My mom, who lives in Mumbai, India, has trouble understanding American politics. Recently she asked me to give her a brief summary of what's going on.
I explained, "There are two parties in American politics. There is a stupid party and there is an evil party."
In an attempt to put my own cards on the table, I confessed, "I am a proud member of the stupid party."
Then I added, "Sometimes, American politicians do things that are both stupid and evil. Those things we call bipartisanship."
I was kidding, of course, but the humor arises out of the element of truth in this description. Consider the charge of stupidity. Would the Republican Party be in the confused state it is now if Bush had appointed a vice president who was electable and actually sought the nomination?
I'm not saying Bush shouldn't have appointed Cheney the first time around. Cheney inspires irrational and paranoid loathing on the left--he's Darth Vader for the Michael Moore set--and this alone was good reason to keep him reasonably close to the Oval Office, not to mention the nuclear arsenal.
But when Bush ran for re-election, he should have sent Cheney packing. Then the GOP would have an heir apparent who would have an inside track to the nomination and who could claim up-close experience in the responsibilities of governance. If Bush had done this, he would have shown both foresight and concern about the future of the GOP.
Now let's turn to the evil party. What other term is appropriate to describe a party where Ted Kennedy's endorsement is actually counted as a positive? This is the moral equivalent of Republican candidates rushing to make campaign commercials with Larry Craig. Notice how the moral scoundrels in the GOP are typically hounded out while the moral scoundrels in the Democratic party generally continue to enjoy their prestige and good standing.
Any party with a sense of decency would ignore and marginalize Ted Kennedy. Besides, what constituency does this man represent? Is it really that important to lock in the votes of dissolute, philandering seniors who still go down to Florida for Spring break?
So here's the situation. Kennedy offers his blessings to Obama and offers to say some black masses for him. Meanwhile, Hillary's camp claims that Obama turned away while Hillary was shaking Kennedy's hand because she is a woman.
Given the irrelevance of gender to this situation, the Hillary team's reaction is downright comic. Yet the shrews at the National Organization for Women are echoing the cries of sexism from the Hillary camp. All that remains is for Obama to counter with the race card and accuse Hillary of making such charges because he is black.
As the election gets closer, I'll try to give my mom a more detailed account of the issues at stake. But I think I've given her enough to keep her informed, and entertained, at least through the primaries.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 37)
1. http://evolutionfacts.blogspot.com
FORMER ATHEIST at 8:36AM on Jan 30th 2008
2. Dinesh - You got the stupid and evil reversed. The basis of conservatism is the state exists to protect us from outsiders, otherwise they should leave us alone. The basis of liberalism is the state exists to be a safety net. Which would Jesus be?
alan at 8:54AM on Jan 30th 2008
3. Actually Denise, referring to the Democratic Party "evil" is a new low even for you. Considering that without the Democratic Party, you would still be sitting in the back of the bus with the rest of the non-whites.
gshort3011 at 9:19AM on Jan 30th 2008
4. alan,
let me answer your queerie, jesus does not ride the backs of donkeys or elephants. thats said, i suppose its possible for a democrate to be christian. its a stretch as i see it, but it is possible. the democratice party is the party of death. take abortion. they want to cloak the murder of the unborn behind a mask called choice. when the gruesome details of partial birth abortion were to be shown on the senate floor the demoncrats objected. they did not want to"see" the gruesome nature of what they stood for. they wanted to keep the lid shut. thank goodness the republicans prevailed. now when we get atilla the hun in the white house a dare say any and all abortions will be legal. again the demoncrats are largely the death squad in disguise. really, i know some democrats who are christians. but when you confront them about these issuews its "deer in the headlights"look. its about money. its all its ever ben about. the democrats want to take and redistribute wealth and call themselves generous. pathetic.
brian at 9:20AM on Jan 30th 2008
5. ghost,
no way. that is totally inflamatory and wrong.DD is on target. by the way you atheist. you should by his book, its really a great read. enjoying it immensely
brian at 9:22AM on Jan 30th 2008
6. I would say that the evil party are the Republicans. They are war-mongers and are not their brother's keeper.
I would say that the stupid party are the Democrats. They keep picking candidates that have no chance of winning the election. (Well, at least in having a black guy and a female-minority members-they are being noble.)
:>)
The Goddess Athena at 9:55AM on Jan 30th 2008
7. #4 - brian - So any Christian who believes that abortion is not murder is not a Christian?
I speculate that virtually any surgical procedure would be graphic enough to be objectionable to many non-doctors.
What is your feeling on partial birth abortions to save a mother's life, especially when the embryo would also die?
When does life start? under what circumstances is it permissible to terminate it prematurely? What actions must be taken to support life to avoid premature termination?
I'm not try to attack you, just trying to understand your position.
alan at 9:55AM on Jan 30th 2008
8. Evil incarnate: inherent in Cheney, dictated by Rove and proslytized by Bush. Stupid: democratically controlled congress and Hillary.
Insane: Dinesh discribing Kennedy's electorate as "dissolute, philandering seniors." Their snow birding to Florida ,allegedly for Spring Break, must be DD's proof the seniors are, in deed, "philandering dissolutes"). Therefore, DD's reasoning: there can't be much importance in "locking in the votes" for this alien constituency. Where is the anomaly here?!DD possesses the pretension of intelligence to write POVs.-I STILL can NOT believe DD got into Stanford, let alone Dartmouth!- However, DD does not lack the admission of stupidity- he is master of a rhetoric that is of a variety of such inane and specious perversity, it only helps to reaffirm my position that god is most assuredly an athiest if it comes to taking responsibilty for creating Dinesh D'Souza.
boredwell at 10:02AM on Jan 30th 2008
9. "Cheney inspires irrational and paranoid loathing...he's Darth Vader..." --Dinesh D'Souza
************
Yeah, Dinesh...that's really great! We certainly need MORE politicians to inspire insanity and loathing among the American people.
Well, DD, if you actually admire the fear and loathing that Dick Cheney inspires then you did get one thing right: you are a member of the stupid.
How do you live with yourself?
Paul at 10:03AM on Jan 30th 2008
10. Any party that promotes baby murdering or sodomy is clearly as evil as the Nazis. I disagree that the noble Republicans are stupid. That is just a fabrication of the liberal dominant media, which isnothing more than the propaganda arm of the Demoncratic Party.
geocentre at 10:04AM on Jan 30th 2008
11. #6
"They keep picking candidates that have no chance of winning the election"
TGA, why do you think they keep making that mistake? One would think that the message would have been driven home after a number of self-inflicted failures.
M2D5 at 10:11AM on Jan 30th 2008
12. Boredwell: You should learn how to spell before making your pseudo intellectual posts. The symbol of the democratic party tells it all, the original name of the party was the "Jackass Party".
david michael at 10:18AM on Jan 30th 2008
13. #10 - geocentre - You have to put in something to help us slow people recognize satire. I had to read it twice before I realized you were kidding.
alan at 10:20AM on Jan 30th 2008
14. How juvenile.
The symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant. So what does that mean? Republicans stand for all things over-sized, bloated, and over-consuming in government?
Grow up.
Paul at 10:23AM on Jan 30th 2008
15. I'm disappointed by candidates on both sides frankly. When will we get back to real leadership and character instead of the expense-hyped popularity contest that politics is today? - I know, dream on right?
amy at 10:34AM on Jan 30th 2008