Posted on 01/09/2005 6:05:03 AM PST by finnigan2
Thought for the day, from a gloomy party member on the Democratic Underground Web site: ''Reality sucks. That's the problem. We want another reality.''
Well, they're doing a grand job of creating their alternative universe. At midday Thursday, as George W. Bush was about to be confirmed formally as the winner of the presidential election, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, described by Agence France-Presse as the ''Democratic former presidential hopeful,'' led 400 other Democrats in a protest outside Congress. Presidential-wise, they may be former but they're still hopeful. So they were wearing orange, the color of the election protesters in Ukraine, who overturned their own stolen election with an ''orange revolution.''
Now, on the one hand it's very brave for the Rhymin' Reverend to lead an orange protest. There is no rhyme for the word ''orange.'' Irving Berlin tried and the best he could manage was ''door-hinge,'' which just about works in certain boroughs of New York but would make an unreliable jingle for the Rhymin' Rev to bellow at Bush from outside the White House:
''We're here, we're orange
We're pushing at your door-hinge . . .''
On the other hand, what's he really saying? That Americans are in the same situation as Ukrainians? That their election was stolen? In Ukraine, the one side poisoned the other side's candidate. His face broke out and his hair turned gray. John Kerry's hair is fabulous and for much of the campaign his glowing moisturized skin looked like an orange revolution all by itself. He was obviously worried about being poisoned, which is why he nibbled so tentatively during his pretend lunch stop at Wendy's and only took a couple of sips when he was doing his impression of a regular guy drinking beer at that sports bar in Ohio. But he managed to dodge that bullet and Jesse Jackson never got a chance to channel Danny Kaye: The pellet with the poison's in the Brahmin with the Botox.
But I'm beginning to wonder if Karl Rove didn't manage to slip something into the whine cellar at Democratic headquarters. It beggars belief that Rev. Jesse on the steps of Congress, and the Congressional Black Caucus in the House, and Barbara Boxer in the Senate would start the new term with yet another reprise of the same old song from the last four years -- that Bush, the World's Biggest Moron, somehow managed to steal another election. That makes three in a row. The GOP's obviously getting better at it.
As usual, the media did their best to string along with the Democrats' alternative reality. For the most part, the press now fulfill the same function for the party that kindly nurses do at the madhouse; if the guy thinks he's Napoleon, just smile affably and ask him how Waterloo's going. So Alan Fram of the Associated Press reported with a straight face that Sen. Boxer, Congressman Conyers and the other protesting Democrats ''hoped the showdown would underscore the problems such as missing voting machines and unusually long lines that plagued some Ohio districts, many in minority neighborhoods.''
I think not. What it underscores is that the Democrats are losers. Speaking as a foreigner -- which I believe entitles me to vote in up to three California congressional districts -- I've voted on paper ballots all my life and reckon all these American innovations -- levers, punch cards, touch screen -- are a lot of flim-flam. I would be all in favor of letting the head of Bangladesh's electoral commission design a uniform federal ballot for U.S. elections. But that's not the issue here. What happens on Election Day is that the Democrats lose and then decide it was because of ''unusually long lines'' in ''minority neighborhoods.'' What ''minority neighborhoods'' means is electoral districts run by Democrats. In Ohio in 2004 as in Florida in 2000, the ''problems'' all occur in counties where the Dems run the system. Sometimes, as in King County in Washington, they get lucky and find sufficient votes from the ''disenfranchised'' accidentally filed in the icebox at Democratic headquarters. But in Ohio, Bush managed to win not just beyond the margin of error but beyond the margin of lawyer. If there'd been anything to sue and resue and re-resue over, you can bet those 5,000 shysters the Kerry campaign flew in would be doing it. Instead, Boxer and Conyers & Co. are using a kind of parliamentary privilege to taint Bush's victory without even the flimsiest pretext.
And that's sure to work, isn't it? Another two years of Tom Daschle obstructionism and Michael Moore paranoia. You don't need to run a focus group to know that's the formula that will sweep Dems into office on Election Day 2006, right?
A Democrat chum said to me on Thursday, oh, well, they're just doing this to toss a bone to the base. But they're running out of bones to toss, and the base needs a reality check, not more pandering. One reason why the party has shriveled away to Greater New England plus the ''minority neighborhoods'' of a few cities is that it's all fringe, and no mainstream. The base is out of control; the kooks still holding their post-election vigil outside one of John Kerry's mansions sound no loopier than the big-time senators. The party has no urge to move on from moveon.org.
I say all this -- takes out onion and starts to peel -- more in sorrow than in anger. Two plausible parties are necessary for a functioning democracy, especially in war, especially in a long war which will inevitably have to be fought by presidents both Republican and Democrat. The Dems might get lucky. The GOP might nominate some freaky goofball in '08, and the other fellow will win by default. But, as the 2004 field reminded us, this isn't a party exactly brimming with talent and fresh faces. And, as for ideas, when was the last time you heard a fresh policy from a Democrat? The serious arguments about war, social security, immigration and pretty much everything else are all within factions of the right. The Democrats' only contribution is to insist that someone in Halliburton has figured out a way to get the touch-screen voting machines to make Democrats' votes vanish. Democrats' votes are vanishing because Democrat voters are vanishing because Democrat intellectual energy has all but vanished. Or as Republican Congresswoman Deborah Pryce summed up Thursday's Boxer rebellion: ''Their objection is a front for their lack of ideas.''
Until IRS and the income tax system is eliminated, only those that support the current ability for politicians to bribe citizens with their own money will be elected. Until then, we will have status quo.
If we repeal the income tax and institute a fair tax, then we will see more representative parties that really promote freedom for the individual.
For a thoroughly enjoyable reading session, do a keyword search for MARKSTEYN here in FR. Every article is a gem and there are lots of them. You will not regret it.
Here is a link that does the search for you: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=marksteyn
Doesn't derange rhyme with orange?
'As usual, the media did their best to string along with the Democrats' alternative reality. For the most part, the press now fulfill the same function for the party that kindly nurses do at the madhouse; if the guy thinks he's Napoleon, just smile affably and ask him how Waterloo's going. '
We're pushing at your door-hinge . . full of used porridge...."
Best rhyme with orange I've seen, and in context. A twofer.
5.56mm
ping
On what basis?
Me too... I started reading it without first seeing the byline. I got hooked by the third paragraph when I came upon the Irving Berlin reference, and scrolled back up to see who had penned it, and discovered that it was actually a Steyn piece (um, masterpiece, that is).
Speaking of which...how many people even know what the original Boxer rebellion was?
It is quite frightening that there are citizens in this country that are so hateful, delusional and ignorant of the process of democracy.
It makes me wonder if we truly have tipped over the line of the downward trend to obivion
Ribbons must not be working anymore. They are now taking to bracelets and clothing. Anything but focusing on the real problems they have, they are putting lipstick on the pig once again. I used to think they were unwilling to understand. I now think they are unable to understand. Libtards may be the correct name.
"havocmom(1000+ posts) Sun Jan-09-05 02:25 AM
Response to Reply #23
26. Legitimacy, now there's something to ponder.
What happens if enough of the world simply refuses to consider the bush* administration as the legitimate government of the US? Isn't there precedent of us refusing to acknowledge leaders in other countries when their 'election' was considered fraudulent?
What would happen if other nations just put us on ignore? DOD can't invade everybody that p*sses bush*/Cheney off.
In the Ukraine they march in protest of election fraud. In America we don't wanna think about it so we go shopping. We're not free, we're programmed, just like elections."
Diana here: These people are completely delusional. The ignorance on that site of even the BASICS of how Government and/or Elections work is simply, simply amazing to me!
Can we pick a number or percentage that qualifies as the "margin of lawyer"?
Googling has replaced the concept of learning something the hard way.
Both good and bad. IMHO
Only 164,000 hits in 0.18 seconds to learn from!!!
FMCDH(BITS)
You know what REALLY ticks me off about this BS show and tell TV FACE time by these idiots is that the PROBLEM areas are controlled predominantly by DemoKrauts!!! And they bring this cra* up and point the finger at Republicans like it's OUR fault. And of course, the media NEVER brings that up. Except FOX News, FR, blogs, Rush and other talk radio, etc. NOT the OLD MEDIA, though, that the Libs and others watch.Okay, I've got that off my chest now. :^)
We now return to our regularly scheduled posts.
Here is a really good essay about The New York Slimes:
challenge, expunge, lozenge, lunge, plunge, scavenge, sponge
Man, no wonder that Jackson's protests have go nowhere!
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