The American Spectator

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Identity Smallitics

3.14.08 @ 12:01AM

JOKERS TO THE LEFT
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell's No More Jokes:

OK, RET, no more jokes on Mr. Spitzer. How about a tribute, instead?

You know, like, Time magazine's Man of the Year?
-- Mike Showalter
Austin, Texas

Really Mr. Tyrrell, in the '60s, Dems were far ahead of Republicans in advancing Civil Rights? Perhaps my memory will serve to remind you that Republican voted in higher percentages than Dems for the '64 Civil Rights Act. Southern Dems voted against it -- including Al Gore, Sr. Without Republican Party support it would have never passed.

I seem to recall an elected Republican president sent troops down south to protect Blacks from those Dem Southern Governors. And wasn't it the Democrat Party that led the South into Secession to protect slavery? Was not the once solidly Democrat South responsible for "Separate but Equal" nonsense? And isn't an alleged former KKKlansman still a senator from West Virginia?

My memory is a bit hazy in parts, but I can't recall instances of community- sanctioned lynchings in Republican-led states. When education was worth something, like (using todayspeak) up to the '60s, I learned the Republican party was the party of Abolition, that Republicans were instrumental in passing the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution, that Dem Southern Governors, Senators and congressmen blocked equal rights for its "Colored" citizens.

Yes, Dems have a long and glorious history of bigotry coupled with self-righteousness. There used to be a saying, "...scratch a Russian find a Tatar." I believe that underneath Dem politicians one will find, if not a prostitute, at the very least, a self-righteous bigot. And today's Black Democrat politicians? They aren't any different from wives of politicians standing by their disgraced husbands at press conferences. They've been abused for so long they've become inured to it. I believe they are actually grateful for any reflected crumbs falling their way.
-- Wolf Terner
Fair Lawn, New Jersey

I don't know why Geraldine Ferraro is surprised by the reaction she got to her comments. The Democrats have been practicing racial divide for years. It's now come back to haunt them.
-- Don Tilley
Provo, Utah

Identity politics, race and sex, somehow do not describe the battle going on in the Democrat party between Obama and Mrs. Clinton. The fight is really about Obamamania, a very successful marketing plan implemented by Obama to the displeasure of Mrs. Clinton. It is sort of like the Hula Hoop craze that hit this country in 1957-58. In a couple years 100 million were sold. Every one had one. But few realized that the hoop idea had actually been around for thousands of years entering and exiting societies around the world again and again. The new hoops were just made out of plastic.

In a sense, Obamamania is the hula hoop of American politics. He is not the first messianic politician with a slick marketing plan however. William Jennings Bryan at the turn of the last century, a Democrat Presidential candidate, comes to mind. A powerful speaker he electrified audiences just as Obama does, but lacked the voltage to become President.

So why all the talk of race and sex? It is because politicians are not going to admit that they are narcissistic, selfish and vainglorious. They prefer to sell the voters based on race and sex rather than admit their own vanity. Voters would be turned off hearing a pol say "I am the greatest" as opposed to "I am the first Black" or "I am the first woman." Voters are essentially dragged into discussion of race and sex by the pol.

Hula hoops usually got used by the young for a few days until they tired of them. They then lay in a corner of the house until their next attention. I suspect that is where Obamamania is headed.
-- Howard Lohmuller
Seabrook, Texas

I don't think that Eliot Spitzer is necessarily sexually obsessed. He appears to be infected with a compulsion to take big risks -- the same one that also infects Bill Clinton. This risk taking manifests itself in Spitzer and Clinton in the pursuit of tawdry sexual encounters. It must grow out of some need to destroy oneself. How sick.
-- Evelyn Leinbach
Colorado

I think many are reading this Eliot Spitzer affair, no pun intended, wrong. You need to see this through the eyes of a Democrat. Through those eyes Eliot "Ness" Spitzer has acquired his last merit badge in becoming a future Democrat candidate for President of the United States. The last Democrat President had similar badges but this may even rise above that. To a Democrat or someone that "thinks" with their emotions, to be a great leader you must be a great Shakespearian flawed anti-hero to be worthy of the pinnacle of power that all such Democrats worship. Like a good Shakespeare anti-hero their greatest strength is their fatal weakness and ultimate down fall. Clinton got away with criminal activity that send ordinary people to jail and summed up his failures simply by saying, "I tried for 8 years and failed." He is an Icon in Democratism today because of his failures that are blamed on others. Failure is what Democrats do well and ultimately achieve. In my estimation Eliot "Ness" Spitzer is on his way to an even higher place in the religion of Democratism and eventual Presidential run. Bill Clinton didn't go to jail, why would Eliot "Ness" Spitzer? Listen to his concession speech. That's part of his closing argument to the jury pre packaged. He "tried and failed" so to speak. This Nation rewards failure everyday for people like this. Democrats will deny this but look at those held up as shining examples of Democratism over the last century. Misery loves company and Spitzer will be in fine company with the leadership of America's Failures are Us party.
-- Thom Bateman
Newport News, Virginia

RET writes: "They began to use race, and gender too for that matter, as the means by which they could get elected. In so doing, they came to need racially indignant constituencies, and now the Democrats are at each others' throats over race and gender. Welcome to the world of identity politics."

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