I have lived though many of the changes in history in my America. We have never had such extremist, selfish views expressed by so many in the past century. It seems to indicate some believe political extremism by both parties is the norm.
The statement that America became great because it rejected compromise and moderation is not supported today. The example of F.D.R activating the National Guard to protect the workers who were being prevented from entering the steel mills and factories because they had organized Unions to insist on decent wages and job security.
That was 1935, I saw the troops and lived to see the American middle class grow from that compromise reached with the Industrial Barons. By then, they also saw the wisdom in agreeing to large tax concessions to save the nation from bankruptcy.
Moderation is the term I would use in describing the policies of President Harry Truman and his predecessors. They were balanced by compromises with those in Congress from the southern states.
To suggest that we must continue as a divided nation is to reject what our Founding Fathers wished for their country. They adopted the phrase E. Pluribus Unum, “Out of many, one” the motto of the United States inscribed on our coins and blended in the words of the Preamble of our Constitution
Richard Tracy, Sr.
Mesa
Slabside posted at 11:52 am on Fri, Nov 4, 2011.
Dale Whiting's suck up posts: "The closest thing to a minority I ever saw at a Know-Nothing tea party rally was a sign that made a references to "niggar" or "imam" etc. etc. etc."
Please post a link to this news story with it's picture to substantiate this lie IF you can Cerulean. I won't hold my breath.
Cerulean posted at 8:09 am on Fri, Nov 4, 2011.
"And when was the last time you saw a picture of a Tea Party ralley with a minority pictured in it?" Good question. The closest thing to a minority I ever saw at a Know-Nothing tea party rally was a sign that made a references to "niggar" or "imam" etc. etc. etc. .
I find it interesting that Leon mentions the net worth of some representatives. I recently read that George Washington at the time of his presidency was the richest man in America. And, the newly written constitutions all of the states (less Pennsylvania) were, for example, like the constitution of Maryland that read to “run for governor one had to own 5,000 pounds of property; to run for state senator, 1,000 pounds.”
Today, while not written into the constitutions of states, having money is still a mandate because it costs so much to run for office.
A Peoples History of the United States, by H. Zinn ppg 82
Slabside posted at 1:02 am on Fri, Nov 4, 2011.
Dale says, "Placing myself in the shoes of a neo-conservative [someone like you] I referred to President Obama as a mixed race Democrat."
You see Dale, this is where you and I are totally different. I see Obama as a MAN. I see him as a lousy president. Not once have I ever brought his skin color into question. You do it repeatably and so does Rodini.
You are a liberal racist and you prove it by this post:
Dale Whiting posted at 7:36 am on Mon, Sep 5, 2011.
"We Whites do have own support groups. Ever heard of the KKK? And when was the last time you saw a picture of a Tea Party ralley with a minority pictured in it?"
Sorry Dale, none of your back peddling, straw man building and "out of context" claims will color you in any light other than a leftist racist.
The dry cleaner called... your white hood and sheet are ready for pick up.
Dale Whiting posted at 7:22 pm on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
P.S.
For those of you who would hold me to my priciple of staying on topic, here in this article the topic is compromise. And I observed in Barack Obama's life and story someone who was known for his ability to make compromises, "a moderate who was known for compromises." That's what got him elected to his post as president of the Harvard Law Review, helped make him a successful "community organizer," a trait Neo-cons distain, and made hims successful in the Illinois Legislature.
Dale Whiting posted at 7:18 pm on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
Slabside,
Let's take a closer look at the words I chose.
"Was it because we elected a mixed race Democrat? Or do conservatives really have cause to gripe?"
Placing myself in the shoes of a neo-conservative [someone like you] I referred to President Obama as a mixed race Democrat.
And then, because Neo-conservatives tend to over-symplify issues and mis-catagorize that which they either do not understand or disagree with as being Liberal, you called me a "bigoted liberal." I'm a classical conservative.
Recall, this life-time registered Republican, when faced with the choice of John McCain/Sarah Palin [McCain being in his seventies so choice of running mate became crucial], and Barack Obama/Joe Biden, read both of Obama's books coming to recognize in his writings and in his past performance a moderate who was known for compromises and in McCain "Faith of My Fathers" a truely sad story of a looser whose father had to stoop down and rescue him time after time, found the choice becoming simple. Vote for a repeated looser or vote for Obama. And Sarah Palin was a clown and hand pupet of a governor, at least according to the few Alaskans I know.
Now let's see if anyone among the current flock of Republicans can put on a better showing of themselves than did McCain in 2008. [I voted for McCain in 2000 over Bush 43 in the primary and we all lost with Bush 43.]
So far, I'm not much impressed. I liked Romney version 1.0 [as did I like McCain version 1.0 in 2000] and I still like Huntsman. But the rest of the crowd are a cast of comic clowns running around in their communial clown mobile! Before each circus act, we are entertained by these clowns.
Notwithstanding the "the economny stupid," it would appear that Barach Obama will get a second term! We come to the show to see the main acts, not the clowns!
JMJ posted at 6:38 pm on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
"A house divided against itself cannot stand." - - Abraham Lincoln
We are fast becoming a divided nation, and compromise would certainly help to accomplish something--anything, at this point. We need a starting point.
"Divide and conquer" has always been a good strategy to get everyone involved in all the in-fighting and chaos, and then moving in for "the kill". We have people who are finding themselves in poverty with all the shenanigans of the past four years. Not eveyone inherits daddy's company. Middle class people are fast sliding into the depths of financial ruin through no fault of their own.
Warren Buffett hasn't bailed me out, this week, for $5B so I could maintain my existence. Any of you been bailed out, this week?
If we could get to a place of compromise, that would, indeed, be a place to start. But, on this very site, if anyone disagrees with the Republican point of view, they are immediately shot down as communists and socialists.
I would love it if we could eliminate the lower class drag on the rest of our tax monies through social services which allow people to avoid responsibility and stay in poverty. In the meantime, the people who have slipped into poverty, through no fault of their own, could use a hand, now. We need to provide jobs for people so they can put food on the table for their kids--trust me, they'd much rather be able to do that themselves than be forced to ask for a hand-out. There's a difference between generational povert, and circumstantial poverty.
I am now girding myself for all the "commie" and "socialist" comments that will be flung my way because a suggestion has been made. The suggestion? We need to create jobs, or pull them from their outsourcing, overseas, and bring them back to the U.S. We need to bring the manufacture of products back to the U.S.
How pathetic is it that I buy a red wagon for my grandkid that comes from China?
Big business has used communist countries which have no workers' rights to manufacture our products long enough. That's communism. Not providing U.S. jobs for U.S. citizens.
Tag, you're "it". I have put up my shield to deflect all the criticism. I'm ready!
truth posted at 2:56 pm on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
Ask yourself who gains, why we play like children blaming the other side for all our failures as they are taking everything that once represented AMERICA, keep it up and their will not be the AMERICA we once loved and thrived ln, FOR ALL AMERICANS remember our government for the last two decades have been both equally at fault. Our founding fathers set up 3 branches so there would be compromise.
gc coyote posted at 2:18 pm on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
I do not have a problem with deporting illegals as long as it is in the confines of the law. Profiling is not in the confines of the law.
Wasn't there a report out recently that we deported a record number last year.
Rich posted at 1:47 pm on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
"We know we can not deport all the illegal/undocumented alliens without infringing on the Constitional rights of just one U.S. citizen."
Then the government has no business doing it. We've ceded far too many rights because the government finds it 'impossible' to do its job within the confines of the law. The solution might just be to elect people who can do it within the confines of the law. Or is that too much to ask?
gc coyote posted at 1:14 pm on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
Slabside,
Thanks for listing the Democratic politicians all willing to raise taxes on themselves. Why will their Republican counter parts not do the same?
We know we can not deport all the illegal/undocumented alliens without infringing on the Constitional rights of just one U.S. citizen. And nobody wants to make the mistake President Reagan made and give 100% amnesty. So the answer is some where inbetween. That is going to take compromise.
Compromise is not a dirty word. It is how we work through are issues and problems in ths country.
Cerulean posted at 12:24 pm on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
I understand that in the 1930’s that AFL (American Federation of Labor) and the CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations) ruled the day. The advantage workers had was the overall reliance on manufacturing and the ability of Unions to control total rebellious mayhem. Moderation is much easier to negotiate under those conditions.
The crisis we face today is our debt. So – what is the bargaining chip? The wealthy feel no pressure to reduce the debt, they will always have excellent health-care. The gift we can give ourselves is to elect leaders who have the ability to ‘moderate’ the influence of large corporate interest.
Slabside posted at 10:28 am on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
1. Democrat Nancy Pelosi has a networth of 58 million
2. Democrat Hillary Clinton has a networth of 34 million
3. Democrat Bill Clinton has a networth of 80 million
4. Democrat Senator Herb Kohn has a networth of 231 million
5. Democrat Congressman Jarel Polis has a networth of 161 million
6. Democrat Senator Jay Rockefeller has a networth of 82 million
7. Democrat Senator Mark Warner has a networth 70 million
8. Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal has a networth of 64 million
9. Democrat Senator Frank Lautenberg has a networth of 50 million
10. Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein has a networth of 46 million
11. Democrat Congressman Harry Teague has a networth of 40 million
12. Democrat Congress woman Jane Harman has a networth of 112 million
13. Democrat Senator John Kerry has a networth of 188 million
Oh yes Ratdini... it's all Republicans!!
Rich posted at 10:25 am on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
"What say you? It is useless? Ay, I know
But who fights ever hoping for success?
I fought for lost cause, and for fruitless quest!
You there, who are you! — You are thousands! Ah!
I know you now, old enemies of mine!
Falsehood!
Have at you! Ha! and Compromise!
Prejudice, Treachery! ...
Surrender, I?
Parley? No, never! You too, Folly, — you?
I know that you will lay me low at last;
Let be! Yet I fall fighting, fighting still!"
Edmond Rostand. Cyrano de Bergerac, Act 5, Sc. 6
Rodini posted at 10:08 am on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
IRRATIONAL HUMAN...are you Joe McCarthy's long lost brother...seeing communism when it really no longer exists anywhere in the world? What a laugher!
China, Russia and most other nations that once were communist are all drifting slowly away from it. It is dying and nearly dead.
Only ignorance equates communism with socialism.
It's FEAR....the one quality all Republicans share in common....fear of anyone taking anything away from them, even if it is to relieve poverty and put food in kids mouths and create the common good!
Praise the day when Republicans wake up and realize income equality is a good thing and not something to FEAR!
Our nation was once looked up to by the vast majority of the worlds citizens...back in the 50's, 60's and 70's.
Then trickle down lies were told and the rich got richer while the poor got poorer and now we are mocked and ridiculed by most of the world's citizens who in general are smarter than Americans because they have more highly educated people. Why? Because they encourage everyone to get college degrees without going into deep debt to do so by offering free or very low cost higher education.
America has much to learn and we'd all better hope the lessons are learned sooner rather than later, because we have let the Republican money machine drag the majority of America into a bottomless pit!
Slabside posted at 9:00 am on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
Dale says, "Was it because we elected a mixed race Democrat?"
And yet again, Dale shows all here what a bigoted liberal he really is.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 8:08 am on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
Folks, let's look a little more closely to "Mr. Moderation and Compromise".
1. .."because they had organized Unions to insist on decent wages and job security.
2. ..."they saw the wisdom in agreeing to large tax consessions to save the nation from bankruptcy".
3. "Industrial Barons".
Well, that sure looks like the ..."Obama-Democrat" Union Give-away, Tax the Rich who work to give to the Poor who don't want to work" Socialism...and "Industrial Barons"..do you call that a ..."moderate" term or a ..."denigration".
Folks, putting...Lipstick On A Pig....doesn't change what you are looking at...a "Pig" is still a "Pig" whether it has Lipstick on or not.
Liberal-Socialism is still.....Liberal-Socialism...whether you call it ..."Moderation and Compromise"....or what it really is.
Rational Human posted at 6:45 am on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
The light of socialism Dale? Yes, when they finally succeed in bringing down American, will we all see the light of communism? lol
Dale Whiting posted at 6:37 am on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
Division has become the political theme. Was it because we elected a mixed race Democrat? Or do conservatives really have cause to gripe? Where we already had inefficient even wasteful healthcare programs and a change was in order, was it wrong to try to modernize and improve them instead of terminating them on the spot?
I suggest we need to be humbled by a truely Greater Depression. Then maybe we can see the light!
Rational Human posted at 6:32 am on Thu, Nov 3, 2011.
Things have changed for the worse Richard. Since 1953 there has been an infiltration of our country by communism. It is out to destroy American from within.
http://www.therightscoop.com/open-thread-grinding-america-down
America is like a healthy body, and it’s resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas America will collapse from within. - Joseph Stalin