Sam Reed (R) calls for Change. So do I.

[TR_GOP]

Thread author's preface;

Whenever Sarah Palin takes one final inhalation before launching into a stump speech she sucks all the air out of the room. In other words every television camera, microphone, dictation recorder, cell phone, notebook, and retina belonging to political media organizations stretching from Nome, Alaska to Brownsville, Texas aims in her general direction with eager anticipation. That's what 10,000 watts of amplified, McCarthyisms, pitchforks, god, and apple pie soundbites can accomplish. It's attention grabbing stuff folks (lets don't confuse grabbing attention with grabbing votes). While that might seem like a good thing from the Party's point of view it's actually not. It's bad.

Amid all the noise, hype, and hairspray who's going to hear a rational voice of wisdom, one that calls for a course reversal away from fanaticism and towards a new, progressive conservatism. Only an overhauled public identity and a platform capable of becoming a viable option within the eyes of mainstream America can restore the GOP to previously gained levels of political strength. I say again, with the flashing cameras and Sarah Palin cranked up to 11 who's going to hear the message? Envision a frustrated Abraham Lincoln attempting to recite the Gettysburg Address while sharing the stage with the Insane Clown Posse. You can't hear yourself think, their costumes clash with yours, and besides, exactly who in this crowd is willing or capable of listening?

Call his opinions liberal, call it nonsense, call it what you want. Continue running plays lifted out of Rove's Guide to Offensive Politics and four years from now President-Elect Obama will be called Barack Obama, two-term President.

[B]GOP must be the change it wants to see[/B]

By Sam Reed, a REP member who is the Secretary of State of Washington State and former president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, published November 19 in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

In the aftermath of the Obama Tsunami, Republicans at the state and national level are digging out and correctly spending some quality time analyzing what happened and how to move forward with rethinking, rebranding and repositioning for the days to come.

As one of two statewide Republican elected officials left standing (the estimable Attorney General Rob McKenna is the other), my hope for our Grand Old Party is that party elders, activists and donors resist the ultimately self-defeating instinct to move toward narrow ideological dogma, negativism and unhelpful government-is-bad rhetoric.

I hope the party that I have loved all these decades increasingly will be the idea-rich home of pragmatism and reform, the welcoming party of inclusion and the creative party of can-do problem-solvers. We are, after all, the party of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dan Evans. We have succeeded for 148 years by championing individual freedom and responsibility, equal rights and opportunities for all, fiscal conservatism, strong local and state governments, a vibrant free-enterprise system, conservation of our natural resources and a strong national defense. To cant away from such mainstream American thought and away from the practical, common-sense middle is precisely the wrong approach.

I am quite certain Washingtonians and most Americans are ready for a new generation of post-partisan problem solving. Olympia has had some stellar examples of across-the-aisle cooperation and when Republicans have been at the table on such issues as water rights, construction projects and streamlining government regulations, everyone has benefitted. With the state facing a budget crisis and pressing needs in education, transportation, the environment, jobs and social justice, Olympia needs bipartisan cooperation more than ever.

Yes, Democrats have won the White House, the governor's mansion and legislative majorities. But the election is over and America and Washington need to put politics and division aside and get on with the collaborative and creative act of governing.

Voters expect and deserve results, not sharp elbows and rank partisanship. People want solutions, government that works. A number of Republican governors, including the chief executives of Louisiana, Hawaii and Minnesota, admirably demonstrate this approach. If you look at the common thread of McKenna and myself -- how we approach our duties and how we campaign -- it is that we stress excellence in delivering services and solutions to people, all the people, and not pursuing rigid ideological agendas, bashing government or excluding entire constituencies.

In many ways, our state party is strong and well organized and managed to re-elect our three members of Congress and to increase legislative majorities during the Obama surge. But to grow stronger and to broaden its appeal, the party must provide real solutions and offer a voice for opportunity for all, including women, people of color, gay people and any who have been excluded from full participation in public life and economic success.

Republicans must have something to offer the broad middle class, as well as speak to the aspirations of the less fortunate. We must be "green." We must offer positive ideas for jobs and the economy, health care, energy independence, better schools and transportation, environmental protection and social justice. As Gandhi wisely observed, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world."

If history is any guide, Republicans are not consigned to permanent minority status and will rebound. Republicans' fortunes will be assisted by positive attitudes and helpful contributions to this state and nation.

GOP must be the change it wants to see; Sam Reed

Postscript;

Lets be frank, it's time to clean house. Joe the Plumber and Sarah the Palinator need to be presented with a letter of appreciation, a list of news media job contacts, plane tickets home, cab fare, and directions to the nearest exit. It's time to bring respect back to the GOP. Haley Barbour has been under too much stress lately, fishing is a good therapy, or so I hear. Rick Davis and his team of marketing mavericks really should seek new challengest . NASCAR's brand image, product presentation, and audience demographic is right up your alley, and the offices are on Mad Ave too. Perfect.


This really should have been started yesterday, but RIGHT NOW will suffice.

 

[Angel Heart]

So, your fine with the searches into Joe's private information. Had you not heard his PRIVATE information would you still feel the same about him?

As for, Sarah, I'm not sure what's fact and what's not around her. The lies created by the press and their 'inside sources' are amazing.

I wonder if you are really a GOP supporter or just a poser....

 

[Caligirl]

I hope the party that I have loved all these decades increasingly will be the idea-rich home of pragmatism and reform, the welcoming party of inclusion and the creative party of can-do problem-solvers.

THat sounds like how some democrats would describe their party.

The dems would not have done nearly as well if hadn't been for teh economic meltdown. Palin could have been the VP elect at this point, if thing had gone a smidge different.

So I don't think the republicans are as far off as all that, but more importantly it is pretty obvious that ideologies (or elements of them) flow from one party to the other and back again (pragmatism, working class aid, values, etc) as one or the other thinks they can capitalize on whatever the public mood is at the moment.

 

[TR_GOP]

So, your fine with the searches into Joe's private information. Had you not heard his PRIVATE information would you still feel the same about him?

After watching the entire discussion between JTP and BO it became apparent Obama either convinced Joe to agree with him concerning shifting the tax cut from the >$225-250k bracket to <$225-250k, or boxed him into a corner. Towards the end Barack asked him how many years did he work before accumulating sufficient capital to buy out the plumbing business and become self-employed. After Joe gave his answer Barack replied with (paraphrasing) "with my tax policy you would have cleared that hurdle long ago and been in business", which is exactly right. Joe would be ahead of the game instead of arguing with BO. tax policy

Watch from 1:13 onward, he explains it better;

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUvwKVvp3-o]YouTube - 'Joe the Plumber' Becomes Focus of Debate[/ame]

With Bush's tax policy "Joe the Plumber" lost money on both ends of the tax divide compared to Obama's. It took him longer to save, which put off the launch, and all this time he could have been growing the business. "Joe the Plumber's" customer base likely earns <$225,000/year because upper income clients will select an established plumbing contractor for several reasons; ease of discovery (big yellow pages ad, TV ad, etc), the speed of response (fleet of trucks), the comfort that comes with name recognition, peer references, and potential for predated professional business relationship (the same company that services the office building, hospital, etc). Since the upper crust is for now out of Joe's reach he must rely on the middle class. A middle class breadwinner with less takehome pay or a smaller refund might forego installing a the new tub and shower.

Joe's expression and nod says it all. Barack Obama is right! Yet he never admitted to the realization.


Before I answer your inquiry into my party loyalties ask yourself this; how do you feel after discovering someone manipulated your emotions and took advantage of your loyalties in order to satisfy his selfish interest and that of unseen associates? Makes a sorry statement on that person's character if you ask me.

You, I, and millions of our fellow citizens been intentionally misinformed on taxes, on war, on the economy, and possibly many, many other issues. .

Place Bush's tax break for the rich inside the larger trickle down economic philosophy. The rationale of freeing up investment capital produces jobs by facilitating investment only works if the vast majority of recipients reinvest that money directly into the US economy. In other words, trust us. You'll see it again sometime in a new factory job, delivery vehicle driver position. We really don't know how much ends up back on Main St and how much goes into the Cayman savings acct, European vacation, overseas investments, etc, etc.

The banking industry bailout is a good example of theory not representing fact because theory doesn't mean jack squat if there's no enforceable guidelines or limitations keeping the money on course. strings attached to the taking into account the options presented to the unaccountable provided the recipients actually recycle their wealth into the US economy Remember what I said about being intentionally misinformed.

On Joe The Plumber's status I smelled him out as a phoney the first time his encounter came across my TV. His defiant demeanour, opinion reversal and counter-reversal, and McCain's promotional effort during the debate sealed the deal. I don't believe it's wrong at all to check into a public figure if he or she willingly enters the spotlight. From that point forward your statements and actions become public record. In fact not checking into him is worse that doing so, absent the threat of verification the only thing in the way of massive corruption and factual misrepresentations is human character, which is indeed a scarce commodity today. From day one forward JTP proved through layered lies uncovered, his pad jumping from plumber to campaign personality to author of a book (which I believe he didn't write) said it all;

Farce. Maybe even a plant.

As for, Sarah, I'm not sure what's fact and what's not around her. The lies created by the press and their 'inside sources' are amazing.

I don't pay much attention to unverified gossup. What I did see is blind ambition and a irresponsible approach to politics. Reading off stump speeches with uncommon stagecraft is not a gauge of political wisdom, grasp of the issues, leadership, or decisionmaking. Sarah Palin reveled in the power and trappings of Presidential level politics. She hadn't the educational record, international life experience, record of high stakes decisionmaking, or maturity of judgement required to honestly assess your limits and decide what's best for you may not be the best thing for your country. Keeping her youngest children out of school for an entire semester because their presence on stage has emotional appeal displayed another decision made oblivious to the concerns of all save Sarah. Repeatedly insinuating Barack Obama is a closet terrorist based on the actions of a Chicago educator during the 70's was intellectually ignorant at best, intentionally vicious at its worst. Doing this without a shred of regret or pause is downright scary.

Sarah Palin became so conditioned to the ego-fawning exercise of runway beauty pagentry she became addicted to it. Once the runway fix became a part of her history politics provided a very good substitute. In fact it's better. Politics brings status and p o w e r.

Without responsibility, the politician becomes selfish and interested first in their own careers and goals.

Vanity and narcissism tends to reduce responsibility, although it can also lead to the politician needing to appear responsible.

Power politics', in which the acquisition and use of power is a distracting end in itself, is typical of a lack of responsibility.

Politics encompasses many paradoxes and dilemmas, making it easy to justify acts of power and aggression. This makes a strong sense of responsibility even more important.

Responsibility without passion does not lead the change. Responsibility without judgment leads to ineffective or dangerous decisions.

Some would say that many politicians lack responsibility!1

The icing on the cake - an education in mass media communications timed perfectly with the industry's removal of all ethical barriers separating public relations work, issue advocacy, and news reporting. Not only does one report the news, you can mold it, shape it, or even make it up and so long as the people involved have a stake in the agenda you're freed of ethical judgement.

On her religion; worshipping God is not a problem. Believing your choices, and thus your brain, is guided by God is a problem. Attributing the successful results of fooling enough people to make the wrong decision is a direct manifestation of God's Will...now that is a problem.

In closing I don't hate the person or politics of Sarah Palin the way most liberals do. In fact I don't hate her on a personal level at all, (the campaign leadership is another matter). She isn't maliciously evil. Guess what? Hitler wasn't maliciously evil either. Evil requires a connection with reality and a health conscience. Lacking both of those and for the ego-obsessed arises a temptation to self-rationalize the unacceptable. People like John Koresh, Jim Jones, Pol Pot, and Adolph Hitler weren't evil. They were clinically narccist

Evil knows it's doing evil things, in fact it revels in inflicting harm. The greatest evils in mankind's history weren't committed by evil people. They were the best intentioned acts of people who fooled themselves and their attached fanclub into constructing a delusions built upon delusions. Given the right circumstances the narcissistic personality begins to imagine him or her self as an instrument of God. How is that so? Well, well..

well, look at me! God has blessed me with the skill to move people, the opportunity, the political experts who believe in me (although not even close to the same belief as the adoring fanclub. More often they're merely using you for a ride to the top. Secretly they think you're nuts). Of course God has selected me to occupy this place in history. Who can doubt it?"

A non-believing agent of Satan might....

"Yep! isn't it always the case for political rivals of a Narccisst on a mission from God? "Since I'm fighting on God's side (should be apparent to anyone who believe) he (Obama) must be controlled by Satan. Look at him, his background, the way he views the world and forms policy. Obama wants to talk with the Iranians. That's outrageous!"

Lastly there's the omnipresent suspicion bordering on hatred held by Real Americans against intellectuals. Obama is an intellectuals. In fact my motovations and loyalties are regularly drawn into question for the exact same reason. You know, like the post before this one.

Sarah Palin doesn't have to even consider her intellect, or even learned body of knowledge, before committing to the Presidential ticket. Any guessed why? Comeon, who can come up with the answer first? Three letters.

A: The pathologically narcissistic Politician On A Mission draws all the wisdom, judgement, guidance , and coin flips straight from God Himself. All you have to do is believe and don't question what He says like those liberal Intellectuals who dare to challenge beliefs, even their own.

I don't believe Palin is evil and knowing your limits power,imagined world of political showbusiness, and that's all it is.

Hopefully I have cause you to pause and reconsider. Not faith necessairly, but who and what exactly honors faith, and who uses and exploits it. Think about it.

I wonder if you are really a GOP supporter or just a poser....

I wouldn't exert the time or energy.

Please don't accept at face value everything demanding your vote or your heart. Even if offered with a stamp of approval by friends, party, or church. Don't drink the Koolaid.



1. Three essential qualities

 

[editec]

Envision a frustrated Abraham Lincoln attempting to recite the Gettysburg Address while sharing the stage with the Insane Clown Posse.

There's a belly-laughing truism, if I ever read one.

If history is any guide, Republicans are not consigned to permanent minority status and will rebound. Republicans' fortunes will be assisted by positive attitudes and helpful contributions to this state and nation.

I think Sam is absolutely right.

TR asks:

..how do you feel after discovering someone manipulated your emotions and took advantage of your loyalties in order to satisfy his selfish interest and that of unseen associates?

The question is rhetorical, of course. Anyone feels bad to discover they've been manipulated, but they first have to understand that that is what happened.

Most middle class and upper middle class Republicans still don't understand how they're being manipulated, just as most class and upper middle class Democrats don't understand how they are being manipulated by the Democratic spin machine, either.

Can't fault them really, since the people playing these disinformation games are freaking genuses at it.


TR continues:

Place Bush's tax break for the rich inside the larger trickle down economic philosophy. The rationale of freeing up investment capital produces jobs by facilitating investment only works if the vast majority of recipients reinvest that money directly into the US economy. In other words, trust us. You'll see it again sometime in a new factory job, delivery vehicle driver position. We really don't know how much ends up back on Main St and how much goes into the Cayman savings acct, European vacation, overseas investments, etc, etc.

Oh it's even worse than that. The whole "supply side" school of ecnomics is based on the mistaken notion that we are still in the SCARCITY economy of the 17th century.

The SUPPLY SIDE of the economic equasion hasn't really existed in our lifetimes, nor that of our father's lifetimes, our grandfather's lifetimes, either.

That is EXACTLY why we keep having so many investment BUBBLES...the supply side gets awash with dough....till the bubbles burst.

So much in fact, that the money invested ends up chasing too few profits over and over and over again.

That is EXACTLY why, there are times when the only solution to this rigged game where them what has can ALWAYS get more, but that won't ain't can never get a fair break, is Kinsian economics.

That's the only way to prime this consumer driven economy's pump!

TR continues to continue:

The banking industry bailout is a good example of theory not representing fact because theory doesn't mean jack squat if there's no enforceable guidelines or limitations keeping the money on course. strings attached to the taking into account the options presented to the unaccountable provided the recipients actually recycle their wealth into the US economy Remember what I said about being intentionally misinformed.

Very astute. Another swindle by the very class which lives by the biggest swindle of all...by controlling the money supply.

Lastly there's the omnipresent suspicion bordering on hatred held by Real Americans against intellectuals. Obama is an intellectuals. In fact my motovations and loyalties are regularly drawn into question for the exact same reason. You know, like the post before this one.

Amen, brother. Americans have always distrusted the intelligensia. That's why the really smartest among them seeking public office like to play the regular guy game.

Sarah Palin appealed to the anti-intellectualism inherent in the social conservative wing of the GOP because mostly that wing of the party are fucking idiots.