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On the ‘ground’ in South Carolina.
In some ways it’s an interesting time, highly charged, politically, which isn’t a bad thing, in itself. Yes, given the focus, the tendency is to want to always stay in easy range of decontamination.
There are cameras everywhere, including areas very familiar to me, the Greenville Zoo, the Roper Mountain Science Center, Falls Park ... Sometimes there are helicopters and an increased incidence of limos ... A disturbing vibrancy and intensity in the media ...
And speculation speculation speculation about what the South Carolinians seducible into this primary will do, given that SC has a ‘rep’ of picking the eventual GOP nominee since Mitt was a newt ...
Here is the opinion of one observer, familiar with the machinations of this state’s voters.
The conservatives of South Carolina care much more about protecting ‘the streak’ (of picking the eventual nominee) than they do about voting their conscience or their ‘principles’ or their integrity. They want power, they want influence, they want respect, and most of all, they want attention. Their egos are far more important to them than any substantive issue of current events, more important than the economy, more important than jobs, more important than national security, more important than human rights, more important than education, you name it.
And they vote for people like the candidates currently campaigning here because ... those candidates are EXACTLY the same. And they flatter and reinforce the egos of those who’ve learned to care about themselves as opposed to ever caring about others.
I’m sorry to report that this condition will take some time to reverse. And even an Obama re-election - which is what I hope for and intend - may not substantially expedite it.
What’s going on in your state? :)
Update even before diary publication: The day after I wrote this diary the Greenville News published a front page article with interviews of a number of area voters on what they seek in this election. I had a problem with the article’s title, right off the bat. “Voters listening for fresh ideas on economy, jobs.”
Well, if you want “fresh” ideas, on the economy or anything else, as you know, consulting Republicans isn’t going to help.
A number of years ago I saw a cartoon in the newspaper. Someone (can’t recall if it was a female or male cartoon figure) was talking to (her/his) cat. The words being used appeared in a little idea cloud above the human, and I don’t remember the words used. Something like “Well if you want your food, Fluffy, you need to do this or that ...” And the little cloud above Fluffy, depicting what Fluffy actually heard, was: “Blah blah blah blah blah blah, Fluffy, blah blah blah blah blah ...”
Listening to Republicans talk ideas is like listening to the purest blah blah.
“What are your ideas about creating jobs, Mr. FillintheblankRcandidate?”
“Well, Barack Obama blah blah blah blah blah ...”
It’s ALWAYS about Obama, or Democrats, never about ideas, and CERTAINLY never about solutions or answers. And not one of the people interviewed for yesterday’s newspaper will call them on it. None of them even seem to notice. And that’s perhaps the scariest thing of all.
In the movie The American President, Andrew Shepherd said:
We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, Bob Rumson (the Republican presidential challenger in the movie) is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections.
For me there is something fundamentally cowardly about making things about Obama instead of presenting alternative ideas. It is a testament to their lack of confidence in their ideas, to know they won’t prevail if compared. To me the answer why not seems clear. Whatever problem is being discussed, they aren’t the least bit interested in solving it. And failing to solve any problems, for them, is totally win/win, because it reinforces the idea that government can’t solve problems, even if that’s only completely true when Republicans can determine it. When Reagan said government was the problem he was arguing about a condition in snapshot, not outlining a prophecy for all Republicans to work in perpetuity to fulfill.
We have a lot of work to do in this world, my friends.
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January 14, 2012
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From arizonablue
nannyboz asked if Andy's minion stole her sig line. This may be of help for other Kossacks who suddenly lose their sig lines!
From brillig:
So Hunter brings us the news that Congress can be fixed with a seating chart. decembersue compares it to corporate America
From BeninSC:
Sometimes a comment contains something interesting, as in this bubbanomics comment featuring a Lewis Black video clip.
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January 14, 2012
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