Richard Milhous McCain

Americans cannot escape from the shadow of Tricky Dick

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Quite a virulent article: does it mean that there are reasons to believe that also americans (I'm not an american) might not elect the darling of all the trendy media?This most authoritative magazine writeslots of liberals do, indeed, look down on flyover Americans as stump-toothed imbeciles and, for some strange reason, lots of flyover Americans resent them for itI don't exactly understand what stump-toothed means (can someone explain), but it sure does sound quite insulting.You need a really confused snob to wonder why someone should resent being called an imbecile. I must really be stump-toothed: I too resent being looked down as an imbeciles by liberals back here in Italy.


Go Sparky! Let's have a president who got there on his own merits for a change.

Not someone whose daddy was an ex-president, nor someone whose daddy was an admiral and he dumped his ill wife for an heiress.


If stump-toothed imbeciles are stupid enough to vote for "one of their own" instead of somebody with a brain, they get the government they deserve. I'm a middle-aged, middle-income blue-collar female with a non-traditional job, and I don't want my equals running this country. I want my intellectual betters in charge. Isn't that what a meritocracy is? Isn't meritocracy what made America great? Call it elitism if you like, but I want my country run right!


"Does ideology trump facts? Studies say it often does"


Recent article but 5 year old research. Explains why the culture wars will never end. With biased media like this (FoxNews & MSNBC), who needs actual enemies to stir up fear among a polarized public.

But can we believe the research - from champagne swillin', effete number crunchin' elite pointy-head academics from Yale, Duke and Georgia State? Probably not. Lets just shoot first and ask questions later or not....


I should just explain, in fairness to David Brooks, why asking a conservative to read his column is not comparable to asking a moderate like myself to listen to Hannity.

David Brooks has been a thoughtful conservative for decades - no-one accuses him of being a liberal. Here's an excerpt from his bio:

Even I know that The Weekly Standard and The Wall Street Journal are the top-of-the-line conservative publications. Not at all comparable to the insipid ramblings on talk radio.

kemo sabe

lex is as illuminating as ever: america is once again being played by cynical politicians.all you have to do to prove his point -- that american voters obsess over values at the expense of issues -- is read through the inflammatory comments posted here.the vast majority of the 32 pages of comments i've read are snarling, mean-spirited diatribes peppered with vicious name-calling.this is not indicative of a thoughtful electorate weighing the pros and cons of specific policies and their long-term effect on us as a nation. rather, they represent a troubling "us" versus "them" mentality that has led to a political polarization that threatens to paralyze this great nation.what else would you expect of politicians trying to curry favor with an electorate hell-bent on demonizing anyone who disagrees with them? as they see it, all they have to do to get elected is pander to a combative population, stoking the fires that seem to be smoldering inside each progressive who rants about "right-wing nut jobs" and each conservative who decries "leftist bleeding hearts".i'm reminded of a phrase: "you should not expect life's very best unless you are willing to give it your very best". unless and until we demand better from ourselves we will never get political leadership that can rise above divisive gamesmanship and move us forward, together.


keenview - surely the writings of David Brooks and George F. Will are not strangers to conservatives, or to you?

Irrespective of where their articles appear.

Vinnie from Tewksbury

keenview -- Thanks for the info. Historically, I do believe all amendments to the Constitution have originated from the federal government. It would be interesting to see 50 states agree upon the text of an amendment to the Constitution. If they could get it done for term limits I am for it.

James Yarwood

john powers wrote:
'Last month 47 murders in Chicago, 22 casualties in Iraq-11 from hostile action.'

No, that was the number of Americans killed in Iraq in the last month. The number of people killed was far, far higher.

The responsibility still lies with Bush, and those who voted him into power however.


Vinnie from Tewksburg, Article V of the Constitution reads, “...or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments...” Ratification requires three fourth of the states. This provision is why I think it is just possible that the Governors could work it. Google ‘term limits’ to find a plethora of info.


Well, KnowledgeSeeker, I have prior knowledge of the NY Times, the Post, and Will, but I gave Brooks a shot. I don’t know what you intended for me to learn, but that link was about the same as my suggesting you tune in to Hannity. Would you change your dap to Linkstink if I become Braindead?. Time to move on. Tomorrow we will see what Lexy has to spew in a new Economist. So long...


John Powers:You probably feel that by throwing in numbers that are totally unrelated to the issue that we would somehow be fooled? How silly.The argument against the war in Iraq is not and was not brain dead - let me remind you, there need to be just reasons for going to war. Why not invade Iran since they have nuclear programs? 'Victory' - what freaking victory? You have all the Generals (Odierno and Petraaues) speaking cautiously, yet McCain yells out 'victory'. What are the parameters for victory? You go tell that to the troops.


john powers - One casualty in an unnecessary war is too many.
Who else but Bush is responsible for casualties in a war of choice?

john powers

KS,As opposed to the brain dead argument against the war in Iraq. There have been around 4,000 murders in Chicago in the same period of time that the Iraq war has been going on, yet no one considers Sen. Obama's home state to be the "worst in history".Last month 47 murders in Chicago, 22 casualties in Iraq-11 from hostile action. The sense of scale here in the maniacal leftwing campaign against Pres. Bush is immensely wrong. Under any other President, this war would be declared a victory, and over with a few months ago. Yet, the Obama campaign and their boosters in the press claim failure.There are some good reasons to be against the War in Iraq. The number of casualities is not one of them.JBP

Vinnie from Tewksbury

Any amendment to the Constitution to institute term limits will have to come from the Congress or the Executive Branch of the government. If passed by the Congress and signed by the President then it would have to be ratified by the states (%?)before becoming an amendment to the Constitution. Some years ago the voters of Massachusetts passed a ballot initiative part of which was to limit the terms of the congressmen and congresswomen of MA. It was struck down by the courts because it must come from the federal level.

If term limits were achieved then the money raising of congressional life would be greatly reduced. Congress could spend more time doing what it was elected to do and less time worrying about the next election cycle.


keenview - sorry, I thought you were going to tell me something new and interesting about the "New Republican Party", but these ideas are just the same old brain dead stuff.


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