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Is Obama the New Nixon?
by Lee Siegel
Lee Siegel is The Daily Beast's senior columnist. He publishes widely on culture and politics and is the author of three books: Falling Upwards: Essays in Defense of the Imagination; Not Remotely Controlled: Notes on Television; and, most recently, Against the Machine: How the Web Is Reshaping Culture And Commerce—And Why It Matters. In 2002, he received a National Magazine Award for reviews and criticism.
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Both presidents were vilified by those out of power, fueling the rise of manic countercultures. Lee Siegel on what Glenn Beck’s angry army has in common with hippies.
Let’s all calm down. The Tea Party Express rally in Washington wasn’t the beginning of some political apocalypse that is going to plunge the country into civil war.
If anything, its noisiness was inversely proportionate to its power—the ugly images and inflammatory rhetoric were burbles of helplessness. Without cable TV’s magnifications, the peaceful, even cautious, demonstration would have come and gone with barely a notice.
The parallels between today’s right-wing radicals and radical tactics of the 1960s are striking. Sixties’ Dada theatrics—e.g. Allen Ginsberg leading people in an attempt to levitate the Pentagon (my favorite)—are echoed in the alarmist and conspiratorial theatrics of right-wing cable television.
Fundamentally, the gathering in the nation’s capital last Saturday was something entirely different: the rise of a new counterculture.
We’ve heard for years how the subversive culture of the 1960s has been gradually assimilated by the manic commercial culture of the 1980s and 1990s. Free love, drugs, “do your own thing,” public obscenity, provocative dress—what once shocked the American middle class is now the stuff of everyday American experience. (Viagra is Woodstock in pills.)
Up until now, society may have changed, but politics remained the same.
As the go-go imperatives of commercial life seemed to make just about every solid social norm melt into air, politicians went about their routine business. They cut or raised taxes, balanced the budget or ran a deficit, made war or preserved the peace. Through it all, they kept their hands off any legislative engine that would have a transformative effect on everyday life.
• Chris Matthews: How Teddy Took Down Nixon Predictable, routine, unchanging government became something like a sanctuary from the Animal House atmosphere of much American social and cultural life. The halls of power seemed a refuge for all those who had been terrified of the counterculture in the 1960s, and felt alienated by the commercial assimilation of countercultural values post-1960s. Patriotism, religion, morality—in the form of Christian-tinted government that promised stability amid all the social and cultural daily upheaval—became the war cry against the destabilizing culture of gratification.
But now, government itself seems dynamic and full of change. It promises to sweep away the familiar contours of everyday experience.
The mainstream assimilation of countercultural values is no longer just a social phenomenon. Government seems to have become countercultural, too. A black man in the White House. A transformation in the relationship between our health and the public realm (Our Bodies, Our Politicians). A fundamental restructuring of the government’s relationship to American business.
In society, culture and now politics, what was once considered countercultural is today the establishment. And so it’s no surprise that what was once considered the establishment—the war cry of patriotism, religion, and morality—is the new counterculture.
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Happy F---ing Labor Day, Rahm!
Michael Moore is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker and author. He directed and produced Roger & Me, Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Sicko. He has also written seven books, most recently, Mike’s Election Guide 2008.
Obama's Foreign Policy Has Failed
Peter Beinart, senior political writer for The Daily Beast, is associate professor of journalism and political science at City University of New York and a senior fellow at the New America Foundation. His new book, The Icarus Syndrome: A History of American Hubris, is now available from HarperCollins. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
The Tea Party's Phantom Menace
Lee Siegel is The Daily Beast's senior columnist. He publishes widely on culture and politics and is the author of three books: Falling Upwards: Essays in Defense of the Imagination; Not Remotely Controlled: Notes on Television; and, most recently, Against the Machine: How the Web Is Reshaping Culture And Commerce—And Why It Matters. In 2002, he received a National Magazine Award for reviews and criticism.
The New Republican War Room
Lee Siegel is The Daily Beast's senior columnist. He publishes widely on culture and politics and is the author of three books: Falling Upwards: Essays in Defense of the Imagination; Not Remotely Controlled: Notes on Television; and, most recently, Against the Machine: How the Web Is Reshaping Culture And Commerce—And Why It Matters. In 2002, he received a National Magazine Award for reviews and criticism.
Washington's Only Grown-Up
Lee Siegel is The Daily Beast's senior columnist. He publishes widely on culture and politics and is the author of three books: Falling Upwards: Essays in Defense of the Imagination; Not Remotely Controlled: Notes on Television; and, most recently, Against the Machine: How the Web Is Reshaping Culture And Commerce—And Why It Matters. In 2002, he received a National Magazine Award for reviews and criticism.
Genni2002
The Christian right is completely in love with itself and will stop at nothing to force its will on everyone else. The thing that I find interesting is that, for the most part, these people fundamentally don't follow any of the teachings of Christ. Also, they always turn out to be major hypos living indecent lives.. What is that all about? By the way, people have been killed or don't you remember the abortion doctor murder for example?
sweatshop-fan
In other news, hippies and neocons share the same number of eyes, ears, and nostrils, making them almost impossible for the untrained eye to tell apart. Nixon and Obama are the same because they are both Presidents.
I think this is the worst piece of political analysis I have ever read in my entire life. And I have read a lot of National Review articles. The author is clearly off in Dada land. Conservatives aren't a "new counter-culture", they represent a dying culture. We're just waiting for enough old people to die off so that we can legalize gay marriage and pot.
There is no need for the national guard on campuses because so few of the students are (braindead) conservatives that if they tried to hold a serious protest they would be mocked by almost all of their peers as brainwashed fools, and lose the respect of all the smart kids they need to copy homework from in order to pass.
I almost wish the idiots would get their wish to dismantle Medicare. Social change truly does arrive in hearses.
reardongalt
The Hippies are all leftists.
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roger37
"The hippies are all leftists." Gee, that's a really astute, timely observation, there, rear. I'll bet they smoke mary-jane and vote commie, also.
DaveinNorthridge
Absolutely. Doesn't using an alternate screen name to promote yourself on your own blog disqualify you from ever posting anything as an authority again?
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bsmllc
Interesting article other than the disgusting, despicable comment about the right being racist. Why is that suddenly anyone who disagrees with the policies of the president is a racist? It is despicable to call people racists without justification. I'm a democrat who voted for Obama. I think we are trying to change too many things too fast and it is risky. Risky for the nation, risky for the democrats, and totally unnecessary. I went to the 9-12 march which I viewed as non-partisan for the most part. Suddenly I find that the reasoning is:
1. Obama is Black
2. I disagree with Obama's policies
3. Therefore I am racist.
Despicable. That attitude will drive more people to the Republicans than to the Democrats.
riall1
The reason for the connection between the 'protests' and the claim of racism are obvious to me. In general, the protesters are acting in an absurd manner, making obviously erroneous claims, and are very fear/anger based (just like racism) They were protesting when logically there was no reason for the protest. for example, hanging on to the claim that Obama was born in kenya when it had been proven over and over again that it was false, calling Obama a nazi socialist (how can a black man be a nazi?, how can a nazi be a socialist?), protesting out of control spending and 'big government'/government intrusion when it was bush who built up the government to the size and amount of oppressive control and who spent like a drunken sailor without any thought of the consequences. tell me where were you when bush was arresting people without charge, wiretapping for no legal reason, giving away billions to contractors for a war that was based on lies....were you protesting then????????
believe me aligning the republican party with people like rush limbaugh (without a doubt a racist), and the gang at fox (again obviously racist) will do the republican party more harm than speaking the truth about all of these RACIST inspired protests.
Maezeppa
Actually, Obama follows the teachings of Christ, starting with forgivness.
sadie101
Actually, Obama wants a one party system and we all know how Christ-like non-democracies are, right?
AlanD2
Maezeppa: Republicans are the ones that seem to hold grudges...
DeaconDrJones
This is so stupid and boring that it's not even entertaining anymore, sadie101 and whatever galt and the rest of you fools. Were you here during the last 8 years? That's when the conservative party rammed through whatever legislation they wanted with no debates or time to form bipartisan support. They used their power with no remorse and anybody who disagreed was, as always, unpatriotic, anti-american, a commie, helping the terrorists, whatever. How you even begin to compare the past eight months to the previous eight years? It's worthless to even argue with somebody so divorced from reality. That is the real problem here. As this article points out, whether you see it as well written and insightful or a stretch or whatever, the number of people who fall for the stupid shit is dwindling, but there are a lot of people who make money off things staying this way, so they pay an army of stooges to rile up the troops with a pile of crap and the rest of us look on in wonder-wondering if they'll actually shoot those guns they think it's important to carry around, wondering if they really believe that the govment is gonna kill their gramma, wondering if sanity is really that rare. Guess what, it isn't. Nuts are just louder. So, finally, go to hell. You can only humor a crackpot for so long. At some point it becomes dangerous and you gotta put that ol' dog down.
camfield
Amazing how many of these people also are the "onward, Christian soldiers" type so eager to support a modern Crusade against the infidel Muslims--and also support torture in the manner of the Spanish Inquisition. Many have to have been brainwashed by the military-industrial complex that rules our nation.
I recent wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper on the subject of health care reform and Republican obstruction to all things emenating from Obama. It included some remarks on religion, to wit: "Republican leaders commonly utilize their supposed religious values as a vote-getter, yet would have us emulate Cain, who after having slain his brother evaded responsibility with the question, 'Am I my brother's keeper?' Cain would be a poor hero indeed for this society based on equality. But the self-anointed well-to-do who are the serpent in the garden continue to urge egocentric disregard for the plight of our brethren who struggle in misery and die. Passive murder. Are we, the people, going to just stand by and be as Pilate at the time of the Crucifixion, throwing up our hands, washing them and declaring ourselves 'innocent of the blood of this just person'?"
The response, of course, was vitriolic but generally gibberish in the form personal attacks on me and my attitude, rather than any former of intelligent debate. Some of these death-fearing "born again" older sorts, I fear, have no actual knowledge of the religion they profess to possess--nor any first-hand familiarity with the Bible.
Don't get me wrong. I'm no fan of organized religion--but I did go to Sunday School as a child and do possess a Bible I've had since age 12. Figuratively speaking, it's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. It's one great book of history, however!
donatello
Well said.
"Concentration of power in a political machine is bad; and an Established Church is only a political machine; it was invented for that; it is nursed, cradled, preserved for that; it is an enemy to human liberty, and does no good which it could not better do in a split-up and scattered condition."
Mark Twain
Timbo52
camfield: Where are all these onward Christian soldiers you speak of? Where are they telling it on the mountain to the evil non believers? I am a Christian, proud of it, and I went to the 912 Rally. I didn't see anyone thumping bibles and I haven't seen them in the news. You are part of what is described in this article. You go off making these wild accusations about no one or no specific situation, you just want to be angry at something. I can almost see the veins popping out of your head.
I'm just going to quote a little of what you said above.
""Republican leaders commonly utilize their supposed religious values as a vote-getter, yet would have us emulate Cain, who after having slain his brother evaded responsibility with the question, 'Am I my brother's keeper?' Cain would be a poor hero indeed for this society based on equality. But the self-anointed well-to-do who are the serpent in the garden continue to urge egocentric disregard for the plight of our brethren who struggle in misery and die. Passive murder. "
What the hell man? Now I'm not trying to defend Republicans but do really think this kind of drivel helps your fellow liberals? Do democrats ever use religion to their advantage? What are you even talking about?
The people who went to the 912 rally, if nothing else were very sensible, well mannered, and respectful of each other and their surrounding. I am sure that quite a few were religious as I am but no one started speaking in tongues or called for a massive group prayer. While it was mostly white there were people of all color there and all beliefs and non believers. The common thread that brought us there was we want the government to slow down and we want them to know what we want as well as how we feel. We just decided to do it in person. Lighten up. I am all for defending one's cause but you go after the boggy man here.
Bamos99
Timbo 52: I didn't go, but I saw the placards people were holding and they were insane. Not purely partisan but insane. This is where people get the opinion something is wrong with them.
migaraque
amen
reardongalt
One thing good about them (the Christian Right) is that they don't fly planes into buildings.
outragedfan
yet.
Bamos99
Christian Right and Islamic Right are Abramic cousins and very similar in thought process.
migaraque
Indeed, but they kill hundreds of thousands who think differently or are not in agreement with their beliefs.
xlntcat
You mean that they have yet to fly a plane into a building. There isn't 10 cents difference between the christian right and the Islamic right. Both pervert the teachings of the religion they claim to represent.
darrelb
I am neither a Christian nor a liberal. The difference I have found in Christians and liberals is that Christians try to persuade me with their ideas whereas liberals pass laws to force their ideas on me with the threat of imprisonment. Yet liberal are constantly howling that someone is trying force their beliefs on them. I ask you, who forces their beliefs on people more than liberals? Frankly, I much prefer Christians to liberals.
milkman57
really...George Bush aka born again christian George..persuaded you to support two wars in the middle east, doubling the debt and destroying the economy....not to mention passing the patriot act...christ, i mean GB didn't do this with fear and deceit, He gently persuaded you with his christian logic. what a joke.
soporifix
Um, which ideas exactly are "the liberals" trying to "force on" you with the "threat of imprisonment"?
What this kind of comment usually means: "It's part of my belief system that Negroes shouldn't live on my block. Why are Liberals trying to oppress me by arresting me for burning a cross on someone's lawn?"
migaraque
Not all Christians in America are right wing, pro-slavery, pro-war fundamentalist. I've just heard a song from one very bright Christian musician who crys outloud the injustice of America's megachurches. Here are the lyrics:
I Hate all your Show (Jon Forman)
I hate all your show and pretense
The hypocrisy of your praise
The hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show
Away with your noisy worship
Away with your noisy hymns
I stomp on my ears when you're singing 'em
I hate all your show
Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
Your eyes are closed when you're praying
You sing right along with the band
You shine up your shoes for services
There's blood on your hands
You turned your back on the homeless
And the ones that don't fit in your plan
Quit playing religion games
There's blood on your hands
Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show
Let's argue this out
If your sins are blood red
Let's argue this out
You'll be one of the clouds
Let's argue this out
Quit fooling around
Give love to the ones who can't love at all
Give hope to the ones who got no hope at all
Stand up for the ones who can't stand at all, all
I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show
Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show
xlntcat
Yes, the authors' memory is either short or he purposely wishes to downplay the potential of ever increasing violence The abortion doctor, the guard at the Holocast musuem, the three police officers killed as a result of Beck's toxic messages, etc. He omits that cities were burned, that a president was assignated as well as his brother, that more than one civil rights leaders were slain.
Betsy1040
The Totalitarian left is completely in love with itself and will stop at nothing to force its will on everyone else. Thats why they want to stifle free speech with so-called fairness doctines, FCC lisences, and white house control of the census. Also, they always turn out to be major hypos decrying the very things they are trying to perpetuate. Self indulgent psuedo superior sanctimonius hypocrites and liars.
spinozai
Can't wait till they start handing out brown acid at the Tea Parties.
Timbo52
spinozai: Do they make it in brown now? We never had that color in the 70's.
spinozai
I don't think they made it since Woodstock. I caught a bad rep there
Wemedge
As usual, Mr. Seagal, beng born and raised in NYC leaves him woefully ignorant of average citizens in flyover country. Let's discount the meltdowns and whackjobs which chartacterize the fringe of any political viewpoint, left as well as right. Seagal has no idea how deep and wide is the opposition to President Obama's statist agenda.I've been living in Europe for 20 years, and believe I have a pretty clear expat's view of what is happening generally in the US. Mr. Obama is blowing a wonderful opportunity to move us ahead, choosing instead to ram his agenda down our throats, villifying his opponents out of one side of his mouth while professing to be willilng to listen to them out of the other side. The average US citizen, while certainly no Einstein, still has a fairly balanced sense of decency, fair play and discernment. That's why Bill Clinton, a pretty decent executive, was not thrown out of office for technically committing perjury: the context was frivolous. Obama's presidency, if his course is not moderated, whill implode in record time. Trust me, we can't afford that kind of leadership now.
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Johnnyappleseed
You missed wemedges point LAmom, well recieved but bankrupting our country......Big edifference.
I'll pray for you.
neverlate
Does DB have any columnists that are not overly smug intellectually challenged Liberals? It has become one big ad hominem rant against conservatism, as if it is a moral affront to disagree with the Obama agenda.
frontman9000
When you believe that healthcare is best left to insurance companies and not all citizens need to qualify for healthcare. When you believe in intolerance of homosexuals. When you believe in unjust wars and the villification of all Muslims. When you are so narrow-minded that you oppose any progressive social changes. When you use covert racism as a weapon to divide the country.
Yes, it is a moral affront!
NorCalGladiator
meghan mcCain.. open your eyes.. and im not just talking about looking at the columnists..
Timbo52
frontman9000: Like I told camfield above, stop chasing the boggy man. Show me proof of one person that fits the description of what you describe above. I'm a Conservative and I would hate them too.
I'll respond to what you posted though but I'm sure you'll still be pissed anyway.
I believe that healthcare for the majority of people is best left in their own hands and as their own choice. I believe that we do need reforms to eliminate pre existing conditions, it should be portable from job to job and across state lines. For those who can't afford it they should be allowed to go on Medicaid. Of course I think the best thing to do is just give us all access to the federal plan we already pay for. All we need are some enrollment forms.
I have no problem with homosexuals but do not believe in Gay Marriage. I have no problem with civil unions with the same advantages as married couples. The marriage thing for them, I believe, is just them trying to force their will on the majority of people that do not agree. Call it a civil union, and sign me up, I still believe it is wrong but I don't have the right to judge them.
I don't, and I truly believe that most Americans don't believe in or want any kind of war.
The only Muslims I don't like are the one's who want to kill us. Read the Koran sometime though and explain that whole death to all infidels thing to me. An infidel is anyone who does not believe as they do, food for thought.
Progressive Social Change. You got me there. Can't go down that road and don't want to even talk about that whole "Global Governance" thing. But you go right ahead if that's what you believe. It is a moral thing no matter what side your on.
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Johnnyappleseed
frontee, read the Bible, or do you even have one?
Timbo52
grumpyguy: Well what to do is the question. When one party is in control there isn't much give and take. I don't believe that it all needs to change to fix it though and I don't understand what the rush is. The current plan on the table starts collecting right away but doesn't kick in for what 3 years?
AndreainNY
It's what brings this audience. In droves.
AlanD2
AndreainNY: I'm surprised you haven't left, then.
Maezeppa
Ooooh. Somebody sounds senstitive.
craighouchin
Neverlate,
It is not a moral affront to disagree with Obama. There are plenty of progressives, liberals, Democrats, etc. on the so called "left," who disagree with some part of Obama's agenda. The issue is not really even about "right" and "left."
In the physical universe nothing stays the same. It evolves or it decays and sometimes, in the case of a nation, it does both, in different sectors at the same time. We are just seeing the normal upheaval of life on earth. One group feels safe in the static of NO CHANGE, while others feel stifled by the same condition.
It's not hard to understand a conservative viewpoint. If all of our tomorrows were like yesterday -- at least we'd know what we were dealing with and could hold things together. However, in nature and in human interaction, nothing stays the same. Accepting that fact and rolling with it can go a long way toward easing the pain of uncomfortable change.
None of this, however, removes our responsibility for steering our evolution away from unworkable, unsustainable behaviors toward more just, long-term survival behaviors. For instance: war should probably be phased out as we move forward. Just a thought.
cassandravert
Well said, especially about the duty to work toward long-term survival. Obama is great at the soaring, inspirational appeal, but at bottom he and his ideas strike me as originating in the practical.
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DeaconDrJones
Wow, more dumb shit. Thanks.
Olbermannisstupid
Very "constructive" commentary. Which MSNBC moron did you borrow this from?
optimus
These tea party people are a bunch a idiots,some can't even spell correctly or know what the issues are.Bush started the bail out,not Obama and all those who don't want
socialize health care just get rid of your medicare then and
purchase your own insurance.
n403xv
OK, let me see if I can follow your logic here:
* Bush started the bail out
* Obama continued and quadrupled the amount of bail out
* You agree with all this and like it.
* Anyone who doesn't agree with you is an idiot.
Also using the same logic and coments displayed above:
* You love the bail out and the Healthcare iniative
* Therefore you love Obama because he has grown the bailout
* Therefore you love GEORGE W. BUSH as he is responsible for the bailout.
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Maezeppa
The Teabaggers are mostly the Ron Paul lovers. They are whack.
Timbo52
Maezappa: Anybody who uses the phrase Teabaggers is whackeD, unless you practice it based on you sexual preference, in which case never mind. Sorry man, you started it. :-)
sdsali
Sure. That's really fair. Take Medicare taxes out of my paycheck for 44 years and then tell me if I don't want your plan to cut my benefits and control the medical care I can receive, go pay for may own. Typical liberal "compassion". The truth is, I have no choice. All insurance companies require coordination with Medicare if you are over 65. Period. I am told it is because of federal law. Haven't looked it up. What I know is I don't want the Secretary of Health And Human Services to have any more authority to regulate my medical care than he already has. I don't want government appointed panels adopting protocols that tell doctors when it is appropriate to treat me and when it is not And yes. That is in the bill. IF you think this is all scare tactics then a) you haven't actually read HR 3200 or b) you're ready for the Liverpool Pathway adopted in most of the UK.
DeaconDrJones
BS
Johnnyappleseed
It is the law, if you don't get a supplemental policy they take it out of what you have paid in and make you pay for it out of your social security.
Catch 22, at which government excels.
Most of the progressives here spend too much time drinking Lattes and being intellecual to work and contribute to the system, the want all of us who have already done it to pick up there lazy ass share also.
Timbo52
Optimus: Dude, before making accusations you may want to check your grammar, punctuation, and spacing. Spelling the words right don't count that much if you can't use them properly in a sentence. Happens to me all the time. And those that are on Medicare paid into the system to get it so they already have purchased their own. We already know that Bush started it, we were there too. Why is it though that liberals justify making it worse OK because the other guys did it?
Olbermannisstupid
Now that is another exmaple of "open-minded" liberal "tolerance." You liberals think that it is fine to dissent provided that you are in agreement. In case you didn't realize it, Americans have the right to disagree and if you think that by calling people with whom you disagree "idiots" accept your ideas, well in fact you might look in the mirror and find that you are lacking intellectually.
Johnnyappleseed
Why buy things twice?
It's like Social Security paid by the employer and the employee, and that return has been fraught with raids on it to pay for other programs, so telling those that don't like medicare after paying for it all those years, is just plain dumb Opti.
Who in the hell do you think pays for all these social programs, the Tooth Fairy?....cheez!
Granite
Weak argument. Social upheaval is social upheaval. Comparing Obama to Nixon is a huge stretch. Also, in the end it turned out Nixon really was a crook.
On the plus side, we should start referring to the Neocon Right-Wingnuts as Neo-Hippie because it would drive them crazy.
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
Timbo52
Granite: You really think all this name calling bothers us? Were not liberals but we do enjoy watching you all go nuts when we dare to post on one of your sacred blogs that you feel are reserved for the Looney-Lefty's only.
Call us all the names you can come up with, it only emboldens us.
Bamos99
You appear to have no valid point to make and this is just your idea of fun. Go out with a girl dude and leave your mothers basement once in a while.
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Timbo52
Bamos99: You say I have no valid point to make yet your post makes none at all. I have a 3500 sq. ft. house, wife and 2 kids, no basement and my mother past away many years ago.
But hay you don't have to feel guilty about basement dwelling, we'll keep it our little secret. You'll find a girl one day.
JAsMomLA: So how's your little club working out for you member #1 and group coordinator, what time is recess?
I had no problem with the first part of Granite's post as it was on target for the article. His second part was for lack of anything else to say I guess. But we can play tit for tat if you don't have anything relevant to discuss.
Bobbery
This was one of the stupidest things I've ever read.
Is Obama the new Nixon? Not hardly! Hippies: marginalized grassroots. Teas Parties: mainstreamed Astroturf.
Abbie Hoffman did the Pentagon levitation stunt, not Allen Ginsberg. Don't you people have fact checkers?
Talk about a questing voles. Schmucks.
MysteriousTraveller
"Don't you people have fact checkers?
Evidently, no.
larryfromkansas
Yeah, I remember having a poster of Nixon sitting on a toilet taking a dump. The caption below the picture said "relief". Those days were pretty gnarly, too.
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headsoup
Lee Siegel wrote this article for one reason. He knew people would read it because of the title. The content is ridiculous and shows that he doesn't understand the people he's writing about or what motivates them.
SteveStone
Having followed Nixon's career carefully since his first California election campaign, I can assure younger readers that Mr. Siegal's analogy is completely misbegotten, due, no doubt, to his youthful callowness.
wikwox
There is an enormous difference, todays protesters are old, repeat old, not young like the sixties. These is also no coherent movement, there are Teabaggers, Gun Nuts, Rage Geezers and most of them have nothing in common. Nor will they. Glenn Beck will grow tireing to them and to America.
Hippievet
The teabaggers ARE the hippies from the 60's. The one's that did the barrel acid and saw Jesus are back thinking this is all just a bad flashback. Somebody give these people a drink of milk and put them in front of a TV showing cartoons and everything will be OK.
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cassandravert
No, the teabaggers are Archie Bunkers still railing against the commie pinkos and secret conspiracies.
Bamos99
Some of the Teabaggers are some hippies I know in the early 70's....they found God and income tax deductions and guns and have turned out real unclear about what they believe and what is true. They are Lost Children.
Timbo52
I was at the rally and they weren't all old people. A large majority yes. One thing you may want to keep in mind about older people is that they vote, a lot. They were civil, conversation was very stimulating, and no one got shot. For everyone there 10 more were at home wishing they could have been, and they vote to. I would not be so quick to discount this group or think that they will splinter, they are already larger because of the event. You libs seem to know a lot about tea bagging. I'm just sayin.
AndreainNY
"Without the moral center of an unjust war-without any clear moral event, for that matter-the new counterculture will only become more hysterical as its numbers dwindle to a few talking heads and "maverick" politicians."
Lee: It's not that the "moral event" is missing or unclear. It's just that you don't see it or see it as such.
AndreainNY
optimus: "These tea party people are a bunch a idiots"
Like those "commie" protesters, right?
frontman9000
Yes, they are idiots. Have you listened to rhetoric these people shout? The arguements are ridiculous and they are so blinded by their rage at a black president that no intellectual arguement has even a miniscule chance of penetrating their impenetrable skulls. The teabaggers are arguing about tax increases when just about every one of them just got a tax cut! I make $50,000 a year and I got a reduction in taxes. These are the same people with the birth certificate conspiracy and the same people who think that its better to trust the insurance companies than their own government. They hate the government so much that they deem it patriotic (unless it was Bush in office, then dissent was considered un-American). It is all bullshit! We finally have a president who is more for the people than the corpocracy and he gets villified for it. He saved thousands of jobs in the auto industry through the GM bailout and cash-for-clunkers, only to be called a socialist for his effort. He's overhauled the negative American image abroad and the right-wing nuts claim he is some secret Muslim Manchurian candidate out to destroy America. His story embodies the American dream so perfectly and he gets accused of indoctrinating youth with a communist agenda because he wanted to give a speech to schoolchildren on the importance of education and striving to be the best. These protesters need a history lesson to get over their misplaced anger and direct it where it needs to be directed....AT THE GOP!
Ritarita
Wow.
Good one.
Timbo52
frontman9000: Again you got that whole boogy man thing going.
1. Who are "they" and where were they shouting all this rhetoric at?
2. The President is only half black so they must only hate half of him?
3. Tax Break, what are you doing with that extra 10 -15 dollars a week bucko?
4. Birth Certificate. Let's put this one to bed with the racism. We all know he was born in Hawaii because if he wasn't Hillary would have nailed him on it a long time ago. Still it is strange that he won't provide a copy of the original form and his collage transcripts. Don't you at least wonder why he has gone to such lengths to keep this stuff under wraps?
5. That whole un-american thing, that came from Nancy Polosi's lips.
6. Obama took over a private company GM, fired the CEO, screwed all the suppliers out of what they were owed with no legal recourse, gave the majority of the company to the Unions as a payback for their support and had us pay for it. To save a couple a thousand jobs and a company that was bankrupt 10 years ago. And since we are talking about it how about the 10 Billion tucked deep inside the Healthcare bill for union retirees. Sorry pal this whole deal is criminal and will come back to haunt him some day. Maybe that Nixon comparison isn't so far fetched. You can call it that he's more for the people and hay, I can get you a really good deal on a Hummer H1.
7. Cash for Clunkers. The money was suppose to last for months but was gone in a week. Great planning. Damn shame most of it went to foreign car companies.
8. Negative American Image. I never asked him to apologize for what this country has done in the past and I think it makes us look weak when he does, and I'm not alone on that.
9 Muslim, I don't know about that but he was right on top of Ramadan and sending all the Muslim leaders best regards for their holiday but didn't participate in the national day of prayer at the White House that has been going on for ever. And he's a Christian?
10. Speech to school children. I guess you missed that part that they took out at the last minute where the children were to write letters saying how they could help the president, and then the teachers would collect them. Then they would bring them out later to hold them accountable for what they had said. Guess no one should have had a problem with that.
The rhetoric comes from posts like yours. Pick an issue and I'll happily debate it with you. List 20 and tie it to "them" or "these people" and it's nothing but a rant, about the boogy man.
Hippievet
@Timbo52
Your numbered responses to frontman9000 sound like a script... but responses, by definition...
You have me, then you add just a little to much...
"They", as we both know, are the slobbering, incoherent beckers lambasting socialism while depending on social programs to survive.
Diversion?
I find it interesting when conservatives criticize the amount of the tax break when it's working people getting one - because we don't hear amounts when it's the rich people getting them.
Nothing is "strange" about it. What is strange that the same people that don't believe the president was born in the USA don't think Hawaii is a state.
Proof? I've never heard a quote from Pelosi saying anything close to that.
Obama saved GM and Chrysler, bankruptcy is a bitch, he did not give the majority of the company to the union (you know better than that - if you pay attention at all) conjecture has no bounds, continuous unproven allegations, the criminals left office in January and he IS more for the people so why does that offend anyone? Do you not want the president to be for the people?
Foreign car companies? I don't know that - you don't prove anything and when did conservatives ever give a damn about buying American? Cash-for-clunkers was an unqualified success and, but for the GOP, the amount used for the program would have been much more and the offer would have lasted longer as a result.
Apologizing isn't a bad thing. Have you ever had make-up sex? No one thinks the USA is weak. Do you? No you're not alone on any of your contentions - but the people you are with are incapable of original thought.
The national day of prayer is organized by the "C" Street people. And you have the audacity to question the president's Christianity?
You had a point until you couldn't resist adding that students would be held accountable for what they said. Which can't be supported, but you threw it in because it sounded so... sinister.
You don't want to debate. Debate would mean being held accountable for the unprovable conjecture and outright lies you throw out depending on the fact that not everyone knows what is accurate and what's not. You depend on the fact that some of your BS will be accepted as fact. You depend on the intimacy of a message board where you can disappear at any moment and never be held accountable for the misinformation and the perpetuation of wing-nut mania.
And all the while acting as if you don't know you are "they".
Bamos99
Timbo52:
Hopeless, utterly hopeless. Such a vain attempt to seem informed.
Timbo52
Hippievet: First a general statement, then my response. I find it so comical when someone like frontman9000 makes a post like the one above, with no facts and about 15 different subjects. Then when someone like me responds, with no facts, someone like you, with no facts, calls them out and demands to see the facts. Utterly ridiculous but this one time I'm going to accommodate you just to prove a point. That said I'm sure that even with proof you will still deny it all.
I will wait on you to provide proof of your first statement, as it cannot be proven any way. You said:They", as we both know, are the slobbering, incoherent beckers lambasting socialism while depending on social programs to survive.
Please don't start speaking for me, no I don't know of whom you speak. Now the social programs you are referring to I assume are the one's they have been forced into paying for since they started paying taxes and didin't have a choice. The one's that are bankrupt and have been raped time and again by the government.
Beckers, is that like saying Olberbots or something?
My comments about tax cuts have to do with the size. Due to what has happened with the economy that 10 - 15 dollars a week is a joke. The tax code is nothing more than a tool for politicians to reward special interests, both sides do it.
Can't find anything on your Hawaii statement, sorry maybe you can.
Pelosi calls town hallers un-american.
http://www.wikio.com/video/1560801 I believe it was Hillary Clinton, when Bush was in office that said descent is the highest form of patriotism.
GM Ownership: All US citizens 60%, Autoworkers healthcare trust 17.5%, Canada&Ontario combined 12%, unsecured creditors 10%.
http://jalopnik.com/5274260/who-owns-the-new-gm
Obama had no business taking over GM and the american people overall per the polls at the time agreed. They could have done bankruptcy on their own and should have been allowed to sink or swim on their own. Why does the union deserve any portion of GM at all? They have been very handsomely rewarded year over year compared to the rest of us. Yes I do want Obama to be for the people, all the people not just the special interest people that supported his campaign. These auto workers need to be paid based on the skill level of the jobs they perform just like the rest of us. The unions make almost as much as the employees do once they get their cut.
As to the criminals being out of office your mistaken, its just currently a different group.
Cash for Clunkers, what a joke. Falsely stimulate car sales and let the poor b*stards who can't afford to do the same pay for it. That was everyones tax dollars that were used and there will be no return of that money. And foreign cars out sold american cars.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/22/clunkers-program-benefits-for eign-automakers-data-shows/
Apologizing isn't bad when you are at fault and have something to apologize for. Who is he, or anyone for that matter to do this at a National level because he personally believes it. Do you think the rest of the world believes that all Americans feel this way just because President Obama is in office and says so? Hind site is great but you have to be careful that it doesn't come back to bite you in the *ss one day.
I actually support what President Obama did in reaching out to the Muslims on Ramadan. What I have a problem with is him saying he is a Christian but wouldn't observe the Day of Prayer in the WH. It is certainly his prerogative to do so but I find it odd that he would put more of an effort into his Muslim address than his self professed Christian faith. By the way the National Day of Prayer was put in place by congress in 1952.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R4KfYuDrvU&feature=player_embedded#t=237
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/06/prayer-day-no-show/
That school thing.
http://www.examiner.com/x-18410-Newark-Young-Conservative-Examiner~y2009 m9d1-Obama-to-school-children-Ask-what-you-can-do-for-your-president
Please don't speak to me about original thought. You accuse me of providing a script and respond by "puppeting" the typical liberal responses.
If you want to debate pick "a" topic and lets debate it. You will find that when I am wrong, which I am as much as anyone else I'll admit it. But you have to prove it and I'll verify it. You should also know before you start to stereotype me that I think most politicians are corrupt both Republicans and Democrats.
You don't do you party any good with this kind of rhetoric. I find it funny, now that you guys control the whole thing you act outraged when a conservative dares to do the same things you all have been doing for ever.
Bamos99: The man of many words and the well informed. Is that better?
To everyone else, sorry, I'm tired of the blatant name calling and the hypocritical posting I see here. I'll try to shorten up future posts and just take it on the chin.
dcbooknurse
No, Obama is not Nixon. First of all, the social upheaval began under Democratic Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Second, no one in the Democratic party accepted radical groups like The Weathermen into the mainstream. The radical leaders eventually mellowed and merged into the mainstream. The problem now is that there are so many more news outlets that the fringe groups seem more powerfull than they are.
tumbleweed
I remember well the 60's and 70's well. There wasn't the level of toxic hate that I see coursing through the conservative movement. That is being fed daily by pundits who spew hate to make a name for themselves. In the 60's and 70's they were rebels trying to change the government and society, these conservatives are hate mongers bent on destroying the government as we know. They don't seem to want to accept the decision of the American people last November on who was elected President. Every time a Democrat is elected they have to start with their venom. That leaves me to wonder if they believe in this country at all. They seem to want a one party rule where the Republican's only are in the White House running things. So I will have to disagree with the author of this piece. He is comparing Apples with Oranges.
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