Friday, September 19, 2008

Sorry, Charlie

Rangel - you are a freakin' IDIOT. How dare you refer to the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate as "disabled"?? Are you NUTS??? You are the Chair of the incredibly powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and you are making these kinds of statements? What, are you in Junior High School or something?? Not like you don't have enough trouble right now what with all of the tax scandals currently pressing on you, but you thought saying something like this, AND REPEATING IT, was going to help? Holy freakin' cow. (If you feel compelled to watch Charlie Rangel make a fool of himself, click HERE.)

You know, I was so happy when you endorsed and supported Senator Clinton. I thought you were a pretty decent guy, and seemed to make some good decisions. But I started to get an idea of how you really operate from the report of tax scandals, for starters, but then the way you could not WAIT to throw Hillary Clinton under the bus for Obama. That said a whole helluva lot to me about you and your character, none of it good. To recap, Rep. Rangel, you were a bit snarky. And now this - what the hell is the matter with you?

I swear, it is like respected members of the Democratic Party are taking on the thuggish, ill-mannered behavior of many of Obama's minions. I expect better from them than this. A lot better.

Along those lines, to be bi-partisan, what the hell is wrong with CHUCK HAGEL? He, too, made some stupid, ill-informed comment about Gov. Palin, the VP candidate for his own PARTY. Yes. First he said he doubted she had the experience to be vice president, especially in terms of foreign policy. Well, okey dokey - way to be a team player, there Chuck! Oh, don't think that's all - he also made fun of her claiming she said she could see Russia from her house. Really, Chuck? Did you not SEE the whole interview?

I have to say, it kinda makes me wonder about Chuck considering his relationship to Obama and the voting machines-formerly-known-as-Diebold. You know, that he is saying this kind of crap about his party's VP candidate. Just coincidence? Maybe, but it makes me a tad suspicious. And I noticed that Chuck hasn't made any kind of similar statements about OBAMA'S lack of experience in foreign policy! Does he think that being on that little junket with Obama this summer is sufficient "foreign policy" experience??? But Palin's going to Kuwait and Germany, plus having to be on constant alert because of the proximity of Russia doesn't count for ANYTHING? Some double standard that.

And while we are talking about experience, I would like to bring the national down to the local. As some of you may know, Charleston had a horrible fire not too long ago, in which a number of fire-fighters were killed. It was the largest number since 9/11 of firefighters killed in one situation. As it turned out, there were things that could have been handled better. To make a long story short, the fire chief stepped down, and they have narrowed down their list of candidates. Wanna know what the main thing was on which they focused on the news last night and in the paper today? Experience. They list the name, the location in which the person is currently serving, and the length of time they have been in fire service. The LOWEST number of years is 30 - that's THIRTY years. To be a fire chief. In a medium sized city. I am the first to say, I WANT my fire chief to be experienced - hell to the YES, I do. Lives depend on that level of experience. And I am sure you see where I am going with this. I want my PRESIDENT to be experienced, too. I want him/her to have experience delegating, fixing, maintaining, reforming, creating whatever needs to be delegated, fixed, maintained, reformed, and created. Being smart doesn't hurt. Yes, Senator CLINTON fits the bill - and had the DNC acted so immorally and unethically, she would be the hands down winner. But they did, and she isn't. I will never forgive them for destroying the Party of the People the way that they have.

But, what real-life executive experience does Obama bring to the table? None. Well, unless you count trying to strong arm state senators to do his bidding in IL, against the wishes of their own constituents, as indicated here:
And the story doesn't end with Obama's support for set-asides. A Chicago Defender story of 1999 features a front-page picture of Obama beside the headline, "Obama: Illinois Black Caucus is broken." In the accompanying article, although Obama denies demanding that black legislators march in perfect lockstep, he expresses anger that black state senators have failed to unite for the purpose of placing a newly approved riverboat casino in a minority neighborhood. The failed casino vote, Obama argues, means that the black caucus "is broken and needs to unite for the common good of the African-American community." Obama continues, "The problem right now is that we don't have a unified agenda that's enforced back in the community and is clearly articulated. Everybody tends to be lone agents in these situations."

Speaking in reply to Obama was Mary E. Flowers, an African-American state senator who apparently broke black caucus discipline and voted to approve the casino's location in a nonminority area. Said Flowers: "The Black Caucus is from different tribes, different walks of life. I don't expect all of the whites to vote alike.  .  .  .  Why is it that all of us should walk alike, talk alike and vote alike?  .  .  .  I was chosen by my constituents to represent them, and that is what I try to do." Given Obama's supposedly post-racial politics, it is notable that he should be the one demanding enforcement of a black political agenda against "lone agents," while another black legislator appeals to Obama to leave her free to represent her constituents, black or white, as she sees fit.

Oh, what the hell - here's a bonus quote:
When the 2000 census revealed dramatic growth in Chicago's Hispanic and Asian populations alongside a decline in the number of African Americans, the Illinois black caucus was alarmed at the prospect that the number of blacks in the Illinois General Assembly might decline. At that point, Obama stepped to the forefront of the effort to preserve as many black seats as possible. The Defender quotes Obama as saying that, "while everyone agrees that the Hispanic population has grown, they cannot expand by taking African-American seats." As in the casino dispute, Obama stressed black unity, pushing a plan that would modestly increase the white, Hispanic, and Asian population in what would continue to be the same number of safe black districts. As Obama put it: "An incumbent African-American legislator with a 90 percent district may feel good about his reelection chances, but we as a community would probably be better off if we had two African-American legislators with 60 percent each."

Someone want to tell me again how Obama sitting in the pew at TUCC for over 20 years was NOT affecting his politics??

But I digress - experience. Obama is sorely lacking in it, and it would behoove both Charlie and Chuck to keep their yaps shut lest the glaring jackass in the room is actually discussed by, oh, I don't know, the MEDIA?!?!?! Just a thought. In any event, you "gentlemen" do not reflect well on your respective parties, or on your chosen (apparently, for Chuck, definitely for Charlie) candidate. Try a bit of decorum, would you? It couldn't hurt, and elevating the gutter politics in which Obama and his minions have engaged would be a blessed relief. Just sayin'.

8 comments:

Faye said...

Experience is the correct word. Palin has it, Obama does not. We in Nebraska call Hagel a RINO. I think ole Chuck made a wise decision not to run for re-election . If any credible Republican would have challenged Hagel in the primary, he would have lost at that point. For a red state Nebraska has elected a lot of Democratic governors and senators, mostly excellent ones, Zorinsky,Exon and Nelson but not so with Bob Kerry.
Amy thank for your articles, I have really enjoyed and learned from them.

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

Thanks so much, Faye! I really appreciate that!

OK, I don't mean to be an idiot, but do I want to know for what "RINO" stands? I'm guessing the R is for Republican, but beyond that...If it's fit to print, that is! ;-)

Yeah - so what is up with Hagel that he would attack his own party's VP pick?? And to rag on her experience then suck up to Obama? I swear, I just have the feeling something is up that he is so in Obama's corner and has the voting machine thing going on...

And yes - you HAVE had some good Dem senators! Bob Kerry seemed good for a while but then kinda changed up - am I remembering that right?

In any event - thanks for coming by, and for the good comment!

athyrio said...

RINO stands for "republican in name only".....:)

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

Oh, thanks! Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks, Athyrio!

Faye said...

Amy I hope Hagel is not up to something that will hurt the GOP. However the Nebraska electoral votes are divided up by districts. District One is the Omaha area, District Two is the Lincoln area and the Third district is the rest of Nebraska.So if Obama wins District One (Omaha) he will get that electoral vote even if McCain wins by an overwhelming majority in the other two Districts.
As for Kerry, he did a really rotten thing as governor that the Sh*t did not hit the fan until after he was elected as Senator.
He signed Nebraska up in a five state nuclear waste compact. Of course Nebraska was the least populated state in the compact and the other 4 voted to have the nuclear waste to be deposited in Nebraska.These were low grade mostly medical nuclear waste. Ok except Nebraska sits on top of one of the largest aquafers(sp?) in the world. Almost the entire state has an ocean of water just beneath it.On our ranch we have places that all you have to do is sink a pipe down about 10 feet and you have an artisan well. Can you imagine the horror of Nebraskans when we heard that a nuclear waste site was coming to our state thanks to Kerry? Governor Ben Nelson got us out of the compact- that is why the entire state LOVES Nelson. He saved our most precious natural resource.

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

HOLY CRAP about the aquifer, Faye! That was AMAZINGLY short-sighted of Kerry! What the hell was he promised for that?? (And very cool that you live on a ranch! Also very cool that you can get an artisian well by sinking a pipe 10 ft down - that's amazing!) That is just shocking, Faye. No wonder you feel that way abt Kerry.

And WILD abt the Electoral College votes - isn't that unusual for a state to not be a "winner take all"? I'm certainly learning from YOU, too, Faye!

Thank heavens for Bill Nelson and his foresight - what a gift he gave to the state (not to mention the potential impact on the environment as a whole - it's all connected, after all).

Anonymous said...

Yup, Maine and Nebraska apportion their electoral votes:

Both Maine and Nebraska allocate their electors by a district system. For example, Maine has four electoral votes. Two electors are selected on the basis of the statewide vote and two are selected according to outcome of the vote in each of Maine's two Congressional districts. Nebraska's five electoral votes are distributed in the same manner: two based on the statewide vote, and three based on the results in Congressional districts.

Since these States have adopted a proportional system of allocating electoral votes, all the States' electoral votes have gone to only one of the Presidential candidates.

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

Thanks, Bluelyon - I really appreciate that information. Interesting, especially that the states have still gone for one candidate. I wonder why these two states are different? That is, how did this come about for just Maine and Nebraska? I reckon I need to go do some research! :-D

Thanks again, Blue!