[Perlstein]

Alisa, this is the article where I critique conservative rationalization:

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0429/perlstein.php

Rick Perlstein

[alisasny]

Dear Rick,

Todays Newsday has an article on what your fellow proud lefties plan to do to upset the RNC convention...

"Activists plan to hold sit-ins at delegate hotels, take over city intersections, block doors to major corporate offices, confront GOP bigwigs and infiltrate events when Republicans come to town for their political convention."

Do you really think this is going to help JFK?

[woofie]

This was my comment to your Bush Church article:

I read this again at my leisure. I don't think it worth my time to dissect your article....however,as we are want to do I started to do just that ....
My inner dialogue lead me to reflect again on the word "bigotry." Growing up in Texas I had heard the word since childhood and had always assumed it meant racist. When I looked it up I was surprised to find this:

bigotry

\Big"ot*ry\, n. [Cf. F. bigoterie.] 1. The state of mind of a bigot; obstinate and unreasoning attachment of one's own belief and opinions, with narrow-minded intolerance of beliefs opposed to them.

It struck me then (I looked it up years ago) that one did not have to be a racist or stupid to be a bigot ... in fact the more educated I became the more I realized that the educated among us were the more bigoted.

Why do I reflect on this in regard to your article? Because clearly you went into it with your permis firmly in place and emerged with that same permis completely unscathed...and you discovered nothing in your journey ....So the next time you get with your friends and colleagues and chuckle snidely with your superior airs about "Bush" look around and ask yourself "Is anyone here a bigot ?"

[MarMema]

I'm mostly curious why someone who appears so intelligent would vote for a leader like Kerry.

[Mudboy Slim]

"...when you ask whether a nice guy would invade a country at the cost of untold innocent lives on the shakiest of pretenses?"

So, is this what you really believe about the Liberation of Iraq?! Tens of millions of Iraqis FReed from Totalitarian Despotism and Mass Graves, and you see it as an "invasion"!! Mr. Perlstein, was the Liberation of Kuwait an "invasion"? How 'bout when America LIBERATED Germany, Japan, Italy, much of South America, and eastern Europe?! What is it about LIBERTY that Lib'rals so loathe?

FReegards...MUD

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

I have a few questions just in general. Need to get to know where you are coming from.

Do you believe that anyone can be a success from their own work in America? If not, is it only people from certain races, genders, or beliefs that need help?

Do you believe that in order for someone to gain a dollar someone had to lose a dollar?

Do you believe that faith in a higher power denigrates a persons ability to think logically?

Do you believe in instinct?

Do you believe in absolutes as they pertain to :science? :faith? :politics? :philosphy?

Do you believe in the inate goodness of man?

Do you believe in the law of nature (the strong survive at the expense of the weak)?

Thank you.

[wildbill]

"...when I detected many conservatives beginning to care more about power than principles"

Please! The country just watched a convention where Democrats tried to hide their dovish policies and beliefs behind flags and smoke and mirrors and the candidate left his years in public office out of his resume.

Virtually every delegate interiewed admitted they cared more about regaining power than espousing their principles in this election.

[mewzilla]

Just out of curiosity, what makes you all on the Left think that the only folks having problems with you are conservatives, aka Republicans, aka the VRWC?

[cyncooper]

From the article you linked:

Of course, two years after Bush made his pledge, only 2 percent of the AIDS money has been distributed (in any event, it will mainly go to drug companies).

Why is money going to "drug companies" a bad thing, as you imply with your phrasing? Would it be so the drugs they manufacture can then be produced in order to help those suffering from AIDs? What is wrong with that? How do you propose the "drug companies" research and produce medicines if not with funding?

And appearing earnest in the presence of African Americans has been a documented Bush strategy for wooing moderate voters since the beginning.

As noted earlier, your perception meter is way off kilter. President Bush does not "appear" as anything but himself. What you are observing that is so foreign to your eyes is a man who respects people. Hard as that is for you to believe, all evidence points that way.

[rbmillerjr]

"...It began with the ascension of George Bush, when I detected many conservatives beginning to care more about power than principles...

Rick, could you provide some rationale regarding your linking Pres. Bush with conservatives caring more about power than principles?

I don't see the connection. As a matter of fact, I think it is illogical. I don't remember any President that I agreed with on all of the issues. Based on a sampling of your writing, you dissented from Pres. Clinton more than one time - yet he garnered great support from Democrats.

Clinton eventually supported welfare reform, military action against Iraq and terrorists, and even found a few spending cuts, although the bulk were found with the GOP Congress. So, does this mean that Democrats care more about power than principle?

Please explain, and a follow up please.

[Darnright]

Dear Mr P,

I am curious. We all remember, during Clinton's campaign, that he promised everyone making $200,000 or less would not be affected by the tax increases he said were necessary to heal the financial woes left by Bush 41.

Interestingly enough, as time went on, and Clinton/Gore were safely elected, that $200,000 ceiling began to lower itself steadily, until everyone making the enormous salary of $30,000 was considered a member of the "rich".

My question to you is, why on earth should we believe Kerry/Edwards when they croon that the "middle class" will suffer no increase in taxes, and that only "the rich" will be made to pay their fair share?

[jimfree]

Hello Rick. Agree with some of your critique. I stopped with the budget deficit since it interests me. I am a budget owl - I suggest by this that some hawks might cut the budget without applying any wisdom. I also believe though that W has tried to achieve the spirit of cooperation he had with the Texas legislature to the U.S. House and Senate and it hasn't worked. Robert Byrd and Ted Kennedy have no interest in real cooperation, and the Republican Senate leadership wants to preserve the most unfettered fillibuster for whatever reason. That unlimited debate has also resulted in the blocking of the appointment of some of the most promising Federal jurists.

Thanks for joining us today.

[Tench_Coxe]

"Lately, however, I've become mad at the right, and have written about it with an anger not been present in my previous writings. It began with the ascension of George Bush, when I detected many conservatives beginning to care more about power than principles. The right began to seem less interesting to me--more whiny, more shallow--and, what's more, in what I saw as an uncritical devotion to President Bush, often in retreat from its best insights about human nature. "

I am not certain that you have paid attention. Yes, there is a large segment of partisans on this forum ( which should be expected ), who resemble the type of individual I would call the James Carville Republican ( to illustrate: Take Carville's statement about Paula Jones and the trailer park, 20 dollar bill comment, and apply it to politics ).

I'll give you some perspective of where I'm coming from:
I have my problems with Bush's domestic policies--spending, the misleadingly termed 'immigration' ( and the proposed amnesty ), the lack of using the bully pulpit to break the stonewalling on Judicial branch appointees, the backing of idiots like Arlen Spectre over a more conservative candidate ( and this has happened in more than one case ), and the sometime pandering to the Left ( Uncle 'Chappaquiddick' (sp) Ted comes to mind ).
I would have a problem with Iraq, except unlike Kosovo and Haiti, there was a national interest involved, and it had to do with a couple of airplanes flying into the World Trade Center. There is a lot of smoke and mirror crap out there, but Iraq was among the foreign states that helped to harbor the type of people that flew those planes. To take action against the states helping harbor these people didn't require the permission of France, Germany, or Oil-For-Food- Scandal Poohbah Kofi Annan.
You will note that there hasn;t been ( knock on wood ) a major terrorist attack since the United States took action. And here is where I would like to contrast a few issues, which are not blind devotion to a Cult of Personality:

There have been Democrats that have gone to Iraq on the eve of a war, to mention what a 'great guy' Saddam was ( Bonior, McDermott, and the third schmuck ). This was done less out of belief, and more out of partisan angling.
Democrats have also gone to the UN to publicly ask for election observers, implying in their public statements that the US is some type of banana republic.
In statements up until the recent Used Car Salesman show known as the 2004 Democrat Convention, the Democrat candidate for President has implied that the opinions of foreign leaders are more important than the opinions of the people in his own country.
The out-and-out lies with respect to gun ownership, when the Democrat candidate for President has voted for gun control on every single related gun control issue ( when he was actually bothered to show up ).
The endless Mary Quite Contrary antics ( and manufactured hysteria ) of the Democrats who, when proven wrong on an issue, resemble that character Gilda Radner used to play on SNL, by saying 'Never Mind', and moving on to the next boogieman talking point.

The near blackout by the fellow travellers in the mainstream media regarding incidents like Sandy 'I Was Feeling Inadequate So I Stuffed My Pants With Classified Documents' Berger, which gives the impression that Democrats, and by extension, liberals, are above the rules that the 'little people' wouldn't dare break because of prison.
You haven't seen a Waco or an Elian Gonzales incident under a Bush administration.

George Bush was proven duly elected, even after numerous recounts were conducted after the 2000 election, but you didn't hear the slightest admission of being wrong or a retraction of the mantra 'selected by the Supreme Court'.

The list is long. When weighing the innuendo of the Great Halliburton-Oil-Axis Conspiracy theories, the actual actions of the Democrats, the media, and the rent-a-mobs against the actions of the Bush administration and the Republicans in Congress, I'll vote for the latter, and fight for conservative principles, because I know with the Weasel from the Northeast and the behind the scenes witch Hillary, I won't have a chance.

[edchambers]

(snip)I think Iraq is a tragic disaster

I can't put it any clearer than this, there are literally thousands of Islamofacists in the world that would like nothing better than to kill us.We are currently , in Iraq and Afganistan killing ALOT more of them than they are of us.I don't call that disaster I call it winning.

[Eva]

Bush loaded up live frogs with firecrackers in order to watch them explode.

Strange, I never heard that before. I have to question your source. I bet that you never heard that John Kerry once attacked a Vietnamese farm and personally slaughtered all the farm animals, and shot a thirteen year old boy, either. But I guess that's partisan rationalization for you.