Good ole Tinsley-filter. Obama's attempts to explain come down to the old "some of my friends are ______"
Oddly enough, if he's observed that Americans are becoming bitter and clinging to things that make them feel more in control (i.e. guns, immigration restriction, and religion) that makes him less elitist than the guy who doesn't give a rat's arse and assumes everyone is happy and good and pure and warm and fuzzy.
Factinista asks why the public has given Bush a free pass. It hasn't; during the first campaign and for eight months of his first term, he was a complete joke in the media--the silver-spoon-sucking little snot whose Daddy shuffled him up the ladder of success every time he failed. He got into office mostly because of the vicious machine lurking in the shadows behind him, and partly because he ran as "one of us li'l people"--and as an addled, ignorant sap, he could convince other addled, ignorant saps that this was true.
Besides, we were doing all right--and that makes for a complacent voter, ready to vote for any idiot promising Reaganomics-style tax-cuts and similar fiscal fantasies. (Then came 9-11--conveniently--and everything changed. It was suddenly unwise to treat the joke as anything less than Our Beloved Savior. Neocons immediately flooded the corporate-owned media they were already infesting, and we all saw the hatchet-job that was performed on Dan Rather.)
And Bush (well, his speechwriters, handlers, and other puppeteers, anyway) had enough sense that instead of "they are bitter," Bush would say, "we are bitter," and edit out the "frustrated fundie gun-nut" element in its entirety.
See, I can call voters "addled, ignorant saps" and "complacent" idiots and "frustrated fundie gun-nuts" because I'm not freaking running for office.
Chalk it up to experience--and be glad it's already passed. I've seen flourishing presidential campaigns completely derailed over far less.
And be thankful that Tinny's too incompetent to have picked up on the mid-campaign Caribbean mini-vacation for material. He could've drawn the candidate lounging poolside under a "Mission Accomplished" banner.
Or he could've hit both Dem candidates over the tax-return hoohah (in which the Obama camp demanded the Clintons release their tax returns, then used Clinton's large investment profits to infer elitism and suspicions of wrongdoing--to the delight of right-wing pundits, as that was also the justification for the ten-year Whitewater investigation--then quickly dropped the subject when the Obamas revealed they had made a few millions as well, just not as much).
...Has it been two weeks since that "Annie Oakley" nonsense? (Tip: when your opponent makes herself look foolish, don't draw the attention to you by carrying on about it. Just continue to pretend such things are beneath you.)
"OBAMA IS AN ELITIST BIGOT!!! How dare a black man have the AUDACITY to speak out and characterize some (probably white) people in a certain way! I mean he's black and totally not flying around in his wifes personal jet. How can we trust him?"
I thought it was usually conservatives who came out with the "some of my best friends" claptrap. Tinhat seems (from this and at least one other cartoon) to think it's a hallmark of liberals. Most of the ones I know understand that it's wretched excuses and essentially hiding behind your friends.
I thought it was usually conservatives who came out with the "some of my best friends" claptrap. Tinhat seems (from this and at least one other cartoon) to think it's a hallmark of liberals.
I have to laugh at the way it's become politically dangerous to characterize Americans as anything other than optimistic happy people. It makes it hard to point out problems that need to be addressed, because if you say people are demoralized or frustrated or bitter, your opponent will accuse you of insulting people. People aren't pissed off, bitter, angry, scared, or depressed. They're tough, resourceful, resilient, innovative, and optimistic.
"I have faith in the American people" has become the standard meaningless response to anyone who would point out that people are hurting because of political/economic conditions. I'm so sick of hearing that phrase, because it allows politicians to pretend that they don't have to do anything, and implies that it's okay for people to get fucked over, because they'll get over it eventually.
11 comments:
Has there ever been a major presidential candidate who wasn't a member of the elite? It kinda takes a lot of money to run a campaign.
And how on earth has the Yale-educated millionaire draft-dodger that currently holds the office gotten a free pass on this from the public thus far?
There are bitter xenophobic gun nuts.
Good ole Tinsley-filter. Obama's attempts to explain come down to the old "some of my friends are ______"
Oddly enough, if he's observed that Americans are becoming bitter and clinging to things that make them feel more in control (i.e. guns, immigration restriction, and religion) that makes him less elitist than the guy who doesn't give a rat's arse and assumes everyone is happy and good and pure and warm and fuzzy.
Factinista asks why the public has given Bush a free pass. It hasn't; during the first campaign and for eight months of his first term, he was a complete joke in the media--the silver-spoon-sucking little snot whose Daddy shuffled him up the ladder of success every time he failed. He got into office mostly because of the vicious machine lurking in the shadows behind him, and partly because he ran as "one of us li'l people"--and as an addled, ignorant sap, he could convince other addled, ignorant saps that this was true.
Besides, we were doing all right--and that makes for a complacent voter, ready to vote for any idiot promising Reaganomics-style tax-cuts and similar fiscal fantasies. (Then came 9-11--conveniently--and everything changed. It was suddenly unwise to treat the joke as anything less than Our Beloved Savior. Neocons immediately flooded the corporate-owned media they were already infesting, and we all saw the hatchet-job that was performed on Dan Rather.)
And Bush (well, his speechwriters, handlers, and other puppeteers, anyway) had enough sense that instead of "they are bitter," Bush would say, "we are bitter," and edit out the "frustrated fundie gun-nut" element in its entirety.
See, I can call voters "addled, ignorant saps" and "complacent" idiots and "frustrated fundie gun-nuts" because I'm not freaking running for office.
Chalk it up to experience--and be glad it's already passed. I've seen flourishing presidential campaigns completely derailed
over far less.
And be thankful that Tinny's too incompetent to have picked up on the mid-campaign Caribbean mini-vacation for material. He could've drawn the candidate lounging poolside under a "Mission Accomplished" banner.
Or he could've hit both Dem candidates over the tax-return hoohah (in which the Obama camp demanded the Clintons release their tax returns, then used Clinton's large investment profits to infer elitism and suspicions of wrongdoing--to the delight of right-wing pundits, as that was also the justification for the ten-year Whitewater investigation--then quickly dropped the subject when the Obamas revealed they had made a few millions as well, just not as much).
...Has it been two weeks since that "Annie Oakley" nonsense? (Tip: when your opponent makes herself look foolish, don't draw the attention to you by carrying on about it. Just continue to pretend such things are beneath you.)
In other comics: OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. (Check out the accompanying Reuters link for the full effect.)
And I thought the Squidbillies episode about "truck nuts" was insane...better make sure the ol' passport's up-to-date.
classic Republican projection:
"OBAMA IS AN ELITIST BIGOT!!! How dare a black man have the AUDACITY to speak out and characterize some (probably white) people in a certain way! I mean he's black and totally not flying around in his wifes personal jet. How can we trust him?"
I thought it was usually conservatives who came out with the "some of my best friends" claptrap. Tinhat seems (from this and at least one other cartoon) to think it's a hallmark of liberals. Most of the ones I know understand that it's wretched excuses and essentially hiding behind your friends.
I don't think Tinhat knows what the hell.
Isn't it supposed to be part of Mallard's curmudgeonly charm that he's defined by being bitter and xenophobic?
...part of Mallard's curmudgeonly charm that he's defined by being bitter and xenophobic?
The elitist wealthy Hollywood media bigot liberals never take a talking duck seriously. Mallard's striking a blow for Daffys and Donalds everywhere!
I thought it was usually conservatives who came out with the "some of my best friends" claptrap. Tinhat seems (from this and at least one other cartoon) to think it's a hallmark of liberals.
Tinsley thinks he's being humorously ironic.
I have to laugh at the way it's become politically dangerous to characterize Americans as anything other than optimistic happy people. It makes it hard to point out problems that need to be addressed, because if you say people are demoralized or frustrated or bitter, your opponent will accuse you of insulting people. People aren't pissed off, bitter, angry, scared, or depressed. They're tough, resourceful, resilient, innovative, and optimistic.
"I have faith in the American people" has become the standard meaningless response to anyone who would point out that people are hurting because of political/economic conditions. I'm so sick of hearing that phrase, because it allows politicians to pretend that they don't have to do anything, and implies that it's okay for people to get fucked over, because they'll get over it eventually.
12xuser - you're exactly right. It's like telling an accident victim "I have faith in you!" instead of staunching the bleeding.
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