MSNBC commericials for statism

MSNBC is running a series oif commericals by Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz and Lawrence O'Donnell. I mentioned in an earler post how ridicilus Maddow looks in her hoodie pontificating to the masses about infrastructure.

The funnist however is O'Donnell who says something to the effect "I know about crooked tax law, because I use to write tax law in the senate". This is not really a good argument to listen to O'Donnell lecture us on morality.

Morning Joe 7/28/2011 -- the truth will set you free

 On Morning Joe today there was a very good discussion among the guests. Lawrence O'Donnell was on, and what he said was interesting. O'Donnell said that Obama was never serious in the debt ceiling debate, and that his proposal to put entitlements "on the table" was sabotaged by Obama himself by insisting on higher and higher tax hikes. O'Donnell basically said that it was all political theater to establish Obama as the serious player in these talks. I've said this all along -- that is not big news -- but let's look at this more closely. O'Donnell got confirmation from John Heilemann and others like Eliza Cummings that Obama will come out as winner in the poltical game of image-making. No one denied what O'Donnell proposed, so, all the talk among the guests and regulars during this debt ceiling debate was part of the image-making. Scarborough agreed with Grover Norquist, who was on the program later, that the spending cut promises and entitlement reform talk were bogus. Mika sort of hung her head with a sad, resigned look on her face. It's all smoke and mirrors.

Where I disagree is with the assumption among these cynical, sophisticated political pundits that the public is fooled. The Morning Joe guests agreeing with O'Donnell also framed the limited government conservatives as dupes in this image-making process -- Andrea Mitchell and O'Donnell made fun of the conservatives' principled stand, as did Scarborough, who praised John McCain for trashing the limited government conservatives. O'Donnell, Mitchell, Scarborough and the rest of the "sophisticated" political class pundits are clever, but they aren't intelligent -- at least not comprehensively intelligent. What they are missing is a sea change among the public. They're also grossly underestimating the limited government conservatives who have embraced this sea change among the public. The American people are sick of the image-making games played in Washington, DC, and professional politicians are on the cutting block. The political class pundits miss something important -- the size and the power of the American people, and what they can change once they decide to excercise their power.

More and more Americans are realizing their power, and the change is coming. These cynical, smirking fools who think they know the real deal in Washington will be left behind -- they're already irrelevant. A house-cleaning is in order, and it's coming. Alexander Rustow, in his book Domination and Freedom, wrote in 1950 about social decay, and how one of the stages is cynicism whereby people say "This is the way of the world -- it's the way the game is played". Rustow also wrote that this game can be changed. I suggest the Morning Joe crew delve a little deeper if they want to become a viable forum for political analysis -- clever is fine when you want sit around with like-minded cynics and pat each other on the ass regarding your in-the-know positions on the inside -- but outside, something important is happening, and it's marching to DC.

Meet the Press 2/27/2011 -- Wisconsin and unrest

Meet the Press with David Greogory put on a good show this morning, and Gregory did a fairly good job of asking some tough questions, although in his interview with Scott Walker he fell into a liberal habit of asking the same question over and over to obfuscate the answer. Gregory asked Walker at least four times why Walker didn't just accept the union's agreement to contribute to their benefits and drop the restrictions on collective bargaining -- Walker answered each time that the system needs to change or the contributions will be temporary and the same budget problems will return. Gregory either couldn't fathom this reply or had no reasonable objection to it, so he just kept asking the question. Walker came off as calm and reasonable and determined to get the public union problem in his state under control so that lay-offs won't be necessary.

Gregory interviewed John McCain, who is in Cairo, Egypt, regarding the Egyptian situation, Libya and the Mid-East unrest. McCain was cautious when he talked about the progress in Egypt toward elections -- McCain gave the impression that the situation is up in the air, which probably means forces un-friendly to America are making progress in their attempt to gain political power. McCain proposed more US military involvement in Libya through a no-fly zone and military support for an alternative government, but stopping short of sending in American troops. McCain was asked about Secretary Gates comments that no president going forward should be advised to maintain military presence in Asia or the Mid-east. McCain, of course, said there are times we have to act and then justified Adghanistan, but the question unasked is if we have to stay there for a decade, and if so, why? What has been accomplished after the first two years?

The roundtable discussion was stacked to the Left, with Richard Trumka, Lawrence O'Donnell and Emanuel Cleaver, the representative who heads the Black Caucus, were there on the Left, and Kim Strassel, a WSJ person was there from the middle, and Haley Barbour, Governor of Miss., was there on the Right. The conversation surrounded Wisconsin, and Trumka repeated the charge of Walker attempting to destroy the union, as did O'Donnel. Gregory asked about the public unions' rigged game of negotiating with officials the union got elected, but Trumka ignored any questions which could put unions in a bad light and turned it on Walker, the evil Republican governor.

Haley Barbour was the only one who talked about the fundamental solution of fixing the system by restricting collective bargaining. Gregory failed to bring up the underlying reason unions are so active across the country, and that is because their money flow is being threatened. If states give freedom to public workers to join unions and pay dues or not, then this could threaten the union's money supply and lessen their power to affect legislation and benefit increases. The bottom line, and what Trumka didn't have an answer for, is the broken system which needs to change. Trumka knows that unions can give back some of their benefit gains temporarily then come back strong later when the clouds blow over.

Emanuel Cleaver accused Republicans in general of wanting to cut too much, which means he's a staunch supporter of tax and spend policies, a progressive who favors the government "investment" position. O'Donnel wants to tax the top earners. Liberals and progressives have no new answers -- they are protecting the status quo and the system in place. Trumka, of course, wants only what increases union power regardless of the consequences. Strassel just piddled around the center of the issues. It's amazing that Haley Barbour, a politician with which I have many problems, was the only one addressing an unsustainable public union system which is helping to bankrupt states across the country. 

MSNBC is a mess

MSNBC thinks they are a viable option to Fox, a force for progressivism, but the people they have hosting shows are incompetent. There's a good opportunity to present thoughtful commentary, but it appears all the hosts are reacting to Fox rather than creating something new and enlightening.

MSNBC lacks orginality and creativity, they eulate what they think as been successful at Fox, and who thought of "Leaning Forward"? With their ratins suffering and certain shake-ups inevitable, leaning forward is not a good idea. 

There is no credibility left -- Olbermann, Matthews, Schultz --these guys are irrelevant -- it's like a satirist writes their material, portraying the buffoonery of the left. All three together can't mach one Sheperd Smith! I jest. 

Morning Joe is interesting sometimes, but how many times can a viewer listen to how Joe Scarborough did everything right while he was in congress? Not many more -- I can tell you from personal experience. How many times can we listen to the same guests say the same things over and over? They look exhausted -- Mike Barnacle needs a vacation, or some crack -- Willie Geist gave up long ago trying to say anything interesting. And how many times can we suffer the lemon-face contortions from Mika when Obama is criticized? Is Harold Ford blackmailing an executive? What else explains his repeat appearances?

Chuck Todd and Savannah Guthrie are unconvincing as objective reporters -- it's obvious they've been smitten with State power and head pats from Valerie Jarret and the gang of Obamabots. But they know the White House's lunch menu -- and they are sooooo cute.

Now they have Lawrence (Trotsky) O'Donnell declaring his socialist pride, calling all liberals wimps for not admitting their socialist beliefs. O'Donnell is a sincere idiot -- you have to give him that -- not very useful, but sincere.

Then there's the man of the people -- Dylan Ratigan -- oh, I can't go on, it's too painful.

Liberal-Progressive-Socialist

The lines are becoming blurred as modern socialism creates an umbrella for the left. Liberals have drifted toward socialism for decades, until, now, they support progressive causes which are only distinguished from socialism by theabsence of State ownership of the means of production. But effective State control over the means of production qualifies as a form of socialism -- State-managed socialism.

State-managed socialism is not an uncommon position among union leaders, university professors, social and political scientists, progressive politicians, the movie industry, the media and the environmental movement, just to name a few groups who've either openly or surreptitously adopted the socialist mindset.

It's becoming more acceptable to promote socialist ideas, and these ideas have infiltrated our society to the degree that they've become acceptable in disguised form, mainly because our education system has blended these ideas with classical liberal ideas, gradually morphing classical liberalism into an America-style socialism -- State-managed socialism.

Many liberals react strongly to the socialist label and claim that it's an ignorant hyperbole pushed by right-wing fear-mongers, but honest commentators like Lawrence O'Donnell rebuke this liberal denial and claim socialism proudly. Several major magazines around 2008 began claiming the death of capitalism and wondering if socialism has not found its time and place in America.

In the next 5 to 10 years we'll see a battle form between socialists and free marketers, although it will be framed differently -- but for those not afraid of clear distinctions, the lines are clear. Understanding both sides might be worth the time and effort.