The Silly Season This Year Is ‘Certifiably Demented’
That comes from Tunku Varadarajan, a newcomer to the United States (which I just typed as “Untied States,” talk about Freudian slips). Here is more of an op-ed Varadarajan wrote (yesterday, obviously) at Forbes.com:
I write of the kooky reaction of many conservatives–politicians, citizens and commentators in the media–to the plan by President Obama to address the nation’s schoolchildren tomorrow. (And I write, please note, as a nonlefty libertarian who did not support Barack Obama in the presidential election.)
… According to a White House spokesman, the aim of the speech is “to challenge students to work hard in school, to not drop out and to meet short-term goals like behaving in class, [and] doing their homework …” If anyone thinks that’s unpalatable, subversive, Commie and un-American, I’d like to meet for a duel at dawn by the skating rink at New York’s Central Park. (Pick your weapon, Michelle Malkin and Glenn Beck …)
Obama’s original “lesson plan” had been to ask students auditing him to write letters to themselves outlining ways in which they could “help the president.” This seemingly earnest proposal provoked a reaction so vitriolic from sections on the political right that I began to wonder whether I was missing a point–to wonder, in fact, that I, as a recent immigrant to this country, had failed to integrate well enough to grasp the nuances of American political debate.
What to make of this conniption, for example, from Steve Russell, a Republican Oklahoma state senator? “As far as I am concerned, this is not civics education–it gives the appearance of creating a cult of personality. This is something you’d expect to see in North Korea or in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.” Kim-Jong Obama? You reckon? I concluded not, opting, instead, for the view that the senator had taken leave of his senses.
Kooky, too, was the paroxysm from Jim Greer, the chairman of the GOP in Florida, no less: He was “absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama’s socialist ideology.” And Rick Perry, the governor of Texas–a man I’d never call a kook, and I don’t propose to do so now, even though he has made some common cause with kooks on this issue–has said that he understood where the criticism of Obama was coming from. Perry, however, was at pains to point out that he’s “certainly not going to advise anybody not to send their kids to school [on Tuesday].”
Bravo, Governor: Why not give us a civics lesson, too, after the president has spoken? “Parents of America, the fact that the president of America is addressing your children is not, I repeat not, a reason to disrupt their education by keeping them at home…We cannot, repeat cannot, allow our schools to become no-go zones for presidents…”
And bravo to you, as well, Prof. Varadarajan.
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19 Responses to “The Silly Season This Year Is ‘Certifiably Demented’”
[...] … According to a White House spokesman, the aim of the speech is “to challenge students to work hard in school, to not Read more at http://themoderatevoice.com/45773/the-silly-season-this-year-is-certifiably-demented/ [...]
[...] books sales and a shower of publicity.But not when those authors or their books are conservative. The Silly Season This Year Is “Certifiably Demented” – themoderatevoice.com 09/09/2009 That comes from Tunku Varadarajan, a newcomer to the United [...]
Reading Mr. Varadarajan's comments, makes one wonder exactly why such a HUGE response from so many people came the way it did. In fact, it's been the subject of many of the posts as of late, from both the liberal and independent crowds, and even from a select few conservatives.
I've thought of this over the past two days. On the surface, I think the uproar should not have been so loud. However, if you dive into the “subconscious” reasons people act the way they do, you may find a possible answer. No, I'm not a psychologist, but bear with me for a second.
With all of the “conspiracy” theories out there about Barack Obama, be they true or false, it takes a toll on the collective feelings of society. Let's face it…. There have been more “issues” with Barack Obama than with any other president during my lifetime.
Do I believe Barack Obama is Muslim?
No. But semi-credible information is out there making that claim.
Do I believe Barack Obama is not a natural born US Citizen?
No. But semi-credible information is out there making that claim as well.
Do I believe that Barack Obama bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia?
No. But it looks that way from a certain camera angle.
That's the point.
After hearing those issues, and the refuting of those issues back and forth for over a year now; it naws at the psyche. Add that in with the constant back and forth about “socialism”, murky auras surrounding Czars, and many nation-altering potential bills; and it (at best) makes people pause when he wants to talk to their children.
And I'm talking about the “normal” Joe out there, not those right-wingers with an agenda. (Contrary to popular liberal belief; the majority of Americans are not all right-wing nuts, even those that carry guns, worship God, and disagree with their social agenda.)
Perhaps I'm wrong on this. If so, someone give me a better explaination.
But bravo to Mr. Varadarajan. Very well written piece.
A bunch of right-wing nuts with support from Fox News & Talk Radio (The unofficial voices of the Republican Party) decided to have a conniption fit, the corporate owned mass media let Fox News and Talk Radio set the agenda as they always do and there you have it.
Next week they will have another conniption fit over something else, equally meaningless…
A) He isn't…
B) And if he was? what would be the problem? It's a free country. Don't these people believe in separation of Church and State?
Obama is a natural born US Citizen, get over it… And there is no credible information claiming that he isn't a natural born US Citizen, just a bunch of rumors by the right-wing nuts with support from Fox News and Talk Radio (The unofficial voices of the Republican Party).
[...] The Silly Season This Year Is “Certifiably Demented” (themoderatevoice.com) [...]
The right wing sources that DQ mentions must not care about addressing the country's REAL problems- like the recession, high unemployment, the high costs of energy and health care, the war in the ME, the mortgage mess, etc, because they feel justified in creating these asinine distractions. They not only create them but they fan the flames until there's an uproar over what eventually turns out to be—-nothing.
So they are turning their listeners against the interests of their own country with mindless propaganda.
Now,why should the far right's candidates be voted back into power??
Many on the Left are ignorant and dishonest, perhaps increasingly so because they're defensive, as the intelligent public is increasingly concerned about what the Dems have been doing this year. Note that the false disparagement and slander and viciousness only digs the libs' moral and intellectual holes even deeper.
“After hearing those issues, and the refuting of those issues back and forth for over a year now; it naws at the psyche. Add that in with the constant back and forth about “socialism”, murky auras surrounding Czars, and many nation-altering potential bills; and it (at best) makes people pause when he wants to talk to their children.”
It's not only Obama. It's the lib Dems in Congress (most notably, the notorious ones in the House), who have become increasingly damaging and unrestrained — and Obama has begun to act like them and to take their side (agitating for the House climate bill, now for health care, and offending the public over the Gates affair). The public (at least, the intelligent public) has increasingly become concerned and more about the amount of spending and debt (making Bush's past years and stupid references to them now, by Democrats, meaningless), the increasing size and amount of federal government encroachment, and the flirtation with alienating extremism (in Obama's own administration in the case at least of Van Jones, as we know recently, who had to resign in embarrassment and disgrace), that has eroded trust and respect for the Congressional Dems
http://people-press.org/report/539/congressiona…
and for Obama, too.
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1333/obama-approval…
http://people-press.org/report/532/obamas-ratin…
Health care is turning into a disaster, at the Democrats' and Obama's own hands.
[...] The Silly Season This Year Is “Certifiably Demented” (themoderatevoice.com) [...]
DLS- Obama is doing what he campaigned he would do— a majority of voters wanted him in office- so why are you surprised about his agenda now?
[...] The Silly Season This Year Is “Certifiably Demented” (themoderatevoice.com) [...]
“Obama is doing what he campaigned he would do”
K, he assured us he was a “centrist” [sic; ordinary liberal], a “safe and sane” guy, not farther left.
The public didn't vote for far-left extremism (“progressive” politics). But that's what we're getting.
The perfect metaphor for where Republican Rule has lead us. A Los Angeles fireman looked under a fire truck stuck in a sinkhole in the Valley Village neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday. Four firefighters escaped injury after their 22-ton fire engine sunk into the large hole caused by a burst water main. (Nick Ut/Associated Press)
Get over it.
The 51% of Americans Voters who voted for Gore in 2000 did not expect to get a right wing neo-fascist government.
If he was a real far-left extremist, every financial institution that is to big to fail would already be nationalized, single payer would be the law, two or three new income tax brackets would have been created, gasoline taxes would have been raised and we would be cutting our military budget and getting out of Afghanistan.
So quit whining, he is just cleaning Bush's mess.
DLS, as far as I can tell he's governing like Clinton did- Clinton also tried to reform healthcare and also reached out to Republicans to get their ideas.
And if I remember correctly you opposed Obama during the election because you thought he was far too liberal.
His much ballyhooed speech to the schools came down to “stay in school and work hard- listen to your parents and take care of yourself”— not very radical- is it?
Maybe local officials had to sign some idiotic “no new taxes” pledge— in effect tying their hands to put any money into crumbling infrastructure. You can blame Grover Norquist for that.
I expect more of the same
If he were, would that be a problem? It wouldn't be a problem that he was Muslim, it would be a problem that he lied and said he was Christian. Whoosh, huh? I can understand your desire to stand up for Obama, but try not to be so short sighted when doing so. Look at the whole picture and not just the pretty flowers in it.
Get over it? The guy is agreeing with you – that he is a NBC! Jeeze – do you argue just to argue. Again, it's nice that you have such an overwhelming desire to stand up for Obama, but he is a big boy and I'm sure he will be just fine. Read the whole comment first and comprehend it first, before you jump to conclusions…the guy is on your side!
Centrist is subjective. What if Obama believes himself to be a Centrist? Kritt is completely right – if you had really listened to what he was saying and what others were saying about him – you should not be surprised by his actions.
Obama is doing exactly what he said he would do.
There were taped speeched and interviews with Obama while he was a State Senator, did you not listen to them? He considers himself to be a Progressive Centrist.
What part of what he said did you not understand – or bother listening to?
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