DNC Night Three: The Polite Demonstrators Edition
{Originally published on Resurrection Song}
Heard in passing on the way to the Pepsi Center: Obama’s presidential campaign is the biggest things since the Cosby Show to happen to black Americans.
To tell the truth, covering events like the convention–especially if you are focused on the speeches–would be easier from home. For interviews, for taking photos, and for true believers, the event is a blessing. For content, assuming you’re a blogger at least, the long walks, the wasted time in line to get through security, the high prices, and the chaotic crowds just get in the way of divining the message.
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The biggest challenge is finding a reasonably quiet place to sit down, organize thoughts, and write something meaningful without being overwhelmed by the echoing voices, pushy reporters, and crowded halls. And don’t get me started on the fact that every bar in the area–and in the Pepsi Center–has been carved up by one of the big media outlets and there are only a handful of places for the second-class citizens (me) to sit and work. It’s left many of us poor bastards precious little room to maneuver.Not that I blame the media outlets. If I had the wherewithal, I would do precisely the same.
Walking down to the Pepsi Center tonight after leaving the air conditioned wonder of the Founding Bloggers Secret Lair (check out their site for some great shots of what’s been happening around Denver this week and for exclusive video), I enjoyed the fact that big events bring out two things in modern Americans: their inner capitalist and their willingness to jump in and protest even when the protest has so little to do with the actual event. Like the gentleman protesting the Catholic church and the handling of the pedophile scandals of a few years ago.
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While I admire the work that went into his outfit, I couldn’t tell you what Obama’s coronation event has to do with that particular problem. It was perversely fun to watch him spreading his message contra Catholic Nazi Piggy Back Rides. He stepped carefully through the crowd and spoke to anyone willing to listen while the vendors hawked Obama action-figures, t-shirts, and bottled water. Funny stuff.Not all protesters are made equal, though.
Can I Get an Amen? (The Thinkin’ About a Tea Party Edition)
{Originally posted at Resurrection Song}
Via Instapundit, I find this site that hits me as saying precisely what I want to say:
Today’s economic crisis impacts all Americans, not just those who are behind on their mortgages. Everyone shares concerns over health care, job loss, and the decimation of their retirement savings. All Americans have made sacrifices over the past year. The American taxpayer is already on the hook for mismanaged banks, incompetently run auto companies and extravagent stimulus packages. We don’t need the additional burden of paying for our neighbor’s mortgage. The bottom line - we believe that being current on one’s mortgage should not be grounds for being put at a financial disadvantage.
That is wildly deserving of an amen.
I find myself wondering how conservatives who bought into the rhetoric of hope and change, who believed that Obama would be governing from a moderate’s position, and who ended up voting Democrat in the elections are feeling about their decision right now? I’m feeling more and more that I voted the right direction: McCain.
Now, the current economic crisis isn’t Obama’s fault. There are a lot of names and administrations that can share the blame for bad regulations, overspending, and refusal to deal with the American economy as something built on money that doesn’t come from the Free Money Fairy. And then there are the people–that is, “we, the people”–who helped by demanding more government services and less fiscal sanity. In fact, we, the people, made it downright difficult for a person to be elected if they threatened our slice of the pie, a fact that has made blue hairs such an important voting block and rational conversation about the future of Social Security such a political hazard.
So, no, it’s not Obama’s fault.
But I remember watching one of the televised debates and hearing McCain promise a spending freeze followed by deep cuts in the budget coupled with a belief that raising taxes on any Americans right now would be foolish and irresponsible. Obama, in contrast, spoke breezily about cutting the budget, but thought that a spending freeze was a bad idea and an increase in taxes on the wealthy (whatever “wealthy” might mean) was a brilliant idea.
Crazy Right Wing Bastages
{Originally posted on Resurrection Song}
This comes from the usually politics-free pages of AutoBlog:
The far right wing of the American political spectrum has begun channeling its displeasure over the federal government’s involvement in the restructuring of General Motors into calls for a boycott of the company’s products. Reportedly spearheaded by right wing pundits and radio show hosts, the boycott would be a response to the U.S. government taking a 60% stake in GM in exchange for forgiving most of the tens of billions of dollars loaned to the company over the last six months.
Reading through the comments is educational. I hadn’t realized that the only reason that someone might be opposed to “saving” GM was because that person would like to see the country and Obama fail regardless of the cost to the nation. Philosophical and pragmatic worries about government involvement in private industry are entirely beside the point. Patriotic folks who care about jobs and the economic health of the company are well advised to tow the party line–even if it isn’t their party and even if it defies their principles and beliefs about what our government’s role should be when faced with failing companies (even ones as big as General Motors).
As I’ve said before, I’m not much for boycotts. But I won’t buy a car from a company that is being run like British Leyland back in the seventies. I also believe that our government at least twice overstepped proper bounds in dealing with the collapsing General Motors and Chrysler–first when the bailout plan under the Bush administration and second with the Obama administration’s handling of both GM and Chrysler in their bankruptcies. We could take specific points of contention, but that would be sidling past the point: I’m not skeptical about these deals because of Obama or any latent hatred of working class folks, it’s because I think the plans and our government’s involvement is bad for the companies, bad for the nation, and will ultimately be bad for the products.
Which apparently makes me a member of the “far right wing.”
Read the rest. And, remember: “dissent is the highest form of patriotism” is so 2007.
