Jonah Goldberg writes today about a simmering kind of disgust that is percolating among McCain supporters. Their disgust is not for McCain who, finally via Joe Wurzelbacher, seems to have found a way to connect with their deepest political instincts and understanding. Their disgust is with the legion of reporters and the Army of Democrats who just don’t seem to "get" what moves them. These folks are now showing up at McCain and Palin rallies, carrying signs that say things like "Phil the Bricklayer," "Rose the Teacher." The media breathlessly report that Joe--and, by implication, Phil and Rose--are not in danger of having to pay higher taxes because they are nowhere near the magic number of $250K. In doing this, they betray a bit of cynical exasperation. They are also saying that they don’t believe Joe or Phil or Rose are really capable of reaching for those levels. As Jonah puts it, "They think [Joe is] stupid or a liar for not understanding that a promised check from a President Obama is more valuable than some pipe dream about future success."
Jonah calls this a rebirth of a kind of "optimistic, individualistic vision of America" that he notes has been sorely lacking in McCain’s campaign and I’d add has been sorely lacking in the majority of Republicans for the last several years.
As always, Jonah elaborates the point with grace and wit. But I have to say that a fellow named Tito Munoz (discussed in this article) may have put it even better: "Joe the Plumber has an idea. He has a future. He wants to be something else. Why is that wrong? Everything is possible in America. I made it. Joe the Plumber could make it even better than me. ... I was born in Colombia, but I was made in the U.S.A."
Obama wants to put a cap on the American Dream. He may not say it in those terms, but that is what his policy would do.
Whatever happened to small government? Whatever happened to the work ethic that got this country rolling? We need to stop making it easy for lazy bums. If you really want something, you can get it. It will be hard and take sacrifice, but you will eventually get there (unless your big socialist government gets in the way).
Can we just let people pursue what they want to pursue? Obama doesn't think that is right. He sees a different vision of America than the kind that I am willing to follow.
Europe sucks. That's why we left in the first place. Why would we ever want to be like them. Let's be America! Let's inspire people to pursue that American Dream again!
for those who support the bailout--the mostlucid defense of it yet by one of the few good politicians in America.
Clint,
I too have an appreciation for Tom. However, even he does not really support his vote, except with an analogy (a medical one) with no evidence that it actually relates to the issue at hand. Simply calling something "necessary" is to reveal your ignorance: WHY is it necessary? HOW will it fix the problem you claim it will fix? etc. etc.
Moreover, he goes on to discuss the "Alpha and Omega of big government" as he puts it, SS and Medicare. On this he is right, but how does his support for a "necessary" massive unfunded bailout relate? Is HE the conservative to deal with the coming onslaught? Sadly, the answer is no. You see, when the going got tough, he got big government. As the cliché goes, with conservatives like these who needs liberals...
One more thing, he says:
"The likely results of this year's congressional elections will prove little beyond the fact that the party of the incumbent president receives a disproportionate share of the blame for any crisis at hand. "
Is this not telling to the fact that even conservative GOP members still have not done the soul searching they need to do. Is it too early to call 2012 a disaster for the GOP?
Obama won't admit it, but with the policies he wants to implement, the American Dream will be non-existent. Tito had it right. Anything is possible in America. It takes hard work and much effort, but we can attain that dream unless we let these liberal, illuminati lefties and Obama take charge and do away with it by their excessive tax-and-spend agenda.