It is difficult for 'common' Americans to understand the mindset of the wealthy in our country. For one thing, we common folk do not encounter these people very often. They travel by private air, boat, and yes, sometimes, even private rail. They eat out at exclusive clubs or special parts of restaurants dedicated to them. They limo, or have drivers. They live in chateaus which are penetrable only by their coded limo devices or from the air, by their private helicopters. It is a sneaky quiet dimension layered above the dimension we ordinarily inhabit, so we just don't see them. Occasionally, very occasionally, they come out for public events. You will know them by the looks of discomfort on their faces. The forced good will. The nodding paternalistic smile downward toward the rest of us. That we allowed their creation, existence and continuance is never even mentioned, anywhere. It is a truly secret world they live in.
I know some of them. I work for Hollywood, so sometimes I am graced by their presence. It can be delightfully humorous to listen to their chatter about these tough economic times. I actually listened to one man discuss how he was going to fly to Florida on his G-5 Gulfstream jet (12 passenger) instead of his Canadair Challenger (28 passenger wide body). He honestly and openly stated that he was trying to do his part for the economy and to be more green. I did not laugh. I worked on my chunk of prime rib looking down. Here is another one. Different dinner. This time the host almost broke down and cried. We were dining in his five million dollar chateau, by the way, one of three which he owns that I know of. He was terribly emotionally upset about discharging his long time driver of his limo. I spoke up on this issue, and complimented him for his obvious discomfort over the driver's loss of his long-time job. The table went quiet. The man then went on to explain in detail that the driver was a good man. He would find another job. The grief the man was experiencing was due to the fact that everyone was going to know that he no longer had a driver. That he was having to drive himself.
Now can you understand why the executives flew to Washington for bailout money in their private jets? When they were called on it, what did the do in reaction? They were extremely angry! They do not live in our world. They do not even have any comprehension of our world anymore. They are like Regis Philben on Regis and Kelly in the morning t.v. show. Regis can't remember anything anymore. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Pelosi, Kerry, McCain, Kennedy...the party affiliation does not matter. What matters is the wealth and the overpowering "God meant me to have this because I am special" mentality. Those people feel that is is part of their obligation to God Himself that they be kept wealthy and, and this is the really hilarious part, that the rest of us be kept poor. Or in our place, at least. You see, God meant us to be poor. And there it is.
Watch closely, after reading this short article, and see what you can pick up about those people. You will begin to frown, then smile and maybe even snarl, if you watch long enough.
http://www.from-the-chateau-dif.blogspot.com
http://www.jamesstraussauthor.com
http://www.themastodons.com
Now is the time to let Congress know your opinions and concerns about the Economic Recovery Plan, and the sense of urgency regarding passage of a bill that will address not only short term stimulus but will also provide for ongoing recovery and long term growth!
The bill is currently under consideration by the Senate Finance Committee. Please contact as many members of the committee possible to send a strong message. See below for names and contact information:
Click on this link to search contact information for all Senators:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Click on this link for the names of all members of the Senate Finance Committee:
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/committee.htm
Finance Committee home page: http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/committee.htm
See below for links to all Senate Finance Committee members:
MANCHESTER-- With less than 3 days until Election Day, Sen. John Kerry will be on the Seacoast of New Hampshire this Saturday, November 1st to rally voters in support of Sen. Barack Obama, Jeanne Shaheen, and Democrats up and down the ticket.
5:00 p.m. Unity Rally with Sen. John Kerry, Jeanne Shaheen, and Democratic candidates Portsmouth Public Library- Levenson Community Room 175 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth
What an experieince! A great energy exuded from Senator Kerry yesterday as he got the croud of students and residents of the Oshkosh area fired up for a greatly Democrat senate and four years of Democrat leadership in Washington come November.
All the issues were mentioned in astounding vigour and promise as the croud cheered on Senator Kerry early afternoon on Tuesday. The weather was perfect for a nice walk to to voting booths for an early voting extravagnza. At least a half dozen cameras surrounded Senator Kerry and a few UW Oshkosh Political officials that helped to put on the amazing event.
Upon arriving at the polls faces were aglow with the hopes that a democrat would come to office in Washington after eight long years of republican occupancy. All seemed well in a fleeting moment that was meant to feel like Senator Barack Obama was already president the United States of America.
Let us not loose the faith or the hope that we don't deserve another four years of the same.
John McCain does not wear a flag pin, but there are no outcries as there were about Obama, who wears one now. It doesn't matter to me -- flag pin wearing is a silly issue. But this shows the hypocrisy of the right wing. Flag pins mattered when it was Obama, not when it's McCain. Having a rich heiress wife who hasn't released tax returns mattered when it was Kerry, not when it is McCain. Questionable military history is okay to attack when it's Kerry, not when it's McCain. Bill Clinton's marital indiscretions mattered, but McCain's affair does not. Being a strong Christian mattered for Bush over Kerry, but Obama's stronger Christianity than McCain's doesn't matter now. Experience matters when it's Obama, but not when it's Palin. See the pattern? This is why America does not trust the Republican Party anymore.
Here we go again… Every four years during the Presidential Debate cycle we hear about how the Democratic nominee for President must not falter on any topic but that because expectations are so low for the Republican nominee that all the Republican must do is avoid a major gaffe.
There's more...
Dr. Drew Westen, professor of psychology at Emory University, has written, “The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation,” (457 pp. PublicAffairs. $26.95) in which he offers explanations for the Democrat’s relatively poor performance in elections.
On Aug. 26, NY Times columnist David Brooks wrote “Stop Making Sense” a derogatory review. In his review Brooks asks several snide questions. Here are those question and my snide answers:
“First, why did someone with so little faith in rational inquiry go into academia . . .?” THE FACT THAT MUCH OF THE ELECTORATE IS NOT RATIONAL, IS POORLY INFORMED AND IS RECEPTIVE TO SUPERMARKET-TABLOID-TYPE JOURNALISM DOES NOT DEVALUE RATIONAL INQUIRY.
“Second, the states of upper New England and the Pacific Coast regularly used to vote Republican in presidential elections but now they generally vote Democratic. Did people in those states become less emotional, and therefore more amenable to the Democrats’ rational appeals over the past few decades?” NO, THEY REALIZED HOW MUCH THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS FUCKED UP THE NATION!
“Third, how did John Kerry beat Howard Dean in the Democratic primaries? Was it because of his Oprah-esque displays of emotional intensity?” DEMOCRATS WERE OVERWHELMED, PANICKED ACTUALLY, BY THE REPUBLICAN-STOKED WAR HYSTERIA. THEY THOUGHT THEY NEEDED A GENUINE WAR HERO WHO HAD, AT THE TIME, SUPPORTED THE INVASION OF IRAQ.
“Fourth, is it possible that substance has something to do with the political fortunes of parties?” NO, IT’S NOT SUBSTANCE THAT’S PROPELLING THE MCCAIN CAMPAIGN. “Could it be that Democrats won in the middle part of the 20th century because they were right about the big issues — the New Deal and the civil rights movement?” ABSOLUTLY! “Is it possible Republicans won in the latter part of the century because they were right about economic growth and the cold war?” NO. CARTER WAS INEFFECTIVE. REGAN COULD SELL SUGAR TO CUBANS, AND REPUBLICANS HAD PERFECTED THE TECHNIQUES THAT WESTEN COMPLAINS ABOUT. “Is it possible Democrats are winning now because they were right about whether to go to war in Iraq?” THEY’RE NOT WINNING LATELY! “And if substantive policies correlate with political fortunes, what does that say about the human mind?” THERE’S LITTLE CORRELATION ONCE CAMPAIGNING BEGINS, NONE AT ALL IN THE PAST EIGHT YEARS.
“Finally, if voter decisions are driven by the sort of crude emotional outbursts Westen recommends, and if . . . “a substantial minority of Americans hold authoritarian, intolerant ideologies driven by fear, hate and prejudice that are fundamentally incompatible with Democratic (and democratic) principles,” then shouldn’t we abandon this whole democracy thing?” NO, WE MUST HOPE THAT ONE DAY REPUBLICANS WILL STOP PANDERING TO THE LEAST INFORMED AND MOST GULLIBLE.
“It’s rare that one comes across a book that raises so many questions.” BUT NOT THE ONES BROOKS ASKS. HE IGNORES THE OBVIOUS. HIS QUESTIONS ARE EXAMPLES OF THE VERY THINGS HE SEEMS TO SAY DO NOT EXIST. “Of course it’s rare that one comes across a book that so avidly flatters the prejudices of its partisan readers.” WHAT NONSENSE! NEW ONES ARE COMING OUT ALL THE TIME, MOSTLY, BUT NOT EXCUSIVELY, BY REPUBLICANS.
“The core problem with Westen’s book is that he doesn’t really make use of what we know about emotion. He builds on the work of Antonio Damasio, without applying Damasio’s conception of how emotion emerges from and contributes to reason.” REALLY?? MOST EVIDENCE INDICATES OTHERWISE.
“In this more sophisticated view, emotions are produced by learning.” RIDICULOUS! IT’S MOSTLY BY BIOLOGICAL IMPERITIVES AND ACQUIRED PREJUDICES!
“ . . . It’s not necessary to dumb things down to appeal to emotions.” BUT, IF YOU DO, YOU GET MORE VOTES! “ . . . “The best way to win votes . . . is to offer people an accurate view of the world and a set of policies that seem likely to produce good results.” THEN, WHY DO REPUBLICANS PEDDLE BULLSHIT A LA CHENEY & ROVE?
CIRCUMSTANCES ARE NOT AT ALL AS BROOKS IMAGINES. HE REALLY NEEDS TO GIVE UP POP-PSYCHOLOGY.
Has anyone else noticed the extreme difference between how Democrats are treating John McCain's service in Vietnam, versus how Republicans in 2004 treated John Kerry's service in the same war? Obama and Biden never forget to salute McCain's "heroic service," while Republicans backed the Swift Boat smears and handed out "Purple Heart" bandaids at the Republican convention to ridicule Kerry’s wounds. That disparagement of Kerry’s service was in support of a President and VP who were totally for the Vietnam war as long as they did not actually have to serve there. Talk about putting party ahead of country! Anyone who really cares about honesty and decency in campaigns cannot vote for Republicans without being totally hypocritical.
I am tired of losing. Though I consider myself an independent, I have voted for a Democratic Presidential Candidate in every single election since 1984 (Mondale, Dukakis, Clinton, Gore, Kerry – pretty slim pickings when you see it in print). Unfortunately, the Obama campaign is heading towards a train wreck unless it initiates a drastic change in its approach. It’s quite possible they will be the biggest losers of all time – and so will we. Here is why:
I am tired of losing – get this damn thing on track!
Did you see Barack Obama go on The O'Reilly Factor last night-right into the belly of the beast? While we didn't want Obama to appear on FOX initially, he wisely chose the same night John McCain delivered his RNC speech (the same night FOX received some of its highest ratings) to make an appearance. Talk about stealing the GOP's thunder!
Obama was no doubt trying to appeal to conservative voters, since 88% of FOX viewers voted Republican in 2004. But FOX won't let their conservative base go without a fight. That's why O'Reilly needled and interrupted Obama, trying to get him to simplify many of his answers-a far cry from the softballs O'Reilly lobbed at many prominent Republicans like Rudy Giuliani in the past. And that's why FOX has been attacking Obama with the same relentless smear tactics that they used against John Kerry four years ago. Watch them use the exact same attacks.
Watch the video and spread it to everyone you know.
Don't let FOX repeat its history of distortions. Send this video to everyone you know! And get a copy to networking sites like Digg as soon as possible. Make sure everyone knows that FOX is always willing to distort, slander, and smear-whatever it takes to advance their conservative agenda.
And for more on how damaging FOX and the corporate media have been, tune into Meet the Bloggers today at 1pm ET/10am PT. Our guest host, punk rock icon Henry Rollins, will be joined by bloggers Jonathan Kim (FOX Attacks!), Liliana Segura (AlterNet.org) and Paul Waldman (Media Matters) to discuss the media's overt bias.
Yours,Robert Greenwaldand the Brave New team
---Brave New Films is supported by members like you, please consider making a donation. You can get our latest videos on email, iTunes, RSS, Facebook, and YouTube here.
Speaking last night at the Democratic National Convention, senator and former presidential candidate John Kerry delivered precisely the kind of blistering attack on John McCain we need to see more of from Democratic leaders. For far too long, leading Democrats have been far too soft on McCain, effusively praising his war record and offering only meek or vague criticism even as McCain and the Republicans have launched a barrage of vicious and dishonest personal attacks on Barack Obama. The time for praising old heroes has passed. It is time now to attack McCain on all fronts and to take the old man down.
Kerry's attack on John McCain last night was exactly what it should have been: direct, explicit, specific, and personal. Describing McCain's campaign tactics as "insulting," "pathetic," and "desperate," Kerry took aim even at McCain's age and experience by saying that when we elect a president we should do so on the basis of "judgment and character, not years in the Senate or years on this earth." McCain's judgment and character - or rather lack thereof - are precisely what Democrats should be taking aim at, as Kerry did relentlessly throughout his speech, refreshingly free of undue praise or softened rhetoric.
Earlier in the day, California senator Barbara Boxer made a few equally strong remarks on McCain's personal temperament, suggesting that McCain's angry outbursts on the Senate floor are evidence of unfitness to serve in such a critical position as that of president. I have long felt that Democrats should be more aggressive in going after McCain's personal character and fitness to serve, particularly given the personal nature of McCain's recent attacks on Obama. McCain's out-of-control temper, his grotesque attempts at humor followed by adolescent giggling at his own stupid jokes, his spotty memory, and his staggering personal dishonesty should all be considered fair game for attack. John McCain has the emotional maturity of a 14-year-old, the mental clarity of an Alzheimer's patient, and few of the characteristics of a competent adult. These facts need to be pointed out to voters, again and again and again.
Meanwhile, as I have suggested, praise for McCain from Democrats needs to stop. If I have to sit and listen to one more Democrat sing loving odes to what a "great American hero" and "maverick" John McCain is, I think I'm going to puke. John McCain does not deserve praise. He deserves relentless attack and defeat.
By Foon Rhee, Boston Globe Staff | August 14, 2008
Senator John F. Kerry yesterday rejoined the battle with one of his fiercest antagonists from his 2004 presidential bid, launching a website to combat a new book highly critical of Barack Obama, his party's presumptive nominee this year.
The initial target is Jerome Corsi, who wrote "Obama Nation" and also was coauthor in 2004 of "Unfit for Command," which attacked Kerry's Vietnam War record in 2004. But Kerry's website - called "Truth Fights Back" - will also seek to counter assaults on other Democrats this election.
"John Kerry can and will fight for the truth on cable news, but we need all of us to battle against the smears in every way," it says on the website. "By signing up, you'll stay on top of the right-wing smear machine and help us battle it back! This site is designed for activists like you to take back the truth from the Bush/McCain politics of Karl Rove that have come to dominate the GOP. So sign up and join in the fight, and start reporting in some smears!"
The website will be funded by Kerry's political action committee, and could bring more supporters to the senator, who is seeking reelection in Massachusetts.
The site is similar to the Fight the Smears website that the Obama campaign itself launched in June to truth-squad the raft of Internet-fueled rumors about his alleged lack of patriotism and that he is "a secret Muslim." As of yesterday, Obama's site did not directly address Corsi's new book, "Obama Nation."
The New York Times reported yesterday that the book will debut at No. 1 on the Times nonfiction hardcover bestseller list on Sunday, despite challenges to the accuracy of its assertions, among them that Obama is a stealth radical who might have never ceased his youthful experimentation with drugs.
"The goal is to defeat Obama," Corsi told the Times. "I don't want Obama to be in office."
Since his razor-thin loss to President Bush four years ago, Kerry has often said he didn't react quickly and forcefully enough to attacks on him, most notably by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and by Corsi. The attacks helped undermine Kerry's standing as a decorated veteran with substantial foreign policy and national security expertise.
In a message to supporters yesterday, Kerry said, "We know the game, we've learned some things . . ."
"You can't just play defense against smears, pointing out how they aren't true," the message continued. "You've got to play offense, too, exposing the whole cynical game for what it is: an attempt to keep us from talking about the real issues and ultimately changing our country for the better. The Republicans have nothing to run on, no ideas to push, no solutions for America. They'll run a campaign of laughable gimmicks and outright distortions and lies. But we can fight back with the truth - and the truth can win this time. Let's do it."
Concerning John Kerry cheating on his wife when his wife was undergoing cancer treatment:
I guess you don't have to be a Kennedy to be an embarrasment.
It's still three months to the election. After things like this, it is becoming the longest three months you could imagine.
There is too much time left and too many things like this can happen.
Are the Democrats going to foolishly self-destruct again?
GB
Big Boss Man, can you hear me when I call?You ain't so big, you just talk, that's just about all!
Thank you, Bruce, for endorsing Obama in the middle of your web page, some place below your tribute to Tim Russert, merchandise offers, and your speech on being inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, and above a lot more merchandise and videos.
That was three months ago, in May.
Not exactly an exclusive in Time magazine, Bruce.
33 concerts for Kerry! Could you make time for a couple for Obama? (I'd like to think that you're just waiting until after the convention (for some reason) and will do a concert for Obama a week after that.)
Sure, you could lose millions, but I bet that I've donated a higher percentage of my income to Obama's campaign than you have, that I've donated a much higher percentage of my time to supporting the campaign than you, and that I'm putting more of my "career" on the line by supporting Obama here in political Washington, DC, than you possibly could in your ivory castle on the beach in Jersey.
Bruce, you're not the only celebrity who is not doing enough, whose endorsement of Obama is too faint. I'm calling you out because you've made a point of, in addition to praising it, telling some of the sad truth about our great country; you've been around for a while, you're a hero to a lot of people, and you're still "The Boss."
Nows the time. How about a song before it's too late!
Thanks!
Henry M
In the light that John McCain is apparently not able to lift his arms over his shoulders due to the tortures as a POW, would it still be fair game to use the footage of him circling crazily with his arm when he was addressing the biker crowd in Sturgis, SD?
Just imagine that in context the GOP ran the flip-flop windsurfing add against John Kerry:
"John McCain takes money from oil companies and they're getting their money's worth back in return"
or:
"How would John McCain describe the direction he wants to take the country?"
But in the end I don't think that democrats would appreciate this kind of cheap tricks - I hope...
Since my last post our man Obama has returned home to ads comparing him to Britney and "she who shall not be named".
Really. Is that the best they can come up with?
Granted, it was painful to watch McCain grocery shop, hold hands with the Dalai Lama and hang out with the common folk in front of a fudge shop. I hear he's even started looking into the internet.
I respected him in 2000. Now he's had a taste of the W. kool-aid, and methinks he likes it.
Who's been guiding Mr. McCain's ad campaign? Can you say swift vote? In 2004, McCain called these tactics dishonest, and defended Kerry. Hmmm. Wonder what's changed?
On July 3, news reports said Senator John McCain, worried that he might lose the election before it truly started, opened his doors to disciples of Karl Rove from the 2004 campaign and the Bush White House.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/opinion/30wed1.html?hp
http://theboard.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/obama-britney-paris-the-low-road-express-goes-lower/
Read on for more about McCain's record on women's equality. Also, an editorial that addresses education.
http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=6454.php
For those of you who don't follow Nanotechnology and Public Policy, there is an important piece of legislation that has been introduced by Senators Snowe and Kerry regarding National Nanotechnology Initiative funding priorities. The bill in question - the Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2008, sets some new targets and research objectives within the existing framework of the NNI. Namely, this is legislation that will help shape the NNI to help focus research to addresses public safety, worker safety, and toxicology guidelines.
Needless to say, this is very important.
Please take some time to let your respective elected officials and respective spheres of influence know your support of this important legislation, as the number of studies being published about nanotoxicology are growing, and the pressures of commercializing nanoparticles continues to grow. Like any bill, its not perfect. However, the key to not slowing research is ensuring we are doing our due diligence to ensure safety. An uneducated public and the potential for a knee-jerk backlash to nanoscience research is something we need to avoid. This bill is certainly a step in the right direction.
Thanks for all that you do.
In science,
Patocka
