Frank Rich seems to think Christine O’Donnell is an asset to the Right, and not the joke she seems to be.
O’Donnell is particularly needed now because most of the other Republican Tea Party standard-bearers lack genuine antigovernment or proletarian cred. Joe Miller and Ken Buck, the Senate candidates in Alaska and Colorado, actually are graduates of elite universities like those O’Donnell lied about attending. Rick Scott, the populist running for governor in Florida, was chief executive of a health care corporation that scooped up so many Medicare and Medicaid payments it had to settle charges for defrauding taxpayers. Rand Paul, the scion of a congressman, is an ophthalmologist whose calls for spending restraint don’t extend to his own Medicare income. Carl Paladino, the truculent man of the people in New York, grew his fortune as a developer with government handouts and favors. His California bookend, Carly Fiorina, received a golden parachute worth as much as $42 million from Hewlett-Packard, where she liquidated some 20,000 jobs….
… O’Donnell, like Palin, knows that attacks by those elites, including conservative grandees, only backfire and enhance her image as a feisty defender of the aggrieved and resentful Joe Plumbers in “real America.â€
O’Donnell’s very ineptitude makes her more attractive to the Right, Frank Rich thinks, because it means she’s “one of them,” not an elitist snob. Although it seems to me that someone who lied about attending ivy league schools on her resume is in no position to play up her populist virtues. Not that inconsistencies have ever stopped a wingnut before.
In other news — The “One Nation” progressive rally in Washington today is claiming a bigger crowd than Beckapalooza. I can’t tell from the photographs if it really was bigger, but it does appear to be less monochromatic, if you catch my drift.
Sadly, Maha, I think Rich might be on to something. It seems that the bigger the lie, the crazier the discourse, the more Teabaggers and Republicans in general climb on board.
I looked at the One Nation and think the crowd is a bit small; but, it is hard to tell with that pic. I lived in the area for 24 years and saw many, many groups on that mall at one time or another. If not there, it was always on the local news, which what I plan to check later.
Off-topic: I know Maha likes horse racing and wanted to say I just saw the movie, “Secretariat”. It is a great movie. Diane Lane is perfect as Ms. Chenery and John Malkovich steals the show with his performance as Lucien Laurin, the trainer. The depictions of the triple crown races were terrific. It’s great entertainment. I give it 5 stars out of 5.
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I’d like to see O’Donnell, Palin, and Paladino on Jeopardy together.
I think a “debate” forum should be thirty minutes in front of an audience with Alex Trebek;it would be far more entertaining and informative than slogan-tossing charades that currently pass for “debates”.
Catagories would include”American History”,”Monkey Business”, “What I can see from my house”, “I’d like to take you out”, and “Bill Clit-in”.
Vote for O’Donnell: Because “morans” need Senators, too!
The right is so distrustful of media, old and new, now that anything coming from NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and/or MSNBC, and/or from liberal/progressive blogs, news sources, etc., is deemed at best propaganda and at worst an outright lie.
Thus, the more Christine O’Donnell is attacked by these news outlets or by anyone connected with the Democrats, including Bill Maher, the more her popularity grows.
Rich may be onto something by praising her.
Did attacks on Sarah Palin backfire? Last I could remember, her ticket lost the election. Or am I about to get a phone call from Vice President Palin? Time for re-education camp!
There’s an implicit understanding among teabaggers held by most Americans that this country was founded by regular folks. The associated superstition is that government has been taken over by ‘elitists’.
It’s true that in America, a man born in Hawii to a mother from Kansas and a father from Kenya can get the best education the USA can offer and rise to the highest office in the land. I don’t agree that Joe the Plumber is equally qualified even though he meets the Constitutional requirements.
But I digress. The ‘founding fathers’ as to historians is a bit more precise than the term ‘elitist’. The list of the founding fathers is generally accepted as – George Washingon, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Hancock and Ben Franklin. Look at the elitist background of the group.
Jefferson – College of William and Mary
Adams – Harvard
Madison – Princeton
Hamilton – Kings College – (now called Columbia University)
Hancock – Harvard
Only Washington and Franklin did not have ‘elitist’ educations.
I’m not suggeting that to be a governor, member of Congress, or president, you NEED a degree from a top university. But the absence of an education is not a qualification or an assset. It’s a deficit that has to be overcome. Could a colonial ‘Joe the Plumber’ have written the Declaration of Independence or drafted the Constitution?
It’s an axiom among this group that ANYONE could do better then our current crop of legislators. On a football Sunday, I might declare, “I could have caught that ball!” But I know pro football calls for discipline and a skill set I don’t have. My car mechanic could be a brain surgeon – with the right training. But I wouldn’t trust him to do surgery on me without it. Is politics in Washington any LESS complex than pro footbqall or surgery, particularly with special interests in the background making changes?
But the teabaggers are convinced that effective government will be the result of term limits and perpetually electing rookies to national office. It’s a nightmare scenario. Had the formation of this country been entrusted to amateurs, as the teabaggers think, the United States would have been stillborn.
“O’Donnell is particularly needed now because most of the other Republican Tea Party standard-bearers lack genuine antigovernment or proletarian credibility”
I wonder if that was a slip “Republican Tea Party”, is he saying if you were part of the establishment republican party you can’t be part of the “Republican Tea Party”?
“Rand Paul, the scion of a congressman, is an ophthalmologist whose calls for spending restraint don’t extend to his own Medicare income”
Where does it end? I can’t vote for candidate XYZ cause he drives his car on thoses socialist government paid for highways! What a bunch of rubes.
Congratulations to blogger Nichole Belle:
“The question is whether the corporate media will keep pimping the “importance” and influence of the tea baggers” finally someone calls out the teabaggers!
Canadian Reader – Machiavelli actually instructed those seeking power to do exactly what is being done by your ‘liars’ and we all know that Rove, and Gingrich by the way, (both of whom, I’m convinced are running things now) are devotees of Machiavelli.
Speaking of the great Machiavelli, he also advised that “The great majority of mankind is satisfied with appearances as though they were realities.” I’ll buy that.
Rich mentioned Rick Scott. Given that waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare program costs the government between $700 billion and $1 trillion/year, Scott is probably an extremely wealthy guy.
Frank Rich is probably right. But it also shows what damage 30 years of this kind of crap does to a nation. Celebrating the “jus’ plain folks” as the people who should be leading the country, pretending that all you have to want is “limited government and low taxes (and being willing to kill/imprison large numbers of people)” to be a good leader, well, do all that long enough, and O’Donnell’s what you end up with.
You don’t need those highfalutin *brains*; you don’t need to *understand* things. That’s for idiots like Al Gore (who goes around pretending that “science” and “facts” are what determine the truth).
You just need to go with your *gut*.
(Great idea. And we all know what our guts produce, right?)
Long-HairedWeirdo – Right on. Didn’t we recently have A Bush in office who behaved as if stupidity were a virtue? Not a few Americans have declared that he was probably the greatest American president we’ve ever had – at least the most virtuous if stupidity is a virtue.
(I love the ‘gut’ comment.)
LongHairedWierdo,
Yeah, I know what a gut produces. Mine smells like roses, everyone elses smells like sh*t…
And maybe that is what Teabaggers perceive…
George W. Bush went to more elite schools than any of these other Presidents. He went to private Prep Schools in Texas and Massachusetts. Then to Yale and Harvard.
“George W. Bush went to more elite schools than any of these other Presidents.”
Yea, and when you are really rich, the don’t flunk you out, I guess. I’m glad now Yale wait listed me. I ended up doing better, anyway.
Doug Hughes, that’s a great point. In fact, you can make a pretty reasonable argument that our founding fathers WERE elitists. They created a gov’t where only one half of one of the branches (H of R) was elected by the people. All checks on presidential power would go through the Senate. And even over all of that it was only the landed, white males who got to vote. They also tacitly embedded slavery into the society. They may have created a Republic, but really did not create a democracy.
Rich is right. She’s the perfect decoy.
Never in my life did I ever think I’d see Democrats promoting elitism. George W. may have turned the world upside down, but Obama turned it inside out.
For those of you who are puzzled about what the bleep La-lola is referring to, I checked her site. She’s a rightie; obviously,reading comprehension skills are not her strong suit. Probably best to just ignore her.
“The great majority of mankind is satisfied with appearances as though they were realities”
Yep, that’s why the girls at Waffle House wear uniforms instead of shorts and tee shirts and cover their tatoos; its why tha SWAT team shows up in black armor with big guns.It also explains why the “Magic Kingdom” is such a big hit.
Denis Dederot said “Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest”
I think both quotes have a common thread………..
“Denis Dederot said “Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest—
There’ll never be a “last king” or “last priest” though. Animal Farm; Lord of the Flies; Heart of Darkness all cover this territory….
buckyblue – While you are correct, by today’s standards, the original Constitution institutionalized slavery, denied wonen the right to vote, and set up a good ol’ boy system of appointments to the Senate, it was in 1787 by far more progressive than any form of government in existance.
It was also a compromise document – the Southern states weren’t going to play unless slavery was guaranteed. Like HCR, the Constitution was deeply flawed, but it was the BEST deal that could be passed. School boards and superficial historians have enshrined as gods the ‘founding fathers’ and pretended that the Constitution and Federalist Papers represent a single, unified mindset that NEVER EXISTED.
The main difference between the divison then and the division now – is that the founders were willing to compromise for the greater good. We pay a high price for repairing the flaws (600,000 died in the Civil war.) but the price of being unwilling to compromise can be seen in countries that ripped themselves apart. (Lebanon in the 80s – Bosnia or Somalia)
“Although it seems to me that someone who lied about attending ivy league schools on her resume is in no position to play up her populist virtues.”
That’s exactly why she appeals as a populist. The resentment at what the rich kids got to do, the willingness to lie speaks of a certain desperation that many poorer folks suffer from.
I know to some degree. As a middle-class scion, I was sent to an upper-class prep school, and had to deal with the silent prejudices of the rich. It was humiliating.
I got a few laughs at Lola’s site, and was tempted to comment there but thought the better of it. She seems like warmed over Frank Luntz: Earnestly Helpful Advice for Concerned Democrats – or some such nonsense. Just trying to be helpful. Her comment here about Obama and elitism, is just more helpful advice, get it?
On her site, I love how she tries to bait feminists into voting for Meg Whitman, and how she says the tide is turning for Meg. Indeed it is, Meg’s been sinking ever since the illegal help scandal surfaced. Nice try, Lola. Spare us your dumb shilling disguised as concern.
Ignore me at your political peril, Maha. I was a registered Democrat for 20 years. I’m not a “rightie,” but that presumptive, shallow mindset of yours is part of what led me to declare my political independence. I’m well-versed in the dishonest corruption of Republicans; facing the depravity on the left was the hard part for me. People like me don’t even recognize the party anymore. People like you can’t even be bothered to try to persuade me back, though I could be persuaded. You’d rather laugh and toss off another impotent snicker. We’ll see if that’s a winning strategy soon enough.
I tremble in the presence of your wrath. Or perhaps I will once I’ve had more coffee.
I did not ignore you. I said (in so many words) that your comment did not seem to be tethered in any real-world way to anything being said on this blog. More simply, I don’t see anyone here defending elitism, so your comment made no sense.
I gave up trying to persuade irrational people a long time ago. But if you ever get your brain back on line, do let us know. Thanks much. Bye.
“Ignore me at your political peril, Maha….”)
I’ll get you, my pretty; and your little dog too!!
Actually, I understand the frustration to a certain point;still being angry about the never ending wars, and lack of prosecution of them what’s started them; and the millions tossed out of their homes while the banks got bailed out.
If I was the POTUS, things would be different; and I’d get shot within 48 hrs of being sworn in.
The problem is, these “Tea Bag” wannabees are marginal people; the OZ factor is over the top.Their Yellow Brick Road is a path to flying monkey land.
“I was a registered Democrat for 20 years. I’m not a “rightie,†but that presumptive, shallow mindset of yours is part of what led me to declare my political independence.”
Translation:
Since my skull didn’t crack open when I dove into that part of the pool for 20 years, I’ve decided to dive into the shallow end.
“People like you can’t even be bothered to try to persuade me back, though I could be persuaded.”
Uhm, lovelalola, did you ever think that your problem is that you ARE easily persuaded?
And, respectfully, if you look at what you see from your new position, and still need to ‘be persuaded,’ you ain’t too bright.
“impotent snicker.” Would that be the version of the candy bar without the nuts?
HI Maha–Is there an easy way to access your old blogposts? I was interested in sharing some of your posts on religion, and also one I recall with a title something like “the people with two watches,” but I can’t figger out how to access them.
Dave
Hi, Dave. You might be thinking of the ‘people with one watch” series from 2006. I created a “one watch” category for them. This link should bring them all up. Note that the science explained in the series may be out of date; I don’t keep up.
For religion generally, you can get most posts with the “religion” category tag (see left hand column for menu). Links to the Wisdom of Doubt series are here.
@lovelalola:
Well, I can try to defend “elitism” just for the sake of argument, but given the vacuous context of what you wrote, determining what definition of elitism should be used is arduous.
At the very least, I will say that I agree with what Doug Hughes wrote. Most of the best and brightest founding fathers were elites, whether you judge by educational background, by wealth, by family prestige, by knowledge and understanding of history, or similar factors.
I have nothing against the concept of the elite leading society; the problems arise entirely in practice. While it’s easy to say that the most skilled and most intelligent among us should lead (this is the concept of meritocracy), it’s extremely difficult to determine who belongs to that set in reality. The reason why all monarchies ultimately fall apart is that no matter how superb the previous king or queen was, there are no guarantees about the qualities of their children. Theocracy fails in a similar manner, except there it is based upon who you know, what you claim, and when you joined rather than the bloodline.
Some will argue that the best leaders could be determined by some form of testing or rigorous analysis. That sounds good until you realize that you have to select who will devise the tests and by what system they will be maintained and evaluated. Furthermore, there isn’t any definitive or even largely objective test for ethics. So it is entirely possible a system of selection based on intelligence or skill set would result in a government of liars, thieves, and butchers.
One thing I do not understand is why “pure” populists who decry elitism like democracy at all. It seems quite obvious from the history of democratic government that the rich and powerful have a tremendous advantage over the ordinary citizen in politics. They are much better able to sway public opinion, and thus votes. If that is the case, why have elections at all? Why not instead just select citizens at random — by drawing lots or numbers? If qualifications are completely irrelevant to governance, there is no need for elections. Just put random citizens to office and have them go at it. This would pretty much annihilate corruption, since there’s no way to game a truly random system. Further, it’s relatively easy to tell whether the results are fair, because a genuinely random selection will closely match the demographics of the population as a whole.
So, lovelalola, would you try addressing this or any other topic of substance? Or did you come here just to troll and fear-monger with comments on “elitism”, “ex-Democrat”, and “peril”?
Thanx–Dave
Elitism is consciousness of or pride in belonging to a select or favored group, Webster’s Unabridged. Given that definition, one could be a Republican, a Democrat, a Socialist, a Teabagger, an academe, union member, an artist…which rather cuts the legs out from under “Democrats promoting elitism.”
This whole ‘elite’ nonsense, if I remember correctly, started with Nixon who explained away his vile personality with the excuse that he wasn’t accepted into ‘elite groups because he wasn’t part of the ‘elite,’ rather than the fact that it was because he was so thoroughly disliked. Does anyone remember his infamous ‘cloth coat’ speech?
[D]id [lovelalola] come here just to troll and fear-monger with comments on “elitismâ€, “ex-Democratâ€, and “perilâ€?
Short answer: yes.
Interesting insight on the level of brainpower that supports Meg Whitman, though.
It’s a shame that Meg couldn’t use the Buy it now option!
Swami, that’s the point. She didn’t vote for 30 years, has never held any public office, and has spent a record $120 million or so to be governor, a job that “only” pays in the low six figures. “Buy It Now” is the perfect middle name for candidate Whitman, for that’s exactly what she’s trying to do.
moonbat..Yeah, buying political office seems to be in vogue these days. In Florida we’ve got Rick Scott who’s placed the high bid on the Governor’s office, and it’s appearing according to polls as if his investment is going to pay off for him. The fielding of political candidates in this upcoming election in Florida is really brutal, and voters are going to be faced with some tough choices.. It’ll be a choice between bad and worse.
We’ve also got Marco Rubio leading in the Senate race… He’s like a political Stepford wife..He’ll tell the voters whatever they want to hear…” You’re a God, Frank!”
Christine O’Donnell is an asset to the Right
That must be a typo. Maybe he meant an “ass-ette”, as in a female jackass.
Although it seems to me that someone who lied about attending ivy league schools on her resume is in no position to play up her populist virtues. Not that inconsistencies have ever stopped a wingnut before.
Attending a class served on the Oxford campus would count as attending Oxford in my opinion. She could of not even known that the class was run by a third party. This is a shallow blow by butthurt elitist libs, as if at least 50 percent of those who will be voting for her, non-jewish white males, have the affirmative action cred to attend any ivy league school. Only “non-privileged minorities” care that this “fraud” never attended Oxford.
To employers, pulling a stunt like that on a resume is universally considered to be a “lie.”
She hadn’t noticed she hadn’t actually been admitted to Oxford? So you’re saying she’s not a liar, just a flaming vacuum-headed idiot?
Making excuses for this con artist/twit is the pathetic act of the hopelessly brainwashed. Open your eyes. You are being scammed, big time.
I’m not entirely sure what racist fantasyland that comes from, but I don’t want to go there.
Dream on.
Well, I hope that person’s true to their word and is a ‘Non-voter.’ We have enough idiots. imbeciles and fools who can find their way to a polling place on Election Day.