Do As I Say, Not As I Do

contentions ^ | 7.27.2007 | Fred Siegel

[Contentions]

Hypocrisy is an abiding weakness of most politicians. Republicans tend to specialize in hypocrisy regarding sex and family—think of Newt Gingrich, Henry Hyde, or Robert Livingstone—while Democrats go in for financial or class hypocrisy—think of John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, or John Edwards.

Recently, I went with friends to a talk by former Senator Edwards at New York’s Cooper Union, to hear, in the candidate’s words, how he plans to “dramatically reduce poverty.” Laudably, he wants to cut the current poverty rate of 12.6 percent by a third within a decade. But he offered few specifics. Those that were trotted out, such as more job-training programs, sounded like leftovers from the Great Society days. But if Edwards is retrogressive about poverty, he’s been very progressive in building up a fortune of as much as $62 million.

[evad]

WTFR

[RexBeach]

Is there any evidence anywhere that shows, clearly, that federal job training programs work?

I remember the old CETA(Comprehensive Employment Training Act) from the early to mid 1970s. I got a lot of people gigs in that program, but after the funding dried up, they came back to me looking for more work(this was when I was an aide to a state senator in MA).

Incidentally, Senator Edwards should know that it’s mighty difficult to tax your way into prosperity.

[Biblebelter]

speaking to citizens as if they were children,

Keen insight. That describes every liberal that I have ever known.

[MEGoody]

Republicans tend to specialize in hypocrisy

LOL This from the party that supports Al "Tawana Brawley" Sharpton and Ted "Chappaquiddik" Kennedy while getting their panties in a twist over Trent Lott's supposed 'racist comment'. (Just one of thousands of examples of the hypocrisy of the left.)

[T.Smith]

"What’s not adult is when Edwards, speaking to citizens as if they were children, hypocritically argues that he joined Fortress to learn more about the connections between financial markets and poverty. "

Wow. I am absolutely speechless. Do people really believe him when he says that?

[ontap]

All three of these Gentlemen left their prospective offices when faced with their discretions dems however are not bound by such scruples ala William Jefferson.

[Bender2]

Re: Do As I Say, Not As I Do

That's what I'm trying to do... Mom!

[the_Watchman]

The difference between the hypocrisy of the right and the left is that those on the right recognize their weaknesses, indeed are able to be embarrassed. Just because I fail does not mean I don’t know the right way!

Those on the left don’t see any problem at all telling the rest of us to curtail our use of energy and railing at our excessive use of resources while they engage in far worse. They truly act as if they were a privileged class.

[Publius6961]

I went with friends to a talk by former Senator Edwards at New York’s Cooper Union, to hear, in the candidate’s words, how he plans to “dramatically reduce poverty.” Laudably, he wants to cut the current poverty rate of 12.6 percent by a third within a decade.

No discussion about reducing "poverty" is worth listening to, unless it is prefaced by:

Here are the reasons why the 1964 War on Poverty has failed utterly...
... and must be reversed.

Otherwise, we will get more like this BS from NPR in 2004...

[1964 War on Poverty] - Making poverty a national concern set in motion a series of bills and acts, creating programs such as Head Start, food stamps, work study, Medicare and Medicaid, which still exist today [and which jeopardized the system by allowing millions of leeches into the system who never contributed]. The programs initiated under Johnson brought about real results, reducing rates of poverty and improved living standards for America's poor.
But the poverty rate has remained steady since the 1970s and today, Americans have allowed poverty to fall off the national agenda, says Sheldon Danziger, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan.

[ModelBreaker]

They truly act as if they were a privileged class.

Well, they are.