Posted on 03/12/2012 10:57:00 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
With Tuesday’s Alabama and Mississippi primaries on the horizon, Bill Maher sent filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi to the heart of Mississippi to interview some prospective voters, and what she found was some scary footage– of voters who feared President Obama was a “Muslim” and promising “the South will rise again.” The panel, including Jon Hamm and Michael Steele, analyzed the situation and, after making a few jokes about the subject’s teeth, argued that education was the only solution to their poverty.
With two caveats– that “all these people knew they were going to be on this show and they all think I’m going to Hell” and “we are going to send Alexandra Pelosi to the inner city” in the future– Maher introduced a segment that depicted various Mississippi men (all white men, and no women, despite the state being 51% female and 37% black) complaining about “Adam and Steve,” claiming they hated the government while being on food stamps, and threatening that “the South will rise again.” There was also talk of hating black people and the President for being a “half-breed.”
Maher and Hamm made some jokes about the lack of teeth in the video, though Maher praised their attitude in some respects– “there is something noble about saying ‘we’d rather go hungry than take free money.’” Hamm agreed, adding that the Republican Party is “the party of you’re going to win the lottery and a miracle is going to happen,” which is somewhat improbable to say the least.
Steele defended those hopes, noting that they were natural and American. “No one wakes up in the morning and says, ‘All I want to be today is poor.’” He did find the “South will rise again” rhetoric weird, asking “what the hell does that mean, exactly?” Former SEIU head Andy Stern was actually more aggressive towards Democrats than Republicans, noting that they weren’t offering the sort of viable alternative to people like the ones in the film that would entice them. “Democrats have to figure out how to speak to people, too– there isn’t an alternative, it looks like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.”
Catherine Crier noted that even Adam Smith had called for a social safety net to guarantee the functioning of capitalism, which led to a discussion on the “trampoline” vs. “net” analogy, and to the ultimate conclusion that public education that works is key to fixing these issues.
The segment via HBO below:
(VIDEO AT LINK)
As usual, the South did provide generously to the armed forces before and after 9/11; although Miss. and Ala. were not singled out.
A 2005 study by the Heritage Foundation researched precise statistics of how the military enlistments may have changed following the assault of September 11, 2001. Here is what they found:
Who Bears the Burden? Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Military Recruits Before and After 9/11
THE SOUTHERN MILITARY TRADITION
The South is overrepresented among military recruits. It provided 42.2 percent of 1999 recruits and 41.0 percent of 2003 recruits but contained just 35.6 percent of the population ages 18–24. However, other regions also provide a higher proportion of enlistees. The states with the highest enlistment proportional ratings by far are Montana (1.67), Alaska (1.42), Wyoming (1.40), and Maine (1.39). (A proportional rating of 1.00 means that a state's enlistee and general populations ages 18–24 are exactly proportional to their respective national populations.)....
In addition to confirming the strong Southern military tradition, we also found an exceptional tendency for lower than average military participation in New England. The West was underrepresented among 1999 recruits, but its 2003 proportion was equal to the population. For example, ...the Great Lakes states had a proportional rating of 0.86, which rose to 0.93 after September 11, 2001....
None of these aholes on this ‘’panel’’ would have the stones to tell any of this to these peoples faces.
my dark fantasy is a Taliban video where Maher’s neck is being sawed upon, and above the ‘allah akbars’ you hear him screaming for America to help him...
LLS
Michael Steele has gone over to the dark side (no pun intended).
It confirms what I already knew. Southern boys are second only to American Indians in volunteering.
What surprises me is that Maine ranks #4 in a region (New England) where rates are especially bad. Any idea why Mainers break the normal New England trend to shun the military?
Yeah, that sounds like the one I’m recalling. Got a link we can throw back in Pelosi/Maher’s face?
You give me a choice between spending a week in Hollywood or a week in rural Mississippi, and I’ll take Mississippi every time.
As long as I go to a blues joint.
I was at one place, and someone on the TV was making cracks about Mexicans. The owner, who is Mexican by ancestry said something along the lines of "What's that she said about Mexicans?" followed by "Must be one of those damn Californians."
Deal with your own problems before running your mouth.
Just come on down to Biloxi, I’ll show you around.
Maine is kind of the “south” of New England, with some exceptions. New Hampshire used to be like that, but truckloads of Massholes have moved in.
Maine always seemed to have more 'good old boys' than say, MA or RI. Also, remember, Joshua Chamberlain, a hero of the Union Army was from Maine, and could be his influence is still being felt.
People who think in stereotypes tend to find material that validates them. And no one thinks in stereotypes quite as much as a tribal liberal. Pity them. And ignore them.
I laugh when I think of the attitude adjustment he’d have to make while showing the same vid in the presence of some of his peers from MS, such as Oprah or Morgan Freeman. *Snicker*
Thanks for the post and ping!
I don’t understand...what is the crime?
Isn’t this something that all of us Southerners have lived with most of our lives?
I ignore it, and thank God that I’m from Mississippi, and will be residing there, at least half of the year, within the next year.
For you who are able...and legal....VOTE!
Wouldn’t waste such a good round on such a fecal floater.
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