Rotten Pork Chowder

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From Frank Schaeffer, via Brad DeLong’s Weblog:

What’s the best defense against the rube/Palin voters derailing the Republican Party forever? If the statistics of who voted for whom are correct, the education of white people in the deep South and their economic empowerment is the best answer. Maybe it will take a black Democratic president to figure out some affirmative action program that can get our southern born-again white underclass into colleges and thereby save the Republican party.

All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.

– John Kenneth Galbraith

[Gold] gets dug out of the ground in Africa, or someplace. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head…

– Warren Buffett

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30 Sept 1985, Los Angeles
“Born in the USA” tour, midway through 8 yrs of Reagan

2 Nov 2008, Cleveland
Obama rally, end of 8 yrs of W

In her post about the cynicism and vitriol of the Republican hatemongers this evening, whose pious “small-town” hypocrisy took on even community organizers who help the most unfortunate among us, working long hours for miniscule financial rewards, Muzikal203 at Daily Kos reminds us of Hillary Clinton’s speech at the Democratic convention, which is more of a rallying cry now than it was then:

This is the story of America. Of women and men who defy the odds and never give up.

How do we give this country back to them? By following the example of a brave New Yorker, a woman who risked her life to shepherd slaves along the Underground Railroad. And on that path to freedom, Harriet Tubman had one piece of advice.

If you hear the dogs, keep going.

If you see the torches in the woods, keep going.

If they’re shouting after you, keep going.

Don’t ever stop. Keep going.

If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.

Even in the darkest of moments, ordinary Americans have found the faith to keep going.

I’ve seen it in you. I’ve seen it in our teachers and firefighters, nurses and police officers, small business owners and union workers, the men and women of our military — you always keep going.

We are Americans. We’re not big on quitting.

But remember, before we can keep going, we have to get going by electing Barack Obama president.

Get involved. Despite what McCain’s campaign would like people to believe, this election is about real issues, as well as character, not about hollow posturing in a fantasyland where just repeating wishes and fabrications over and over makes them true.

That won’t work any more than parading a pregnant high-schooler in front of millions of television viewers as if she’s the poster child for abstinence-only education will make that delusion work. Can you imagine the reaction of the same “small town family values” crowd if it were Barack Obama’s teen daughter up there 5 months pregnant with an ass-kicking, don’t-want-no-kids high school dropout boyfriend?

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From Devilstower at the Daily Kos:

As we know from watching McCain’s ads, the biggest problem facing America is an alarming increase in enthusiasm. Impassioned support is a signal that a candidate is not serious. Spirited followers are a sign of inexperience. In fact, just keeping an audience awake is suspect.

Real Americans know that apathy and indifference are the only solutions to our problems. They know that leaders who show any hint of energy or intelligence are to be shunned.

John McCain — the pro-apathy candidate. Go back to sleep, America.

– Pat Buchanan, right-wing Commentator, 6 February 2008

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and… ur… get off my lawn!