negotiation is secondary, the main issue is that there is no way but for (the United States) to change," he added.

After nearly three decades of severed ties, Obama said shortly after taking office this month that he is willing to extend a diplomatic hand to Tehran if the Islamic republic is ready to "unclench its fist".

In response, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched a fresh tirade against the United States, demanding an apology for its "crimes" against Iran and saying he expected "deep and fundamental" change from Obama.

Iranian politicians frequently refer to the US administration as the "global arrogance", "domineering power" and "Great Satan".

Tensions with the United States have soared over Iran's nuclear drive and Ahmadinejad's vitriolic verbal attacks against Washington's close regional ally Israel.

Former US president George W. Bush refused to hold talks with the Islamic republic -- which he dubbed part of an "axis of evil" -- unless it suspended uranium enrichment, and never took a military option to thwart Tehran's atomic drive off the table.

The new administration of Obama has also refused to rule out any options -- including military strikes -- to stop Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Iran denies any plans to build the bomb and insists its nuclear programme is solely aimed at peaceful ends.

FOLKS THESE PEOPLE ARE BENT ON DESTRUCTION AND THAT AIN'T GONNA CHANGE! WE MUST STAND AGAINST IT WITH ALL OUR MIGHT OR OUR WAY OF LIFE IN AMERICA AS WE'VE KNOWN IT WILL BE HISTORY!

-- Posted by razorback on Sat, Jan 31, 2009, at 9:22 AM

This seems very scary to me but again I agree with your column and I do appeciate your views. We must continue to have good dialogue if our beloved country is to come through these troubled times.

-- Posted by stonemeth on Sat, Jan 31, 2009, at 1:07 PM

The Democratic Party blame game is normally played with one key player "President Bush". Upon reading Charlie's latest commentary it appears many new players are entering the game of blame. A new game piece has been added "Old-fashioned Racism. I look forward to reading more about this new player of the Blame Game. It appears to me there may be no end to the Bush Administration blame game I am off to whittle game pieces to make this a much more interactive fantasy game.

Roy you left me speechless this week, my thoughts are in your writing.

-- Posted by SandraR on Sat, Jan 31, 2009, at 1:10 PM

SandraR,

The race card has been a centerpiece of distraction for many years now, mostly due to its debilitating effect upon progress, especially lasting progress as it relates to African-Americans.

Obama is a big boy now and he doesn't need to have to hear about his race being the culprit every time he or the democratic party doesn't get its way. It demeans him and every other African-American to be treated differently simply because of the color of their skin. That in itself is racism.

Yes, I'm aware that there are radical racists in this country, but there are also radical Jesse Jackson's who continue to keep African-Americans in this defeated mindset which discourages many of them to stay put in their doldrums. Of course Jesse would have no means of employment if they were to leave his tired mantra of hopelessness behind.

If the democrats elongate this line of argument it will be to their detriment as well as the downfall of the country as a whole. Obama has proven his prowess sufficiently without having to be defended against racists who don't give a rip about this country in the first place. Let the media treat him as they would a white man instead of consciously trying to protect the sensitivity of his race. This, to me, is demeaning of African-Americans in general and to President Obama in particular. Do they not think he can handle the scrutiny? Though I have vast disagreements with his political persuasions and moral stands, I think he is plenty able to stand on his own two feet. He's the President for goodness sake!

Roy Hargrave

-- Posted by razorback on Sun, Feb 1, 2009, at 7:38 AM

I am sharing this letter received because its a fraction of what I see happening, I did not fact checked it but it's good...

My Predictions for the New Obama "Presidency"

Now that America has shown us all that affirmative action even works in politics, I've compiled a list of things that you can probably expect to happen. These predictions are 80% gleaned from information all of us have access to, and 15% gut instinct based on many years of research, historical study, and being glued to current affairs. The other 5% is just anger at my countrymen's stupidity--I admit it.

- Websites and mass emails offering "free grants," courtesy of the government and "Obama's wealth redistribution." Actually, this one's a freebie, because I have an email with a date and timestamp of literally minutes after Obama was declared the winner, offering exactly that.

- Israel will understand this election was the end of any type of assistance, military or otherwise, from the U.S., and will stop holding back their defense at the request of the American administration. Look for a first strike on Iran soon, as well as increased activity by the Israeli military in general. Israel is on her own now, and God help us all because of it.

- Look for Iranian retaliation--against American targets. That goes doubly for other terrorist organizations. We just elected a man with the full endorsement of every major terrorist group in the world as leader of the free world. It's the political equivalent of hiring a child molester to babysit your kids while you leave for the weekend. Not only is HE going to have fun with your child, but he'll probably sit and watch while his friends come over and do it too.

- Look for far-left justices appointed to the Supreme Court, effectively tying up the entire government in a trifecta of liberal humanism, the buzzwords of which remain empty platitudes like "hope and change," and the ultimate goal of which is socialism--and soon, sharia law.

- Military cases of troops being tried and convicted for killing the enemy in combat will continue to rise--and the conviction/plea-bargain rate will stay at nearly 100%, as the government seeks to use the best me n and women this country has to offer as sacrificial lambs on the altar of global appeasement. Those brave and honorable men who currently reside in prison cells across the country, stripped of their rank, their careers, families, and their good name, will not taste free air again for many years. Their sacrifices and their stories will be forgotten by the general public, remembered only by those of us who continue to fight for them.

- Look for the slow but steady erosion of rights you have enjoyed for your entire lives--all the while being told it's "for your own good." Restrictions on gun ownership, home schooling, encouraged dependence on the ever-growing federal government. More nanny-state provisions will be put into place to protect the "disadvantaged" and the "poor," (read: lazy, uneducated, unwilling to better themselves) even while groups like the unborn, the mentally handicapped, elderly, and terminally ill are slowly pushed toward euthanasia . Of course, this will be done with feel-good phrases like "death with dignity," "not wanting to be a burden," and "merciful release from suffering," all of which ignore the basic fact that we are killing people without their consent for the "good of the people." Before you tell me I'm crazy, let's just remember that Barack Obama was the ONLY senator in the Illinois state senate to vote against providing medical care for babies who were inconsiderate enough to survive an abortion. Also, look for taxes to go up. Yes, they'll go up.

- You think t he economy is bad now? Just wait. You'll have the most expensive "free" health care ever. Bread lines aren't just for Russians anymore.

We have traded experience for color, freedom for slavery--and the irony is that the average American sheeple thinks their vote somehow righted an ancient wrong, somehow ENDED the spectre of slavery and ushered in some beautiful era of liberty. In reality, we are about to be less free than you ever thought possible.

I watched the faces of those crowded into the mob (excuse the pun) in Chicago. They stared at Obama like he was a god, an idol, a panacea to their every want and need. We have truly failed as a nation if we are at the point where we feel we must look to one man to take care of us all, to be our father figure and our sugar daddy. We have lost not only the "can-do" attitude of past generations, but the "MUST-do" attitude of our forefathers. We have allowed ourselves to become reduced from Patrick Henry's proud cry of "liberty or death" to the sniveling, whining idea that we are owed something. We have gone from being the honorable defenders of freedom, to being told we are the problem.

The eyes of Obama and McCain were also telling. McCain acted with class and grace in his concession speech , offering the most honorable response I've seen yet. I don't agree with all of McCain's positions, but it cannot be denied that the man has served his nation--at permanent and severe detriment to himself--for half a century. His eyes were clear and sincere, honest. His speech underlined the very reasons why, of the two men offered, he was hands down the best choice.

On the other hand, Obama's eyes were cold, calculating. His manner was smug and still carried the arrogance he has always had. His facial expression was one of barely disguised disdain for everything people like me believe in. His body language was smooth, polished -- too much so. He talked of patriotism as though it is a value he is familiar with--and yet, his horrifying attitude toward the country he now leads is as well -documented as his friendships with those who seek its demise. He is charismatic to those who don't know what to look for, and he is inspiring to those who cannot or will not think for themselves. However, too many who voted for him are guilty of the most dangerous kind of hypocrisy. You see, we are told daily that we must not see color, just mankind. (We are all family, you know--or so we're told.) And yet Barack Obama was handed the White House on a silver platter by a fawning media, a bevy of foreign donors (who, to this day and in violation of U.S. election laws, remain nameless and unaccounted for), and a populace who voted based on color instead of right and wrong--even in the face of the most damning evidence against a Presidential candidate in many years , perhaps ever.

It is said that the people receive the government they d eserve. Sadly, I fear that's correct. We have become complacent, unwilling to see the writing on the wall, content to frolic in the warm water without bothering to notice that it's been getting hotter by the minute. We are two seconds from a rolling boil--and perhaps it is already too late.

So, liberals, enjoy your victory. Jump around. Have a party, file for your free grants. Scream "Gimme my handout!" and make fun of those of us who fought to make sure your "messiah" didn't get access to the most powerful position in the world. Just remember when it all comes crashing down: You own the White House, the Congress, and soon the Supreme Court. You have no one to blame but yourselves for the mess you just created.

As for me, I'm buying my handguns this week so I have an answer for those who will come try to take them.

Kit Lange,

Kit Lange is an Air Force veteran and military writer who specializes in investigating murder cases stemming from actions in combat. Her work was used as evidence in the Lt. Ilario Pantano case, and has been quoted extensively in other news publications for other cases. In 2005, she co-wrote a 10-part series disproving war crime allegations against an elite Army unit; her blog, EuphoricReality.com, was named as one of the top 10 milblogs of the year. She is also the National Web Coordinator for Gathering of Eagles, a nationally-recognized troop support organization. Kit holds a degree in Aircraft Maintenance Technology from Spartan College of Aeronautics, and is currently working on a second degree in Aviation Technology Management. She resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

-- Posted by SandraR on Wed, Feb 4, 2009, at 8:51 AM

SandraR,

Say it ain't so SandraR! But of course the recent flurry of Utopian fancies are beginning to skulk their way into the shadows of desperation, while the political gamers cast lots for our garments and the progenitors of bigger government melt away our posterity's assets.

Ultimately, all that will be left is the memory of a once great nation that was able to stand on its own two feet by the grace of God. Now in its place we find ourselves resolute in our desire to partake in the enticements of evil minions who alone seek not our welfare but our demise.

Then, of course, when such ruination vanquishes our past and present blessings we can simply hang our harps on the trees and reminisce about the glory days of this country when the sound of virtuous, hard-working Americans, through toil and sweat, produced the magnificent refrain of industry, innocence, hopefulness and lasting happiness.

But now we are left with this, no longer does Uncle Sam want you, but you want Uncle Sam. Government is now our God and therefore God is rendered obsolete (at least in the minds of many). Consequently, service and sacrifice has been replaced by greed and laziness in the land. Personal responsibility has dissolved in the cesspool of an evolved animal world where eternal purpose and value has been replaced by Mr. Darwin's theory that produces a lottery mindset where chance is now our lot and a supreme and guiding providence is relegated to the trash heap.

Of course, the old paths which our forefathers traversed were filled with the restraining thought of each man standing before the Almighty and giving his final account before Him. This of course is considered hayseed thinking by those who regard such a matter as obsolete in our enlightened days. After all, we've grown out of the old God who ruled over our fore bearers and have created one who better suits our superior intellects and carnal needs.

Atrocities such as abortion prospers in such a context because life is simply a conglomeration of (accidentally) connected cells apparently devoid of an eternal soul. Thus, there is no real meaning in life, therefore the culture of death is front and center. This is the prison we've built to enslave ourselves and to add insult to our injury we have thrown away the key that alone can set us free.

And who among us will be left indeed, who is willing to vote against a raise for themselves direct from the coffers of a diminished, broken, diseased man on his deathbed by the name of Uncle Sam. What a sad day indeed when we who were once a blessing to our dear uncle (Kennedy's Words: And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.) gather around his coffin and watch his hollow flesh descend into the dust of the earth due to our own selfish desire to drain out every ounce of his lifeblood for our own ease.

Perhaps our future epitaph may on our tombstone read:

Once my freedoms were to me,

my first hopes to comfort thee.

Now my comforts be my creed,

so my longing is my need.

All to hell except my greed,

left to care now for my ease.

So will this be the way the great experiment is to end? I hope not! I pray not!

Roy Hargrave

-- Posted by razorback on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 3:48 PM

Blackcats and Yellow Dogs

Charlie Crow

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Charlie Crow has had long-standing ties to Rector since 1954, when his family moved here to publish the Clay County Democrat. He graduated from Rector High School in 1958. After earning degrees at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and the University of Texas at Austin, and service as a US Army Intelligence officer, he pursued an eclectic career in management. He served in the cabinet of Governor Dale Bumpers. His career experience encompasses state and regional governmental planning, investment banking, executive leadership of recycling technology companies in Alabama and Tennessee, and nonprofit management. He is semi-retired and lives in Little Rock with his wife, Anne.

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