The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same
Did Bush lie? Who knows. Really, who cares.
Think about it. At the end of a day's debate, where we re-hash this issue for the billionth time, what gets accomplished? No hungry get fed.... No lost get found, no prisoners get witnessed to... And yet, people debate this kind of garbage over and over as if we are going to get anywhere or accomplish anything new.
Seriously, remember 8 years ago? We were trying to impeach Clinton (which people seemed to have forgotten) because he got his rocks off in the oval office with an intern. 8 years later, you'd have thought the guy walked on water. We almost nominated his wife as a presidential candidate.
This term, people wanted Bush impeached for lying (same group of blow hards, by the way, mark my words).
What we've not looked at is how stuck on stupid we are in this country. For some 200 years, we've voted like this:
Left
Right
Left
Right
Left
Right
Like in marked step, being marched straight to solitary confinement.
But check this out, we weren't always a strictly two party system. Here's the choices we had and took years ago near the birth of our Nation.
Federalists:
The Federalist Party (or Federal Party) was an American political party in the period 1792 to 1816, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801. The party was formed by Alexander Hamilton, who, during George Washington's first term, built a network of supporters, largely urban, to support his fiscal policies. These supporters grew into the Federalist Party, which wanted a fiscally sound and strong nationalistic government and was opposed by the Democratic-Republicans.
Democratic-Republicans:
The Democratic-Republican Party was founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in 1792. It became the dominant political party until the 1820s, when it split into competing factions, one of which became the modern-day Democratic Party. Its members identified the party as the Republicans, Jeffersonians, Democrats,[1] or combinations of these (Jeffersonian Republicans, etc.).[2]
Jefferson and Madison created the party in order to oppose the economic and foreign policies of the Federalists, a party created a year or so earlier by Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. Foreign policy issues were central; the party opposed the Jay Treaty of 1794 with Britain (then at war with France) and supported good relations with France before 1801. The party insisted on a strict construction of the Constitution, and denounced many of Hamilton's proposals (especially the national bank) as unconstitutional.[citation needed] The party promoted states' rights and the primacy of the yeoman farmer over bankers, industrialists, merchants, and other monied interests. From 1792 to 1816 the party opposed such Federalist policies as high tariffs, a navy, military spending, a national debt, and a national bank. After the military defeats of the War of 1812, however, the party split on these issues. Many younger party leaders, notably Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams and John C. Calhoun, became nationalists and wanted to build a strong national defense.[3] Meanwhile, the "Old Republican" faction led by John Randolph of Roanoke, William H. Crawford and Nathaniel Macon continued to oppose these policies. By 1828, the Old Republicans were supporting Andrew Jackson against Clay and Adams.
The Whig Party:
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from 1833 to 1856,[1] the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party. In particular, the Whigs supported the supremacy of Congress over the Executive Branch and favored a program of modernization and economic protectionism. Their name was chosen to echo the American Whigs of 1776, who fought for independence, and because "Whig" was then a widely recognized label of choice for people who saw themselves as opposing autocratic rule.[2] The Whig Party counted among its members such national political luminaries as Daniel Webster, William Henry Harrison, and their preeminent leader, Henry Clay of Kentucky. In addition to Harrison, the Whig Party also counted four war heroes among its ranks, including Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott. Abraham Lincoln was a Whig leader in frontier Illinois.
In its over two decades of existence, the Whig Party saw two of its candidates, Harrison and Taylor, elected President of the United States. Both, however, died in office. John Tyler became president after Harrison's death, but was expelled from the party, and Millard Fillmore, who became president after Taylor's death, was the last Whig to hold the nation's highest office.
The National Union Party:
The National Union Party was a political party in the United States from 1864 to 1868. It was an alliance between members of the Republican Party who backed incumbent President Abraham Lincoln and Northern Democrats (plus a few anti-Confederate Southerners such as Andrew Johnson) during and after the Civil War. Thus, for a brief period in American history, the Republican Party ceased to exist.
Today, there are other Parties, but most Americans (the less than 30% that actually vote) dismiss them as impossible to get into office, and keep voting for the same losers expecting things to change. You can always find some lady who declares, "Don't worry! We will vote the other guys in and things will get better!" regardless of the fact that this has historically never, ever panned out.
Why people can't look back with 20/20 and realize this mistake is costing us, and dearly, one has to wonder, and many Americans have simply stopped caring, doomed to be simply taken over by some faciest who will find that legal way to negate our precious constitution.
One thing is for certain: Arguing "talking points" over and over is getting us nowhere, and quickly.
Think about it. At the end of a day's debate, where we re-hash this issue for the billionth time, what gets accomplished? No hungry get fed.... No lost get found, no prisoners get witnessed to... And yet, people debate this kind of garbage over and over as if we are going to get anywhere or accomplish anything new.
Seriously, remember 8 years ago? We were trying to impeach Clinton (which people seemed to have forgotten) because he got his rocks off in the oval office with an intern. 8 years later, you'd have thought the guy walked on water. We almost nominated his wife as a presidential candidate.
This term, people wanted Bush impeached for lying (same group of blow hards, by the way, mark my words).
What we've not looked at is how stuck on stupid we are in this country. For some 200 years, we've voted like this:
Left
Right
Left
Right
Left
Right
Like in marked step, being marched straight to solitary confinement.
But check this out, we weren't always a strictly two party system. Here's the choices we had and took years ago near the birth of our Nation.
Federalists:
The Federalist Party (or Federal Party) was an American political party in the period 1792 to 1816, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801. The party was formed by Alexander Hamilton, who, during George Washington's first term, built a network of supporters, largely urban, to support his fiscal policies. These supporters grew into the Federalist Party, which wanted a fiscally sound and strong nationalistic government and was opposed by the Democratic-Republicans.
Democratic-Republicans:
The Democratic-Republican Party was founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in 1792. It became the dominant political party until the 1820s, when it split into competing factions, one of which became the modern-day Democratic Party. Its members identified the party as the Republicans, Jeffersonians, Democrats,[1] or combinations of these (Jeffersonian Republicans, etc.).[2]
Jefferson and Madison created the party in order to oppose the economic and foreign policies of the Federalists, a party created a year or so earlier by Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. Foreign policy issues were central; the party opposed the Jay Treaty of 1794 with Britain (then at war with France) and supported good relations with France before 1801. The party insisted on a strict construction of the Constitution, and denounced many of Hamilton's proposals (especially the national bank) as unconstitutional.[citation needed] The party promoted states' rights and the primacy of the yeoman farmer over bankers, industrialists, merchants, and other monied interests. From 1792 to 1816 the party opposed such Federalist policies as high tariffs, a navy, military spending, a national debt, and a national bank. After the military defeats of the War of 1812, however, the party split on these issues. Many younger party leaders, notably Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams and John C. Calhoun, became nationalists and wanted to build a strong national defense.[3] Meanwhile, the "Old Republican" faction led by John Randolph of Roanoke, William H. Crawford and Nathaniel Macon continued to oppose these policies. By 1828, the Old Republicans were supporting Andrew Jackson against Clay and Adams.
The Whig Party:
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from 1833 to 1856,[1] the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party. In particular, the Whigs supported the supremacy of Congress over the Executive Branch and favored a program of modernization and economic protectionism. Their name was chosen to echo the American Whigs of 1776, who fought for independence, and because "Whig" was then a widely recognized label of choice for people who saw themselves as opposing autocratic rule.[2] The Whig Party counted among its members such national political luminaries as Daniel Webster, William Henry Harrison, and their preeminent leader, Henry Clay of Kentucky. In addition to Harrison, the Whig Party also counted four war heroes among its ranks, including Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott. Abraham Lincoln was a Whig leader in frontier Illinois.
In its over two decades of existence, the Whig Party saw two of its candidates, Harrison and Taylor, elected President of the United States. Both, however, died in office. John Tyler became president after Harrison's death, but was expelled from the party, and Millard Fillmore, who became president after Taylor's death, was the last Whig to hold the nation's highest office.
The National Union Party:
The National Union Party was a political party in the United States from 1864 to 1868. It was an alliance between members of the Republican Party who backed incumbent President Abraham Lincoln and Northern Democrats (plus a few anti-Confederate Southerners such as Andrew Johnson) during and after the Civil War. Thus, for a brief period in American history, the Republican Party ceased to exist.
Today, there are other Parties, but most Americans (the less than 30% that actually vote) dismiss them as impossible to get into office, and keep voting for the same losers expecting things to change. You can always find some lady who declares, "Don't worry! We will vote the other guys in and things will get better!" regardless of the fact that this has historically never, ever panned out.
Why people can't look back with 20/20 and realize this mistake is costing us, and dearly, one has to wonder, and many Americans have simply stopped caring, doomed to be simply taken over by some faciest who will find that legal way to negate our precious constitution.
One thing is for certain: Arguing "talking points" over and over is getting us nowhere, and quickly.
1 comments:
Just a side-note... The Modern Whig Party is back. So far it has 3,000 members, a strong military membership and word is will be featured in the media soon.
http://www.modernwhig.org
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