Christine O'Donnell
The Tea Party likes to make a big deal about how it’s worried about the economy, and isn’t interested in engaging in the divisive culture wars. They say that the most important thing is to get people working again, and we can worry about marriage and abortion and civil rights when people have money and time to care. And honestly, I think that makes some sense. This will be, in case you were wondering, the only time I ever agree with the Tea Party. This is great, you may think. Finally, we can move beyond the intractable issues of our past and try to fix our country! Not so fast, my friends. Unfortunately, some Tea Party candidates never really paid attention to that memo about putting aside social issues.
Take Christine O’Donnell, the Republican candidate for the Senate from Delaware. She’s run a typical Tea Party campaign. She has weak credentials, no experience in anything related to government or the economy, and she ran on a rabid anti-Obama platform. Our country is being ruled by elitist east coast socialists! You know the drill. That kind of a campaign worked fine in the primaries, and O’Donnell beat out the well liked moderate Mike Castle for the Republican nomination. But now she’s facing an uphill battle in the general election. Time to moderate those views, right? Maybe play nice with the moderates? Try to work with the skeptics! Hah! Don’t be silly!
It turns out that O’Donnell used to be a conservative religious activist and a frequent guest on Bill Maher’s show “Politically Incorrect” back in the late 1990s. And as it turns out, O’Donnell is not the practical economic conservative intent on leaving behind the culture wars. Take this gem: “Evolution is a myth… Why aren’t monkeys still evolving into humans?” Or this one: “The Bible says that lust in your heart is committing adultery. So you can’t masturbate without lust.” Maybe you’ll like this more: O’Donnell objected to calling AIDS patients “victims.” Clearly O’Donnell has an extreme religious agenda to go along with her Tea Party economics. Okay, you might say, so there’s one bad apple. Every group has them. And I’d say you’d be right, except for the fact that I don’t see too many conservatives standing up to her about this. In fact, other Tea Party favorites have been following in the same extreme vein recently. Look at Ann Coulter.
At a meeting of gay conservatives, she commented that gay rights groups should work with anti-abortion groups because “as soon as they find the gay gene, you know who’s getting aborted.” This isn’t coming from an unknown; this is Ann Coulter, the million book selling author, the blond vixen of the conservative movement! It’s simply preposterous that in contemporary America, people like Christine O’Donnell and Ann Coulter can male such hateful and ignorant comments and get away with it. And not only do they get away with it, there are actually plenty of people who agree with them.
The Tea Party does not exist because regular people are suddenly concerned with the national debt, lowering taxes for the rich, or abolishing the Department of Education and most of the federal government along with it. Of course, those issues and others like them are popular, but they are not the cause. Rather, the Tea Party exists because American society is different in ways people never thought possible. Tea Partiers see an America that is not as concerned with religion, an America that is more diverse. They see an America that offends their beliefs about how people should live. The Tea Party is simply the latest attempt to restore our country to the mythical past, where everyone has white picket fences, 2.2 kids and a dog, and no one steps out of line. Unfortunately, this past never actually existed and cannot be returned to. Eventually, the Tea Party will die out, and then hopefully we’ll all see how it was all just a fraud.
(Image Credit: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20016457-503544.html)
I am not a member of the tea party and You are not much of a American !!! Get a job and a life and see what American’s have to go through to just make a living an pay tax after tax after tax ; (if you do this your head may pop suddenly out of your posterior )an then have polticians turn to spend an spend and then call us names when we tell them what we want. Thats why the teaparty people are finally speaking out !!
(((((watch and see who is correct)) LANDSLIDE VICTORY IN NOVEMEMBER !!!!!!
Unlike the Repubs who spend, spend, spend and then give huge tax cuts to the rich.
Hey Seth. On exactly what grounds do you call Seth (the author) unAmerican?
I have a job, I’ve been working for over 32 years. I’m proud to pay my taxes. Apparantly you would prefer our country not have good roads, an outstanding Postal System, a well trained military, advanced prisons, oil and gas pipelines, railroads, and public waterways. All items paid for by taxes. And you seriously want to call someone else unAmerican?
Your rhetoric is at a 9, you might want to dial it down to a 2 or 3 if you want to be taken seriously.
Two thumbs up to you!
Is it more hateful for Ann Coulter to suggest outlawing abortion so that unborn children with the “gay gene” are NOT killed (conservative position), or is it more hateful to actually kill unborn children (liberal position)?
HiredMind – ummm … so you lump ALL liberals into the position that abortion is OK? Sorry, that’s no better than anyone else who lumps everyone who identifies themselves one way or the other socially, politically, etc.
No one I know who identifies his or herself as a liberal proclaims that babies should be aborted indiscriminately. None of them. Preferring the position that it is a woman’s (or anyone else’s) right to choose, means that one is pro-choice, not-anti-life. And it’s awfully funny that the same people who claim to be about individual rights and freedoms (the tea party / extreme right folks) are the ones who want to regulate selected and targeted things, like the right to choose.
The liberals and progessives I know are not close-minded, lock-step, “our way or the highway” like “MANY” who align themselves on the right or far left or fringe right or down in the follicle, deep rooted right of right. Those are the places to look for one-trick ponies and one-song singers. (Notice I said that there were many like that, but I did not imply they all were like that…)
Hired Mind makes a good point. Coulter was opining that it’s in homosexuals’ best interest to oppose abortion because if a gay gene is ever discovered, some very anti-gay people are likely to abort their baby if the baby carries said gene. That’s actually a legitimate point for debate, not a “hateful and ignorant” comment as Mr. Nigrosh claims. But hey, it’s more fun to demagogue people we disagree with.
I think it is fair to say that those who are ideologically very anti-gay would be,by an overwhelming margin, pro-life. So Ann Coulter’s logic behind her statement is flawed. Support of the Pro-Life movement would probably neither advance, nor set back gay Conservatives agenda, nor save or condemn the lives of some future gay babies.
You may think that’s fair to say, but it might be more fair if it were backed by some sort of evidence or data.
Abortion destroys the unborn in the womb. If a gay gene is detected, it would then be possible for those refusing to have gay children to destroy them. If abortion is legal, this is a possibility. If it is illegal, it is not a possibility. It is a valid argument to consider.
Can anyone explain why monkeys aren’t still evolving? We know there is evolution. We see it in how humans have evolved. Those who moved to isolated areas developed inbred traits such as blond hair in one region, black hair in other regions. Some cultures gained height and stature, others evolved into a much smaller civilization. But in all those cases of extreme differences, we find a full spectrum of colors, sizes, and shapes in between.
There is at least as much faith put in evolution as there is in creation.
Especially, when we consider that evolution was the excuse used to enslave the so called ‘less evolved’ Africans, it seems that open minded people would want to take off all blinders and actually try to consider all points of view.
We don’t have to look very far to find closed minded people in the world. They come in all shapes, sizes, and philosophies. The best way to identify them is to consider whether they mock others and dismiss others’ POV out of hand. Inbreeding happens everywhere, including insulated halls of the intelligensia.
Beware of the stereotypes, especially one’s own.
barakem:
Africans were not enslaved due to people thinking they were less evolved. African slaves (lower caste) were sold/traded by West Coast Africans (higher caste) to Europeans and then traded in the Americas for sugar, spice, rum etc. They were thought of as savages as were the Indians due to there non-christian beliefs.
Early settlers in America were highly trained agrarians steeped in the science of animal husbandry. They bred animals specifically to produce favorable characteristics as a normal part of life. Slaves were thought to be partially developed relatives to modern man, trainable but incapable of complex thinking. Many thought they were the link between man and ape. Few believed that if African slaves were turned into Christians they would become fully developed human beings. It took many generations of slave owners to really begin to comprehend their own ignorance and start to recognize black intelligence. It is a belief that still festers among pockets of society.
It does make it much harder to overcome that stereotype when the scientific community mocks the concept of creation. If we are just different breeds of humans, it is highly likely that some breeds will be intrinsically more intelligent than others. Nobel scientists like William Shockley would be right in their assessments. Without a creator, an argument can also be made that social engineers like Adolf Hitler would be correct to advance the breed for the good of the breed, just as any good animal breeder nudges natural selection to protect and advance the breed, all for the good of mankind.
Personally, I’m much more inclined to believe there is an intelligent hand that has put a soul into each human being along with specific human characteristics unique to mankind. Without that hand or an afterlife, it all becomes as meaningless as if we were to drop a ball and have no idea which direction it would go. There is an intelligent and ‘Godly’ force at work in our universe as obvious as gravity, invisible but very consistent.
I’ll be 60 on my next birthday, so it is mind boggling to see all the seniors supporting Tea Party candidates who want to end Social Security and Medicare. Some of them are really angry because there’s a Black family in the White House, but they won’t admit it. In any case, most of these people are clueless. I live in FL, and when I ask neighbors what issues are important to them, all they can answer is “stop spending” and “smaller government.” Yet not one of them can tell me what needs to be cut. All of them are on at least 2 government programs. (Soc Sec, Medicare) I am in Port Charlotte, where Hurricane Charley ripped through the area in 2004. Many people lived in FEMA trailers for a while. When I asked a neighbor (who watches Fox News all day) what she wants cut, she just answered “stop the government.” I asked, “Do you know what the “F” stands for in FEMA? No idea. Another neighbor, who is only in her 50s, gets a disability check every month. She doesn’t want the government to meddle with her health care. One woman who makes $8 an hour working in a laundromat told me Obama is going to raise her taxes. She doesn’t file. So that’s why I’m posting here. Please stay in school. We’re becoming a nation of morons.
Nancy, I voted for Obama largely for two reasons. First, because the GOP had lost their way, had become fat and corrupt, and were spending trillions of dollars it didn’t have. We have no right to put that kind of debt on our children. The second reason was to hopefully help bring the black community into the mainstream. We have wasted decades by dividing into separate communities. We are one race. It is hurtful to keep telling black children that they are hated. Would you get excited about life and fully participate in society if you were constantly told that or would you drop out, join a gang, and try to bring down the system?
Obama had extremely high approval ratings when he was initially elected. His ratings have gone down, not because America suddenly became racist, but because the Dems have doubled down on the deficit spending while adding huge new entitlements and demonizing business at a time when we needed to encourage business to get out and get the economy moving.
We are now almost 14 trillion in debt. Obama submitted a budget that would add an additional 10-15 trillion in debt in the next decade. If interest rates go back up to normal levels that debt will severely debilitate our system. If they go above normal, it will bankrupt this nation.
There is tremendous waste in government. The best way to deal with it is to repeal the health care changes that will affect every person eventually and replace it with more efficient delivery just for those without insurance. We continue to grow programs that must be paid for by taking more and more money out of the private sector. The best way to limit is to cut back government as many states are already doing. If we don’t there will not be enough for Social Security, Medicare, and other basic programs.
The bigger government approach is resulting in predictable results. The private sector is going into hiding. Any time we try to make the poor rich by taking from the rich, it results in everybody becoming poorer. The ones who are most affected are those already at the bottom. It is ironic that Obama’s supporters are the ones who are hurt most by this approach.
But please, quit telling black children that the tea party hates them. In your heart you must know that blacks are welcome. Sadly, blacks who attend the tea party rallies often find themselves called Uncle Toms and worse. It is time to get past racial boxes.
Barackem, I’m really glad that my posts have spurned such debate. I don’t agree with you, but I do respect the relatively civil tone of your arguments. The one request I do make, and this is just for my own interest, is that I’d like to see you back up your stats. Where did you see the data that Obama will add 10-15 trillion dollars to the budget? Also, I’d like to point out that continuing welfare programs and putting the tax rates back to what they were under Reagan doesn’t exactly seem like we’re trying to “make the poor rich.” It seems like we’re trying to give the poor the opportunity to begin to make more money. That’s what this country is all about, right? Not the equality of condition but the equality of opportunity. Anyway, thanks for reading my articles, and keep the debate going!
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:oyVgItwXLGwJ:www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/100xx/doc10014/03-20-PresidentBudget.pdf+cbo+obama+ten+year&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiIYDNgNA_FoqN4RDkV4QnEP4TlXC9DZAR2ehJSa7BDHmOKvPZVaZl5ncTUuUbGdb4uA0N-iNx_WWdVx30VgaDWEpoxPPFfHN-YtC85WbwHwDoPIa0E2u7ekl6jnlw0OMiK6Zl-&sig=AHIEtbRfgq9WpmzLIkuTj4MCtkSkzhI-gQ
Debt projections are estimates that begin from the Congressional Budget Office scoring based on administration numbers that were submitted to them by the administration. At the time that report came out last year, it was estimated that the debt would grow by 9.3 trillion during the decade. However, that assumed a growth rate of more than 4% per year and actual growth in GDP has only been half that amount. It should also be mentioned that GDP includes borrowed money, which is akin to saying that we grow richer every time we use our credit card. If borrowing isn’t included, the GDP actually contracted by close to 5% last year. The CBO number also assumes that inflation will remain tame. As interest rates rise, our payments on interest also rise. The last time that we suffered a similar malaise, interest rates rose to 18%. If overall rates rise to just 10% by the time we reach 20 trillion in debt, our interest payments alone will be 2 trillion dollars per year. That is the entire amount of receipts the government receives in a year. In other words, every penny collected would then go to interest payments with no money whatsoever left for Social Security, Medicare, military, government workers, a safety net, or any other government spending. At that point, every dollar used on those programs would be borrowed money, sending us into a debt spiral that would be almost impossible to overcome.
We are beginning to monetize our debt (printing money) to spur the economy but at some point other borrowers will begin to shy away from buying government debt if it looks like we are getting so deep into a hole that the only hope way out would be to default or devalue the dollar. At that point, interest rates could balloon to unprecedented levels. All of this could add tremendously to the debt that would make additional stimulus packages that politicians are now considering to add to the debt, anywhere from a hundred billion up to more than a trillion, seem like peanuts.
This is also the first year that more is being paid out of Social Security than is being paid in. Until now, Social Security had accumulated additional payments of close to 5 trillion dollars due to the large class of baby boomers in the workforce. Now that they are retiring, less money is coming in and more money is needed for benefits. The problem is the excess 5 trillion collected in Social Security has already been spent.
At the same time that the boomers are retiring, we are adding an entire new trillion dollar plus health care entitlement. Medicare is another program that is on the edge of bankruptcy. As it stands, Medicare patients are already largely subsidized by private insurers. As insurers are further squeezed by additional regulations and mandated benefits, more privately insured patients will be pushed onto the government rolls. Medicare cuts of half a trillion are unlikely to stand. Those cuts will eventually be reinstated and added to the debt.
None of this takes into account other obligations and mandates such as trillions that are needed for Freddie and Fannie, government employee pensions, and other future promises that our political ‘leaders’ have made. Some estimates contend that unfunded mandates come to more than 100 trillion dollars.
It is worth pointing out that a trillion dollars is a million million. We have about 7 or 8 million millionaires in the entire country. Our debt is getting so large that we couldn’t even wipe out enough millionaires to pay it. All of it will fall on the shoulders of this generation of college students. It is unconscionable generational theft. Yours will be the first generation that will most likely do worse than the previous generation if we continue down this road.
While I agree we remain the land of opportunity, it has never been based on the government providing for the people. In order for the government to give to someone, it must first take from someone in the private sector. That is never efficient as we are now seeing. There will be fewer jobs, less production, fewer products and services flowing into the nation. But that is for another time. If I get some time in the next couple days, it would be worth taking up that discussion.
Monkeys are evolving! George W. Bush is the most recent example of their genetic mutations.
Seth, if you want to continue this conversation, I am more than willing to engage but don’t want to waste time talking to an empty echo chamber. There is good reason for not following down the Obama/Pelosi/Reid path. Most kids just graduating are feeling that reason as they try to get decent jobs even if they don’t quite yet understand why. Most college kids are over their head in school, new relationships, social lives, etc. That is how it should be. They need to sow a few oats, have some fun while they are young, and absorb the basics that will prepare them for life. But, with all due respect, it leaves them vulnerable to snake oil salemen, blow hard politicians, and whatever/whoever you want to call those who promise everything but deliver very little.
There are reasonable explanations for the disappointment in our new, fundamental changes.
America has always been a special place unlike any other, no matter what you may hear. Instead, some would try to tell us that we are oppressive and intolerant and greedy xenophobes who just want to exclude others. But ask yourself how this ragtag bunch of immigrants from every country, every culture, every language on earth who came with only the shirts on their backs became the most powerful,most wealthy nation this planet has ever known in such a short period of time. Don’t take the relatively easy road that every person on campus has had compared to most of the rest of the world for granted.
There is nothing special in the air or water. It is in a system based in individual rights (not group rights or identity politics), that puts it’s faith in tens of millions of people who become experts in their own fields and regions, that puts it’s faith in a free market that must compete so it can’t become greedy by charging too much or by offering a poor product,that depends on a responsible electorate that takes the time to know the issues in conjunction with a basic understanding of how the world actually works.
It is not enough to say that you disagree with someone. There needs to be a reason coupled with an open mind to be ready for an honest discussion that takes all facts into consideration. This is especially important if someone is making a vote to give their freedoms to a centralized command and control government since it is unlikely that, once given, that power will ever be returned to the individual no matter how much they may regret that decision in the future.
Ask questions, argue your point of view, but never trust politicians at their word. The stakes are now way too high. The way of life you have always taken for granted is at great risk, whether you yet know it or not.
The 2010 midterm elections are generally here, and most expect Republicans for making big gains in each chambers of Congress. While prevailing opinion holds which the GOP will take with the House of Representatives, there are many dissenters among national political figures. The Senate outlook is all the more messy, but it is normally accepted that Republicans confront a steeper climb to consider back the upper chamber.