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Subscribe to RSSFormer Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a spirited defense of free trade, foreign aid, a welcoming immigration policy, and a robust national defense Wednesday night at the Republican convention.
Both Rice and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who spoke earlier in the evening, mocked the Obama administration for the remark an unidentified Obama adviser last year made to describe the U.S. role in the effort to overthrow Moammar Gadhafi in Libya: “leading from behind.”
Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice delivers remarks at the 2012 RNC.
Rice started her speech on a subdued note with a brief recollection of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
She then invoked the “freedom agenda” of her old boss, President George W. Bush, saying that “the desire for liberty and freedom is indeed universal” among all people in the world but acknowledged that “the promise of the Arab Spring is engulfed in uncertainty.”
And she listed some discouraging international trends:
- “Internal strife and hostile neighbors are challenging the young, fragile democracy of Iraq,"
- “Dictators in Iran and Syria butcher their people and threaten regional security,"
- “Russia and China prevent a response” to the oppression in those countries.
Rice said these developments cause people abroad to wonder, “where does America stand?” She said, “when friends or foes, alike, don't know the answer to that question — unambiguously and clearly — the world is likely to be a more dangerous and chaotic place.”
She seemed to imply that President Obama had not done enough to champion freedom and democracy in the Arab world.
Charles Dharapak / AP
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012.
But her speech seemed as much a rebuke to isolationist or anti-global engagement forces in her own party as to Obama.
Earlier in the evening, the delegates saw a short video tribute to Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, one of the few Republicans who voted to oppose the Iraq invasion. Paul has also been a critic of foreign aid.
Defending foreign aid, Rice explained that it is often “hard to muster the resources to support fledgling democracies and to intervene on behalf of the most desperate — the AIDS orphan in Uganda, the refugee fleeing Zimbabwe, the young woman who has been trafficked into the sex trade in Southeast Asia,” she said. Yet “this assistance — together with the compassionate work of private charities — people of conscience and people of faith — has shown the soul of our country.”
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks with NBC's Andrea Mitchell about the role of America in the world and our country's current foreign policy.
She added, “I know too that there is a weariness — I know that it feels as if we have carried these burdens long enough.”
But if America turns inward, she warned, “no one will lead and there will be chaos, or someone will fill the vacuum who does not share our values. My fellow Americans, we do not have a choice. We cannot be reluctant to lead — and you cannot lead from behind.”
Touching on a topic that divides Republicans, she delivered an argument for an open-hearted immigration policy. “We must continue to welcome the world’s most ambitious people to be a part of us,” she told the delegates. “In that way we stay young and optimistic and determined. We need immigration laws that protect our borders, meet our economic needs and yet show that we are a compassionate nation of immigrants.”
NBC's Tom Brokaw, Kelly O'Donnell, and David Gregory discuss former Sec. of State Condoleeza Rice's speech to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., and preview Paul Ryan's remarks.
Two hours earlier, McCain gave the delegates a more pointed criticism of the man who defeated him four years ago.
“At our best, America has led. … We have led, when necessary, with the armed might of freedom’s defenders. And always we have led from the front, never from behind,” McCain said.
“By committing to withdraw from Afghanistan before peace can be achieved and sustained, the president has discouraged our friends and emboldened our enemies, which is why our commanders did not recommend that decision and why they have said it puts our mission at greater risk,” he said.
While speaking at the RNC, Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., explains why he disagrees with the way President Obama has handled foreign policy decisions over the past four years.
McCain accused Obama of “playing no leadership role” in preventing defense spending cuts mandated by last year’s Budget Control Act.
And McCain said Obama “missed a historic opportunity to throw America’s full moral support behind an Iranian revolution that shared one of our highest interests: ridding Iran of a brutal dictatorship that terrorizes the Middle East and threatens the world.”
He added, “The situation is far worse in Syria. What began as peaceful protests has now become, 18 months later, a savage and unfair fight” as Bashir Assad uses tanks, helicopters, and fighter jets to kill his opponents.
“Sadly, for the lonely voices of dissent in Syria, and Iran, and elsewhere, who feel forgotten in their darkness, and sadly for us, as well, our president is not being true to our values.”
Although he did not mention it in his speech Wednesday, in June McCain advocated helping the Syrian opposition to establish safe havens inside the country, using U.S. airpower to defend the safe areas in Syria, and using the safe havens as “platforms for increased deliveries of food and medicine, communications equipment, doctors to treat the wounded, and other non-lethal assistance. They could also serve as staging areas for armed opposition groups to receive battlefield intelligence, body armor, and weapons.”
Win Mcnamee / Getty Images
Republicans gather in Tampa, Florida to officially nominate Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.
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Thank goodness, Mc Cain was not elected in 2008, or I guess we would be in two more wars with Iran and Syria!
According to Mc Cain, and his Republican leader followers, we cannot afford to borrow more money to fund Medicaid and Medicare for the poor and our seniors but we could borrow another $10 trillion as Bush did to fund two additional wars!
I am glad the Obama Administration stayed at a distance with Syria and tried to push sanctions. Since Russia and China refused to join us in sanctions against the Syrian Government I think The United States needs a different approach, other than just military and I am glad that the Obama Administration is holding out hope for something different. I think we need to hit any Russian weaponry and military equipment manufacturers in Syria and push international sanctions.
The GOP wants to continue giving our own weaponry and military manufacturer’s money in government contracts, as our two wars are winding down. In the meanwhile, America needs the Obama Administration to give Russia and China the message that sometimes there are circumstances where The United States will put its foot down about money and contracts. (Now you see why the GOP is not the right leader for our U.S. Foreign Policy.)
That's the problem here. They are talking about humanitarian aid. I'm glad the Republicans are at least talking about it -- though I am afraid it's a smokescreen. I do not have any argument with humanitarian aid.
What they want to do is all about the military and government contractors. Wars cost a bundle. They are the dream situation for contractors. They just keep on making the stuff, and we keep on buying it (with our tax money) -- and it all goes up in smoke. They're profiteers.
There's a great movie (2005 - pre-Obama) called Why We Fight. It's a must-watch for people who want to understand this part of our foreign policy. http://www.filmsforaction.org/Watch/Why_We_Fight/
Yes, thank you so much, GOP, for taking America's wealth and squandering it on Iraq and Afghanistan.
The dictators over there thank you for our gold.
Well, what do you know? An entitlement junkie!
Was that Condy lady awesome or what?
I am a good ol southern cowboy, independent and un-decided. I honestly wish condy was picked for VP...
I dont know about that witch-looking Ryan, he seemed like he's an angry person, pointing fingers at people and could possibly cut Medicare for old folks like me....he seems a little to extreme for the country's sake...
I am leaning towards Obama/Biden after watching this tonight....
Just what we need, spending trillions more being the world cop.I wonder how they are going to justify that expansion of the national debt!
Aw, Joe, you know wars don't count!
I would hope the eventual lesson of Afghanistan and Iraq will be don't give up the legitimacy and focus of a well justified military campaign to pursue a far less justified one. Many of those who were Democrats in 2001 and 2002 suffer from amnesia regarding the party's involvement in getting us into the Iraq quagmire after the justified support of our initial actions in Afghanistan. I am not one of them, but there is also little doubt that Republicans led the way in pushing us into a new conflict at the expense of existing military operations.
I admire Condeleeza Rice for a number of her accomplishments, but she was never more wrong than when she pushed for the overthrow of Saddam. As far as Senator McCain, while I respect his service in both the military and Senate, I have to disagree with most of his hawkish positions on the Middle East. While I would agree the results of the Arab Spring remain to be seen, the regimes overthrown were hardly models of peaceful civility toward their citizens or neighbors.
We need to try and avoid adding fuel to the already volatile situations that exist in the region and while we may need to react if some bad actor in a imitation member's only windbreaker follows through on some of his strategic threats, we should do all we can to calm the situation, not further inflame it.
My bottom line is while I have consistently opposed the economic and energy policies of the Obama administration, he gets higher marks on our foreign policy. We have consistently sought out and taken care of the bad guys in the region and are winding down our Afghanistan mission. I have no problems there, and would have NO problem if we loaded up and pulled out of Afghanistan TOMORROW. We lost our focus when we decided to overthrow Saddam and the lives of our young soldiers it would require to get it back simply aren't worth it.
Romney, 3 things before I even contemplate votin for ya....
1. Show me your birth Certificate son
2. Show me your tax Returns.
3. Disregard 1...typo
Neoconservatism is alive and well within the establishment. But please don't act as if Obama isn't sticking his nose where it doesn't belong in the Middle East as well. Our isolationist sanctions along with our global military deployment and foreign aid handouts are doing nothing to serve our real interests and a whole lot to stir up trouble and cost us billions which we don't even have. Unfortunately, neither side seems to be willing to do anything about changing the status quo of our interventionalist foreign policy.
All McCain and the Republicans do is keep talking about more possible wars. But once again, where will the money come from this time? SS still must have some money left that Bush didn't take to pay for both wars. There are injured, sick, and homeless Vets without jobs, whom they can't even take care of now. Just what are their plans for them? Is it Romney or Ryan's buddies that will benefit from the war contracts that don't have to compete with bids? WHERE WILL ALL THIS SUPPORT AND MONEY TO OTHER COUNTRIES OR FOR WARS COME FROM?? We asked Bush and Congress that question and were told we don't need to know, or it will be done on a need to know basis. WHERE WAS THE TRANSPARENCY WITH THE GOVERNMENT THEN? Both Rice and McCain talked about helping other countries, or going off to more Wars. So, just how will this excessive and wasteful spending on WARS bring down the deficit???????? Most countries are just letting us spend our money and fight the Wars. They are keeping their nose and money out of it. How many more young middle class and poor lives are they willing to sacrifice and kill with illegal wars made up with lies of WMD's, etc.??? Ah-h-h, but not one word was said about all those jobs they promised to create for U.S. in the 2010 election, and did not do. It's all lies, manipulation, and more lies from that Party, and never once have they taken the responsibility for their wrong doing. But they are experts at passing the bad buck on to the other Party. Its a documented fact that the Republicans blocked every job creation Bill that came up in Congress. They have such a strong desire to help the other countries and the HELL with our own economy, jobs, homeless VETS, and U.S. citizens due to a Great Recession that Bush/Cheney created along with a very corrupt Wall Street/Finance Street. And let's not forget that they want to deregulate those areas (so that the corruption can be even more profitable for the wealthy 1%). HOW MUCH MORE ARE REPUBLICANS GOING TO SQUEEZE OUT OF MAIN STREET EVERYDAY WORKERS, AND ALLOW THE 1% to 2% THEIR TAX EXEMPTIONS AND LOOPHOLES??
And what do they want (or will do) for us on Main Street ? Republicans want to give us vouchers for healthcare while eliminating Medicare, Medicaid, and SS. They will raise our taxes in order to feed other countries, or go off to wars. Just as Romney is doing in the Caymans, Bahamas, & Switzerland, not to mention that so far he has officially shown 1 year of paid taxes at a low rate. And Ann says: "YOU PEOPLE" don't need to know about our taxes." Demand to see more of their taxes, and then you shall know the real truth. How much more are the middle class workers, the poor, the disabled/sick, and the elderly willing to give of themselves while the elite use loop holes to avoid paying taxes and given more exemptions? Are you willing to elect a candidate as our President, who has demonstrated total inept incompetency on his first trip overseas on his first, two stops of three?? Do you really want such a person making the decisions of going off to war, and then possibly pardoning themselves of all wrong doing just as Bush did??? Wake up people and take off your "Rose Colored Glasses. Instead of listening to the Koch Brothers, big business, Lobbyists, etc., do your own research to find out the true facts without the manipulations, campaign ads, and slanted media. It's Congress (and not the President, who hasn't done anything for Main Street. Last December, it was the Republican Party, who held up the budget approval until their 1% & 2% were given more tax exemptions and benefits. Do the rest of you (not in that category) really have the money to keep the Government going and the elite living in their lifestyle without any responsibilities to our Country or taxes??? Republicans only care about their own Party and certainly not for the majority of Constituents. Now, in order for them to win, the Republican Governors have been illegal shoving "Voter Suppression" over something that never really existed according to recent reports, except in the false Republican rumors. The Federal Courts have already over ruled two States for violation of our Constitution. For too long they have cheated, lied, and stolen elections from the people, while giving an open gate for the elite to express a second voice, power, and control of our elections. Stand up and say, "NO MORE !" And no more jobs going overseas without applying extra taxation to those businesses. Maybe then we'll have some money (without dumping more economic burden on those below the 2% high income levels) to lower the deficit and help other countries in real need (not just because they have oil). Try putting the heat on Congress for a change, and to get off their sorry butts to do some work for a change. Why else do they think we are paying them for?
Finally, the Christian Republicans do not want abortions or birth control used. But why then, are they so willing to kill millions of young adults, innocent children, babies, and the elderly in wars, esp. the illegal war of no WMD's as declared by the previous administration?? There is a Commandment that says: "Thou shalt not KILL !!" And I say, that if you are truly a "Born Again Christian", then so should you act like a Christian in ALL aspects. There is no such thing as a "good kill" and a bad kill", or a legitimate rape and an illegitimate rape. It's time that everyone stops acting like ostriches with their heads stuck in the sand.
.........and the War Mongers come racing out of the woodwork like cockroaches.
The Middle Class in this country has been DECIMATED by the spending and loss of American lives for 2 WARS and a friggen Trade Policy which gave away the jobs of many, many millions of American jobs to the Communist Chinese and Paul "Ream-us" Ryan wants to cure our Ills by telling us Social Security and Medicare NEED fixing (his kind of fixing) because the systems are broke. THEY'RE BROKE BECAUSE THE CHINESE WORKERS DON'T PAY INTO OUR S.S. SYSTEM AND MEDICARE!! Those millions of lost jobs WERE paying into Social Security and Medicare.
Any THINKING/WORKING man or woman who votes for this party and what it stands for, had better think again and think real hard. The working people of this country aren't anywhere NEAR in the same league as the people these Republicans want to continue to support. The RICH (Like Mitt Rob-Me) and his corporate buddies. They could care less about REAL American families in this country.
McCain looked like he could barely speak coherently. It is a good thing we rejected his bid to run the country. Age is quickly catching up with him.
Romney is no spring chicken, either. Let's send him packing too.
That's right GOP, we need more wars. The 170 Billion Dollars a Year we wasted in Iraq for 10 years didn't devastate our economy enough, and we didn't kill off enough of the U.S. military patriots and Iraqi civilians. And YES, while we're at it let's loosen up our imigration policies and let more illegal imigrants in to take more of jobs away from our citizens. Romney didn't send enough of our jobs to China and India. All I want to know is what kind of drugs are these people on, and what country do they work for? These people are un-American and in fact Anti-American. Their loyalties are strictly to the Banks and multi-national corporations. They have Zero loyalty to the American people. The GOP is a scary group of people who want to enslave the American worker. They are dangerous.
Romney/Ryan 2012
The party that will destroy the middle class, the social contract, and bring us never ending war.
Some where George Orwell is saying "I told you so".
Ummmm........well.......Mister McCain, meaning no disrespect to you but not really giving much of a krap HOW you take this:
If the Iranians REALLY wanted to and felt "oppressed" enough to get rid of their Ayatollahs, they'd have done so by now, you nitwit. It's not up to US to do it.
Time for your mental enema, Mr. McCain.
I think America has seen and heard just about enough from the gap-toothed warmonger and her plastic hairdo. Hey, Condi, I hear Dallas wants you as a resident...
Sorry Republicans --- we cannot afford to invade the entire universe.
All these things Republicans talk about: never ending interventionist wars, free trade, etc. only benefit the global elites, international money bags. How the f..k do they help an average American??? NONE of it is good for the American People. Wake up folks! We are being f..d!
War with Iran? I guess some people don't care about lessons learned... Our brave men and women are coming home with Post Tramatic Stress Disorder now, just imagine how awful it would be for them if they had to try and forget gunning down children! In the Iran-Iraq war, Iran sent waves of children to overrun fortified positions... I actually doubt our soldiers would even shoot!
blog ReadingThinkingAndWriting com
'Touching on a topic that divides Republicans, she delivered an argument for an open-hearted immigration policy. “We must continue to welcome the world’s most ambitious people to be a part of us,” she told the delegates. “In that way we stay young and optimistic and determined. We need immigration laws that protect our borders, meet our economic needs and yet show that we are a compassionate nation of immigrants.” '
I don't think that Republicans have a problem with educated legal immigrants with needed job skills coming into this country - it's the unskilled and uneducated illegal immigrants that come for the welfare benefits and who are draining our social service resources that are the problem.
Nice try at a 'spin' by the Obama friendly NBC though. It should be interesting to see how NBC treats some of the issues when the Democrats have their Convention - probably no criticisms of their outrageous claims - just support for Obama.
McCAin and Rice - Both are neo-nazis.
I have to laugh about the Democrat's claim of a 'War on Women' because some Republicans think that women who don't want children should have to pay the $7 per month for birth control pills themselves instead of making the taxpayers pay for them. But then the Democrats ignore the additional $2,500 per year that the average family pays for gasoline since Obama took office. The average price of gasoline was only $1.84 when Obama took office - now it's close to $4.00 per gallon. Women do most of the family driving (shopping, school, errands, etc.) so they understand real 'pain at the pump'.
- And then there are the skyrocketing food costs that the women must pay at checkout.
- And then there is the lack of jobs for the new graduates - half of them women.
- And then there is the lack of economic growth.
Etc, etc, etc. - All under Obama's watch.
And there was two illegal wars...
and then the balooning deficit
and the neo-imperialist retoric
etc, etc, etc - All under Bush's watch
racist none-sense! You people don't even know recent history somehow. Here's a lesson for you... the effects of global financial crashes don't go away in a few months... it has taken years to recover from past events and many have argued that the reach of this catastrophe was greater than any in history.
Another lesson... the president of the United Stated does not make laws, nor does his office control the purse. Both of those responsibilities lie with the Congress... the President may set an agenda and offer a budget, but in the end, Congress writes the laws and appropriations.
Obama works himself from squalor to graduate Harvard and become President. You may not like his position on some issues, but he is farther to the right than Clinton and the "worst" thing he's done is push to get insurance for poor people. I struggled to understand why you people hate him... but then I remembered...
racism is all about hate.
She made a great speech and of course the left refuses to hear the truth. She is a classy lady with great intelligence. She is someone the left should be looking for in their party of classless trashy women. Good luck finding one in your midst democrats. They are not in your party because your party hates women.
Hitler made lots of 'great speeches' as well. So what? Rice is yet another NWO stooge.
How do we have enough money to spend on war, but not enough to rebuild our country?
It seems that if your a republican and America is not at war with some country then you are Un-American...
Sarah,
The sad truth is we do not have money for either.
We need to pull out of Afghanistan asap. Part of the reason we have mostly pulled out of Iraq has to do with immunity for our troops.
As mentioned a couple times in the posts above, freedom comes from within. We cannot force our freedom on another country. If the citizens want to be free then I am afraid they are going to have to fight for it.
You want a fair society, to be fair either we have to give everyone that is in this country illegally right now amnesty, or we need to ship them back to their home country. You talk about pay and how the middle class has lost wages, part of that is due to cheaper labor.
We as a country can lead from the front without fighting in every country that is out there. I never supported the wars, but honestly the reasons given to fight or what ever you want to call it, would be just as valid for Iraq. He did murder thousands of his own citizens, he did use gas to do it.
We need a budget that is sustainable by actual tax revenue. Right now we do not have that, it is probably close to a trillion dollars higher than we could attain in taxes.
That has nothing to do with race, it has to do with simple math.
oh well it is Thursday before a three day weekend. i am so excited....
Not many black americans at that GOP convention. I counted only two both females (from what I saw on TV), but one left a camera lady who was pelted with peanuts..the other is still there though...Condoleezza Rice.
There are american women voters, american latino voters and american black voters...seems only thing the GOP talks about is women and latino voters.
Ideological Purity or National Principled Concessions! Plug your political religion (party) in here:________— or ___________.
Are the attributes listed below what you or your party should aspire to? Are these the attributes our country should aspire to?
Compromise as weakness!
Loss of civil liberties in the name of "security"!
A fundamentalist belief in any scriptural literalism!
Denying science!
Unmoved by facts!
Undeterred by new information!
A hostile fear of progress!
The demonization of education!
The need to control women's bodies!
Severe xenophobia!
Tribal mentality!
Intolerance of dissent!
Preemptive war!
Remote controlled war!
Pathological hatred of U.S. government!
Folks we need to come together as Americans so that we can restore our country back to what our fore-fathers had envisioned for an enduring successful nation. No outside country will destroy our country, only we the people can kill our democracy from within if we allow it. We have let money, greed and the corrupt controllers of money detour our evolution as a moral planetary leader! Both political parties are complicit. If that makes you angry then do something about it!
When Benjamin Franklin left Independence Hall after the second drafting of the Constitution of the United States he was approached by a women on the street, the women asked Mr. Franklin, what manner of government have you bequeathed us? and Franklin said a Republic mam, if you can keep it!
The responsibility of a country is not in the hands of a privileged few, we are strong and we are free from tyranny as long as each one of us remembers his or her duty as a citizen whether it is to report a pot hole at the top of your street, lies in the State of the Union Address, or illegal Executive orders that take our civil liberties away, speak out, speak truth to power to all political parties, ask those questions, demand that truth! Democracy is not a free ride folks, but this is where we live and if we do our jobs, this is where our children will live! Our Government is us, We The People! Let us remove the hijacked negative aspects of our political parties and join proudly together to keep our country strong! Our founders provided the frame work, the question is do we love our country enough to reclaim it from the Federal Reserve? United We Stand, Divided we Fall! May your God Bless America!
You know, I liked Condi's speech much better than anybody else's. She's been a teacher at Stanford in California, so she knows how to couch her views in terms that are not so odious to the left. But the rubber met the road when she criticized Obama's handling of Libya, which I thought was telling.
So her old boss, GW Bush, led from his behind, trumping up charges against Iraq, telling our allies to go *&%$ themselves, massing up troops all over the mideast, spending huge amounts of cash, getting thousands of soldiers killed, and left office 5 years later without success (on a war that was supposed to last '6 weeks, 6 months at most'). Condi cheered him on, and continues to defend it to this day.
Obama takes action against an ongoing slaughter in Libya, coordinating with our allies, puts no troops in harms way, spends very little money, and succeeds in a matter of weeks. Condi doesn't like it.
What doesn't she like about it? That it makes her look stupid? That he didn't beat his chest and declare to the world that America is better than them, so bite me?
No, if Condi would have had the grace to give credit where due, she could have broken down some barriers. Guess she didn't learn quite enough at Stanford.
Sickening.
Republicans claim that the United States is "bankrupt" and cannot afford one red cent to help needy American People with food, housing and/or education. Republicans call the American poor "lazy" and other derrogatory names.
Republicans say there is no money to care for our elderly, even though the elderly have already pre-paid for their own Social Security and Medicare, but Republicans always manage to find billions of American Taxpayer dollars to send overseas.
It makes me wonder if by "overseas" they mean their own Swiss and Cayman Island bank accounts.
Obama/Biden 2012
Condi speaks the truth. Isolationism is the first step on the road to ruin.
Can't 'lead from behind' Barry.
ABO 2012.
Yep, we need to make more unjustified invasions of countries which never attacked us, so we can murder more little brown people and dig a deeper financial hole.
STEVEN, Yea, too bad your party was the party of complete isolation in the 1930's when Germany and Japan were arming themselves to the teeth. They called FDR a warmonger. And after Bush's disasterous 8 years you presume to lecture Democrats about foreign policy??? Too funny.
"Leading from behind" is exactly the correct strategy in countries who resent our "front and center" public presence in their country's future. Bush stomped around like a drugstore cowboy and was a hindrance and embarassment most of the time.
Exactly which country in the Arab Spring is ripe for democracy? We would have blown billions and given technology and weaponry to our future enemies.
Why does McCain think he's more of an expert than BHO's advisors? He was ready to hand the reins to Sarah Palin. That choice disqualifies him from any foreign policy credulity.
Condi is the ULTIMATE token for the RNC; woman, black, and lesbian...
RNC, yup. Woman, yup, lesbian? please cite your source. Anyone who disagrees with your vision must be vilified. Very progressive thinking on your part. Wait, I was led to believe one's sexual orientation had no bearing on their character anyway. Which is it?
American; Lesbian? Doesn't fit the profile. Ugly as a dog like Ellen. Butch haircut and walks like a man like Janet Napolitano. Mannish appearance and athletic like Martina Navratilova. Condi has none of these. Just because she's single and pretty means nothing.
It was a joke, kind of like Romney with the Birth Certificate...
I do not believe I villified her by saying she was a minority, a woman, or a lesbian, the RNC does that.
It is hard to believe that when nearly every poll shows the GNC is not thought favorable by women, minoritities, or the homosexual community it is funny that a woman that falls into each of these demographics is speaking at the RNC.
If I villified her for anything it is the fact that she is Republican.
Southern by the Grace of God.
I guess god does have a sense of humor after all. Crappy weather, huge bugs, bad education, obesity off the charts, racism (at least its now subtle and not seething), a church on every corner and a bigot in every pulpit.
'Leading from behind'?
Wow, they got nothing. Obama got his way in Libya without risking any troops and very little money spent because he was willing to cooperate with our allies, and Condi's problem with that is what? It makes her look stupid?
I think Obama is leading your behind.
Tack,
Not sure what you meant then I saw you frequently attack the South in your commentary, and the Old South and the red states are certianly easy targets.
The South has great weather as cold weather causes brain damage.
We do have a bunch of red states that tend not to focus on education, which is a shame,but when did Mississippi for example ever lead in education?
We do still have racist like other parts of the country, and we certainly have our share of Jesus freaks.
BUT we also have some wonderful people of all races and origins. People who will do anything to help their neighbor and community.
Our major cities from Texas to the Carolinas to Atlanta are seeing our economies slowly recover. We offer numerous institutions for higher learning that are second to none.
We have the best college football teams in the country. We tend to have more of our sons and daughters hear the call of duty to serve than other regions.
AND yes we have NOT only BIG BUGS but BIG SNAKES so you may want to visit some time...
I like old Steven B up there using the symbol of the Cold War, outdated and obsolete B-52 Bomber, and spouting the same tired rhetoric of the past. I expect to see him blog
one of these days.
Steve-O, this is the 21st Century! Get with it. No one in the Obama Administration has ever advocated isolationism. If you think they have, PROVE IT WITH A QUOTE.
This is the Era of the B-1B Lancer and B-2 Stealth bombers. This is the Prevent War Era, not the Cold War Era. Get with the program.
And as far as "Leading from Behind" goes...
THAT is a clear example of "leading from behind." President Obama has been right up front with his Leadership, and he got bin Laden when Bush couldn't and Romney wouldn't!
I do respect CR. Bright. One of the leading, positive voices in the RNC. And I'm so Democrat it would scare some people. Value is where value is on either side of the political spectrum.
It's a shame to have to bring back, 1990s Republicans to bring voices of reason to a political system that is rapidly failing us. On all sides.
Responding to Southern By The Grace Of God: About Condi Rice, my sentiments exactly! Ultimate token! I am disgusted by Chris Matthews' slobberring over her speech, and his brushing aside comments from David Corn and Eugene about the problems they had with that speech. Condi Rice allowed herself to be used by the Bush Administration to sell the Iraq war (the mushroom cloud!) as did Colin Powell. They have since both made tacit admissions to this but at least Colin Powell has enough dignity to not allow it again. I have great admiration for her accomplishments, she is obviously a brilliant woman. But that speech made my skin crawl. I was embarrassed for her and felt has she no shame! When she spoke about that little girl, in Jim Crow south who could not eat a hamburger at Woolworth's and grew up to become Secretary of State, she blthely skipped over some salient facts. It didn't happen simply by hard work and because of living in this "great country". It was made possible with much tears, marching, bloodshed and bombing and lynchings! She was a friend to one of the little girls killed in the church bombing, for God's sake! To make this statement about her becoming Secretary of State, without acknowledging that struggle that made it possible, ignoring the truth, that she was speaking to a hall of people, some of whom along with many in the party, were the very people who made that fight and that struggle necessary, is criminal and disrespectful in my opinion. Those facts matter! She was speaking to and being applauded by people, a party, that is currently working diligently to undue voters rights, to implement measures to make it more difficult for people to vote, a party involved in such blatant redistricting attempts to discriminate that a judge just yesterday struck down their plan as being discriminatory, a party that boos a primary candidate for implying that children of illegal immigrants should be allowed to attend school, a party where the nominee for president recently made a tasteless joke about him not needing to show his birth certificate, as if it could possibly be funny that our duly elected first african american president has had his very citizenship, his "right" to be president questioned! I don't care what words she used and how well she presented herself, this was a farce! She should be ashamed and Chris Matthews really needs to rethink his reaction. I was deeply disappointed and cannot imagine why she did this.
@1288gail
Nicely presented and well thought out. Much to consider. Keep bringing your views to the "Vine."
It's perspective, and not blatant ideology that will move humanity forward.
Best thoughts and wishes to you and yours.
Rusty
Rice - co-president of the United States with Dick Cheney, another criminal. Do you really want more wars when Obama is just cleaning up the last of the Bush mess? Vote to re-elect President Obama.
Romney knows his boys can always get a religious deferrment like he did during Vietnam. Romney will make sure that none of his kids goes into combat. He'll send them to France. That's where he was during Vietnam.
Utter tripe.
We CANNOT be going to war with every effing country on the planet just because we don't like their people, their government, their lifestyle, their culture, their religious practices or their trading/business practices or economic system.
THAT would lead us to ruin. Thank the gods the American people have finally smartened up to this fact.
Now, if someone would permanently affix muzzles on Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee here, and put them in padded cells, we'd be all set.
Hummmmmmmmmmmmm ....
Are we expected to follow blindly into death & destruction deceitful leadership that conceal the truth from their citizenry?
Bruce, Glad you caught that B-52- I was going to comment but could not see a reply to his comment.
Thanks for the post.
Paul Ryan said he lost his father when he was 16.....and halfway thru his speech he said his mother was 50 when his father died...how can that be...look at the age of Ryan????????????????did you people hear that i did
Elvis: Have you been in Feisty's wine bottle?Ryan was 16, his father was 55 and his mother was 50. That was 26 years ago and would put ryan at age 42 which is correct and his mother at age 76, which is a two year discrepancy from what we've been hearing but I'm positive a little google search will clear it up. So what's your problem?
Go to bed and join Feisty in the morning, she usually comes on around nine to nine thirty, depending on how much she's had to drink.
Ryan is the youngest of four children.
That would make her 34 when he was born. My mom was 35 when she had my brother. Not a big deal. There are MANY more things to vet Paul Ryan about than his mother's age.
Lyin' Ryan lost his father, grandfather and great grandfather all at the age of 50-60. This has resulted in some noticible mental problems. I feel sorry for him, but that doesn't mean I want him 'one heartbeat' from the Presidency.
Having that threat is reason enough alone to vote against Romney. The lack of a coherent, specific plan with just over 60 days left to the election is enough by itself as well. There are about ten other really solid, standalone reasons to keep Wrongme out of government, but two should be enough.
Well Starderup, if politics were five card draw poker, a Romney/Ryan hand would beat a full house of Biden's and Obama's.
Paul Ryan said he lost his father when he was 16.....and halfway thru his speech he said his mother was 50 when his father died...how can that be...look at the age of Ryan????????????????did you people hear that i did..that was not a slip in the tongue
Awesome Condi speech! Gov from NM rocked! Ryan hit it out of the Park! People in the WH and Rachel and her pals should be getting nervous.
They're not nervous. Motivated is a more descriptive term.
"In that way we stay young and optimistic and determined. We need immigration laws that protect our borders, meet our economic needs and yet show that we are a compassionate nation of immigrants.”-Rice
OK all of you praising Rice. She is saying that immigration keeps us young I can only assume by the young immigrants or the children of immigrants in their numbers of 6-10 per family. Now try to follow this. Keeping us "young" this way takes jobs away from our own native born young...OUR CHILDREN!
"...meet our economic needs.." are you kidding me?! How is bringing in more illegals and taking jobs from Americans going to meet our economic needs? Wise up you fools and follow the logic, this is code for AMNESTY for illegals! And yet you idiots don't understand the obvious of what she is saying. Her remarks on foreign policy sound like an endorsement of Obama's actions these past few years, that is, if you cared to investigate the truth and not believe all the lying rhetoric the talking heads spew out to all you gullible uninformed. Remember, just because you say it over and over again, does not change the truth.
SemperFi. Unless you are full-blooded Native American I assume your ancestors were immigrants. I know mine all were. Some of the best times in American history were when we encouraged immigration. The huge waves of European immigration brought HUGE swaths of people to our country, and it only benefitted our economy.
See here's the thing. Because these are illegal immigrants, they are not taxed. They must be working, or else there would be no reason for them to be here. No reason to come to this country and then just hide. So they have jobs. But since they are illegal these are black market, off the grid, untaxed income jobs. Don't you think if we allowed these people to become legal and tax their income it would reduce the deficit? Also, it seems like the vast majority of these people are not taking away our jobs. These are jobs that no other Americans want. They are also cheap labor, meaning the cost of production is down, and therefore the cost to businesses and consumers is down.
The REAL harm to our job situation was all the outsourcing going on at the beginning of the millennium. Thanks Republicans. Glad to see a profit is worth more than the good of your country.
Jay
Here in TX we have no state income tax so illegals actually pay the same taxes as any citizen in the same income bracket. In fact we have had two republican comptrollers in the last decade do research on illegals impact on state resources. With the exception of health care (emergency room treatment) illegals actually pay more into the state coffers than they get out.
Now that's probably because we don't have a state income tax but in our state it's a reality. I'm not saying that we should ignore illegals. But I'm 61 and we have always had illegals. And with the long, desolate border between us and Mexico, I see no way to stop them. At least with current technology.
We do need a good immigration policy and protections. But just calling for a wall and self-deportation isn't going to work. I don't have the answers, I doubt any one person does.
Well does it really matter which party??? Either one is going to spend our money and never really do what the people want. It is the same money that elects one or the other. And it is really not the people that elect the next person in charge any way. As for the social aspects of this country if ya all think that we are not a socialistic country now then ya all are sadly mistaken. So why are we not pushing for a flat tax so we are all taxed fairly and oh by the way why is medicare mandatory when one turns 65? And SS. Forget that, why is it still in existence any way. They have been giving it away to those who have not worked for it for many years. Just ask that little old widow from the 60 who was the stay at home Mom. She is getting a large chunk of it and never personally paid into. Oh yeah, medicare, they aught to be looking at the cost that the medical profession is charging for their services, i.e. meds, and simp procedures. $2000.00 per shot every week is absurd. Oh well, never mind, does it really matter?
What does it say about a Republican party that has almost all the same policies as the last Republican President and they don't ask him to speak at their convention? Where's Bush I want to know what he thinks about Bush's, oops I mean Romney's policies.
Yes, where is George these days?
And Dick?
Romney is Bush Part deux.
AND what a scowel Ann Romney has,,,Mitt must be campaigning for one or two of those mormon sister-wives to bring into the Romney mansion.
George and Dick are playing the game "Where's Waldo?" and "Where in the World is Carmen San diego?"
Just as Wrongme is distancing himself from Ryan's budget and rape definitions, he is trying to stay as far away as possible from the guy that oversaw the trashing of our economy and the pillaging of our home values and 401K plans.
If I was Republican, I'd want people to forget about that thievery, too. I'd try to plant it in their heads that this ALL happened on Obama's watch. Everything was fine in January, 2009. Don't forget that. It was sunny, warm, and fuzzy clouds were drifting by. Then Obama came along and rained on everyone.
It is amazing that so many people are willing to get us in another war in the Arab world where the chances of them turning against us and using the weapons we supply them on our own troops is outstanding. If it so critical why don't the Rich Arab states fight their own wars!!
We just sold them millions if not billions of dollars of arms. so part of that has come true.
What we as a country fail to realize is that there are so many different groups or tribes in that area that they are never going to get along. Add religion to it, well we see the results every day.
Just curious-- how many wars would John McCain like us to be in?
As many as possible, and then some.
Hopefully, no more. I do have to ask, and I assume you are a free thinking person, where do you draw a line? 20,000 dead in Syria? no? OK, Not our fight. How about a regime that repeatedly states another sovereign state and people should be wiped from the face of the earth. Whose existence is an "insult to all humanity" Should this regime have a nuclear weapon to use? Or not use? I take the Iranian regime at their word. Do I think they will nuke Tel Aviv? Yup I do. They have made it pretty clear that is the plan. Will they get wiped out too? Yup, and I for one don't think that bothers the mullahs at all. Their own position as stated.
Digger.
You are not a free thinking person if you believe the Iranians would nuke Israel, it would result in the destruction of their entire Iranian nation.
Do I doubt they are seeking nuclear weapons, no.
We fought a cold war for how long? Battled the former Soviet Union in Missile race for how long?
India has nuclear weapons, amd now Pakastan has nuclear weapons, all in the deterent of mutal destruction.
Israel has nuclear weapons, now Iran wants them for the same logical reason we did, the deterent by way of mutal distruction. If Israel is threatened by this than let them respond to it, just as we did during the Cuban Missile crisis.
If Iran lunches a nuclear strike the US will wipe them off the planet for destroying our ally that is a known.
While you cannot apply logic to 2 religous states such as Iran and Israel, people in power typically do not wish to lose it, not to mention be completely destroyed.
I recently saw an interview of Colin Powell. He said that the Administration is handling the Iran situation very well. Iran is suffering under the sanctions that have been imposed under U.S. leadership.
The Iranians are rational people, according to Gen. Powell. They are fully aware that if they were to drop a nuclear weapon on Israel (or any other place, for that matter), Iran would no longer exist as of the following day.
Many of you have see my parody songs posted on these blogs, but not this time. These are the original words to this song, unchanged, and as cogent TODAY as they were in 1965. The Republicans seem to be the one's eager to "push the button" on new wars. READ THESE WORDS and reflect for yourself as to what they mean.
-----------------------
"Eve of Destruction" is a protest song written by P. F. Sloan in 1965. Several artists have recorded it, but the best-known recording was by Barry McGuire. This recording was made between July 12 and July 15, 1965 and released by Dunhill Records.
Eve Of Destruction lyrics
The eastern world it is explodin', violence flarin', bullets loadin'
You're old enough to kill but not for votin'
You don't believe in war, what's that gun you're totin'
And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin'
But you tell me over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction
Don't you understand, what I'm trying to say?
Can't you see the fear that I'm feeling today?
If the button is pushed, there's no running away
There'll be none to save with the world in a grave
Take a look around you, boy, it's bound to scare you, boy
But you tell me over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction
Yeah, my blood's so mad, feels like coagulatin'
I'm sittin' here just contemplatin'
I can't twist the truth, it knows no regulation
Handful of Senators don't pass legislation
And marches alone can't bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin'
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin'
And you tell me over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction
Think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama
Ah, you may leave here for four days in space
But when you return it's the same old place
The poundin' of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead but don't leave a trace
Hate your next door neighbor but don't forget to say grace
And you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction
Sherry,
Let us agree that McCain is an idiot and leave it at that.
John McCain has never seen a possible conflict that he did not dream and drool about.
All I heard from the two was more loss of American life in a foreign country, More money being spent on the Military, More free trade agreements, More sticking our nose where it doesn't belong, With the UN it's time Germany, Russia France, Italy and Saudi Arabia and Asia to step up to the proverbial plate and man up to these countries and let us worry about Mexico and South America and better yet our issues here at home.
Jay,
I wish it was that easy. If China is an aggressor who is supposed to pull them up short?
I do agree that it would be nice to have someone or a couple of other countries pull their own wheight.
China is also trying to get a financial foot hold in South America. So what should we do to stop that?
Russia. Nothing. To answer both of your questions.
Oh, yes! Now we are talkin. Finally some real "meat" for Democrats to chaw on! After all the vagarities and what amounts to blah, blah nonsense, Mc Cain and Rice begin to tell it like it really is with the Republican Party. War mongers that they are. We begin to see a bit of the Republican plan for our country. They intend to take from the American people and give to the usual war contractors like Haliburton and countries like Israel. Send more U.S. troops to die for the sake of those corporations which make their fortunes on war! Continue to refuse to fund the Veteran's Administration to aid in the care of our war vets. Repeal the Affordable Care Act tossing millions of newly insured citizens back out there with no health care. Tear apart Medicare and throw our elderly under the bus. "Get rid of" Planned Parenthood which serves as a life saving aid to poor and uninsured women. Get rid of Medicaid, Education funding, refuse to spend a dime to repair and rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. Raise taxes on lower and middle income Americans while lowering taxes on Mitt and his fellow 1%. Another couple of non funded wars! And send foreign aid to "our allies"! That's the plan?! Are they kidding?! Really?! I think the Right wing has gone over the edge finally.
This is their "big plan" for us? They think this plan is a good thing? Are they all completely insane?!!
Consider-it, the answer to your final question is emphatically YES
isnt condi even a little embarrassed, or the reps embarrassed by condi? ..didn't stop 9/11 despite clear warning, launched two unnecessary and unfunded wars, US loathed around the world. Is this what she means when she says America should stand for something?
Try as they might, the cold facts are that the August 8, 2001 PDB was sitting unread on Bush's desk when the planes flew into the towers. There are 28 references in that briefing to the threat of hijacked airliners. Bush did nothing, and 9/11 is history.
I can still see her dodging and darting and finally saying that the memo was called "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.".
I felt bad for Powell, who was duped into lying to the U.N. Condi, not so much.
The republicans are just offering the same old rhetoric give tax cuts to job providers and the economy will turn around. The truth is when Obama introduced a bill that would end tax subsidies to corporations for exporting jobs Ryan voted it down. The truth is if you give rich person like Ryan a tax cut they will build a factory in China and hide the rest of their money in tax havens over seas.
Ryan talks for fiscal responsibility but he vote for two unpopular wars, Prescription D Medicare program, and a tax cut that benefited the rich.
With Republicans in charge we can only see more war(s) well into the future. They have to keep the "machine" going because too many Republicans suck at the teet of "big government" defense fund. What a bunch of hypocrites - disgusting.
Time for the war monger to retire, yes you McCain. You've lived your ENTIRE life sucking money from a government you despise. Hypocrite.
And here's a song to sing AFTER the Republicans start a new war that leads to a Nuclear World War III.
Wooden Ships is a rock song written and composed by David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Paul Kantner (of Jefferson Airplane) in the late 1960s. The song was written and composed in Florida on Crosby's boat.
...
What does it all mean?
In this interpretation, the words of the song depict the horrors confronting the survivors of a nuclear holocaust in which the two sides have annihilated each other. A man from one side stumbles upon a man (or woman, as in Jefferson Airplane's version) from the other side and asks him/her, "Can you tell me, please, who won?"
Since the question has no real meaning in the circumstances (or even at all), it is left unanswered. To stay alive, they share purple berries that have presumably not been poisoned by radiation.
The lyrics beg "silver people on the shoreline" to "let us be"; these are commonly held to be men wearing radiation suits. As wooden ships are carrying the survivors away, radiation poisoning kills those who have not made it aboard
Bruce,
Just to be clear "Wooden Ships" appeared on the "Crosby,Stills and Nash" album. No Neil Young connection brah.
Republicans love war, they just want other people to pay for it.
That is called WELFARE.
They also want other people to fight it. Wrongme got a deferrment so he could dodge Vietnam. He went to France instead - to recruit new members into his cult.
Did you hear Rice and Sunuunu what ever his name is?
The Jobs Act they stomped on and blamed Presdient for not furnishing jobs.
Patricia, war is a racket. These so-called Christian Patriots are more evil then the terrorists (?) of 9/11. These terrorists at the Republican Convention are bluntly telling their fool voters that they are gonna continue their for profit wars and the fools are gonna proudly vote for them.
The GOP/TP trolls, absent from this discussion, obviously haven't been handed their talking points this evening. What a bunch of mindless pseudo-patriots!
These GOP/TP speakers are all ready to hand our future to schoolyard bullies on the world stage. They just haven't met a country they don't like.
There is not one statesman in this sorry bunch of plutocratic syncophants. They prey on people's fear and disinform at every turn.
BHO is The President of the USA and all these yahoos can do is try to lie their way into power.
What happened to the Eisenhower Republicans?
They are called Democrats nowadays.... Eisenhower had the top tax rate in the 90 percents, and invested in infrastructure nationwide that completely revitalized our nation. He was WAY more liberal/socialist/commie than Obama is.
Barry Goldwater would be a liberal in today's hijacked GOP.
Eisenhower's legacy includes the creation of our modern interstate highway system. One teabagging fool yesterday pointed to roads, rail and canals as examples of private companies 'building it'. These people have no education, and an extremely short memory. None of those three examples are valid at all.
The only speaker with a brain at this convention was Condoleezza Rice. If Romney would have had the brain to pick her as VP, he might have had a chance.
Condi Rice was one of the primary drivers that helped W's and Cheney's twisted desire get realized to go to war with Iraq at all costs, she helped devleop the lies and distortions that W's and Cheney spit out as justifications to go to war. More than 10 years later this country is still paying dearly for her fraud and lies.
Rice condemns Obama for failing to enlist Russia or China in a war against Syria. How well did she and her boss do in enlisting Russia and China in a war against Iraq? Oh, that's right. Russia and China (and lots of other countries) opposed that venture. How well did that "freedom agenda" do? Seen the news from Iraq lately? Lots of violence, not lots of freedom. On the other hand, McCain seems to believe in perpetual war, for what purpose we can only guess at. (John, most of us have gotten over losing in Vietnam. It's time you did, too.)
No one has said war w/ Syria. BTW, where are the American human shields defending the people of Syria? No? Even McCain said no boots on the ground. Where are the peace activists on the ground? Oh, I know. The dead children are Saudi intelligence operatives, Qatari plants. Iran has admitted having troops is Syria fighting the Syrian people. Why? Can't very well move your russian supplied Katusha rockets to Hezzbollah in Lebanon if you are cut off from Syria's regime, can you. No, not Isreali, or a jew.
And, BTW, lot's of countries supported the invasion of Iraq. France, England, Germany, and in the first war, Syria. Why? Their intelligence people all said the same thing. Iraq had wmd and had used them. Ask a Kurd.
Digger- you must not have watched the Republican primary debates. War with Syria was mentioned numerous times, with, of course, Iran. War with Turkey was even mentioned.
And just because your intelligence told you a country was making WMD does not mean it was true, obviously. It's funny. The Bush Administration, along with Dr. Rice wholeheartedly listened to the false intelligence (WMD) but completely ignored the true intelligence (9-11).
Afghanistan - Clusterf**k
Iraq - Clusterf**k
Egypt - Functioning gov't, calling on other nations to intervene in Syria
Libya - Forming first steps toward an elective gov't on Sept 8
Exactly how has "leading from behind" been an embarrassment? By not leading to thousands of American troop deaths? Is that the mark of 'success'?
One Day these GOP warmongers will slip and admit what they really want: WAR WITH MEXICO!!!
They want to move the border south another 1000 miles and take all that Mexican oil.
Hey, if the plan won't work in Iraq, there's always Mexico!
If R&R win they will have the red states invade the blue states. Can we go back to 1861 and let the south secede
Hey, the U.S. already had waged war against Mexico in 1848 and taken most of what is now the western United States away it. And now we're deporting any residual Mexican people who may be left behind.
Tack,
Not sure if you are from the west coast or the northeast but you are ignorant when it comes to the South.
First North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida are all battleground states.
Romney is a former Mass Governor and Ryan is a Midwestern Ski bum who's only job experience was flipping burgers and driving the weiner wagon and they will not win all three states and may not win any,
However if you really wish to go back to 1861 what you have is a Republican President? A Republican President who freed the slaves not in the name of justice, but to cripple the Southern economy.
You would also find after 1865 the rise of a democratic party in the oppressed South who had strong ties to a terrorist group known as the Ku Klux Klan. And you want to go back to these times.
Visit Atlanta, San Antonio, Austin, Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Charleston, Jacksonville to name a few cities and I think you would not paint the South with such a wide brush.
+1 ABBSBTGOG
If I can add one more thought on that it's that instead of fixating on party affiliation one would be better served to focus on ideology. To wit at the time of Lincoln and the Civil War the Republican's were more the progressive,central power by a strong federal government party whilst the Democratic party were more the conservative,state's rights party.
Also it was conservative Democrats who abandoned the party after the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts were enacted that has made the south a GOP stronghold for the last 40 years. Johnson predicted this would happen when he signed the legislation into law. And Nixon,under the urging of top adviser Pat Buchanan (yes THAT Pat Buchanan) fully took advantage of this opportunity in the 1968 election with their "Southern Strategy".
That both North Carolina and Virginia would vote for President Obama in the last election shows that the worm in the South is starting to turn and the region is becoming more a purple region in areas than reliably red,as it has been most of the time the last 40 years.
In fact Obama stands a very good chance of winning Virginia again this November. North Carolina looks more likely to go back to the Republican candidate,Governor Romney,this time around,but it's by no means a lock. Will be interesting to see if the Democratic convention being in Charlotte this year can give the party a bounce like they received in Colorado in 2008. If they close the gap enough in North Carolina enough to even make the Romney campaign have to compete their with money and time spent above what's already allocated it's a win for the Obama campaign. I think they have a very good chance of achieving this scenario.
THANK YOU KENNY!!!! The GOP always forgets that back in the day the Republicans were the liberals. They always say they are the party of Lincoln to combat the notion that they are racist. But look at the states that always vote Republican- former slave states. Definitely a correlation there. And you're also right, there are some states figuring out their *hit and realizing they are on the wrong side of history. Georgia is even turning into a battleground state. It used to be strong Romney, and now it's just leaning. Most likely that is because of Atlanta.
Interesting there's apparently been talk in several southern states regrading secession or possible armed insurrection should President Obama be re-elected (specifically VA and TX). My own personal opinion is if they want to secede so be it. We can't afford another war anyway. As to the insurrection comments, OK. The military has always done better against a consolidated target.
What a lot of hot air, and no substance what so ever. Where's the Beef! :-)
We should have supported the revolution in Iran? What revolution?
We should stay in Afghanistan longer? For what purpose and to what end? Their own people don't even give a damn about the Taliban for the most part.
We should worry about new problems in Iraq? Maybe, but are we supposed to take over and control all countries where we worry about this sort of thing? Iraq doesn't want us, and we never should have been there in the first place.
And just where are both of the Bush's? What a joke when the GNC doesn't even invite either of the two last GOP presidents to partake in their sham.
Wrongme thinks he can win with the hot air alone. He has no plan, and the election is just over 60 days away.
He has been asked many times, and still no specifics.
We need a little more than, "I could have done better."
I just hope American voters don't fall for the high-sounding but "old" rhetoric that brought us to this high deficit (cost of two wars about $4 trillion, one of which was totally unnecessary except to avenge Father Bush by Son Bush for which the American taxpayers paid); and that policy made a lot of enemies worldwide and actually spread terrorism to other countries (Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, etc); and that policy that exported our jobs overseas and made our economy falter and increase unemployment (which will take more than three years to recover from); and that policy that mercilessly believed in blanket-bombing populations in those countries and killing thousands of innocent women and children (called collateral damage) instead of precision-targetting the terrorist leaders like Osama bin Laden and Zawehiri (as Obama's policy has done successfully); and that policy concentrated on giving tax breaks to the already wealthy who invested the extra savings overseas where the returns are greater (eg China, India); and that policy deprived investments from our own infrastructure, energy self-sufficiency, healthcare for those who strike catastrophic illness, education for our kids, and innovation that we have been world famous for. We are sensible voters, we will not fall for another Bush-style Romney policy.
Good post! My sentiments perzactly.
So let me get this right. There were no terrorists prior to Bush. OK. Munich '72, Achille loro cruise ship, toss a wheelchair bound man off the ship, uncounted plane hijackings and killings. Yea, all Bush's fault.
There has been no "blanket bombing" since Vietnam. You think we created F117s that carry two bombs at most to blanket bomb? BTW, the term is carpet bomb. No B52s or B1 bombers were used in the last 40 years w/o precision weapons. You watched the same video from every news outlet in the world,including Al Jazzera, tv camera on the nose going into the intended target. Were non military killed? Yup, sucks, how many of Saddam's installations were in civilian areas? Don't know? Check.
Yes, there have always been terrorists in one form or the other; but Bush's approach spread the very terrorist group (al Qaeda) to other Muslim countries. The former terrorists could never do that but al Qaeda succeeded because the "blanket-bombing" of the general populations made the victims wrongly believe that America does not care for the innocent women and children. We lost credibility and gained a huge deficit.
Wrongme is the wrong choice.
Good simplistic comment! Of course there were terrorists before Bush. About 236 years ago we were terrorists. The point being made was that the Bush policies of invading Middle-East Countries played right into bin Laden's hand. He predicted we would invade the middle-east so what did Bush do...he invaded the middle-east. It's not completely clear to me how you fight terrorism by providing them with a recruiting tool. By the way, during the latter part of my military career I served in both Recruiting Command and Public Affairs. I know something about recruiting and propaganda and he couldn't have provided them a better tool if they paid him.
General Douglas MacArthur: "old soldiers never die, they just fade away." Mr. McCain it is long past time for you to fade away. As for Condi Rice, whatever integrity she might have once had has been sold. A token at Augusta and pimping for an NFL line of women's team jerseys. At least her sellout is less tawdry than Bob Dole's Viagra commercial.
I think the most significant aspect of Condoleezza Rice's speech was the clear brilliance of her command of the most complex aspects of foreign policy. Rice showed even the most rabid liberals what a true professional is. The contrast provided by that fact alone made it so clear that Obama and Clinton are no more than bumbling amateurs.
She must have made another speech after the one I watched on CNN or maybe it was dubbed on Fox.
What??? Condoleezza Rice was a foreign policy joke of the highest order. When she took the position of SecState she was a "Soviet Union" specialist, and she demonstrated that with her handling of the Middle-East. She did not function as a SecState, she functioned as "George's work wife" ...remember the reference?
Rice just regurgitates old, discredited Neocon babble, and McCain goes along for the ride...
We only have to suffer through one more night of this crap. Then it is OUR turn.
And then the real BS begins!!!!
Discredited my a$$! Who do you think is advising Romney...that's right, the Neo-Cons are back with a vengeance (this is like a bad movie). Watch how many "frightened children" they manage to sway with their rhetoric. Hell, now that he has a new heart, they'll probably "resurrect" Darth Vader himself.
What an embarrassment the republican convention is turning out to be, speaker after speaker chastising Obama for the slow economic recovery and a lack of job creation. At least Paul Ryan recognized Obama inherited a very bad situation, but still chastised him for not bailing us out fast enough.
Reason I say embarrassment, is not one republican speaker at the convention acknowledged how difficult republicans in Congress have made it for Obama to make any headway, not one speaker acknowledged republicans have drug their feet and have thrown out anchor after anchor trying to prevent Obama from succeeding in turning around the economy and putting Americans back to work, Not one speaker acknowledged there is one thing on their mind other than pleasing their puppet masters on Wall street.
Ellis - Even if you were correct (and you're not) that Obama's inability to keep his promises was due to lack of Republican support; so what! It doesn't matter who is to blame. Obama couldn't make progress in his first term; why would anyone imagine he could do any better during a second term. A Romney administration will not have to deal with Obama's fictional problem and will, therefore, be far more effective.
An adequate President is able to create consensus out of political strife. For whatever reason (probably his reflexive finger-pointing), Obama has been a total failure at bringing people together.
Why should we listen to foreign policy wonks and syncophants from the party who sent Colin Powell with a briefcase full of lies to pressure the UN, so they could start their aimless war and poorly planned occupation, killing thousand of our soldiers, tens of thousands of their citizens, and forcing millions to abandon their country?
Your pitiful party has been whining about jobs for almost four years in their vain attempt to erase
the effect and memory of their disastrous policies under the "President whose name shall not be
uttered in Tampa".
Jobs cannot be created by those who've no compassion for the untrained, the uneducated, the young,
minorities, and the "too old".
The jobless need an administration and congress that give a ratsazz about Main Street and "mean
streets'.
They blame the illegals at every turn, but never squawked about them when they were pouring
foundations for their real estate deals or polishing their silver cufflinks.
Obama would shut the borders overnight if they would agree to a reasonable amnesty deal. After all, 60% of the illegals came here while GWB was POTUS.
If they are such "tough guys", why don't they step forward and admit they screwed up our economy, but now want to help fix it?
Their convention is a disgusting display of disingenuous drivel.
zhovti - Is that your "all purpose rant" It really has nothing to do with either the article, or my post that you are supposedly replying to. You should have posted on the "Meaningless Drivel" thread instead.
It is bad enough Congressional republicans did everything within their power to prevent Obama from doing anything significant to grow the American economy and put people back to work, but it is going overboard to ask Americans to reward republicans by giving them the White House and a majority in Congress.
Since when do Americans negotiate with terrorist, or reward treasonous acts against the people
Obama has actually made a lot of progress this first term. When he entered office we were shedding a million private sector jobs a month. We have been adding private sector jobs now for well over a year. That is the definition of progress.
It took us about 20 years to really get out of the Depression, and you expect us to fully get out of the worst recession since then in 3.5 years? Technically we are no longer in a recession, so even more definition of progress. And yes, I fully believe that if the Republicans had not done nothing for the past 3.5 years and actually worked together in Congress our economy would be better. The infrastructure jobs bill would have been a HUGE boost to our economy and Republicans said no because they didn't want Obama to look good. They have said it out loud. There are quotes from every GOP leader saying these things. It's not like we are making it up!
Isn't "Obama's inability to keep his promises was due to lack of Republican support; so what! It doesn't matter who is to blame. Obama couldn't make progress in his first term; why would anyone imagine he could do any better during a second term" a double-standard since Congress hasn't accomplished anything either? Don't we elect them to lead too?
And how about that "checks and balances" thing in the Constitution? That alone gives the Congress the power to stymie the President. Doesn't that have some impact?
Besides, if the obstructionism thing works for the Republicans, then it will work just as well for the Democrats. Because it works, I see no reason why they would even consider working with a Republican President (unless ofc the Democrats choose to put the needs of the US citizen in front of their desire for the Presidency unlike the Republicans have done for the last 3.5 years).
Matthew - Every president has to transcend partisan politics. Some are good at it and some, like Obama, are absolute failures.
JFK, despite his faults, was probably the last president we have had that was truly capable of shrugging off the inevitable attacks, calming the conflicts, and inspiring all Americans to put their differences aside and work toward common goals.
By contrast, Obama has fought bitterly against those who would criticize him, ignited conflict, and emphasized the differences among us.
Even MSNBC has reported: "In 2008, Barack Obama, as a presidential candidate, made changing that culture (of divisiveness) a signature objective; if anything, it has grown more dysfunctional during his presidency."
Kannin - GOP leadership made it clear on day 1; that their single goal was to ensure Obama was a 1-term President, and all members were to fall in line.
I'm not sure Romney's going to make inroads with Dems if he is elected either, so at some point both sides have to start working together.
Yet President Obama is the same person who was railed against by his own party for making too many compromises and being too willing to work with the Republicans. Specific examples - the "Bush tax cuts" and delaying implementation of EPA regulations.
And for the record, no one can rise above planned, deliberate, and comprehensive obstruction. That not just partisan politics, it's a deliberate and negative manipulation of a political process. Unless ofc you think that the record number of filibusters are the actions of men rising above partisanship.
Kannin - your stance is the political equivalent of a bully playing "stop hitting yourself." To say Obama is to blame for the other side's refusal to work with him, from day 1, is ludicrous. Now you seem to be saying, he doesn't deserve to be re-elected because we will never work with him. Can't you possibly see how anyone outside the little Republican club would view that as a schnit sandwich? Since Pres. Obama is about as centrist of a Democrat as we could elect, and your side still refuses any working relationship with him, the real spirit of your approach isn't too hard to see - elect a Republican or else. Sorry kids, all the bullies from my childhood ended up in jail or their parents' basements. I'll stick with the party that tries to win with an actual plan.
and you think romney is going to bring anyone togeather?
It was clear on day one that Obama's socialist policies and fiscal irresponsibility were bad for the country. It was clear that the longer he had to work his mischief the worse it would be. Hence making him a one-term president was best for the country.
Obama's "my way or the highway" approach to negotiation (remember "We don't mind the Republicans joining us. They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back") made it clear he wasn't going to change. When he used his super-majority in the House and Senate to push through bills that not a single Republican could support, his response was to call them "the party of no." While many Democrats picked up that little slogan - further deepening the rift in the legislature - Obama never stopped to consider that by totally rejecting Republican concerns, he was creating a deep smoldering resentment in the people he had so disrespected. A resentment that would come back to bite him when the American people repudiated one-party government in 2010.
When a failing company came to Bain Capital for help, Mitt Romney realized that he was usurping the current CEO by taking over control. He was almost always successful at bringing the former CEO into the team and avoiding strife. Romney is a much better manager than Obama and will be successful at uniting our country again.
"It was clear on day one that Obama's socialist policies" ...and there goes any credibility you might have had. Go study "socialism" and tell me where the govt. propping up private sector companies fits in, or outlawing torture - I believe those were his day 1 actions. Even if your terms were accurate, which they are not, for a party to decide unilaterally that they can override the outcome of an election for the Presidency? Talk about creating a rift! It's clear you are distorting both the present and the history. You are discarding all the times when Obama offered concessions to get Republicans to negotiate, and they still voted party line against things, even if they previously had introduced them!
When you start using talking points that are only emotional and not factual ('socialist,' 'mischief') - you lose the argument. I only hope Americans vote with their full brains this election and not the part that this tripe appeals to.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2012/05/27/is-it-within-bounds-to-ask-is-obama-a-socialist/
"Democrat strategists know that the American electorate reacts strongly negative to "socialism" and are doing their best to discredit any and all who call Obama a socialist. There can be no doubt that Obama is a socialist in the European reform-Marxism tradition. In France, Obama would be the candidate of the French socialist party. In Spain, he would be at home in the Socialist Worker's Party. In Germany, Obama would be torn between the Social Democrats and Die Linke. In "Old Europe," the welfare state is well entrenched. Elections are about tinkering at the margin. The United States has still to decide whether it wants the European welfare state or not. Obama does. Romney does not.
French socialist Francois Hollande's and Obama's platforms are virtual carbon copies, and Hollande is quite open about and proud of being a socialist."
Hot damn...you just voiced the two most prevalent responses used by the Tea Party when they are confronted by fact. Hell, you even highlighted them...outstanding!
Tea Party response #1: So what...
Tea Party response #2: It doesn't matter...
"When they show you who they are...believe them!"
You're on a roll aren't you? Forbes?...are you kidding me? Why don't you just quote Mein Kampf?
Kannin - thanks for the link.
You know, I went back and read probably a dozen of the opinion pieces on President Obama and/or his policies by Paul Roderick Gregory. It was VERY clear he has an agenda based on his verbiage, but that's ok because it's an opinion peice. However, there was exactly zero effort at offering an unbased opinion on his part. I did see a LOT of Limbaugh style speaking points. I also noticed there was not a single negative piece on the Republicans (as far back as I went).
Respectfully Kannin, was this opinion piece expected to be accepted as an authority when the bias is so clear or is it just to discuss?