Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Rednecks: The Other White Meat

That was quite a resounding win Hillary Clinton achieved in the West Virginia primary yesterday. My understanding is that her margin of victory increased because her staff spread the rumor that Obama had fathered two black children. I once spent a week in Parkersburg, West Virginia and it was the longest decade of my life. It was akin to visiting a creepy Appalachian theme park where you can observe people ravaged by poverty in coal country in their natural habitat. Not to suggest that all West Virginians descend from generations of mining families that were forced to put hard work before education, there's just a bunch of them there. Which shouldn't diminish Hillary's huge win, or the need for the Obama campaign to recognize a problem with rural whites, but the troubling rhetoric that dominated the primary should concern all Democrats looking toward the general election.

Hillary entered West Virginia comparing herself to JFK and his 1960 upset win over Hubert Humphrey that helped him secure the Democratic nomination. Kennedy's major challenge in W.VA that year was the controversy surrounding his faith. In W.VA, in particular, it was speculated by his opponents that were Kennedy elected, he would owe his allegiance to the Pope in Rome, rather than the Constitution of the United States. Kennedy replied that if the allegiance he swore to the Constitution was false, he would never have come to West Virginia. After his nomination was secured, JFK said, "Contrary to common newspaper usage, I am not the Catholic candidate for president. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for president, who also happens to be a Catholic." Hillary, in turn, was in pure divide and conquer mode, playing up the fact that her lesser educated, white supporters are Obama's Achilles heel.

The 1960 battle in West Virginia, though a victory for Kennedy, was bitter and divisive to the extent that JFK was forced to make additional and extended comments regarding his religion. He said, "Whatever issue may come before me as president, on birth control, divorce, censorship, gambling, or any other subject, I will make my decisions in accordance with what my conscience tells me to be the national interest." Kennedy added, "If the time should ever come...when my office would require me to either violate my conscience or violate the national interest, then I would resign the office; and I hope any conscientious public servant would do the same. In contrast, Hillary said, in a bizarre interview with USA Today last week, that support for Obama among "working..hard working Americans...white Americans..is weakening again," and how, "the whites in both states who have not completed college are supporting me." If this a valid point upon which to bolster a faltering campaign, then "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."

The educated women over sixty who have attached themselves, cult-like, to the old guard sisterhood, have not yet realized that the argument over Hillary Clinton is not one of gender, or race, or age, or experience. It's about principle. Is it comforting to be attached to a demographic of lesser educated, rural, white men? Would you vote for a man who co-sponsored an amendment to the Constitution to ban flag burning, but voted in favor of the war and enabled the rogue Bush regime to shred the Constitution? There are many things I do not understand, and this is one of them. Maybe I need to be educated by some kind woman as to why electing a female president is more important than JFK's stated "national interests."

We interrupt this post to announce that with current trends holding, the BAH can now project the next President of the United States will be Barack Obama, and the next American Idol will be David Archuleta, thus ending the George Bush/Taylor Hicks mentality that has infected our country like NASCAR. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog.

I'm all for Hillary staying in the race as long as her money holds out. She will win more states before its over, but the mathematics are not kind to her. Her remaining hope is that the Obama campaign has a secret so dark that they will implode upon revelation. Wait a second, I have been getting email claiming that Obama is a secret Muslim with a grandiose plan to undermine our cherished U.S. of A., or else a closet Black Panther who has pledged allegiance to Africa. You say you've been getting them, too? What's more likely to happen in the next few weeks is that Hillary will continue her machete wielding campaign until either she, or Bubba, makes another unforgivable remark that further divides the party. It's either that, or the Clintons are hoping against hope that the Reverend Jeremiah Wright has an evil twin. Meanwhile, my new bumpersticker slogan is, "No More Drama, Vote Obama."

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

just like an Obama supporter. When the vote doesn't go your way, blame the voters. Maybe they just didn't like him.

Anonymous said...

I am shocked, Randy. Your commentary oozes a poorly concealed elitist attitude toward the poorly educated, white working class. Elitism is the last thing that I would have expected of you. But, I have always felt that many upper-crust Democrats secretly disdain the poor and down-trodden that they profess to support. It is just a gimmick to gain support from the common man to stay in power. Behind the scenes they say things like, 'Let the public schools be integrated, but my children will go to elite private schools', or 'We'll vote for open housing, but we'll live in gated communities', think John Edwards and his $400 haircuts, or Jeremiah Wright in his 10,000 sq. ft. home in an exclusive, safe, white suburb. The examples of limosine liberalism and their snobbishness to the common man go on ad nauseum. It's a good thing for Democrats that the common man is so poorly educated, because otherwise they might catch on to you guys. On the other hand, the common man may be so enamoured with Democratic goodies that they don't care about the disdain. It is sort of like giving trinkets to the Indians in exchange for their land.

Anonymous said...

The snide reference to rednecks makes you sound like one who feels that they are second-class citizens. Don't they have a right to a modicum of respect in spite of the fact that they are different from you? To them the word redneck is just as insulting as the n-word is to blacks. Shame on you for your hypocrisy. You just may be one of those limosine liberals who champion some classes of people and excoriate others all for political purposes. You show evidence of the dread elitist tendency to look down your nose at folks who don't look like you do.

Anonymous said...

If the last two elections should have taught us anything, it's that it is better to elect the intelligent, elite guy, than the dumb, elite guy who pretends he's a cowboy. I'm don't feel superior to the poorly educated; I just don't want another one elected president.

Anonymous said...

Liberals are always whining about people being insensitive and that words are things and that words can hurt. How insensitive is the heading, 'Rednecks: The Other White Meat'? That statement has both racial and social classist overtones. What if someone had said, 'Blacks: The Other Dark Meat'. You liberals would be howling for the perpetrator to be fired and otherwise excoriated for publishing such a racist and insensitive remark. Does anyone else sense evidence of a double standard, one of the hallmarks of modern liberalism?

Anonymous said...

You ask, "FORGIVE ME", for what? Your teen has left you!! Have you been having an affair with a MINOR?

Anonymous said...

Well, the Democratic Party is the perv party, after all. They are strongly supported by every persuasion of perversity and by the porn industry to boot. In fact, Bill Clinton was given a special commendation at one of the porn industry's academy award-type events for allowing the industry to expand exponentially during his presidency.

Anonymous said...

To Forgive Me, I think what our prolific writer friend ment ,was that his child was no longer at home but possibly in collage. Where the hell is your sick fuck mind,Dude.(or Dudeness)Get a life.

Anonymous said...

Randolph --

I have some very exciting news.

My good friend John Edwards is endorsing our campaign and joining our movement for change.

We're here in Grand Rapids, Michigan -- and if you receive this message in time, you can probably turn on your TV and be part of the moment.

I'm deeply honored by John's support. He is a true leader who dedicated his career to improving the lives of ordinary Americans.

John ran a strong, principled campaign for president, focusing on a number of important issues where we share common ground -- universal health care, bringing our troops home from Iraq, and eliminating poverty in America.

The way he ran his campaign was also important. He ran in a way that reflected our shared conviction that we need to fundamentally change politics.

Like our campaign, John's campaign never accepted donations from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs.

Let's welcome John Edwards to the campaign with an outpouring of the kind of grassroots support that is bringing our political process back to the people.

Make a donation of whatever you can afford now, and if you choose, include your own note to Senator Edwards. I'll make sure he gets them:

https://donate.barackobama.com/johnedwards

Thank you for all that you're doing,

Barack

Anonymous said...

90% of poverty would end if everyone would take advantage of the educational opportunities afforded in this country, avoid substance abuse, avoid out-of-wedlock births, and developed a sincere work ethic and a determination toward self-improvement. These are all personal choices. If this were to eventuate, poverty would only affect those who are physically or mentally challenged which makeup less than 10% of the population. No sane person would grouse about helping those who can't help themselves. The vast majority of poverty is the result of persistence in making bad choices which amounts to an abuse of their freedom. The downside of a free country is that many of its citizens may make persistent bad choices getting themselves into difficulty. If these people are constantly bailed out there is no incentive to quit making bad choices, hence, ongoing and pervasive poverty as well as other social problems. America has a strong tendency to foster and then subsidize its social problems. Poverty will never be eliminated by give-away programs. Feed a problem and it will never go away. Is this kind? Only a deranged and enabling liberal would think so.

Anonymous said...

The point Mr. Haspel is making, if I might be so bold, has something to do with an intelligent electorate being less able to be sold a bill of goods. Intelligent leadership, which I believe at this stage we can all agree is the only worth following, is brought by the vote of an intelligent electorate. The truth, sad or not, is that the brain surgery (that is now the analogy to the level of intricacy that our present world requires in order to sort out the good synapses from the tumorous ones) is a very difficult task. Not just skilled hands, rich experience, and the full knowledge of the science behind what areas are best left alone and those that may be gently incised, and the ramifications to the 4th power of all these actions, but also the wisdom to know who and who should not be placed on the operating table in the first place.

These are not questions to ask the patient or the patient's Uncle Charley. Again, sad but true, without an intelligent electorate we have the vultures who have for thousands of years swooped down with a big smile on their beaks and with an illustrious or fiery flourish of partially hidden bullshit who then proceed to steal the lunch, rape the children, soil the fields, and burn the houses of all those without the wherewithall to say, "wait a minute! What you just said doesn't make any sense! That's not the way to end the world financial crisis---the health care crisis--the education fiasco----the difficulties with our neighbors on this planet who speak different languages and have had vastly different cultures than ours for thousands of years---and the difficulties in making our ends meet right here at 156 Elm St, Sometown, USA" "Whoa there, Nellie!" I don't think that candidate is speaking the truth. His plans don't stand the "I've considered well what he/she said and I beg to differ" test."

You don't get that from an uneducated electorate. You get delivered a bunch of crooks and liars and bagmen and hooligans and arrogant sometimes genocidal maniacs...who just have a way with all those folks who have trouble seeing the criminals when they are told to get their gas masks on fast because, oh my, those Russkies are coming for sure this time. Those gas masks get in the way so that they can't see the smirks on the faces of the folks that they elected.

This obviously makes me absolutely crazy. I think the continued proliferation of the internet into more and more people's lives all over the world will help bring some of the bullshit into focus before it gets the chance to smell for too long.

Lack of education provides for uneducated choice....in most everything. This is not a difficult concept. It just provides for a difficult world when leaders are chosen by uneducated people. Nuf said.

Anonymous said...

What has 10,000 feet & one tooth?
The front row of a Willie Nelson concert in West Virginia!!! I know I was there! I have the tooth to prove it! A fight broke out in intermission because this local called me an elitist! Hell! He was the goof with the gold toof! I have that tooth on the mantle next to my picture of Carl Perkins & Padre Peo. In W.V. they don't chew tobacco...they gum it! But as FatherFarken would say WE ARE ALL GOD'S CHILDREN! I'm upping my contribution...up yours! Shecky Kierkegaard McGirk

Anonymous said...

Well spoken, Gregg. Unfortunately, the type of person who is motivated to enter the cage fighting arena that we call politics is usually motivated by power and money and probably doesn't care too much about scruples. The common man is just something to feed upon...let them eat cake...or, screw them, they'll figure out a way to survive while we rape them and take them for all they are worth. This is the down-side of unbridled capitalism. Most of these folks don't rise to the top because they are choir boys. Think Donald Trump. He probably masterbates to the thought of telling someone that they are fired. I said once before (people probably thought that I was joking, but I wasn't) that a clinical psychologist did a research project in which he found that the personality profile of the typical politician is very similar to that of the common criminal. The politicians are just slicker and more careful about what they do. For that matter, a disproportionate number of bullies and authority freaks become cops. In like manner, mild-mannered people become librarians. Personality type greatly influences a person's career choice. I'm afraid that this applies to both Republicans and Democrats...politicians in general. The best that we can do is to vote for the most benign of these criminals. Look at the sorry state of the political scene in Memphis. The problems are pandemic. As far as the common man is concerned, he shouldn't wait around for politicians (aka criminals) to take care of them. They only do so for votes, not because they are compassionate...remember most of them are white collar criminals. The common man needs to learn to watch out for himself, to get as good of an education as possible, to develop a good work ethic, and generally speaking, to make himself more marketable. If this is not done, the poverty problem and associated social ills will never abate. I was a totally irresponsible slob (actually, much worse than that) until, by sheer force of will, I made myself get a grip, get an education, developed the ability to go to work everyday and get along with people, etc., etc. If I had chosen not to do those things, I would be sucking the government's tit today and voting for the party with the biggest hand-outs. Anybody who makes it off of the bottom rung of society had to do the same thing. Escalators are ony found in buildings. To rise in any capacity, requires planning, work, and sacrifice. The kindest thing is to help more people realize these things and not to be taught to depend on 'the village'. I say all this in response to 'Barack's' comment that John Edwards (and he) are going to work to eliminate poverty in America. The only way to eliminate poverty in a free society is to foster more responsible people. The only other alternative is to discard the free society and institute full-blown socialism, which I suspect the Dems are all about. Eliminate the middle class and all you will have is a society in which there is a small, elite, wealthy ruling class with everyone else living in an equal state of poverty. I think that most would rather live in a free society in which folks can have a chance at making it into the middle class.

Anonymous said...

We don't need intelligence! We NEED a revolution. All of Washington, both sides, should be made to walk east until their hat floats. If they don't, HANG 'em!
Then anyone that's not happy with America, when we take it back, Hang them too.

Anonymous said...

Though it was one of the closest elections ever, it is obvious that the reason Syesha(the last black contestant)was voted off of (Africanless)American Idol was because the uneducated white caucus of West Virginia, that sided with Mr. Sputnik, threw all their votes to that little shy boy David Archeleta, who has been forced by his overbearing abusive caucasian father to be America's newest King of Pop. (Though I do realize that Tiger Woods would not be the living legend that he is today if his late father Mr. Woods hadn't of twisted a golf club around his long skinny neck at a very young age). However Mr. Sputnik, I am shocked by your poorly concealed deletest attitude by siding with the poorly educated, white working class of West Virginia. What do you have to say for yourself? Now about Tayor Hicks! Give that boy a break. I realize that he is no Jackie Wilson but for a caucasian he has a nice soulful voice. Its just that he has made some bad song choices and has a spastic colon. And to Mr. Watcher! I am still keeping up with my side of the bargain---loving every white person (unconditionally)on my way to the Great American Tit! Just kidding! I too believe in sacrifice and hard work!
Yours truly, SIREEN

Anonymous said...

Sireen, nobody can be compared to Jackie Wilson or Sam Cook or Nat King Cole or James Brown...it goes on and on. I was raised on blues, doowop, soul, and R&B.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Watcher! You have named four mighty fine singers. One of my many favorites of Nat King Cole songs is 'Nature Boy' which I heard influenced the Beatles' 'Fool On The Hill'. Do you know if nature boy (a commentator on this blog) was named after that song or the wrestler? Or is he some sort of upfront & personal nudist or something? My uncle Jerome use to bring home stacks of records every month. Among all that great soul music {Big Joe Turner & Lavern Baker) was a few country records. My mother and uncle Jerome would sit out on the porch drinking Falstaff Beer while tripping on a Slim Whitman record (Indian Love Call, Cattle Call or Rose Marie} and they would laugh until they had belly fat convulsions. Though I did get to hear a lot of Tony Bennett, Louie Prima & Elvis Presley in which I still listen to this very day!
Yours Truly, Sireen

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah! I still don't know what to think about Fantasia's song & dance on last week's Idol! And did you see Simon's jaw drop to the floor! That was one of the classic
WHAT JUST HAPPENED moments of all time. I'm still laughing.SIREEN

Anonymous said...

WHAT JUST HAPPENED? is right! Tina Turner gave birth to Jerry Lewis' baby ...atleast for that song & dance! I must say I was entertained. BRAVO! Shecky K.

Anonymous said...

What!?

Anonymous said...

A capitalist pig story:
In the summer of '65 I had a job working at a metal fabricating company owned by a man named Fink. It was a hot, dirty sweat shop. One day I had to count out, box, and label a mountain of small metal objects. I was sitting on a stool to do this tedious task. Fink left his office and came up to me and said, 'Get rid of that stool. You can squat or support yourself on your knees, but if you are going to earn my money, you are not going to be comfortable.' I was 18 then and I am 61 now and the memory of that still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Situations like that are why capitalists are called pigs. Workers on the lower rung of the economic ladder are often treated like trash.

Anonymous said...

America is filled with capitalist pigs. What do you think propels the military-industrial war machine? And a corollary to this is the humongus sack of nauseating crap that is American politics. These are two poles of the same cancerous spectrum that is devouring the earth. The bad news is that America is the best that this world has to offer. The other countries are even worse. The 60's generation offered an alternative for a while but they have morphed into something even worse than their predecessors. America needs more Indians. Have a nice day.