Posted on 04/03/2010 8:33:12 AM PDT by SmartInsight
There is danger for Democrats in recent attempts to dismiss the tea party movement as violent racists deserving of contempt. Demonizing these folks may energize the Democrats' left-wing base. But it is a big turnoff to voters who have problems with the Democratic agenda that have nothing to do with racism.
Putting a racial lens on the tea party activists may also help Democrats by painting congressional Republicans into a corner as debate begins on immigration reform. Hispanic voters are going to be looking at Republicans and their tea party supporters for evidence of racism in any effort to block reform.
But Democrats cannot win elections without capturing the votes of independent-minded swing voters. And that is where writing off the tea party as a bunch of racist kooks becomes self-destructive. The tea party outrage over health-care reform, deficit spending and entitlements run amok is no fringe concern. And it is insulting to all voters to suggest that criticism of President Obama, even by people who want to throw him out of office, is motivated by racism.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
I think you nailed it there!
In Peter Fritzsche book ‘The Life and Death of the Third Reich’ the first chapter, “Reviving the Nation,” shows how cleverly Nazism was inserted into the lives of ordinary Germans, converting contentious citizens into racial comrades. Indeed, Fritzsche uses the word “conversion” quite often, denoting the life-changing experience of becoming Nazi. Such conversions were best effected through indoctrination in communal settings at the local level, supplemented by party propaganda transmitted in print and on radio. At the same time, the Party’s monopoly of most aspects of life—education, recreation, jobs, and opportunities for advancement—persuaded the more reluctant that “to get along, you had to go along.” National Socialism, Fritzsche reminds us, “combined populism, racism, and nationalism in a youthful, energetic way” (16). It was dynamic; it looked toward a better and brighter future; it exalted the strong and the young; it called for “strength through joy.” A revival of youthful communal energy, the Nazis believed, would negate their own “macabre premonitions of German death.” Yet, in seeking to secure Germany’s future,“The Nazis delivered upon their enemies the very destruction they imagined awaited Germans”
From a review by Review by William J. Astore, Pennsylvania College of Technology (wastore@pct.edu).
Does this seem familiar?
Ok, I did a search and William did associate the “Don’t thread on me” flag with Timothy McVeigh — but he didn’t say anything about it in THIS article. He must have figured out what a stupid statement that was.
I found a good discussion of him mentioning it on O’Reilly, and BOR admonished him for it.
[What are you talking about? He didn’t say ANY Of this in the article.]
Get educated:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2483392/posts
Juan is a Schitzo.
It is possible I agree with the liberals about something. Williams is a flip-flopping, moral-equivalencing, Obama defending/criticizing, weasel-wording, slick-tongued bloviator the same as we conservatives view Bill O'Reilly.
Any “getting it” by Juan Williams is totally inadvertent.
Yup, you got it. Homey doesn’t need to work. Why should he, that’s what us taxpayers are for.
Ding ding ding, we have a winner!
On 7/01/2009 Williams asked very tough questions to Obama mouthpiece (in more ways than one!) Bill Burton. I even sent a positive email.
But then he was despicable when he attacked the "Don't tread on me" flag.
Maybe it's just a job to him.
I get a “Ding ding ding” from the “Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas!?
Whoa. Just whoa.
:^)
I agree with your assessment. He’s a true believer, and not a political hack. I hate his politics, but he’s genuine and earnest and willing to criticize his side when he thinks they’re wrong.
Every once in a great while, Whine Willams makes a little bit of sense, not often mind you.
Far from converting people, they co-opted all the power centers and discredited the opposition. Among the people, political correctness with iron teeth just ground people into submission, silence, and compliance.
Yes, Ding ding ding! is one of my powers :-)
What Juan and the ‘rats don’t get is that this isn’t about the details of health care, or grab&tax, or amnesty, or .... This visceral reaction is about the government robbing us of our freedoms, changing who we are as a country, doing away with the rule of law and due process... and basically turning us into their pets.
We have no intention of becoming the government’s pets.
We want to be free stallions not domesticated animals.
bookmark
And judging by Russian demographic trends and alcoholism rates, it also tends to produce destructive background trends as well, by destroying citizen morale.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.