A small letter I wrote was published in the Star Tribune on Tuesday. Here’s the link:
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/letters/24042974.html?location_refer=Letters
I have much more to say on the subject than what was published. The letter was even shorter than originally sent and much shorter than the one I originally wrote before editing it down for submission. It was heavily edited by the Strib; but that’s okay, they have really good editors and its substance was intact.
The letter was in response to an article published in the Strib about McCain brushing up on his teleprompter and other public speaking skills. It was the perfect springboard for me to write about something I’ve been thinking about for a long time: We’re not voting for the orator in chief, we’re voting for the commander in chief. There’s a difference.
We’ve all been hearing from the left about what a wonderful orator Obama is. I don’t disagree. I do disagree that it’s as important as the left thinks it is. Last week, while listening to liberal radio, I heard the morning talk show host gushing about Obama and how if we elected him, wouldn’t we look great to the rest of the world? He’s handsome, and really articulate, she said (I’m paraphrasing), and just think about how having him for a president would be great for our image around the world.
Our image? Really? Should that be our main concern in this election? I know it’s been a really big concern for the left, judging from the “they don’t like us” mantra they’ve been spouting ad nauseum since September 11. And yes, it would be nice if we were well liked by everyone.
Happily, conservatives and other deep thinkers understand that being the Sally Field of the world isn’t and shouldn’t be our most important goal. National security should be. These same people know that in an election between Obama and McCain, McCain is the one who will ensure our security, even if he can’t read a teleprompter as well as Obama.
Obama has rejected McCain’s invitation to have town hall meetings together. Why? Maybe it’s because he is uncomfortable without a script. He knows McCain doesn’t excel at the podium, but he excels at the town hall meeting. He is funny, engaging, intellectual, articulate and charming in this setting.
“I think the people deserve to see us side by side,” said McCain at Friday’s town hall meeting in Hudson, Wisconsin. “They deserve to see us directly between the candidate and the voter, and I hope the American people will encourage Senator Obama to come to these things,” he said.
Of the town-hall-meeting-style of speaking to the American people, McCain said, “I promise you it makes me a better candidate—and the most important thing—it will make me a better president.”
One may argue that part of being the president is to give speeches with teleprompters and podiums. While that’s true, I believe McCain is right when he says the town hall meeting style of campaign will make a better president, and that the American people deserve to see both candidates together in that setting.
Fat chance.
I guess I can understand why Obama wouldn’t want to accept McCain’s invitation, simply because Obama wouldn’t have the oratorical upper hand. He counts on vagueness (Change) and shallowness (I’m the better speaker, therefore I am the better candidate) to win this election. He can’t count on substance because he’s in very short supply.
We aren’t in need of the better looking, taller, more smooth-talking leader. Nor are we in need of a man like Obama, who appeared to lose control over his own campaign stop in Fargo last week because of his continual pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey approach to withdrawal from Iraq. We’re in need of a leader who has a proven ability to work across party lines, with a long history of service to country, who has seen his own son deployed to Iraq, and who has a clear vision of what is needed to lead America into the next decade.
I know there are voters who aren’t obsessed with whom Lindsay is dating or who Paris is wearing. Let’s show those who are banking on America’s superficiality that we are deeper than they hope we are. Let’s look at the actual substance of our presidential candidates.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Why In The World Did You Pick That Name?
I've been asked the above question by many friends and family about my blogsite's name being, "friendlyneighborhoodrepublican.blogspot.com." I have a lot of answers.
First, I know it's a really long name. I tried to choose "fnr" instead, but it was taken. I then shortened it to "fnrepublican..." Then someone told me that I had just named my blog "effen republican..." So I had to use the full name.
I've had acquaintances who want to check out the blog ask for the name and say, "You'd better write that down; I won't remember all of that." So I oblige. I have to repeat it a lot so people get the whole thing. But this is my name, and I'm sticking to it.
Why? It's important to me to use the name "friendly neighborhood republican" because it's who I am. I am your neighbor, your friend, the woman you see at the grocery store. I go to the movies. I love my dogs. I break with my party on certian issues, like gay rights. I am part of a community. I make my own decisions.
I am not the boogeyman the left paints all Republicans to be. Indirectly, I have been labeled, (just to name a few) a "child hater," "anti-choice," "anti-feminist," "bigot," "stupid," "religious zealot," and let's not forget Al Franken's gem, "fucking shameless."
Some would assume I'm against education because I don't believe there should be a Department of Education at the federal level.
They’d consider me insensitive to the mentally disabled because I agreed with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ dissenting argument in a case that outlawed putting low-IQ inmates to death. He made the right decision because the law opened up a huge loophole for death row inmates to jump through by intentionally doing poorly on IQ tests. It was a bad case. If they had tried it without the giant loophole, I would have been for it.
As for those labels, I am pro-life, not “anti-choice.” I think you can make all the choices you want as long as they don’t result in the death of someone else. And I’m not “anti-feminist” just because I am pro-life. I believe in equality for women and believe strongly that abortion hurts women. But that’s another blog.
Governor Pawlenty recently vetoed a bill that would have expanded required genetic testing of newborns. To Democrats afflicted with knee disorders (they jerk the moment someone doesn't agree with them) that would mean "Republicans Hate Children." The reason he vetoed the bill, however, was because it didn't give parents enough power to keep a child's samples from being used in long-term research. Most of the left's examples of how much Republicans hate children are along these lines. The simplistic thought is to say, "That's good for kids, but Republicans don't like it. That means they hate children." The linear thought process says, yes it would help children but we can't okay it until it covers all the bases and doesn't create new problems. (insert exasperated sigh)
I am not now, nor have I ever been, a bigot. I once threw a friend out of my home for using a racial epithet. One example of so-called Republican bigotry was used in a column by Paul Krugman of the New York Times. He said Republicans used stereotypes of welfare queens driving Cadillacs to increase the racial divide. The problem with that argument, however, is that statistics have shown that more white women were on AFDC than women of color, so how was being against welfare abuse and negative social engineering racist? This is typical of the swiss-cheese arguments used to paint conservatives with a bigot brush.
Mensa would disagree that I’m stupid. I don’t use religion as a basis for any of my political beliefs. And Al Franken’s comment, well, says more about him than it does me.
If Democrats would quit proposing laws full of holes, bills full of pork and start trying to have linear thoughts, much of the glue for the labels they stick on Republicans would disintegrate.
I don’t let Democrats define me. I am a unique individual. I’m also a Republican. So I’ll keep my long, hard-to-remember, hard-to-type blog name. It suits me just fine.
First, I know it's a really long name. I tried to choose "fnr" instead, but it was taken. I then shortened it to "fnrepublican..." Then someone told me that I had just named my blog "effen republican..." So I had to use the full name.
I've had acquaintances who want to check out the blog ask for the name and say, "You'd better write that down; I won't remember all of that." So I oblige. I have to repeat it a lot so people get the whole thing. But this is my name, and I'm sticking to it.
Why? It's important to me to use the name "friendly neighborhood republican" because it's who I am. I am your neighbor, your friend, the woman you see at the grocery store. I go to the movies. I love my dogs. I break with my party on certian issues, like gay rights. I am part of a community. I make my own decisions.
I am not the boogeyman the left paints all Republicans to be. Indirectly, I have been labeled, (just to name a few) a "child hater," "anti-choice," "anti-feminist," "bigot," "stupid," "religious zealot," and let's not forget Al Franken's gem, "fucking shameless."
Some would assume I'm against education because I don't believe there should be a Department of Education at the federal level.
They’d consider me insensitive to the mentally disabled because I agreed with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ dissenting argument in a case that outlawed putting low-IQ inmates to death. He made the right decision because the law opened up a huge loophole for death row inmates to jump through by intentionally doing poorly on IQ tests. It was a bad case. If they had tried it without the giant loophole, I would have been for it.
As for those labels, I am pro-life, not “anti-choice.” I think you can make all the choices you want as long as they don’t result in the death of someone else. And I’m not “anti-feminist” just because I am pro-life. I believe in equality for women and believe strongly that abortion hurts women. But that’s another blog.
Governor Pawlenty recently vetoed a bill that would have expanded required genetic testing of newborns. To Democrats afflicted with knee disorders (they jerk the moment someone doesn't agree with them) that would mean "Republicans Hate Children." The reason he vetoed the bill, however, was because it didn't give parents enough power to keep a child's samples from being used in long-term research. Most of the left's examples of how much Republicans hate children are along these lines. The simplistic thought is to say, "That's good for kids, but Republicans don't like it. That means they hate children." The linear thought process says, yes it would help children but we can't okay it until it covers all the bases and doesn't create new problems. (insert exasperated sigh)
I am not now, nor have I ever been, a bigot. I once threw a friend out of my home for using a racial epithet. One example of so-called Republican bigotry was used in a column by Paul Krugman of the New York Times. He said Republicans used stereotypes of welfare queens driving Cadillacs to increase the racial divide. The problem with that argument, however, is that statistics have shown that more white women were on AFDC than women of color, so how was being against welfare abuse and negative social engineering racist? This is typical of the swiss-cheese arguments used to paint conservatives with a bigot brush.
Mensa would disagree that I’m stupid. I don’t use religion as a basis for any of my political beliefs. And Al Franken’s comment, well, says more about him than it does me.
If Democrats would quit proposing laws full of holes, bills full of pork and start trying to have linear thoughts, much of the glue for the labels they stick on Republicans would disintegrate.
I don’t let Democrats define me. I am a unique individual. I’m also a Republican. So I’ll keep my long, hard-to-remember, hard-to-type blog name. It suits me just fine.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Don't Blame Me...
I've been really busy lately, and this may seem lazy, but I feel the need to repost a previous blogpost I wrote about Al Franken's "I'm a satirist" excuse. It's still really relevant:
So Al Franken finally paid a $25,000 fine—one that he ignored for more than a year--for failing to carry worker’s compensation insurance for his employees. Why should he have to pay? Plenty of people don’t.
While I was growing up, my father ran a small business of which he was very proud. He would always rail against his competitors, most of whom didn’t run their businesses on the up-and-up. “They don’t pay workers comp, they don’t pay payroll taxes, it’s all under the table!” he would rant. I used to wonder, well, if everyone else isn’t doing it, and no one is bothering them about it, then why are you paying? If you stopped paying all of those silly fees, wouldn’t you be able to buy me more clothes? Gosh!
Just joking. Well, not exactly joking, because I’m not really a comedienne. You could say I’m more of a ... satirist. Many of my published works would certainly be considered satire, so I guess the label fits.
It’s the label Al Franken hides behind. When I think about it, this new title could come in handy for me as well. I've always tried to be an upstanding, law-abiding citizen, but who knows when I might need an “out” when I get into trouble? “But officer, I wasn’t really speeding. I was just demonstrating for my son, in a rather droll manner, the driving habits of other drivers I don’t respect. You can’t give me a ticket. I’m a satirist.”
How liberating! I could do anything and expect to get away with it! I could play by different rules and be held to a different standard than everyone else!
I could, at will, discount all of the other things I am: wife, mother, writer, friend, neighbor, daughter, sister, pet owner, aunt, grandmother. When in trouble, I could throw all of these titles away and hide behind Franken's favorite title: satirist, just as Franken often uses it to replace what should be his most important title: Senatorial Candidate.
If anyone were to bring up any illegal, distasteful, racially insensitive, boorish, frightening behavior, I could say (and just for fun, in a degrading, stereotypical parody of an Asian accent; you know, like Al uses) that they were trying to avoid talking about real issues, like how our roads have too many pot holes. But that argument would be hollow because my detractors, by pointing out how they dislike my behavior, would in effect be saying, “Your satire helps show us who you really are, and we don’t much like or trust that person.”
Let’s have a small civics lesson for those who still don’t get it. Parody and satire are protected forms of speech in the United States. You have the right to use them to say anything you want and be protected from libel and slander suits under the umbrella of this Constitutional right. What this right does not do is stop people from being offended by the content of an individual’s protected form of speech. The reader or listener can find it distasteful, racist, reckless, and a true window into the personality of the person saying or writing it. It does not protect the satirist from public opinion, and negative public opinion can be a pesky little problem for a political candidate.
Because I'm a satirist, why aren’t I running willy nilly through the countryside doing and saying things without regard for anyone but myself? Because I am my father’s daughter. I have pride, integrity and a backbone. I'm a role model for my children and grandchild. I try to do the right thing in the first place, not just after I get caught doing something wrong. But I’m not running for office...
Al Franken is.
So Al Franken finally paid a $25,000 fine—one that he ignored for more than a year--for failing to carry worker’s compensation insurance for his employees. Why should he have to pay? Plenty of people don’t.
While I was growing up, my father ran a small business of which he was very proud. He would always rail against his competitors, most of whom didn’t run their businesses on the up-and-up. “They don’t pay workers comp, they don’t pay payroll taxes, it’s all under the table!” he would rant. I used to wonder, well, if everyone else isn’t doing it, and no one is bothering them about it, then why are you paying? If you stopped paying all of those silly fees, wouldn’t you be able to buy me more clothes? Gosh!
Just joking. Well, not exactly joking, because I’m not really a comedienne. You could say I’m more of a ... satirist. Many of my published works would certainly be considered satire, so I guess the label fits.
It’s the label Al Franken hides behind. When I think about it, this new title could come in handy for me as well. I've always tried to be an upstanding, law-abiding citizen, but who knows when I might need an “out” when I get into trouble? “But officer, I wasn’t really speeding. I was just demonstrating for my son, in a rather droll manner, the driving habits of other drivers I don’t respect. You can’t give me a ticket. I’m a satirist.”
How liberating! I could do anything and expect to get away with it! I could play by different rules and be held to a different standard than everyone else!
I could, at will, discount all of the other things I am: wife, mother, writer, friend, neighbor, daughter, sister, pet owner, aunt, grandmother. When in trouble, I could throw all of these titles away and hide behind Franken's favorite title: satirist, just as Franken often uses it to replace what should be his most important title: Senatorial Candidate.
If anyone were to bring up any illegal, distasteful, racially insensitive, boorish, frightening behavior, I could say (and just for fun, in a degrading, stereotypical parody of an Asian accent; you know, like Al uses) that they were trying to avoid talking about real issues, like how our roads have too many pot holes. But that argument would be hollow because my detractors, by pointing out how they dislike my behavior, would in effect be saying, “Your satire helps show us who you really are, and we don’t much like or trust that person.”
Let’s have a small civics lesson for those who still don’t get it. Parody and satire are protected forms of speech in the United States. You have the right to use them to say anything you want and be protected from libel and slander suits under the umbrella of this Constitutional right. What this right does not do is stop people from being offended by the content of an individual’s protected form of speech. The reader or listener can find it distasteful, racist, reckless, and a true window into the personality of the person saying or writing it. It does not protect the satirist from public opinion, and negative public opinion can be a pesky little problem for a political candidate.
Because I'm a satirist, why aren’t I running willy nilly through the countryside doing and saying things without regard for anyone but myself? Because I am my father’s daughter. I have pride, integrity and a backbone. I'm a role model for my children and grandchild. I try to do the right thing in the first place, not just after I get caught doing something wrong. But I’m not running for office...
Al Franken is.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Republicans, Enjoy
I have a confession to make. I listen to liberal talk radio. It's a blast. I don't often get to say this, but being a Republican (especially in Minnesota) has been really fun lately.
I am having a great time listening to Democrats tear each other apart. Frankly, with all that's being said, I don't know how they'll recover. The Obama people are ripping Hillary to shreads, while Hillary continues to dig into Obama until he's almost unelectable. It's really nice to have other people do your work for you, isn't it?
But it might all be over. The big day has come. The day so many Democrats have waited for. This is supposed to be the day when the winner of the Democratic nomination will be clearly decided. Or will it?
Hillary has said that she has to win today's Pennsylvania primary to stay in the race. Most pundits think she will, especially after Senator Obama's gaffe last week. Who really knows? I suspect that whatever the outcome, Hillary will hold onto this race by her fingernails, the Dems wellbeing be damned.
For me, and I'm sure for other Republicans as well, it's been a most entertaining ride, one that we hope we don't have to get off of just yet. Our greatest dream would be to have the Democratic infighting continue until August, so there are only 3 months left for the Dems to attack John McCain. At which point they will lose the general election because they couldn't see the forest for the trees.
They couldn't run their own party well enough to avoid the silly Michigan and Florida delagate problem. Then they tore their own candidates apart for weeks on end. Is this the party that should be running the country? They can't even run their own endorsement process.
In the meantime, I'll just sit back and enjoy being a Republican.
I am having a great time listening to Democrats tear each other apart. Frankly, with all that's being said, I don't know how they'll recover. The Obama people are ripping Hillary to shreads, while Hillary continues to dig into Obama until he's almost unelectable. It's really nice to have other people do your work for you, isn't it?
But it might all be over. The big day has come. The day so many Democrats have waited for. This is supposed to be the day when the winner of the Democratic nomination will be clearly decided. Or will it?
Hillary has said that she has to win today's Pennsylvania primary to stay in the race. Most pundits think she will, especially after Senator Obama's gaffe last week. Who really knows? I suspect that whatever the outcome, Hillary will hold onto this race by her fingernails, the Dems wellbeing be damned.
For me, and I'm sure for other Republicans as well, it's been a most entertaining ride, one that we hope we don't have to get off of just yet. Our greatest dream would be to have the Democratic infighting continue until August, so there are only 3 months left for the Dems to attack John McCain. At which point they will lose the general election because they couldn't see the forest for the trees.
They couldn't run their own party well enough to avoid the silly Michigan and Florida delagate problem. Then they tore their own candidates apart for weeks on end. Is this the party that should be running the country? They can't even run their own endorsement process.
In the meantime, I'll just sit back and enjoy being a Republican.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Children, It's Time To Pull Out Our Dictionaries
I can’t count how many times this week I have seen and heard liberals whipping out their dictionaries to read their special, make-believe definition of the word “elitist.” The dictionary readers have ranged from radio talk show host Ed Schultz to Joy Behar from The View, and everything in between. To have so many liberals quoting the same wrong thing is laughable.
What has sparked this sudden mania for dictionaries? Barack Obama made a comment last weekend while speaking at a function where his audience consisted of wealthy California donors. If you haven’t already heard or read the comment a million times, here it is:
“Our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there’s not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are going to regenerate and they have not.
“And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
Cue the fury of his opponents--mostly in his own party—who started bandying about the “E” word. Then cue his supporters to drag out their dictionaries to help them shout the wrong definition of “elitist” to anyone within earshot.The Obama supporters certainly seem to have gotten the memo. It probably reads something like this:
Dear Supporters of Senator Obama:
When people who are part of the Clinton cabal or the Bush-Cheny-McCain-Coleman regime call Senator Barack Obama an "elitist" (because of his recent remarks about Americans clinging to their guns, god, etc.), refer to the dictionary definition of "elite,” which is:
e·lite or é·lite: A group or class of persons or a member of such a group or class, enjoying superior intellectual, social, or economic status. The best or most skilled members of a group.
Our talking point is: what is wrong with being elite? Of course Obama is elite. He was educated at Harvard. He is a Senator. He is the first African American man to run for president. He is one of "the best or most skilled members of a group." We should have our best and brightest running for president. Therefore, being elitist isn't a bad thing.
Keep repeating this point at every opportunity. If you can, take out your reading glasses for affect because it makes you look smarter. We know people won't notice that you're using the definition of "elite," which no one called Obama, rather than the definition of "elitist," which is what they actually called him, and the definition of that word makes Obama look really bad.
For your information only, the following is the definition of “elitist.” Do not under any circumstances use this definition, because it doesn’t help us sell our point.
e·lit·ism or é·lit·ism The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources. The sense of entitlement enjoyed by such a group or class. Control, rule, or domination by such a group or class.
e·lit'ist adj. & n. elit·ism :1: leadership or rule by an elite 2: the selectivity of the elite; especially : snobbery
We think that by getting the public to buy our own definition of “elitist,” instead of the real one above, they will begin to believe it is the true definition. Also, by concentrating on deflecting the accusation of Senator Obama's being "elitist," we can distract the public from the fact that his comments could be construed by many as offensive, no matter what they are labeled. After all, we are using dictionaries to prove our point, which makes us look intelligent and superior, and who could argue with that?
Sincerely,
Your Leaders
What makes the tactic so insulting is the very elitism behind exchanging the word “elitist” for the word “elite.” It’s as if they think we won’t notice, or open a dictionary ourselves to learn and judge for ourselves whether or not we think Obama’s comment was elitist.
I, and many likeminded people, have long felt that the Democratic party as a whole is very elitist. They seem to function on the idea that they know how to spend our money better than we do. Conservatives have watched as the “tolerance party” repeatedly shows its intolerance of people who won’t mindlessly go along with its every thought. We’ve seen it play out with our own Senator Coleman, who, when his life’s journey led him to become pro life, was cruelly rejected by the Democratic party because he didn’t hold the same belief they did. Liberals do this because they think their group has the right to rule over everyone else because they perceive themselves to be superior. Sound familiar?
So, was Obama’s comment elitist? He was assuming to know that small town America's faith in God or position on gun control, etc. stems solely from government's failure to provide them with all of their needs. In my opinion, his comment was not as much elitist as it was snobbish, but that is included in the definition of elitist, so I suppose the answer is yes. At the very least, it was insulting.
Is the dumbed-down-for-the-little-people reaction of his supporters elitist? I’m certain of it.
Has the Democratic party long fit the definition of elitist?
Absolutely.
ab·so·lute·ly
–adverb
1. without exception, completely; wholly, entirely.
2. positively; certainly.
3. (of a transitive verb) without an object.
4. used emphatically to express complete agreement or unqualified assent.
What has sparked this sudden mania for dictionaries? Barack Obama made a comment last weekend while speaking at a function where his audience consisted of wealthy California donors. If you haven’t already heard or read the comment a million times, here it is:
“Our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there’s not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are going to regenerate and they have not.
“And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
Cue the fury of his opponents--mostly in his own party—who started bandying about the “E” word. Then cue his supporters to drag out their dictionaries to help them shout the wrong definition of “elitist” to anyone within earshot.The Obama supporters certainly seem to have gotten the memo. It probably reads something like this:
Dear Supporters of Senator Obama:
When people who are part of the Clinton cabal or the Bush-Cheny-McCain-Coleman regime call Senator Barack Obama an "elitist" (because of his recent remarks about Americans clinging to their guns, god, etc.), refer to the dictionary definition of "elite,” which is:
e·lite or é·lite: A group or class of persons or a member of such a group or class, enjoying superior intellectual, social, or economic status. The best or most skilled members of a group.
Our talking point is: what is wrong with being elite? Of course Obama is elite. He was educated at Harvard. He is a Senator. He is the first African American man to run for president. He is one of "the best or most skilled members of a group." We should have our best and brightest running for president. Therefore, being elitist isn't a bad thing.
Keep repeating this point at every opportunity. If you can, take out your reading glasses for affect because it makes you look smarter. We know people won't notice that you're using the definition of "elite," which no one called Obama, rather than the definition of "elitist," which is what they actually called him, and the definition of that word makes Obama look really bad.
For your information only, the following is the definition of “elitist.” Do not under any circumstances use this definition, because it doesn’t help us sell our point.
e·lit·ism or é·lit·ism The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources. The sense of entitlement enjoyed by such a group or class. Control, rule, or domination by such a group or class.
e·lit'ist adj. & n. elit·ism :1: leadership or rule by an elite 2: the selectivity of the elite; especially : snobbery
We think that by getting the public to buy our own definition of “elitist,” instead of the real one above, they will begin to believe it is the true definition. Also, by concentrating on deflecting the accusation of Senator Obama's being "elitist," we can distract the public from the fact that his comments could be construed by many as offensive, no matter what they are labeled. After all, we are using dictionaries to prove our point, which makes us look intelligent and superior, and who could argue with that?
Sincerely,
Your Leaders
What makes the tactic so insulting is the very elitism behind exchanging the word “elitist” for the word “elite.” It’s as if they think we won’t notice, or open a dictionary ourselves to learn and judge for ourselves whether or not we think Obama’s comment was elitist.
I, and many likeminded people, have long felt that the Democratic party as a whole is very elitist. They seem to function on the idea that they know how to spend our money better than we do. Conservatives have watched as the “tolerance party” repeatedly shows its intolerance of people who won’t mindlessly go along with its every thought. We’ve seen it play out with our own Senator Coleman, who, when his life’s journey led him to become pro life, was cruelly rejected by the Democratic party because he didn’t hold the same belief they did. Liberals do this because they think their group has the right to rule over everyone else because they perceive themselves to be superior. Sound familiar?
So, was Obama’s comment elitist? He was assuming to know that small town America's faith in God or position on gun control, etc. stems solely from government's failure to provide them with all of their needs. In my opinion, his comment was not as much elitist as it was snobbish, but that is included in the definition of elitist, so I suppose the answer is yes. At the very least, it was insulting.
Is the dumbed-down-for-the-little-people reaction of his supporters elitist? I’m certain of it.
Has the Democratic party long fit the definition of elitist?
Absolutely.
ab·so·lute·ly
–adverb
1. without exception, completely; wholly, entirely.
2. positively; certainly.
3. (of a transitive verb) without an object.
4. used emphatically to express complete agreement or unqualified assent.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Senator Coleman Says It Best
I planned that my next post would be about the things Norm Coleman has done for Minnesota and for our Country. The Senator's speech at the launch of his reelection campaign on March 26 said it better than I ever could. These are his words:
My face and my name are familiar. But there are some things most people don’t know. I have lived in the same house on a quiet St. Paul street for 20 years. We send Sarah to college in the fall; at the same time Jake heads to the U of M law school.
Like families on every street we’ve had to empty out part of our retirement plans to pay for our kids’ education and support elderly parents.
And a few months ago we laid my dad to rest in Arlington Cemetery. He was a man of boundless enthusiasm and love. This is the first big step of my life I’ve taken without him by my side.
But his spirit encourages every beat of my heart today and I honor him by trying to serve with every ounce of energy God gives me.
I am very conscious of the fact that I stand between two generations: trying to honor the values and sacrifice of my Dad’s generation and working to create even greater opportunities for the world my kids will grow old in.
I respect and believe in public service as a high calling. As my favorite legendary mayor Joe Soucheray says, you don’t do it to be important; you do it to be useful. Public service is not about celebrity; it’s about problem-solving. And politics only has value if it leads to progress. We’ve made progress in the last six years in a challenging world. And we can do even more.
These past few years we’ve accomplished a lot for our state and our country. But America is a race without a finish line, and Minnesota is a leading participant in that race. After 150 years, we’re just getting started.
Proud of our past and eager to reach for our common future, I am humbled and excited to announce: today I am a candidate for another term as your senator.
I want to say right up front that I run for this office as a proud Republican because this party expresses and achieves the highest ideals of America.
Republicans believe in freedom first, and government programs after.
We believe in a strong national defense and an unshakeable relationship with our ally Israel. We should never go to the UN for a permission slip to pursue our national interest.
Republicans are for small businesses (especially those who pay their workers’ comp insurance) and we’re for the entrepreneur, not big media, big business, trial lawyers or any other special interest.
We are for quality jobs for working men and women.
We are for the family farm.
We are for the free exercise of faith.
We are for strengthening the family.
We are for limited, effective government.
And we are for protecting all life, from the moment of conception to natural death.
And we welcome to this campaign all those who decide, like I did, that they want to pursue their American ideals above and beyond partisan politics.
Now we all know these are challenging times. Our economy has slowed. Our politics are divided. And our families are stressed. My wife and kids and I enjoy our lives, but we open the morning paper with the same anxiety all of you do. What’s going to happen today?
But life is more than emotion and history is more than circumstance. The ancient Hebrew prophets said without a vision the people perish. It is our common belief in a better future that helps us survive and prevail.
It is the task of leadership to define and nurture that vision.
That is almost reason enough for me to run for re-election: to be a voice of optimism in a cynical time.
If we as Minnesotans don’t believe we can succeed, then we are probably right. But I’m here to say I believe in Minnesota’s and America’s bright future.
Optimism is not a republican virtue, or democrat virtue; it’s an American virtue. Optimism is more than a feeling, it’s an approach.
It’s a way of seeing obstacles as opportunities; it’s an ability to turn challenges into chances for greatness. America’s greatness and Minnesota’s also - comes from our ability to summon optimism and hope when the facts seem to point to despair and defeat.
Our economy is hurting; folks are losing their homes and worried about the cost of their health care.
We have reached such a time when we really, really need to draw about our resilient spirit of confidence and our unified capability for action, and move our nation forward.
My heroes are hopeful people:
David Ben Gurion who said, “Anyone who doesn’t believe in miracles is not a realist.”
Ronald Reagan, who talked about the song the settlers sang as they pushed west, “It is the American sound… hopeful, big-hearted, idealistic, daring, decent, and fair.”
And Helen Keller, who said: “Security in this life is an illusion… life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing at all.”
I love my country and I love Minnesota… Because we are perfect? No. Because unlike other places on this globe, we always find the motivation to rise above circumstances and end up better than where we began.
The events of 2007 say more about MN than any politician ever could about what kind of place we are: we had floods, fires, droughts and the bridge collapse, and yet our people and their government stepped forward and met those extreme challenges one by one. Minnesotans refused to quit or to whine or become victims. We chose to be neighbors instead.
We didn’t just survive, we prevailed; we’re not just moving on, we’re moving forward. We didn’t just find a way out, we found our way together.
We are part of a proud history. In his message to the Congress of 1862, Lincoln called America “the last best hope of earth.”
He said that at a time when millions remained in slavery, the Civil War was claiming thousands of lives each month and terrible economic hardships were weighing on the people.
And yet he was full of the kind of optimism that sustains and leads.
In a small, local way, I know something about this from personal experience. I became mayor of Saint Paul, in a dark time. Jobs were leaving, crime was growing and taxes were rising. By the time I completed eight years of no tax increases, of eight years of making our capital city more livable and affordable for middle class families: thousands of new jobs were added; billions of dollars were invested in reconnecting with our Mississippi River and we brought the National Hockey League back to Minnesota-where it always belonged.
As a mayor I simply brought people together to work very hard to get things done for our city. We didn’t point fingers, we joined hands. We softened our voices and we lifted our sights. That is my experience, my pattern and my approach to governing during 32 years of public service in Minnesota.
With Norm Coleman, bringing people together to get things done is what you see and what you get.
I am running on my record, because unlike my likely opponent, I have one. What a concept: before you serve in the U.S. Senate, maybe you should have done something to show you can actually do the job.
In my 17 years with the Minnesota attorney general’s office, I traveled to every corner of this great state prosecuting criminals.
As mayor, I helped rebuild a capital city that we could all be proud of.
As your Senator I’ve tried to be “Minnesota’s mayor in Washington”: putting the emphasis on serving your needs, no project too big or too small. I’m willing to work with anybody who helps get the job done. I learned a long time ago that there are some problems that are too big for one party to solve.
I’ve visited all 87 counties at least twice, listening and learning what you need from your national government. My staff and I have been to every single City in this state over 800 - large, small and in between. We’re not looking for a medal: that’s our job.
I’ve been a champion for ending our dependence on foreign oil with renewable fuels, wind energy, clean coal technology, nuclear energy and deep water drilling.
And I kept my promises to Minnesotans. I said I’d oppose drilling in ANWR and I did.
I said I’d support or troops and our veterans and I did. I succeeded in improving health care for our veteran’s and securing funding for a national “made in Minnesota” model for reintegrating our brave troops coming home from Iraq.
And so much more:
I’ve worked to increase low income heating assistance for the poor and fought cuts in service to the most vulnerable Minnesotan’s.
I’ve championed rural development and worked to insure that the quality of health care doesn’t depend on your zip code.
As Chair of the Permanent Investigation subcommittee I uncovered $14 billion in wasteful Washington spending.
I blew the lid off the corruption of the Oil for Food Program that financed Saddam’s terror at our expense.
I’ve held millionaires and corporate America accountable by exposing sham tax shelters-and brought billions of tax dollars back into the U.S. treasury.
I worked with the our Minnesota delegation, the administration, the governor and local officials to fund the new I-35W bridge that is already rising from the river as symbol of recovery and progress.
We helped over 3,000 Minnesotan’s secure passports after the system collapsed-and that nightmare will never occur again, because we’ve brought a passport office to Minnesota next year.
I worked to protect our ports so we can have greater security that terrorists aren’t smuggling-in nuclear weapons.
I have worked with family farmers on disaster assistance, and helped break the log jam that was preventing passage of the critically needed farm bill for Minnesota.
I said I’d help bring seniors a drug benefit under Medicare and I did. I said I’d support good judges, who interpret the Constitution, not reinvent it, and I did and they’re making wise decisions that protect this country and foster freedom.
I could go on and on, and during this campaign, I will! … about all that has been accomplished, but there is so much more we need to do.
At a time like this, when national partisanship is so inflamed, we need uniters not dividers.
And when its all said and done, after all the bills, all the hearings and the votes, I would say what matters most to me are the people I’ve been able to help.
I met Pete Panos here, over in Iraq, when he was a member of the famous Red Bulls, the greatest National Guard unit in America.
Now he advises me on how we provide support for all veterans. After listening to Pete and many other Minnesota veterans, I personally spoke to Secretary Gates and helped guarantee full education benefits for all of our troops who served in Iraq.
I pushed for GI bill education benefits for spouses who had to quit school to care for their families when their spouses were on 15 month tours of duty. And we just recently, for the first time in over 30 years raised the mileage reimbursement for vets traveling to VA facilities for health care. Pete, we thank you for your service.
Joe and Linda Goleski here had in their hearts the hope of adopting a baby from Guatemala. They were caught in a bureaucratic nightmare.
As Linda put it, “Until you’ve been alone in a foreign country, with a new baby, and no one to be your advocate, you have no idea how scary the experience can be.”
We became their advocate, leaned hard on the Guatemalan government and they brought baby, Sophia, home to be a Minnesotan.
And Sergeant Tom Shilling is with us here today, too.
Tom went through the military process to get a two week leave from Iraq to be at his daughter’s wedding.
It was all approved — until his commanding officer tore it up. We were on the phone in 5 minute intervals for hours to get someone on the line with the authority to fix it.
It was small joy to us and huge one to him when he arrived with 24 hours to spare and walked his daughter down the aisle. Thanks for your service, Tom and for the chance to serve you.
Friends, it’s not labels or speeches that matter: it’s people. Protecting their freedom and creating policies that serve them.
I’m fighting for the people’s interests, not the special interests.
The soldiers, the elderly, the college kids, the middle class and the working families–these are the people who deserve a senator who fights for them-and has shown he can produce results.
I have, I am, and with your help in November, I will for years to come.
I was born a long way from here. But 32 years ago I made a choice that gave me the incredible opportunity to lead a Minnesota life.
My heart brought me to this place to marry the woman who stands with me in this adventure. Our love brought me the two beautiful children who stand with us today as young adults.
Over those three decades I’ve experienced the joys of fishing on crystal clear Minnesota lakes, celebrating two baseball world championships-and dropping the puck at the first game of the Minnesota Wild.
I’ve also faced difficulties and heartbreaks here. Laurie and I buried our first son Adam and our youngest daughter Grace in the good earth of Minnesota.
But our grief gave us a greater love for the sanctity of all human life.
Through it all, the spirit of family and faith that is so strong in this state has sustained me.
I’ve never lost the sense of hope and optimism that this is the land of 10,000 dreams and daily miracles in the lives of regular people.
Minnesota is a place that respects hard work, common sense and public service. That’s the Minnesota I want to continue to work for in the uncertain future that we face.
For limited, effective government that lives within its means.
For success in Iraq and then an orderly withdrawal.
For affordable health care for all Minnesotan’s, without turning it over to the government folks who did Katrina relief and the welfare programs that ruined so many.
For tax cuts, less regulation and free and fair trade, not a clumsy, inflexible and intrusive government and protectionism.
For a judiciary that respects the Constitution and traditional values, and not one that tries to govern through social experimentation from the bench.
I see beyond today’s cloudy horizon to a bright American future.
I’m not willing to cede the 21st Century to the Chinese or anyone else. That’s because I will work hard to make sure we have the smartest kids, the best trained workers and a dynamic economy based on our unlimited entrepreneurial spirit.
I see a bold new American technology leading the way to the next stage of global economic growth.
I especially see new green technology creating robust new 21st century job opportunities as we fulfill our commitments to clean the air, the water and the land we hold so dear in the Land of 10,000 lakes.
I see citizen engagement, market principles and innovative government solving our problems in health care, housing, energy and education.
I see the march of freedom continuing over the rocky road of terrorism and totalitarianism to a better future for all.
And I see Minnesota and Minnesotans leading the way in all of these areas.
Lincoln closed that famous message to Congress I quoted earlier with these words, talking about the unique American pathway through trouble: “The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just — a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless.”
That’s the path of public service for me: plain - not Hollywood; peaceful - not divisive; generous - not mean spirited; and just - not political.
Isn’t that what we all want? Republicans, Democrats and Independents?
As Minnesotans, there is so much more that unites us than divides us. This campaign isn’t about me…it’s about you — your families, your dreams, your future. That’s why I asked to be your senator six years ago. And that’s why I ask you today to let me continue the job.
Together, we can make a great state even greater and a proud country even prouder.
Let me repeat something I said when I first sought this office six years ago. In the Bible it says that those who have been faithful in little things will be entrusted with greater things.
I have learned a lot in all my experiences in public service - from both my successes and my mistakes.
I would say with honest humility, I think what I do best is what Minnesota needs most: an experienced, optimistic problem-solver who can do more than talk about change: I can actually bring people together to get things done for Minnesota.
As Americans, we are the last best hope of earth: let’s rise above lesser things and make our parents proud and our children grateful.
May God continue bless America and the State of Minnesota as we work to be worthy of that blessing.
And may God bless you all.
My face and my name are familiar. But there are some things most people don’t know. I have lived in the same house on a quiet St. Paul street for 20 years. We send Sarah to college in the fall; at the same time Jake heads to the U of M law school.
Like families on every street we’ve had to empty out part of our retirement plans to pay for our kids’ education and support elderly parents.
And a few months ago we laid my dad to rest in Arlington Cemetery. He was a man of boundless enthusiasm and love. This is the first big step of my life I’ve taken without him by my side.
But his spirit encourages every beat of my heart today and I honor him by trying to serve with every ounce of energy God gives me.
I am very conscious of the fact that I stand between two generations: trying to honor the values and sacrifice of my Dad’s generation and working to create even greater opportunities for the world my kids will grow old in.
I respect and believe in public service as a high calling. As my favorite legendary mayor Joe Soucheray says, you don’t do it to be important; you do it to be useful. Public service is not about celebrity; it’s about problem-solving. And politics only has value if it leads to progress. We’ve made progress in the last six years in a challenging world. And we can do even more.
These past few years we’ve accomplished a lot for our state and our country. But America is a race without a finish line, and Minnesota is a leading participant in that race. After 150 years, we’re just getting started.
Proud of our past and eager to reach for our common future, I am humbled and excited to announce: today I am a candidate for another term as your senator.
I want to say right up front that I run for this office as a proud Republican because this party expresses and achieves the highest ideals of America.
Republicans believe in freedom first, and government programs after.
We believe in a strong national defense and an unshakeable relationship with our ally Israel. We should never go to the UN for a permission slip to pursue our national interest.
Republicans are for small businesses (especially those who pay their workers’ comp insurance) and we’re for the entrepreneur, not big media, big business, trial lawyers or any other special interest.
We are for quality jobs for working men and women.
We are for the family farm.
We are for the free exercise of faith.
We are for strengthening the family.
We are for limited, effective government.
And we are for protecting all life, from the moment of conception to natural death.
And we welcome to this campaign all those who decide, like I did, that they want to pursue their American ideals above and beyond partisan politics.
Now we all know these are challenging times. Our economy has slowed. Our politics are divided. And our families are stressed. My wife and kids and I enjoy our lives, but we open the morning paper with the same anxiety all of you do. What’s going to happen today?
But life is more than emotion and history is more than circumstance. The ancient Hebrew prophets said without a vision the people perish. It is our common belief in a better future that helps us survive and prevail.
It is the task of leadership to define and nurture that vision.
That is almost reason enough for me to run for re-election: to be a voice of optimism in a cynical time.
If we as Minnesotans don’t believe we can succeed, then we are probably right. But I’m here to say I believe in Minnesota’s and America’s bright future.
Optimism is not a republican virtue, or democrat virtue; it’s an American virtue. Optimism is more than a feeling, it’s an approach.
It’s a way of seeing obstacles as opportunities; it’s an ability to turn challenges into chances for greatness. America’s greatness and Minnesota’s also - comes from our ability to summon optimism and hope when the facts seem to point to despair and defeat.
Our economy is hurting; folks are losing their homes and worried about the cost of their health care.
We have reached such a time when we really, really need to draw about our resilient spirit of confidence and our unified capability for action, and move our nation forward.
My heroes are hopeful people:
David Ben Gurion who said, “Anyone who doesn’t believe in miracles is not a realist.”
Ronald Reagan, who talked about the song the settlers sang as they pushed west, “It is the American sound… hopeful, big-hearted, idealistic, daring, decent, and fair.”
And Helen Keller, who said: “Security in this life is an illusion… life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing at all.”
I love my country and I love Minnesota… Because we are perfect? No. Because unlike other places on this globe, we always find the motivation to rise above circumstances and end up better than where we began.
The events of 2007 say more about MN than any politician ever could about what kind of place we are: we had floods, fires, droughts and the bridge collapse, and yet our people and their government stepped forward and met those extreme challenges one by one. Minnesotans refused to quit or to whine or become victims. We chose to be neighbors instead.
We didn’t just survive, we prevailed; we’re not just moving on, we’re moving forward. We didn’t just find a way out, we found our way together.
We are part of a proud history. In his message to the Congress of 1862, Lincoln called America “the last best hope of earth.”
He said that at a time when millions remained in slavery, the Civil War was claiming thousands of lives each month and terrible economic hardships were weighing on the people.
And yet he was full of the kind of optimism that sustains and leads.
In a small, local way, I know something about this from personal experience. I became mayor of Saint Paul, in a dark time. Jobs were leaving, crime was growing and taxes were rising. By the time I completed eight years of no tax increases, of eight years of making our capital city more livable and affordable for middle class families: thousands of new jobs were added; billions of dollars were invested in reconnecting with our Mississippi River and we brought the National Hockey League back to Minnesota-where it always belonged.
As a mayor I simply brought people together to work very hard to get things done for our city. We didn’t point fingers, we joined hands. We softened our voices and we lifted our sights. That is my experience, my pattern and my approach to governing during 32 years of public service in Minnesota.
With Norm Coleman, bringing people together to get things done is what you see and what you get.
I am running on my record, because unlike my likely opponent, I have one. What a concept: before you serve in the U.S. Senate, maybe you should have done something to show you can actually do the job.
In my 17 years with the Minnesota attorney general’s office, I traveled to every corner of this great state prosecuting criminals.
As mayor, I helped rebuild a capital city that we could all be proud of.
As your Senator I’ve tried to be “Minnesota’s mayor in Washington”: putting the emphasis on serving your needs, no project too big or too small. I’m willing to work with anybody who helps get the job done. I learned a long time ago that there are some problems that are too big for one party to solve.
I’ve visited all 87 counties at least twice, listening and learning what you need from your national government. My staff and I have been to every single City in this state over 800 - large, small and in between. We’re not looking for a medal: that’s our job.
I’ve been a champion for ending our dependence on foreign oil with renewable fuels, wind energy, clean coal technology, nuclear energy and deep water drilling.
And I kept my promises to Minnesotans. I said I’d oppose drilling in ANWR and I did.
I said I’d support or troops and our veterans and I did. I succeeded in improving health care for our veteran’s and securing funding for a national “made in Minnesota” model for reintegrating our brave troops coming home from Iraq.
And so much more:
I’ve worked to increase low income heating assistance for the poor and fought cuts in service to the most vulnerable Minnesotan’s.
I’ve championed rural development and worked to insure that the quality of health care doesn’t depend on your zip code.
As Chair of the Permanent Investigation subcommittee I uncovered $14 billion in wasteful Washington spending.
I blew the lid off the corruption of the Oil for Food Program that financed Saddam’s terror at our expense.
I’ve held millionaires and corporate America accountable by exposing sham tax shelters-and brought billions of tax dollars back into the U.S. treasury.
I worked with the our Minnesota delegation, the administration, the governor and local officials to fund the new I-35W bridge that is already rising from the river as symbol of recovery and progress.
We helped over 3,000 Minnesotan’s secure passports after the system collapsed-and that nightmare will never occur again, because we’ve brought a passport office to Minnesota next year.
I worked to protect our ports so we can have greater security that terrorists aren’t smuggling-in nuclear weapons.
I have worked with family farmers on disaster assistance, and helped break the log jam that was preventing passage of the critically needed farm bill for Minnesota.
I said I’d help bring seniors a drug benefit under Medicare and I did. I said I’d support good judges, who interpret the Constitution, not reinvent it, and I did and they’re making wise decisions that protect this country and foster freedom.
I could go on and on, and during this campaign, I will! … about all that has been accomplished, but there is so much more we need to do.
At a time like this, when national partisanship is so inflamed, we need uniters not dividers.
And when its all said and done, after all the bills, all the hearings and the votes, I would say what matters most to me are the people I’ve been able to help.
I met Pete Panos here, over in Iraq, when he was a member of the famous Red Bulls, the greatest National Guard unit in America.
Now he advises me on how we provide support for all veterans. After listening to Pete and many other Minnesota veterans, I personally spoke to Secretary Gates and helped guarantee full education benefits for all of our troops who served in Iraq.
I pushed for GI bill education benefits for spouses who had to quit school to care for their families when their spouses were on 15 month tours of duty. And we just recently, for the first time in over 30 years raised the mileage reimbursement for vets traveling to VA facilities for health care. Pete, we thank you for your service.
Joe and Linda Goleski here had in their hearts the hope of adopting a baby from Guatemala. They were caught in a bureaucratic nightmare.
As Linda put it, “Until you’ve been alone in a foreign country, with a new baby, and no one to be your advocate, you have no idea how scary the experience can be.”
We became their advocate, leaned hard on the Guatemalan government and they brought baby, Sophia, home to be a Minnesotan.
And Sergeant Tom Shilling is with us here today, too.
Tom went through the military process to get a two week leave from Iraq to be at his daughter’s wedding.
It was all approved — until his commanding officer tore it up. We were on the phone in 5 minute intervals for hours to get someone on the line with the authority to fix it.
It was small joy to us and huge one to him when he arrived with 24 hours to spare and walked his daughter down the aisle. Thanks for your service, Tom and for the chance to serve you.
Friends, it’s not labels or speeches that matter: it’s people. Protecting their freedom and creating policies that serve them.
I’m fighting for the people’s interests, not the special interests.
The soldiers, the elderly, the college kids, the middle class and the working families–these are the people who deserve a senator who fights for them-and has shown he can produce results.
I have, I am, and with your help in November, I will for years to come.
I was born a long way from here. But 32 years ago I made a choice that gave me the incredible opportunity to lead a Minnesota life.
My heart brought me to this place to marry the woman who stands with me in this adventure. Our love brought me the two beautiful children who stand with us today as young adults.
Over those three decades I’ve experienced the joys of fishing on crystal clear Minnesota lakes, celebrating two baseball world championships-and dropping the puck at the first game of the Minnesota Wild.
I’ve also faced difficulties and heartbreaks here. Laurie and I buried our first son Adam and our youngest daughter Grace in the good earth of Minnesota.
But our grief gave us a greater love for the sanctity of all human life.
Through it all, the spirit of family and faith that is so strong in this state has sustained me.
I’ve never lost the sense of hope and optimism that this is the land of 10,000 dreams and daily miracles in the lives of regular people.
Minnesota is a place that respects hard work, common sense and public service. That’s the Minnesota I want to continue to work for in the uncertain future that we face.
For limited, effective government that lives within its means.
For success in Iraq and then an orderly withdrawal.
For affordable health care for all Minnesotan’s, without turning it over to the government folks who did Katrina relief and the welfare programs that ruined so many.
For tax cuts, less regulation and free and fair trade, not a clumsy, inflexible and intrusive government and protectionism.
For a judiciary that respects the Constitution and traditional values, and not one that tries to govern through social experimentation from the bench.
I see beyond today’s cloudy horizon to a bright American future.
I’m not willing to cede the 21st Century to the Chinese or anyone else. That’s because I will work hard to make sure we have the smartest kids, the best trained workers and a dynamic economy based on our unlimited entrepreneurial spirit.
I see a bold new American technology leading the way to the next stage of global economic growth.
I especially see new green technology creating robust new 21st century job opportunities as we fulfill our commitments to clean the air, the water and the land we hold so dear in the Land of 10,000 lakes.
I see citizen engagement, market principles and innovative government solving our problems in health care, housing, energy and education.
I see the march of freedom continuing over the rocky road of terrorism and totalitarianism to a better future for all.
And I see Minnesota and Minnesotans leading the way in all of these areas.
Lincoln closed that famous message to Congress I quoted earlier with these words, talking about the unique American pathway through trouble: “The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just — a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless.”
That’s the path of public service for me: plain - not Hollywood; peaceful - not divisive; generous - not mean spirited; and just - not political.
Isn’t that what we all want? Republicans, Democrats and Independents?
As Minnesotans, there is so much more that unites us than divides us. This campaign isn’t about me…it’s about you — your families, your dreams, your future. That’s why I asked to be your senator six years ago. And that’s why I ask you today to let me continue the job.
Together, we can make a great state even greater and a proud country even prouder.
Let me repeat something I said when I first sought this office six years ago. In the Bible it says that those who have been faithful in little things will be entrusted with greater things.
I have learned a lot in all my experiences in public service - from both my successes and my mistakes.
I would say with honest humility, I think what I do best is what Minnesota needs most: an experienced, optimistic problem-solver who can do more than talk about change: I can actually bring people together to get things done for Minnesota.
As Americans, we are the last best hope of earth: let’s rise above lesser things and make our parents proud and our children grateful.
May God continue bless America and the State of Minnesota as we work to be worthy of that blessing.
And may God bless you all.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Don't Blame Me...
So Al Franken finally paid a $25,000 fine—one that he ignored for more than a year--for failing to carry worker’s compensation insurance for his employees. Why should he have to pay? Plenty of people don’t.
While I was growing up, my father ran a small business of which he was very proud. He would always rail against his competitors, most of whom didn’t run their businesses on the up-and-up. “They don’t pay workers comp, they don’t pay payroll taxes, it’s all under the table!” he would rant. I used to wonder, well, if everyone else isn’t doing it, and no one is bothering them about it, then why are you paying? If you stopped paying all of those silly fees, wouldn’t you be able to buy me more clothes? Gosh!
Just joking. Well, not exactly joking, because I’m not a comedienne. You could say I’m more of a ... satirist. Many of my published works would certainly be considered satire, so I guess the label fits.
It’s the label Al Franken hides behind. When I think about it, this new title could come in really handy for me as well. I have always tried to be an upstanding, law abiding citizen, but who knows when I might need an “out” when I get into trouble. “But officer, I wasn’t really speeding. I was just demonstrating for my son, in a rather droll manner, the driving habits people I don’t respect. You can’t give me a ticket. I'm funny. I’m a satirist.”
How liberating! I could do anything and expect to get away with it! I could play by different rules and be held to a different standard than everyone else!
I could, at will, discount all of the other things I am: wife, mother, writer, friend, neighbor, daughter, sister, pet owner, aunt, grandmother. When in trouble, I could throw all of these titles away and hide behind Franken's favorite title: satirist, just as Franken often uses it to replace what should be his most important title: Senatorial Candidate.
If anyone were to bring up any illegal, distasteful, racially insensitive, boorish, frightening behavior, I could say (and just for fun, in a degrading, stereotypical parody of an Asian accent; you know, like Al uses) that they were trying to avoid talking about real issues, like how our roads have too many pot holes. But that argument would be hollow because my detractors, by pointing out how they dislike my behavior, would in effect be saying, “Your satire helps show us who you really are, and we don’t much like or trust that person.”
Let’s have a small civics lesson for those who still don’t get it. Parody and satire are protected forms of speech in the United States. You have the right to use them to say anything you want and be protected from libel and slander suits under the umbrella of this Constitutional right. What this right does not do is stop people from being offended by the content of an individual’s protected form of speech. The reader or listener can find it distasteful, racist, reckless, and a true window into the personality of the person saying or writing it. It does not protect the satirist from public opinion, and negative public opinion can be a pesky little problem for a political candidate.
Because I'm a satirist, why aren’t I running willy nilly through the countryside doing and saying things without regard for anyone but myself? Because I am my father’s daughter. I have pride, integrity and a backbone. I'm a role model for my children and grandchild. I try to do the right thing in the first place, not just after I get caught doing something wrong. But I’m not running for office...
Al Franken is.
While I was growing up, my father ran a small business of which he was very proud. He would always rail against his competitors, most of whom didn’t run their businesses on the up-and-up. “They don’t pay workers comp, they don’t pay payroll taxes, it’s all under the table!” he would rant. I used to wonder, well, if everyone else isn’t doing it, and no one is bothering them about it, then why are you paying? If you stopped paying all of those silly fees, wouldn’t you be able to buy me more clothes? Gosh!
Just joking. Well, not exactly joking, because I’m not a comedienne. You could say I’m more of a ... satirist. Many of my published works would certainly be considered satire, so I guess the label fits.
It’s the label Al Franken hides behind. When I think about it, this new title could come in really handy for me as well. I have always tried to be an upstanding, law abiding citizen, but who knows when I might need an “out” when I get into trouble. “But officer, I wasn’t really speeding. I was just demonstrating for my son, in a rather droll manner, the driving habits people I don’t respect. You can’t give me a ticket. I'm funny. I’m a satirist.”
How liberating! I could do anything and expect to get away with it! I could play by different rules and be held to a different standard than everyone else!
I could, at will, discount all of the other things I am: wife, mother, writer, friend, neighbor, daughter, sister, pet owner, aunt, grandmother. When in trouble, I could throw all of these titles away and hide behind Franken's favorite title: satirist, just as Franken often uses it to replace what should be his most important title: Senatorial Candidate.
If anyone were to bring up any illegal, distasteful, racially insensitive, boorish, frightening behavior, I could say (and just for fun, in a degrading, stereotypical parody of an Asian accent; you know, like Al uses) that they were trying to avoid talking about real issues, like how our roads have too many pot holes. But that argument would be hollow because my detractors, by pointing out how they dislike my behavior, would in effect be saying, “Your satire helps show us who you really are, and we don’t much like or trust that person.”
Let’s have a small civics lesson for those who still don’t get it. Parody and satire are protected forms of speech in the United States. You have the right to use them to say anything you want and be protected from libel and slander suits under the umbrella of this Constitutional right. What this right does not do is stop people from being offended by the content of an individual’s protected form of speech. The reader or listener can find it distasteful, racist, reckless, and a true window into the personality of the person saying or writing it. It does not protect the satirist from public opinion, and negative public opinion can be a pesky little problem for a political candidate.
Because I'm a satirist, why aren’t I running willy nilly through the countryside doing and saying things without regard for anyone but myself? Because I am my father’s daughter. I have pride, integrity and a backbone. I'm a role model for my children and grandchild. I try to do the right thing in the first place, not just after I get caught doing something wrong. But I’m not running for office...
Al Franken is.
Monday, March 17, 2008
All-Sugar Diet Leads to Political Decay
One day it started raining as my son was walking home from school. I was in the middle of a home improvement project with a friend, and I wondered out loud if I should drop everything and pick him up. My friend answered, “What is he, made of sugar?” I laughed.
Made of sugar. What would happen to a person who was made of sugar if caught in the rain? He would dissolve. Thank goodness my son is made of flesh, bone and spirit. He made it home through the sprinkling intact.
I thought of this as I listened to Senator Coleman speak at a Republican Party function. The Senator, after having been met with a lengthy standing ovation, spoke of many things. He spoke of accountability and of not raising taxes on citizens during an economic downturn. But I thought the most important part of his speech was when he said (I must paraphrase) that Democrats seem hungry for change, but they are just on a “sugar high,” when what they really need is to be fed something substantial.
We have all seen the momentum building around Barack Obama, and to a lesser degree, Hillary Clinton. The mantra “change” is being chanted everywhere, with very little substantiality to back it up.
Made of sugar. What would happen to a person who was made of sugar if caught in the rain? He would dissolve. Thank goodness my son is made of flesh, bone and spirit. He made it home through the sprinkling intact.
I thought of this as I listened to Senator Coleman speak at a Republican Party function. The Senator, after having been met with a lengthy standing ovation, spoke of many things. He spoke of accountability and of not raising taxes on citizens during an economic downturn. But I thought the most important part of his speech was when he said (I must paraphrase) that Democrats seem hungry for change, but they are just on a “sugar high,” when what they really need is to be fed something substantial.
We have all seen the momentum building around Barack Obama, and to a lesser degree, Hillary Clinton. The mantra “change” is being chanted everywhere, with very little substantiality to back it up.
I think maybe Hillary Clinton said it best when she, referring to Obama, said to an audience at a Rhode Island college, "Now, I could stand up here and say, 'Let's just get everybody together. Let's get unified. The sky will open. The light will come down. Celestial choirs will be singing, and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect.'"
I know the same could be said about other Democrat campaigns as well, as the “change” mantra trickles down to the senatorial campaign level.
I asked a respected friend, who's a staunch Al Franken supporter and who has heard him speak in relatively intimate settings, why I shouldn’t be terrified if he were to be elected the Senator from Minnesota instead of Norm Coleman. She thought for a minute, then said, “Because he likes families. He’s for families.”
Wow.
Sadly, my friend seems to be on a sugar high. I’m sure Norm Coleman likes families too. If a Democrat were to ask me the same question I asked my friend, there are so many things I could say. I could say Coleman thinks things through, and despite the leftist rhetoric that he’s George Bush’s puppet, he is his own man. I could say he has the experience to get things done in Washington and pull out a laundry list of his accomplishments. I could say he understands economics and believes that the people, not government, know best what to do with their own money. I could go on an on, and you know why? Because Coleman is made of flesh, bone and spirit. His campaign is built on a solid foundation of ideas and integrity.
Franken, on the other hand, seems unable to get a substantive message across to even his most ardent supporters. Some don’t even know why they want to vote for him. His supporters are on a sugar high because he and his campaign are made of sugar.
I asked a respected friend, who's a staunch Al Franken supporter and who has heard him speak in relatively intimate settings, why I shouldn’t be terrified if he were to be elected the Senator from Minnesota instead of Norm Coleman. She thought for a minute, then said, “Because he likes families. He’s for families.”
Wow.
Sadly, my friend seems to be on a sugar high. I’m sure Norm Coleman likes families too. If a Democrat were to ask me the same question I asked my friend, there are so many things I could say. I could say Coleman thinks things through, and despite the leftist rhetoric that he’s George Bush’s puppet, he is his own man. I could say he has the experience to get things done in Washington and pull out a laundry list of his accomplishments. I could say he understands economics and believes that the people, not government, know best what to do with their own money. I could go on an on, and you know why? Because Coleman is made of flesh, bone and spirit. His campaign is built on a solid foundation of ideas and integrity.
Franken, on the other hand, seems unable to get a substantive message across to even his most ardent supporters. Some don’t even know why they want to vote for him. His supporters are on a sugar high because he and his campaign are made of sugar.
Why is that a problem? Because in Washington, very real, important things that can change the lives of Americans rain down on our Senators every day. After the rain, Coleman would remain standing, while Franken (and those like him) would dissolve.
And those riding the sugar high? They would be in for one hell of a crash.
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