The Genius, Part I

Aug. 28, Sep. 6 and 19, 2011

The mainstream media (MSM) calls the Tea Party extremist, racist, and unpatriotic, among other things. The MSM and the left blames this ‘third party’ for many ills, including the bad economy and American’s discomfort with the current status quo. When we write about or debate politics, one thing is true. Each of us has our own opinion, and each is unique. Therefore, when we say something is obvious, we are correct in our own mind. Yet, it’s one person’s opinion, and the other side sees things differently.

New York Times correspondent Thomas Friedman appeared on CNN’s Reliable Sources on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011. He is deemed a genius by many on the left for reasons which elude me. Friedman, according to host Howard Kurtz, is now backing an outfit called Americans Elect. The website, at http://www.americanselect.org, features the title: Are Politics As Usual Working For You? The choice Yes, points to the left, which is bathed in red (this color usually signifies blood, bad, conservative, or Republican). The other choice, No, points right, and is the blue half of the screen (blue is generally considered the good color, reserved for free-thinking, liberal, and Democrats). It’s easy to see where the website is headed… (The ridiculous implication here is that if you like Washington gridlock, then you're a conservative.)

During his broadcast, host Kurtz made sure to mention that the debt ceiling debate failed because the left and right couldn’t agree on “a way to raise the debt ceiling and keep the country out of default,” which wasn’t the true goal, but is the liberal talking point on the matter. As Friedman did his impression of a bobble-head, Kurtz continued, saying, “this frustrated everybody.” Yes, he said "left and right," but it's standard fare to hear that what stopped the whole thing was only Republican rigidity, and we hear often that the Tea Party wing are the trouble-makers. Every time a generalization is made, though, it’s wrong. And, everybody was frustrated by what, exactly? The rigidity of the left is what frustrated me. As we've seen, members of the MSM abhor the idea of any third party, but Kurtz in this case, made sure to open his mind with regard to Friedman’s third party idea. To twist a famous expression: What’s right for the proper goose is not necessarily right for the propaganda…

Thomas Friedman, the wily columnist, said he admired Republican President George H.W. Bush (41, or, Bush the Elder). But why, oh, so clever one? Friedman said it was because Bush believed in math. Okay, so far he had me. But he went on to generalize, “it’s hard sometimes to find a Republican who believes in math these days.” A nasty remark, but the demagoguery continued. Friedman said this Bush, who said, “read my lips, no new taxes,” then faced reality (as Friedman and the left say) and raised taxes. He said this, the fact that Bush raised taxes, was what paved the way for the good economy of the 90’s. Thomas Friedman’s attitude tells us, “it’s so obvious,” but Friedman's impressions don't make it so. Bush 41’s breaking of his “no new taxes” promise hurt conservatives so badly they still remember it vividly today, 23 years later. To improve the economy all lawmakers should join the pledge to not raise taxes.

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Keywords: Conservatism, Conservative blog, Mark A. Cohen, From The Left to the Right, Thomas Friedman, Reliable Sources, Howard Kurtz, Raising Taxes, Tea Party, MSM, mainstream media

Keyword Phrases: "Conservatism”, “Conservative blog”, “Mark A. Cohen”, “From The Left to the Right”, " Thomas Friedman", "Reliable Sources", "Howard Kurtz", "Raising Taxes", "Tea Party", "MSM", "mainstream media”

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