- Sadly, No! » Do-It-Yourself Obama Pushback Kit – America is on the brink of economic ruin and the Republicans are still running wild. When will Obama start standing up to them? Insert these phrases into the press conference or interview of your choice!
Posts Tagged: DC
7
Feb 09
Daily Links for February 6th
6
Feb 09
Destroying the Village
There’s a quote from an unattributed USAF Major at Ben Tre (detailed in personal detail here) describing the logic of destroying an entire village while attempting to rout a deeply embedded Vietcong:
“[It] became necessary to destroy the town to save it[.]“
I don’t disagree with the premise. There is always collateral damage in war. It is always brutal, regrettable, and unavoidable. Sometimes, it is necessary to destroy the old so that the new may prosper. Sherman practiced “scorched earth” on his March to the Sea, and Schumpter theorized about creative destruction. Death and rebirth is the natural order of the world.
So it should be with “The Village”.
For those unaccustomed to the phrase, “the Village” is a theme in lefty blog circles explaining the culture and customs of DC beltway types – be they socialites, politicians, fund raisers, but especially the media – print and TV personalities especially.
From the Seminal:
These phrases are shorthand for the idea that there exists a permanent class in Washington D.C. of people “who have a proprietary interest in Washington and identify with it”. This set overlaps with, but is slightly different than, the set of government employees; the latter ostensibly serve at the pleasure of the people who elected them (or elected the person who appointed them), while the former are unabashedly self-interested (”Certainly the Washington insiders have their own interests at heart. Whenever a new president comes to town, he [or she] will be courted assiduously by those whose livelihoods depend on access to power.”). The seminal article on the Village was written in the Washington Post by Villager Sally Quinn in 1998, during the Clinton impeachment. It’s where I got those quotes above, and it’s where the term ‘Village’ comes from, and it’s full of other descriptive lines. For example:
“This is our town,” says Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the first Democrat to forcefully condemn the president’s behavior. “We spend our lives involved in talking about, dealing with, working in government.”
…Muffie Cabot, who as Muffie Brandon served as social secretary to President and Nancy Reagan, regards the scene with despair. “This is a demoralized little village”
…”We have our own set of village rules,” says David Gergen, editor at large at U.S. News & World Report.
…”[Bill Clinton] came in here and he trashed the place,” says Washington Post columnist David Broder, “and it’s not his place.”
…Presidential historian Michael Beschloss … “When everything is turned upside down it affects our psyche more than someone who might be farming in Wyoming.”
That’s one big aspect of the Establishment mentality – the idea of entitlement, that being part of this rarefied group gives their opinions and feelings more weight than “someone who might be farming in Wyoming”. The other, equally important, part is that the Establishment is out of touch with the rest of the country.
I could easily tally their list of failings – the Clinton Impeachment, WMDs, the Iraq War, and now the economy – and particularly how out of touch they are with what Americans really think. We’re beginning to see it again with all the talks of tax cuts, spending freezes, the size of the stimulus, and a host of other issues. But that’s not the purpose of this post.
No. It’s about the public scolding of Michael Phelps for doing something the majority of Americans have done, with many doing so regularly, and ruining a young man’s life.
7
Nov 07
Democrats Don’t Care About Delaware County
Enough already.
The headline on the Delaware County Times and weaselly caption is bad enough, but it's my observation when voting that have inspired my frustration. Philadelphia voted for change. But by all apearances, Delco, Montco, Chester County, and Bucks County all voted for the status quo. I'm left with no possible alternative hypothesis other than the Democrats don't care about Delaware County (or suburban Philadelphia) politics.
The Delaware County Times delivers no value as far as local political reporting, save the occasional 1-inch column. The "Sound-Off" section sounds like a cross between internet forum and local bar circa 1:55 AM. And you can always count on a trio of Gil Spencer's Opinion Local Columns heaping negative criticism on Democratic challengers or lauding compliments of GOP incumbents landing in your mailbox. The Inquirer and the local TV-news networks only cover Delco for crime and scandal. We are horribly under-served. Perhaps we like it that way.
As election day drew nearer, my wife, as she does, collected the various print endorsements. I'd say we received GOP mailings on a 5:1 ratio as compared to the Democrats for the County level council seats. I saw no TV ads, no radio ads, and no door-to-door visits by any of the candidates. No robo-calls, no visits from local leaders, nothing. I understand that there's no money for these things, and that the GOP is entrenched and backed by an all-powerful machine.
The DelcoDems are horribly positioned. The only reason Joe Sestak was able to win his House Seat in Congress was due to his backing by the party establishment, with little discernable thanks to be given to the county leadership. Except for the occasional rant against George Bush and the Iraq War (a brave stance, now that overwhelming majorities oppose both) you hear nothing from them.
No attempts to build an infrastructure. NO GOTV (get-out-the-vote) effort. No effective information gatherer or disseminating device. No go-to-person for sound-bites or commentary. Nothing.
(And yes, I do understand that they get no national or state level [party] financial support. That just means they need to be more creative).
Visiting my fire house, I see Township Manager Jack Ryan handing out ballots. No Democrats to be seen. I go in, sign the book, and vote. I know nothing about any of the Judicial Races (thanks liberal media and DelcoDems), and I take special note the DA Michael Green, Delaware County Township Commissioner Jack Hennessey, and the entire Southeast Delaware County School District;s up-for-election seats were run entirely unopposed.
You mean there were no suitable candidates amongst the county's residents? Or that we didn't look?
One party rule has been devastating both locally in the City of Philadelphia and nationally in Washington, DC. Elected officials, when no longer threatened with re-election, become increasingly complacent, indifferent to constituent concerns, beholden to campaign contribution and single-issue ideologies, and not-infrequently corrupted, either morally, ethically, or criminally.
So why is it? Why isn't there any serious attempt to fix things, to bring some sort of balance? Daddy Democrat pointed out that the GOP ran (since what, 1980) county council voted unanimously 2012 times since 2003. That's a fascinating number, isn't it. Were they all in agreement about what was best for the county and their constituents? I wonder.
So I'm left with a singular conclusion to all of this. Up until recently, the Republicans had a significant advantage to the Democrats in voter-registrations. Despite this, on the National and State level, those voters consistently have delivered Democratic candidates while maintaining the status quo locally. I suspect that the national and state Democratic Parties realize this, and do not wish to spend additional money to benefit local politics.
To be fair, we're not exactly clamoring for change, are we? If the citizenry won't do it themselves, perhaps they don't want it. And that can't possibly be true, can it? Think we can do better? Email me.
20
Feb 07
Sometimes, Truth is Exactly the Same as Fiction…
I saw this story on the Onion a couple of days ago…
WASHINGTON, DC—President Bush announced Monday that his administration will permanently sever ties with the democratically controlled United States Congress, ending a nearly 220-year-old alliance between the two governmental branches.
"Our administration no longer recognizes the authority of this rogue body," said Bush in a televised Oval Office address. "Clearly, these combative men and women have a political agenda in direct opposition to our own. They have no concern for my national interests, and have left me no choice."
After six years of cordial relations between the executive and legislative branches of government, tensions flared up in January when Congress came under the control of "hostile new leadership." After a dramatic standoff last week over American policy in Iraq, the president openly denounced Congress, refused to accept calls from majority leaders, and returned Congress–approved legislation unsigned and unread.
Funny stuff, huh? Then I saw this one, NOT from the Onion (it's from USNews)…
With President Bush unable to get much traction so far in moving his agenda through Congress or in improving his job-approval ratings with the public, White House advisers are casting about for ways to jump-start his final two years, including issuing executive orders to get things done without having to ask for support from the Democratic-controlled Congress.
