Re: Peggy Noonan on the Democrats
 

It's sheer right wing, Bush loving, fascist garbage. You'll love it , I guess, as the Republicans move to ban internet gaming. You'll love it as the Republicans move to incarecerate without habeus corpus, or right to legal counsel. You'll love it until they come and take you away and put you in the labor camp. By then, it will be too late for poor imbeciles like you.

Re: Peggy Noonan on the Democrats
 

"But to say
Republicans are guided by a higher morality and would never stoop to merely
wanting to thwart the trek of a president from the opposing party merely
becasue he was from the opposing party is hogwash, pure and simple. "


Of course Republicans would thwart a president from another party just because he was from another party. I do think, however, that Republicans are better at bi-partisanship than Democrats, and not only because Republicans are worse at partisanship. But Noonan is correct that Republicans are less hypocritical than Democrats in holding their own people to standards. More Republicans lose their jobs for their transgressions than Democrats. Of course, Republicans are usually bigger hypocrits in terms of preaching about their personal morality than Democrats. This is why I have heard prostitutes do better at Republican conventions - at the Democratic conventions they do it with each other for free more, and with less guilt and shame, thereby taking business away from the hookers. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: Peggy Noonan on the Democrats
 

Well, you convinced me with this great post.

Re: Peggy Noonan on the Democrats
 

Rick,

Peggy really is a great writer; in fact, she's so good that you could almost read this and think it makes sense. First, what "parties" is she thinking of? Socialist? Green Party? Cool Moose?

Next, she gives a few great examples of how the Republicans turned on their own. Lott! Nixon! C'mon, Peggy, say it like it is. They simply covered themselves, fearing any support would result in catastrophic loss of both face and elections.

And, all of this in only the first few paragraphs.

Rick, I tried, but I had trouble finishing although I did give her entire article a quick read. I promise to reread her "speech" (that's what it is) and if she makes a good point, I'll concede she has.

Nevertheless, I will concede she's writes fine speeches, and some of her Reagan speeches, especially the space shuttle speech, were works of art.

John

Re: Peggy Noonan on the Democrats
 

Before I become a Peggy No-man fan, I need to know one thing. Is she good at oral sex? [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

After reading her tirade, I rejoice that I am now on the right and moral side of politics by registering as a Republican almost one year ago. [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]

-Zeno

Re: Peggy Noonan on the Democrats
 

Rick,

I read the rest of Noonan's speech, and, of course, I can't find much to praise, except perhaps for her admiration of Adlai Stevenson, who once said, "In America anybody can grow up to be president. That's just the chance you'll have to take." (Isn't that enough to merit admiration?)

Note her highly unethical wording when she calls the Democrats the pro-abortion party. Wouldn't you object if I called the Republicans the anti-women party. Furthermore, she attempts to polarize an issue that many Americans really aren't that extreme about to begin with. Remember, polls show that 70% of Americans favor a woman's right to choose, but also oppose abortion as a means of birth control. Noonan, though, can't seem to accept this, and her stance should provoke readers to question her inflammatory rhetoric.

She also asserts that Democrats are snobs--and, losing all credulity, uses busing in Boston to make her case. In another end run, she accuses the Dems of robbing poor people through unjust taxes. (Conveniently, she can't quite remember if she gave the poor woman who had lost her money a handout. Yet, her memory seems not to have failed her when recalling other significant moments from her past.)

Andy has already provided trenchant commentary on Noonan's association of the Democrats with Mao, et al., amd I think you must even find her position at least vague here, if not completely duplicitious.

I think, though, what bothers me most about Noonan's writing--and much conservative rhetoric as well--is the buried claim that the past was--and always will be--better than the present. If we could only recapture what has gone by, we'd once again take possession of the Garden of Eden. At best, this prelapsarian fantasy pictures a world that never truly existed to begin with, and, at worst, it keeps us from imagining a present and future filled with possibility.

Noonan wishes to reclaim a vision of the past that never was, and, yet, she can't remember if she gave the woman on the subway a few bucks. I'd remember, and I know you would, too.

John

Re: Peggy Noonan on the Democrats
 

'Note her highly unethical wording when she calls the Democrats the pro-abortion party. Wouldn't you object if I called the Republicans the anti-women party.'

i dont really see the point there. on the issue of abortion, the democrats are all for it. i dont see a corresponding issue of 'women'.

Re: Peggy Noonan on the Democrats
 

brad,

Okay then, Republicans are the "backroom abortion" party or the "birth-a-rapist's-child" party (and, I'll conveniently forget the statistics about how many women become pregnant as the result of rape).

If you can't see how pro-choice and women's rights are related, I don't know what to say.

John

Re: Peggy Noonan on the Democrats
 

well d think abortion should be legal and (some) r think it shouldnt be.

seems like everything else is just semantics.

i mean , would it be better if she said that ' the d are in favor of keeping abortion legal'?

i mean it means the same thing?

if you think abortion is ok then why are you trying to call it something else (and attacking people who call abortion abortion and people who favor keeping abortion legal as people who favor keeping abortion legal?)

Re: Peggy Noonan on the Democrats
 

If the religous right all of a sudden stated they were pro choice, the Republicans running for election would all of a sudden become pro choice. Likewise if for some reason feminists decided abortion should be illegal the Democrats running for election would be anti-abortion. Each party has their core constituencies which they pander to. Supporters of neither party can claim they take the moral high road IMO.