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| Dems rally for dead guy... |
| 2002-10-30 |
The Star-Tribune covers the solemn memorial service for the late Paul Wellstone...TV cameras then panned to a beaming Walter Mondale, Wellstone's likely replacement in the U.S. Senate race, which brought more cheers.I usually don't talk about national politix, at least not overtly, and I promise to keep such things to a minimum in the future — but... I used to think I was a libertarian, because I believe the most important element that makes us Americans is our personal liberty. That was until Harry Browne explained things. Now I'm content being a Republican, no Whig party being available. In the heady daze of my youth I was a Dummycrat, until I noticed that, for all their rhetoric, to the Dem politicians everything is all about politics except money, which is what politics is all about. I think the Publicans will remain the minority party in this country, not because of any lack of ideas, but because they refuse to be as breathtakingly foul as the core Democrat leadership. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #13 Tony: I'll take a shot at explaining the American electoral system. There is no "party" voting. I think an American election ballot would be pretty strange to a European. We vote on judges, attorneys general, secretaries of state, county commissioners, sheriffs and here's a selection of boards and commissioners that are voted on: sewer, water, road, education, regents, universities, elections, clerks, insurance, fire, police. We also vote on requests for debt, ie bond issues at the State and local levels. On top of this we have propositions put up by citizen signatures, referenda put on the ballot by State legislatures, constitutions and constitutional amendments at the State, not National level. We also have the possibility to "recall" elected officials with a special election and I'm certainly leaving off a lot. When I lived in California, we had ballots that were 15 pages long. With a couple of exceptions, all our elections are "first past the post". That is the guy, who gets the most votes, wins, majority is not needed. Louisiana and Georgia do require a majority and have a runoff election two weeks later. The Presidential election is not a popular vote. It is 50 separate State elections, where the candidate, who gets the most votes, wins the electoral votes for that State. There is one electoral vote for each congressional district and one for each Senator. The Electoral College meets in December after the November election to elect the President. |
| Posted by: Jabba the Tutt 2002-10-31 08:37:00 |
| #12 I'm in the same boat. After being a libertarian for 10 years, I had to return to the republicans.There is just something about WW3 starting that made me realise how a weak posture on defense threatens our extinction. Islam has been trying to kill us for 1400 years. Everytime there's a 10 min. break in the battle, we in the west forget we're at war. We go about our own business, after all, we like BBQ's and tittie bars a lot more than war. Islam just re-groups and plans the next battle. |
| Posted by: curtis kreutzberg 2002-10-30 22:42:34 |
| #11 Fred, Mike's speech is a classic! It should be kept on the site for a few days to get maximum exposure. |
| Posted by: Denny Wilson 2002-10-30 21:18:31 |
| #10 Everytime the Democratic party digs itself a new hole I think they've finally found the bottom and cant go down any further. However, they have a near metaphysical ability to find even lower levels to sink to. Is this the party of FDR, Jack Kennedy and Harry Truman? Men of principle, even though they were on the other side of the argument form myself. Today, its a bunch of frat boy semi-literate leftists who are the poster children for what happens to people when women dont breast feed their kids. Booing? at a funeral? I have expected to see the camera superimpose a "snidely whiplash" moustache hat and cape on Senator Lott. My only question is, did they have big neon "applause" and "Boo" signs behind the cameras for the audience to respond to on queue? Its 7 days and counting, anyone yet ready to place their bets on who wins what this time out? |
| Posted by: Frank Martin 2002-10-30 18:47:19 |
| #9 Well Tony, I certainly don't pretend to speak fo all Americans, or even the Dems (I'm Republican), but I'm speculating that a lot of people were either put off by the scene last night (Independents and loosely bound Dems and Repubs) or energized to vote (Republican-always voters)...I think this will repulse a lot of people and backfire on the Dems |
| Posted by: Frank G 2002-10-30 17:48:17 |
| #8 I live in England and don't understand American voting procedures that well (we go to the polls and vote for any party we feel like on the day - any one of half a dozen or so - the winners are usually Labour or Conservative). So this story seems very strange to me. Is the Democrat (Labour) booster asking for the Republican (Conservative) candidates to endorse Mondale (I honestly thought he was dead)? On the memory of a dead bloke who voted against the Iraq motion? Wow. And the Governer who they've all been slagging off 'cos he's a ex-wrestler did the only decent thing and left. Wow. Are the Democrats likely to win in Minnesota? Do they deserve to? Or have I missed the point? |
| Posted by: Tony 2002-10-30 17:20:51 |
| #7 To Mr. Morley: Bravo! Bravo! Author! Author! To everyone: not all Democrats are bad people. Just the ones in political office, I think. I pointed out to a liberal Dem friend of mine last night how tacky this was, and he went ballistic, telling me in no uncertain terms that as a Republican I had no right to say anything, since (as we all know) us evil Republicans wanted Wellstone gone long ago, and it's just all politics, yadda yadda. I replied that as a conservative, of course I believe that there are some things more important than politics. Respect for dead, for instance. That silenced him. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2002-10-30 17:04:32 |
| #6 Cal -- I was a Libertarian for twenty years but just switched registration to Republican. What put me over was the Clinton-era lack of morality and the realization that politics isn't just about what's just -- e.g. what the laws ought to be -- but about the character that brings about a successful resolution of our national discussion. Republicans strive to be both just and good, whereas Libertarians seem willing to misbehave to win just like Democrats. Here in Massachusetts, Libertarian Carla Howell challenged Republican petitions to keep the Republican Senate candidate off the ballot two years ago, after all those years of Libertarians spending so much on ballot access and complaining about restrictive laws! She hoped to get 20% of the vote instead of 5% if she kept the Republican off. This kind of small-heartedness isn't going to save the country from the Democrats. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2002-10-30 16:01:41 |
| #5 Since they've gotten so much political mileage out of the deceased, I've heard rumors to the effect that the Democratic candidate for president in 2004 will be whatever's left of Franklin Roosevelt. Be a good pick for them. Excite the old folks and you know how they vote. |
| Posted by: Chris 2002-10-30 15:53:51 |
| #4 The Democratic channel has become all dead people all the time. Dead Democrats vote. Dead Democrats even get elected. Now a Dead Democrat is campaigning for the near dead Democrat Mondale. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2002-10-30 15:35:08 |
| #3 The Friends, Democrats, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come not to bury Wellstone, but to endorse Mondale. The elections that men win live after them; The ones they lose are oft interred with their bones; So let it be with Wellstone. Our party is nothing if not ambitious: If it were to lose control of the Senate, would be a grievous fault, And grievously Wellstone trailed in the polls. Here, under leave of Clinton and the rest-- For Clinton is an honourable man; Clinton, Kennedy, McAuliffe, Lautenberg; So are they all, all honourable men (ha ha!)-- Let this not be Wellstone's funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me: But internal polling data says he was going to lose; And winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. No, therefore, let us rally for Mondale, his successor, And bring him great victory. He hath proposed the taxes greatly to increase Whose ransoms will the general coffers fill: When that the special interests have cried, Mondale hath wept with them: Is this not how the game is played? Ambition should be made of stern stuff: And, brother, are we ever ambitious; Daschle is an honourable man. You all did see that on C-SPAN Jim Jeffords presented him a kingly crown, Which he did not refuse: now that is ambition, baby! Yet Daschle says he is not ambitious (who doth he fool?); And, sure, he is an honourable man. I speak not to eulogize poor, dead Wellstone, But here I am to speak what I do know. You want to keep control of the Senate, right? What cause withholds you then, to mourn for Wellstone When you can be out working for a Mondale victory! Bag the funeral and let's have a rally! My heart is not in the coffin there with Wellstone, For I must vote early and often for Mondale. |
| Posted by: Mike Morley 2002-10-30 11:43:28 |
| #2 It is all style over substance. Yet, the so called intellectual community (which I have always suspected of being self-created)continues to support these "dead-o-crats" in the press, the university system, Hollywood and among the worker parties (unions, teachers, street sweepers). It reminds me of Graucho's retort: " Why the hell would I want to join a club who would have me as a member". |
| Posted by: Jack 2002-10-30 11:07:39 |
| #1 I wouldn't give up on the Libertarian Party so quick. Just because the leadership has an irrational foreign policy doesn't mean you can't vote for Libertarians at the state and local races. (I know I'm beating a dead horse but Harry Browne was already kicked out of the party when he made his statements about 9/11 and the War in Afghanistan. |
| Posted by: Cal Ulmann 2002-10-30 10:59:53 |