Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The Decline in American Political Discourse



While driving around town I noticed this sticker (pictured left) on the back window of someone’s car. Really... urinating on the name of the president?! Is this what we have sunk down to as a nation? A short time later I saw another jewel, it read: “Obama bin Lyin”. A rather an asinine comment considering Osama bin Laden was taken out while Obama was Commander-in-Chief, not Bush.

If you do a Google search for images under "anti obama stickers" - the following is a sample of what comes up: "Don't re-Nig in 2012", "Douchebag In Chief", "A village in Kenia [sic] is missing its idiot". By the way, a note to the illiterate moron who came up with that last one; the county in Africa is spelled Kenya.

Now Search Google images for "anti romney stickers" – among these are "Vulture Capitalist", "Mitt Romney, Businessman (So was Madoff)" - there are even direct quotes from Romney himself: "I'm not concerned about the very poor", and "Corporations are People"... oh and yes, there is a sticker of Calvin urinating on the Romney name as well.

The glaring difference in discourse between Conservative versus Liberal sticker speech stands out – The attacks against Obama consist of personal insults, degrading, racist, and frankly, quite unsophisticated, juvenile. Conversely the anti-Romney messages are directed more against his policies... and as I say, using the man's very own words!

Yes, there are Liberal voices against Romney that certainly lack a semblance of propriety; but the sheer volume alone of hateful, vengeful rhetoric against the president literally towers over Liberal speech.

What ever happened to “I like Ike” or “Nixon’s the One"? When in our recent history did it become “American” to become so vile, so ill-bred?

One bumper sticker in the anti-Obama search read: “Pay for your own health care”. This insensitivity toward the welfare of others struck me particularly hard. At this moment our friend from work is dying of cancer, enduring painful (and probably hopeless) chemotherapy. She did have great medical insurance… while she was working. But her illness prevented her from working resulting in her losing both her insurance and her income with which to pay for COBRA continuing coverage. Friends are chipping in, but her bills are mounting into thousands of dollars.

As I have expressed several times in the past in this blog that I am not optimistic for the future health of this nation. When people accept that it is ok to urinate on the name of the president, it seems we are not very far from people justifying acting on this level of contempt – will they next stoop to feeling justified in killing the opposition to achieve their objectives? 

This is not the America I feel proud to live in, to want to pass along to my children and grand children

21 comments:

Rubye Jack said...

It almost makes me want Romney elected so that these guys might suffer the consequences. It's hard to understand how they don't see it is not in their best interests to elect someone who wants only to work with and for the extremely wealthy.

Rain Trueax said...

It's heading toward something really ugly. When people debate the issues, we can get somewhere; but the kind of thing that is said about Obama and his wife, while others laugh, it gets us nowhere. I don't like ridiculing names regarding Romney either like calling him Mittens. Or calling Barack Barry. It just gets us nowhere.

In my opinion, there's plenty to say against Romney's policies, using facts, that we don't need to go ugly. i really wonder where we are heading with more and more ignorance and people just demeaning the facts that are clearly out there as though they are some plot.

If Romney wins, it'll be hard for me as I despise his policies and it's hard to listen to him saying anything without it annoying me, but I will hope for the best for our country. That's what it's supposed to be about when we vote.

And the earlier thing you had on voter ID, it is millions who could be disenfranchised because they don't have the ID that the Republican state majorities decided was needed. Having voted before doesn't help. Republicans are doing it for one reason and they have said as much. IF Romney wins that way, it will make it hard to accept him as a legitimate president. Same thing when Bush won based on fraudulent votes where easily someone could have punched in both Buchanan's name on a Gore ballot. Some will do that because they think they are on the side of god. Cheating is so popular with god, you know.

We just have to work to make sure as many people as possible check on their registration; so if they have been pulled off the lists, they have time to get it corrected. For those who don't have regular birth certificates, which happens more with the poor, minorities, and the elderly, it makes it tough. The legislator in Pennsylvania that got through such laws there said that it should guarantee Romney takes their state. They are not running on the issues and it's why so many ugly jokes and signs. I know we have had tough times in our political past but never in my lifetime.

Robert the Skeptic said...

Rubye I've often said that myself on several fronts; the old Chinese Curse: "I hope you get what you wish for".

Sadly we will all suffer along with the clueless who voted against their own self-interest.

Rain I've stated it before, I never hated Bush, but I disliked his policies and though they were bad for most of the country. The Republicans must have also because nary whisper about Bush and his administration was hinted at during the Republican convention.

As for the voting issue; the sad thing is that many low income people don't find voting high enough up on their hierarchy of needs... surviving takes more of a priority. It's too bad the remaining 49 states don't get behind our Vote By Mail we have here in Oregon.

Rain Trueax said...

I agree. I really like the vote by mail although I admit I didn't vote for it when it was on our ballot. I liked going down to the polls but I was wrong and this is better.

Commander Zaius said...

This is not the America I feel proud to live in...

Simply put, I agree but I have to go into detail.

Living in a blood red county (Lexington) of the reddest state in the Union I cannot fully describe the hate and vile spoken about Obama. Its everything you would expect of a racist mob of the 1950's.

That being said I see a large part of their behavior coming from the decline of white dominance in America. With Hispanic and African-Americans making up an increasingly larger part of the country their views, either dismissed or at best given lip service by most whites, will come to the forefront.

Whil it is still too early to be certain I do believe the republican party stands a large chance of becoming nothing more than a regional party of whites with next to no influence on the national stage.

In some fashion I actually believe conservatives know their time is running out and they are doing everything they can to rig the system to keep power.

My fear is that as they become a political joke in a far more diverse nation they will turn to violence. I know several that were upset Glenn Beck failed to call for some sort of uprising during the height of his influence.

Robert the Skeptic said...

Rain I didn't miss going and staning in line at the polls at all. I usually am ready when my ballot arrives, often turning it around in the mail the same or next day.

Beach Bum Violence, that is my fear... that will be the only viable alternative for the Conservatives to hold on to power. And they will justify it, American flag in their fists and cries of patriotism as they run over the rights of those the disagree with. Quite frankly, I think it is inevitable. So far they have shown that in the pursuit of power, the end justifies the means.

DJan said...

We vote by mail here in Washington state, too. I just finished reading Isabel Wilkerson's book,"The Warmth of Other Suns" about the migration of blacks from the south to the north and west. It was fascinating and informed me of the long history of racism in this country.

Robert the Skeptic said...

DJan I didn't now Washington had vote by mail. Now if we could just pump our own gas in Oregon...

billy pilgrim said...

i think it has a lot to do with the fact that a lot of people don't for a candidate, they vote against the other candidate. i wonder how many votes obama received last election from people that just voted against the bush regime.

Robert the Skeptic said...

Billy Oh I think you are right on! The question will be how many people will be voting Not Obama versus Not Romney?

Antares Cryptos said...

While this may be the antithesis of this post, made the healthy choice to avoid any such discourse.

(Can't take the *&^)

Antares Cryptos said...

I forgot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SurCWa8B8YU

Tommykey said...

This post reminded me of back when Obama was running in 2008. Some guy in Florida attempted to trademark OBAMA BIN LADEN and he had a web site where he sold t-shirts, stickers, coffee mugs etc. under the mark with a drawing of Obama dressed in Arab clothing and sporting a gun. I did a post ripping into the guy because he was appealing to racism and associating Obama with Islamist terrorism in order to make a buck. Long story short, his application was rejected by the USPTO. About a year or so ago the guy actually left a comment on my blog telling me he realized how wrong it was for him to do what he did and asked if I could remove the post from my blog so that it wouldn't turn up in Internet searches of his name by prospective employers. Since he seemed sincere, I complied and deleted the post.

Robert the Skeptic said...

Cryptos It's pretty difficult to avoid when it's plastered on bumper stickers literally "in your face". On the video clip: Carlin really had a knack for cutting straight through the bulls*it".

Tommy You know the guy selling the Calvin pissing on Obama/Romney is obviously playing it both sides to get a buck. What surprises me is that Calvin and Hobbes creator, Bill Watterson, isn't suing for copyright infringement. I thought all these Conservatives were for protecting intellectual property, pro-business?

Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte said...

We scorn the way elections are held in many countries that are not really democratic but it's beginning to look like democracy is no longer free will and freedom to choose one's representative to take care of the good if the nation in the US, once a role model for others.

Robert the Skeptic said...

Heidrun I have mentioned this before, a Political Science professor I knew explained that public voting was merely an exercise to give the impression that the governed have choice. As George Carlin has pointed out, we really do not have real choice - our fate is determined by monied interests through Lobbyists and other special interests.

The Heathen Republican said...

Um, "Buck Fush" anyone? Yes, that's what the country has come to, and the left brought us there with its Bush Derangement Syndrome.

Robert the Skeptic said...

Heathen You know, assuming it's even true that Liberals started it, then it's sad that Conservatives chose to up the ante rather than taking the higher moral ground and shaming them.

Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte said...

Robert I have heard this from you. I wonder why so much money is wasted on an act that really has no value. Can a newer system be introduced? Likely not.

Robert the Skeptic said...

Heidrun No, likely not.

Grundy said...

When it comes to campaigning, they all take a page from Spaceball's Helmet...

"Now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb."

I don't blame them for negativity, it works. That's current humanity for you, like it or not.