Political Forecast

Steve Clemmons, over at The Washington Note, posted a while back on folks he calls “Fuck Yeah Americans.”

Here is some stuff from his original post:

“‘America: Fuck Yeah!’ That is the favorite line of the red-state styled crusaders for the American way in a fairly vulgar, crass, but culturally significant movie, Team America: World Police. “America, Fuck Yeah!” also seems to describe a kind of pugnacious nationalism that has taken hold of the American personality and just given George Bush a compelling mandate to take his political revolution further.

I know that my progressive, erudite acquaintances are going to give me grief for advocating that you all see Team America. . .but do. I think it gives us, via some puppets and special effects, a very good picture of what Walter Russell Mead has called the Jacksonian American. These Jacksonians believe in a core set of values — apple pie, NASCAR, church, hard work, family values, gay and lesbian stuff hidden from sight. They believe in the country and aren’t bent on notions of empire. In fact, they hate our involvement in Iraq or other global problems but believe that America is the only nation that can set the world straight.

According to them, we Americans don’t want to be a global cop — but if we have to, we will — and we are going to do it our way, damn it.

Listen, the “Fuck Yeah!” crowd just told the rest of the world that Florida was not a mistake; America really wants this guy — George W. Bush. So learn to live with it, work with us on our terms, or shut up.”

Its an interesting analysis, and I agree with everything he said.

Today, he posted a follow up with a great video. I’d definitely check it out.

But first, a disclaimer from Steve: “BUT WAIT! This clip is very, very vulgar — some full body nudity, erotic sex, but lots of apple pie, Mom, NASCAR, tanks, and patriotic images too.”

Here is the link to the video.

Aethern, over at Lion’s Den, has posted an additional bit of information regarding his first post on comprehending the South.

Aethern, a southerner himself, adds great insight into the innerworkings of southern thought, particularly regarding the aspects of racism and connections with the candidate.

From his post:

“Now - and let me be exceedingly clear on this - that does NOT mean catering or compromising with racism, ignorance, or bigotry, or selling out our positions. In fact, it means just the opposite. By becoming competitive in the South, we can fight those evils much more than we can by writing off the entire region. All it takes is for candidates to understand the aspects of Southern culture which are positive and seperate from racism and bigotry, and to appeal to those aspects.

On the subject of Southern culture, some felt that I was really referring to White Southerners. Well, I am a White Southerner, so that is the prism through which I see things, but I disagree that ‘Southerner’ is code for ‘White Southerner’, at least when I use it. The aspects of Southern culture that I am advocating we connect to are shared by both Blacks and Whites, and appeal across color lines. With Southern Blacks, the danger is not that they will suddenly start voting GOP in large numbers. The GOP will be unlikely to duplicate its rural white voter success with them, as the memories of where Republicans stood (and stand) on civil rights are still relatively fresh, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t in danger of losing their support. The danger is that they will just stay home, disgusted with a Democratic Party that has taken them for granted for much too long and that runs candidates that don’t seem to have an authentic understanding of what is happening in their lives.

Southerners are, by nature, what I call ’self-idealists’. By that, we tend to want to believe the best about ourselves and our people, and have a sometimes unhealthy tendancy to get too attached to our romaticized notions. This, however, is something that we can turn to our advantage. The fact is, these days, most white Southerners don’t consider themselves to be racists, even if they are (without realizing it), and, in fact, look down at those who are identifiable as racists. A candidate who has an awareness of this inner-conflict could easily use it to drive a wedge between well-meaning white southerners who simply haven’t let go of their predjudices and overt racists (whose vote I don’t want anyway). But to successfully do this, the candidate must understand Southern culture overall, and must not do it in a way that calls these people racists. Rather, by cultivating their self-identification as non-racists, we can turn them against the hate tactics of the GOP.”

Right on, Aethern. Thanks for your insight. We need more folks like you to help Americans understand the South.

I have never been to the South, besides southern Florida (and I missed out on any southern culture down there). I find it very hard to imagine southern culture beyond the stereotypes articulated in the entertainment world. Hopefully, through more of your posts, I can broaden my horizons and help to defeat the “redneck” stereotype.

The Associated Press is reporting that United States military casualites in Iraq is nearing the record for most casualites in a month. The most deaths in one month occurred March of 2003. Such sad news. Please support our troops, even if you are against the war. Let us hope and pray that President Bush will expedite our actions in Iraq so that we can be the most helpful and end up protecting as many American soldiers from death as possible.

I just wish I had faith that Bush would be able to do all of things I just asked.

From the report:

“At least 133 U.S. troops have died in Iraq so far this month — only the second time it has topped 100 in any month. The deadliest month was last April when 135 U.S. troops died as the insurgency flared in Sunni-dominated Fallujah, where dozens of U.S. troops died this month.

The Pentagon’s official death toll for Iraq stood at 1,251 on Monday, but that did not include two soldiers killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad and another killed in a vehicle accident. When the month began, the death toll stood at 1,121, the Pentagon said.

It was not clear whether the bombing deaths of two Marines south of Baghdad on Sunday were included in the overall count the Pentagon published Monday.”

I hope President Bush has realized what he has done to American perception abroad, as well as the heartbreak and anguish he has caused Americans across this country.

On The Tonight Show earlier, a clean-shaven and suit-clad Michael Moore carried on what seemed to be a tense discussion with Jay Leno about the election and the war in Iraq. Moore read from his most recent book–a collection of letters he has received from soldiers either in Iraq or on their way over. The letter he read was very powerful, and you could see how moved both Leno and Moore were. Unfortunately, the audience did not seem as respectful or moved as one would think. Evidentally, Michael Moore has a big tendency to pull controversy and ‘boos’ out of audiences wherever he goes.

So, either there are a lot of conservatives in Burbank or Moore just has a bunch of conservative roadies who hate him. Take your pick. They both seem reasonable to me.

The Supreme Court decided today to reject a case on whether or not the Supreme Court’s decision in Massachusetts was constitutional. Thank goodness.

From the AP report:

“Critics of the November 2003 ruling by the highest court in Massachusetts argue that it violated the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of a republican form of government in each state. They lost at the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.

Their attorney, Mathew Staver, said in a Supreme Court filing that the Constitution should “protect the citizens of Massachusetts from their own state supreme court’s usurpation of power.”

Federal courts, he said, should defend people’s right “to live in a republican form of government free from tyranny, whether that comes at the barrel of a gun or by the decree of a court.”"

Evidentally a decision from the judicial branch of our republican form of government is tyranny. If that is the case, why do so many radical conservative clerics want Bush to appoint radical relgious conservatives like themselves to the Supreme Court?

Isn’t that only perpetuating the tyranny? I guess that is only if the decision doesn’t meet what they want. What a bunch of whackos.

The New York Times has a great story on the heated discussion that erupted between four religious leaders on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with Tim Russert.

The Reverend Al Sharpton (minister-politician who ran in the Democratic primaries), the Rev. Jerry Falwell (founder of the Moral Majority a.k.a. the Moron Majority), Jim Wallis (editor of Sojourners magazine), and Dr. Richard Land (president of Southern Baptist Conventions’s Ethics and Religious Commission) were all guests. Of course, with Sharpton AND Falwell together in one place, arguments were sure to arise.

According to the Times:

“Mr. Wallis said that he had voted for Senator John Kerry in the presidential election and that the values debate should not further divide the United States or its political parties.

“God is not a Republican or a Democrat,” Mr. Wallis said. “That should be obvious.”

At the heart of this debate is the separation between church and state in America.

Mr. Sharpton, a former Democratic candidate for president, said: “We’re talking about whether we have the right to impose what we believe on people that may disagree with us. Even God gives you a choice of heaven and hell. We don’t have a right to tell people we’re going to force them to live in a way that we want them to live and, therefore, they’re going to heaven.”

But Dr. Falwell has linked religious belief with political action. Prior to the election, Dr. Falwell wrote in a newsletter and on his Web site: “I believe it is the responsibility of every political conservative, every evangelical Christian, every pro-life Catholic, and every traditional Jew, every Reagan Democrat, and everyone in between to get serious about re-electing President Bush.”

Dr. Falwell said today that it was “my prayer and my hope” that Mr. Bush appoints Supreme Court justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade, the ruling that legalized abortion. He said that he believed that marriage was, by definition, between a man and a woman and that he supported the passage of a constitutional amendment defining it as such.

At one point Dr. Falwell asked Mr. Wallis how, as an ordained minister he could vote for Mr. Kerry, who supports abortion rights.

“I wouldn’t vote for my mother if she were pro-choice,” Dr. Falwell said.

Mr. Wallis replied: “Yeah. You endorsing George Bush. That’s fine. But you also called - you ordained him. You said all Christians could only vote for him. That’s ridiculous. There are Christians who voted for deep reasons of faith for both candidates.”

Mr. Wallis cited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as the public leader who best embodied that co-existence of church and state.

“He was welcoming,” Mr. Wallis said. “He was inviting. No one felt left out of that conversation.”

He added: “I think there’s a lot of common ground here. If values can be used to bring us together, faith and value should not be a wedge or a weapon that destroys and divides.”"

I recommend reading the whole article. I’m working on trying to find video. As soon as I do, I’ll post the link.

All I have to say is “Go Sharpton!”