Your wonderful sweep across history in response to Lauren Boebert’s comment “Today is 1776” brought to mind a comment made by One of my astute black friends early in the Trump years, just as our heads began to spin with the Republican chaos.
“Republicans don’t govern and no one expects them to. Republicans start wars.
The Democrats get …
Your wonderful sweep across history in response to Lauren Boebert’s comment “Today is 1776” brought to mind a comment made by One of my astute black friends early in the Trump years, just as our heads began to spin with the Republican chaos.
“Republicans don’t govern and no one expects them to. Republicans start wars.
The Democrats get stuck with all the governance, and if there are any problems left behind by the Republicans, the Democrats are expected to fix them. The Democrats are the only ones who govern.
This idea shocked me at the time but I have been thinking about it ever since. After all, I spent most of my adult life voting Republican. Never once did I question if Republicans “governed.” I had been taught that Republicans “stood for what was right”, lowered taxes, got rid of onerous regulations that hindered all of us from starting our own businesses …
But did they govern ? Did they make their states a better place to live & work? Did they increase opportunities for all, believing a rising tide lifts all boats?
The longer I pondered the question the more I realized my friend’s observation rang embarrassingly true. The answer was no. The Republicans did not govern.
The Democrats govern, while the Republicans deregulate, posture about ideals, and start wars. It’s a simplistic view, but your history lesson today gives it context. 1860 indeed. Your closing paragraph says it best. ❤️
Agreed! I often use the analogy of the Elephant (the gop symbol) in the circus! Say what? There is always someone walking behind the elephant to pick up it’s ‘road chips’ while it parades around the big tent! Likewise, a Democratic administration always has to clean up 4 years of droppings left behind by an ‘elephant’!
Ouch! Yes… but it kills me that the GOP has the elephant as their ‘logo’! Show me an Trumper that is smarter than an elephant and I’ll show you an empty room!
And why do you think the 'patriots' who invaded the Capitol on January 6, 2021, carried the flag of those who rebelled against democracy in 1861? And why do you think, as HCR points out, Representative Boebert looks back to the days of the failed Articles of Confederation rather than to the Constitution which ultimately rescued the country from those like her and John Calhoun?
“Liberty is not a universal right but should be reserved for the intelligent, patriotic, the virtuous and deserving” -John C Calhoun
I disagree-liberty should be a universal right. Calhoun’s call for intelligence, patriotism and virtue though counts out Calhoun, Boebert, Republicans and some others. Civil rights is one thing and human rights another. African Americans having been legally declared “property” have had to fight for human and civil rights. Even the constitution disregarded African Americans as fully human and while amendments have helped us to make progress-we’re still trying to convince folks that “Black Lives Matter”. Many thanks to all of you who care about having a country that honors humanity no matter gender, skin color, religion etc.
Calhoun’s statement, on its face, sounds noble to those who would apply it with the noblest intentions, but offers duplicitous cover to those Who are racist or classist. It is another example of providing fine-sounding language to justify the same old trope: denying equal human rights to all. Yes! Liberty IS a human right; it is the birthright of every child. Yes, it can be mismanaged and squandered. If it is squandered on crimes that harm others, you can even lose it’s privileges and end up in jail or some other restrictive space.
But Liberty as a human right? It is either a birthright for all, or a birthright for none.
Some of the most fine-sounding political speeches I have ever read were uttered by men (yes, always males, of course) representing the conquistador élite in Central American countries where armies and death squads practiced mass murder without let or hindrance. (Least of all from Uncle Sam wherever US industrial or financial interests had a finger in the pie...)
If you read these marvels of eloquence you'd have thought the man who spoke them was a candidate for canonization...
Good point-I think the Republicans are so good at using words and phrases that sound noble-they often use liberty, patriot, freedom etc to name campaigns, organizations and legislative initiatives (e.g. “Election integrity”-Newt Gingrich said words and language matter-he’s wrong about so much but right about language
Yes! Interpretation by courts, states, and private citizens, the citizenry, has created openings and flaws in protecting civil rights and human rights.
Boebert comes from the Talent agency and watching her prance around when she talks reminds me of what my daughter was taught by one when she was 11. Little girls grow out of that but Boebert is using it now because it keeps the attention on her body instead of her shrill words. They’re waiting for her to expose herself and grab the pole. They made her head of communications for one of their groups because it’s best to put people with the ability to distract out front. This way you don’t see the filthy background. I also think Trump was the shill to distract. They know what they’re doing but only care about the immediate attention, the facade of love.
I have a friend who criticizes me for often taking a realistic and pessimistic view into the future of our democracy. She recgnizes the many crises, military and othewise, which the country has survived and has great faith in the American people to successfully deal with our present challenges. She has a point.
Regulations are put in place for a reason - like mandatory addition of seatbelts in cars.
Did you know the EU has banned over 1000 chemicals which are permitted in USA products? USA banned 9.
Did you know some of these chemicals give obesity, anxiety, and depression a hand? They’re included in many fragrance products including air fresheners and laundry products.
Did you know the Fragrance & Flavors industry polices itself and that due to a Trade Secret Loophole, they don’t have to tell you the ingredients (ingredients are the ones deliberately added and not the accidental and possibly dangerous byproducts resulting from the chemical interactions-like dioxane which is a byproduct in a lot of hair care products including children’s products)?
Remember what happened after the deregulation of banking?
Regulations also protect workers.
Don’t ever give anyone blanket permission to deregulate.
Lisa, thank you for the reminder of the responsibility of a government to protect us, which isn’t happening. Readers can check out more of the references in your post, by looking at Environmental Working Group https://www.ewg.org/. And traveling Internationally I’ve seen graffiti scrawled with “USA Monsanto” and drawings of skeletons and thumbs down” referring to USA selling known carcinogens not only to our American citizens but to the world. Especially poor countries. And we still don’t always ban known carcinogens that have been banned in other countries. There is a known cancer causing chemical used in some strawberry farming in California that was finally banned. Then TFG lifted the ban. Another reason to buy organic. Which is too expensive for many, many Americans.
Amazing, on top of a history lesson from HCR, I get a science lesson too!
Unfortunately, the media does not continuously expose the dangers of the chemicals in products we regularly use because some ‘media corp head’ would find it too depressing to remind us about the issue!
However, the same ‘media head’ encourages repeating the lies of the cult!
Also, the wealthy people who own the media also own stock in those companies, sell advertising to those companies, have friends, family, & neighbors who own the companies, or own stock, or are members of the Board of Directors.
Corporations, Politicians, Mainstream Media, Organized Religion, Ad/Marketing companies, Lobbyists, Research Laboratories (and their funders), Ivy League Colleges (and their funders), etc. are part of a big network and have regular people trapped within the circle.
Is it this newsletter or another where the evils of deregulation were discussed? To your point, anti monopoly laws have been neutered by the right wing libertarian policies of the last decades. For example, at one time a newspaper group could not own a tv or radio outlet in the same market, not true any longer. Facebook gobbles up any and all similar platforms ie messenger, instagram, WhatsApp…! Disney owns ESPN which controls collegiate sports programming on tv! NBC paid for tv rights of pending Olympics in China which is a mini supper spreader in the making and they shamelessly promote the disaster to be on regular programming!
We have lost the concept of “governance”. It goes from the mundane keeping bridges maintained and water free of lead to running open and fair elections.
Maybe we lost it when we stopped teaching civics in school.
Now, to bring back civics, schools will be under attack from the right for teaching CRT!
Oddly enough, I just finished reading an article by Carolyn Hax of the Washington Post a long thread on Twitter about stay-at-home moms and working dads , and how the housework and parenting responsibilities fall overwhelmingly to the mom. The parallel is striking!
My grandson just hit this section in his sociology class. There is truly a gender gap that will never change. I do think they left out how this works in a homosexual marriage, especially with lesbians, but perhaps it’s covered in the Marriage and Family course. It would have been taboo 40 years ago when I had the class. I always try to use real examples he can see right now to help him remember these concepts. Woman have always carried the greater responsibilities. When women go to work their responsibilities double. Both my parents worked. My father mowed the lawn once a week. My mother cooked, did laundry and cleaned every single day. Doesn’t seem like a fair exchange. My husband and I share and we have often had a housekeeper come in every 2 weeks because of my disability. But I think he does more than me.
Unfortunately, since the Democrats are the only ones governing, they are the only ones that get blamed when things don't go well. The R's are completely left out of the media narratives.
What is different now is that the Republicans have moved from being incompetent grandstanders and complainers to active saboteurs and, dare I say it, traitors. They have become dangerous, and there is no neat Mason-Dixon line to divide us this time. We are now going to have to figure out how to fight our very own families, friends, neighbors and colleagues and win - because failure is not an option.
Now THAT’S an apt assessment! And trust me, in ninth grade I moved to East Tennessee from our liberal Ohio town. They called me a carpet bagger… Every single one of them did reenactments of the Civil War and the education was stupefying. Born again, bibles out in the obvious, in the halls between classes. And, it was the “good lab school” on the ETSU campus in Johnson City, TN. Out the the top ten states with hate groups, TN has the title with 35 (THIRTY FIVE) hate groups. Theirs is triple the average.
Have to add, there’s amazing people in TN….but not going back. Deliverance.
Your wonderful sweep across history in response to Lauren Boebert’s comment “Today is 1776” brought to mind a comment made by One of my astute black friends early in the Trump years, just as our heads began to spin with the Republican chaos.
“Republicans don’t govern and no one expects them to. Republicans start wars.
The Democrats get stuck with all the governance, and if there are any problems left behind by the Republicans, the Democrats are expected to fix them. The Democrats are the only ones who govern.
This idea shocked me at the time but I have been thinking about it ever since. After all, I spent most of my adult life voting Republican. Never once did I question if Republicans “governed.” I had been taught that Republicans “stood for what was right”, lowered taxes, got rid of onerous regulations that hindered all of us from starting our own businesses …
But did they govern ? Did they make their states a better place to live & work? Did they increase opportunities for all, believing a rising tide lifts all boats?
The longer I pondered the question the more I realized my friend’s observation rang embarrassingly true. The answer was no. The Republicans did not govern.
The Democrats govern, while the Republicans deregulate, posture about ideals, and start wars. It’s a simplistic view, but your history lesson today gives it context. 1860 indeed. Your closing paragraph says it best. ❤️
Agreed! I often use the analogy of the Elephant (the gop symbol) in the circus! Say what? There is always someone walking behind the elephant to pick up it’s ‘road chips’ while it parades around the big tent! Likewise, a Democratic administration always has to clean up 4 years of droppings left behind by an ‘elephant’!
Ouch! Yes… but it kills me that the GOP has the elephant as their ‘logo’! Show me an Trumper that is smarter than an elephant and I’ll show you an empty room!
Can we re-brand them as the Hypocrisy Party? Then they could have a Hippo instead! Agreed that Elephants just do not work for them anymore!!
No animal but a picture of a sesspool as the mascot!
yup!!!
Awesome analogy! I love it!
And why do you think the 'patriots' who invaded the Capitol on January 6, 2021, carried the flag of those who rebelled against democracy in 1861? And why do you think, as HCR points out, Representative Boebert looks back to the days of the failed Articles of Confederation rather than to the Constitution which ultimately rescued the country from those like her and John Calhoun?
“Liberty is not a universal right but should be reserved for the intelligent, patriotic, the virtuous and deserving” -John C Calhoun
I disagree-liberty should be a universal right. Calhoun’s call for intelligence, patriotism and virtue though counts out Calhoun, Boebert, Republicans and some others. Civil rights is one thing and human rights another. African Americans having been legally declared “property” have had to fight for human and civil rights. Even the constitution disregarded African Americans as fully human and while amendments have helped us to make progress-we’re still trying to convince folks that “Black Lives Matter”. Many thanks to all of you who care about having a country that honors humanity no matter gender, skin color, religion etc.
Calhoun’s statement, on its face, sounds noble to those who would apply it with the noblest intentions, but offers duplicitous cover to those Who are racist or classist. It is another example of providing fine-sounding language to justify the same old trope: denying equal human rights to all. Yes! Liberty IS a human right; it is the birthright of every child. Yes, it can be mismanaged and squandered. If it is squandered on crimes that harm others, you can even lose it’s privileges and end up in jail or some other restrictive space.
But Liberty as a human right? It is either a birthright for all, or a birthright for none.
Some of the most fine-sounding political speeches I have ever read were uttered by men (yes, always males, of course) representing the conquistador élite in Central American countries where armies and death squads practiced mass murder without let or hindrance. (Least of all from Uncle Sam wherever US industrial or financial interests had a finger in the pie...)
If you read these marvels of eloquence you'd have thought the man who spoke them was a candidate for canonization...
❤️
Good point-I think the Republicans are so good at using words and phrases that sound noble-they often use liberty, patriot, freedom etc to name campaigns, organizations and legislative initiatives (e.g. “Election integrity”-Newt Gingrich said words and language matter-he’s wrong about so much but right about language
You should read George Orwell's essay, "Politics and the English Language". It's available online.
Thanks for the suggestion-will do.
Yes! Interpretation by courts, states, and private citizens, the citizenry, has created openings and flaws in protecting civil rights and human rights.
Lauren Boebert is not the brightest tool in the shed. I doubt she knows any history.
I don't think she's even *in* the shed.
None. Nunca. Nada.
Boebert comes from the Talent agency and watching her prance around when she talks reminds me of what my daughter was taught by one when she was 11. Little girls grow out of that but Boebert is using it now because it keeps the attention on her body instead of her shrill words. They’re waiting for her to expose herself and grab the pole. They made her head of communications for one of their groups because it’s best to put people with the ability to distract out front. This way you don’t see the filthy background. I also think Trump was the shill to distract. They know what they’re doing but only care about the immediate attention, the facade of love.
So scary. This patriots are out in the open with their Trump and Confederate flags and becoming more bold, their guns. 1776!? 2022.
I have a friend who criticizes me for often taking a realistic and pessimistic view into the future of our democracy. She recgnizes the many crises, military and othewise, which the country has survived and has great faith in the American people to successfully deal with our present challenges. She has a point.
Jack, but as do you. Reality is not always popular, but it is necessary my friend.
Regulations are put in place for a reason - like mandatory addition of seatbelts in cars.
Did you know the EU has banned over 1000 chemicals which are permitted in USA products? USA banned 9.
Did you know some of these chemicals give obesity, anxiety, and depression a hand? They’re included in many fragrance products including air fresheners and laundry products.
Did you know the Fragrance & Flavors industry polices itself and that due to a Trade Secret Loophole, they don’t have to tell you the ingredients (ingredients are the ones deliberately added and not the accidental and possibly dangerous byproducts resulting from the chemical interactions-like dioxane which is a byproduct in a lot of hair care products including children’s products)?
Remember what happened after the deregulation of banking?
Regulations also protect workers.
Don’t ever give anyone blanket permission to deregulate.
Lisa, thank you for the reminder of the responsibility of a government to protect us, which isn’t happening. Readers can check out more of the references in your post, by looking at Environmental Working Group https://www.ewg.org/. And traveling Internationally I’ve seen graffiti scrawled with “USA Monsanto” and drawings of skeletons and thumbs down” referring to USA selling known carcinogens not only to our American citizens but to the world. Especially poor countries. And we still don’t always ban known carcinogens that have been banned in other countries. There is a known cancer causing chemical used in some strawberry farming in California that was finally banned. Then TFG lifted the ban. Another reason to buy organic. Which is too expensive for many, many Americans.
I love the EWG (Environmental Working Group) website. I’m glad you shared it.
Me too! It’s good to know we still have access to reality and there are those organizations that inform and protect the public.
I knew none of this! Thanks!
I reposted part of your comment and the link to EWG on my FB page, no names just citing a fellow reader!
Amazing, on top of a history lesson from HCR, I get a science lesson too!
Unfortunately, the media does not continuously expose the dangers of the chemicals in products we regularly use because some ‘media corp head’ would find it too depressing to remind us about the issue!
However, the same ‘media head’ encourages repeating the lies of the cult!
Also, the wealthy people who own the media also own stock in those companies, sell advertising to those companies, have friends, family, & neighbors who own the companies, or own stock, or are members of the Board of Directors.
Corporations, Politicians, Mainstream Media, Organized Religion, Ad/Marketing companies, Lobbyists, Research Laboratories (and their funders), Ivy League Colleges (and their funders), etc. are part of a big network and have regular people trapped within the circle.
Is it this newsletter or another where the evils of deregulation were discussed? To your point, anti monopoly laws have been neutered by the right wing libertarian policies of the last decades. For example, at one time a newspaper group could not own a tv or radio outlet in the same market, not true any longer. Facebook gobbles up any and all similar platforms ie messenger, instagram, WhatsApp…! Disney owns ESPN which controls collegiate sports programming on tv! NBC paid for tv rights of pending Olympics in China which is a mini supper spreader in the making and they shamelessly promote the disaster to be on regular programming!
We have lost the concept of “governance”. It goes from the mundane keeping bridges maintained and water free of lead to running open and fair elections.
Maybe we lost it when we stopped teaching civics in school.
Now, to bring back civics, schools will be under attack from the right for teaching CRT!
The R’s don’t govern. They just break things. Then when Dems come and have to fix the broken things, the R’s call them “tax and spend Democrats.”
Oddly enough, I just finished reading an article by Carolyn Hax of the Washington Post a long thread on Twitter about stay-at-home moms and working dads , and how the housework and parenting responsibilities fall overwhelmingly to the mom. The parallel is striking!
... with moms who work outside the home, as well... and we are often responsible for cleaning up the remaining "road chips", too.
My grandson just hit this section in his sociology class. There is truly a gender gap that will never change. I do think they left out how this works in a homosexual marriage, especially with lesbians, but perhaps it’s covered in the Marriage and Family course. It would have been taboo 40 years ago when I had the class. I always try to use real examples he can see right now to help him remember these concepts. Woman have always carried the greater responsibilities. When women go to work their responsibilities double. Both my parents worked. My father mowed the lawn once a week. My mother cooked, did laundry and cleaned every single day. Doesn’t seem like a fair exchange. My husband and I share and we have often had a housekeeper come in every 2 weeks because of my disability. But I think he does more than me.
Here are two books from the 1990s by sociologist and author Stephanie Coontz (Titles speak volumes): “The Way We Never Were” and a sequel. https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-way-we-never-were-american-families--the-nostalgia-trap_stephanie-coontz/247642/
Still worth a read. It’s history.
Unfortunately, since the Democrats are the only ones governing, they are the only ones that get blamed when things don't go well. The R's are completely left out of the media narratives.
What is different now is that the Republicans have moved from being incompetent grandstanders and complainers to active saboteurs and, dare I say it, traitors. They have become dangerous, and there is no neat Mason-Dixon line to divide us this time. We are now going to have to figure out how to fight our very own families, friends, neighbors and colleagues and win - because failure is not an option.
Now THAT’S an apt assessment! And trust me, in ninth grade I moved to East Tennessee from our liberal Ohio town. They called me a carpet bagger… Every single one of them did reenactments of the Civil War and the education was stupefying. Born again, bibles out in the obvious, in the halls between classes. And, it was the “good lab school” on the ETSU campus in Johnson City, TN. Out the the top ten states with hate groups, TN has the title with 35 (THIRTY FIVE) hate groups. Theirs is triple the average.
Have to add, there’s amazing people in TN….but not going back. Deliverance.