A fun and thought-provoking read. For some reason, the second 5 are more interesting than the first 5 IMHO, although I'm not sure I agree about the NYer cover. I especially enjoyed the bits about Wes Clark, Iran, "elitism" and the apocryphal Steelers gaffe.
Got any to add? I'm sure you good folks can come up with at least 10 more. :think:
http://www.alternet.org/election08/94700/top_10_idiocies_of_the_general_election_..._so_far/?page=entireA common complaint among Democrats is that it makes no sense to label Obama (or whatever politician is the target du jour) an "elitist," since so many Republicans, including McCain and Bush, are children of wealth and power and have considerably more money than Obama, while both Obama and his wife come from humble origins and attained their status through their own hard work. On the surface, this seems to make sense, but it's a misapprehension of what the elitist label has truly come to signify: education and intellect. McCain and Bush may be of the upper crust, but it's clear to all who observe them that they're not very bright. Obama, on the other hand, clearly was paying attention at Harvard. That's why the label sticks to him. Excessive intelligence is a liability in American political campaigns; there can be no doubt of that, and when people speak of Obama as "not one of us," that is, at least in part, what they're talking about. It's anti-intellectualism that brought us eight years of Bush, as well as eight years of Reagan. Americans love a simple-talkin' good ol' boy, even if he does lower their wages and spend their retirement.
http://www.alternet.org/election08/94700/top_10_idiocies_of_the_general_election_..._so_far/?page=entire
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
