Vision Circle

Labeling: Intellectually Lazy Thinking

Based on a ""conversation" I've gotten myself into on LaShawn's blog, I've noticed a continuing trend that I find fascinating.

"Liberals" call me "conservative".

"Conservatives" call me "liberal".

Define "liberal" or/and "conservative" and then define why I'm classified as such.

I can't, and don't, classify myself. I know most people won't even agree on the definitions of both labels when hard pressed.

The Frank Luntz Republican Playbook

As one who has been sick to death of hearing yang about the 'Southern Strategy' it is quite refreshing to use the internet as a real resource and find out exactly what they are doing today.

Here is a link to the hottest document in the blogosphere. Hosted at Vision Circle and available for posterity.

First is the Kos Scanned Version
This is a zipped file: luntz.zip that contains two PDFs of the scanned original document. I obtained this from The Daily Kos.

Download: luntz.zip
MD5: 50ec69dd29e8933c0a7a060f28842673

Second is the Ball Text Version
This is my PDF of a text transcription. It is not complete as of this posting but should be done by next week.

Political Punchbowl Pollution

Big Props to P6 and Faye Anderson for both calling out the 800lb turd in the republican punchbowl - and in so doing - helping me to precisely articulate the cause of my discomfort with the GOP. For any who wonder why it's so difficult to extend the benefit of the doubt to the administration on any contentious issue, for me, I'd have to say it's circumspection regarding the climate of consciousness in a collective which not only embraced but has continued to evolve the infamous southern strategy.

Being Blamed for Success

Someone please tell me what friggin' sense it makes to be angry at Blacks for voting for Democrats when it was white Republicans who instituted the Southern Strategy?

In other words, why are Blacks castigated for voting against a party that shunned them?

Why is it that when the history of the party is mentioned, it always stops before the Southern Strategy?

From Tony Snow:

After years in the political hinterlands, Republicans finally have discovered they can't win elections without appealing to hearts and they can't woo undecided voters unless they put forward a face that looks like a cola commercial -- filled with men and women, whites, blacks, Asian-Americans, Hispanics, you name it.

In other words, they have repudiated Richard Nixon's "Southern Strategy," which wrote off black voters in a quest to turn the Solid South into a Republican redoubt. While that strategy worked for Nixon, it cost the GOP dearly in the long run. Racial separatism may have enjoyed a quiet vogue as recently as the '70s, but no more -- and Powell was on the mark when he warned that Republicans have a long way to go before they assemble a credible and durable Rainbow Coalition of their own.

Black Contract With America on Moral Values

A charter such as this should have been drawn up by and for black folks the minute Thomas Sowell first mentioned it.

The question posed by Rev. Jackson to the Baptist Convention, i.e., "how many of you have been requested to perform same sex marriages in your church?" is right on point here. Some of the individual liberty and social justice issues confabulated with "morality" by the GOP are deeply troubling. As with the War on Terrorism, black folk should not be predisposed to accept any old thing coming out from under the GOP big tent. The "big tent" comfortably plays host to many a troubling and funky assemblage, and should always be handled with extreme caution.

I'm afraid that because we have failed to circle our own wagons and construct our own charter for change, we're now being cajoled into signing onto a Faustian agreement.

Republicans Reverse Course on Ethics Rules

I. AM. SHOCKED.

Republicans Reverse Course on Ethics Rules. (Reg. required)

By Mike Allen Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, January 4, 2005; Page A01

House Republican leaders last night abandoned proposals to loosen rules governing members' ethical conduct, as they yielded to pressure from rank and file lawmakers concerned that the party was sending the wrong message.

The proposals in question would have made it more difficult for lawmakes to discipline a colleague for unethical behavior and would have allowed Majority Leader Tom DeLay to keep his post in the event he is indicted by a Texas grand jury that is looking into his campaign finance practices.

The sudden reversal came amid growing indications of dissension within the GOP. Just before House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's office announced that the controversial measures were being dropped, the outgoing chairman of the House ethics committee issued an unusual statement denouncing the leadership's plan.

Rep. Joel Hefley (Colo.), who appears on the verge of being forced out as chairman after his committee voted three times last year to admonish DeLay, issued a statement criticizing the proposed rules changes as highly partisan and not in the best interests of the House

"Ethics reform must be bipartisan and this package is not bipartisan," Hefley said after sending his Republican colleagues a letter outlining his objections.

I guess the lesson of Newt Gingrich killing Democrat House members over the check bouncing wasn't forgotten.

The White Elephant in the Room - Race and Election 2004

Last night, Michael Savage was on about his usual hindbrain ravings, when lo and behold he said, "we need to step up the racist propaganda and images of arabs so that we can better crystallize our hatred and more effectively kill these enemies of our freedom...just like during WWII"

So today, when I received the link to this strong article in my inbox, I was primed to pass it along for your consideration and comment. Primary payload excerpted below;

"Racism – at home and abroad – is a central element of the Republican "moral values" and strategy. And racism is conciliated if not actively promoted by the Democratic focus on winning more white voters by moving to the right while taking voters of color virtually for granted..........This is not just rhetoric. The future of our country and the well-being of the world depend on us. We cannot stop the right's incessant drive to dominate the world's resources and to steamroll all opposition to that program unless we pose a clear alternative. A powerful vision of peace, jobs and justice is our only chance to mobilize the democratic sentiments and courage of all the people of our country."

Vote Splitting

Let's be real for a moment.

No group has made the conscience decision to split their vote so that they will be a factor in both parties.

Groups of people have aligned themselves with a political party because that party was deemed to fit their values.

Dixiecrats left the Democratic party because of civil rights issues.

The "religious right" went to the Republican party because of "moral" issues.

Sure, the Black vote should not be in one basket, but stop acting as though others haven't heavily aligned themselves with one party.

Enough of the silliness.

Tom Delay and Debt

Does anyone remember the House checking scandel?

The short version goes like this: Members of the House, controlled by Democrats, had the ability to write checks for whatever purpose they deemed fit. Many members of the House, bounced checks on a regular basis.

Newt Gingrich used this to beat ruling Democrats over the head. In short, he said it was proof that power corrupts.

Now, we have Tom Delay, facing indictment, being protected by the controlling party of the House; Republicans.

And this just in! Congress has raised the deficit ceiling by 800 billion dollars.

Sure, can't pay your bills because you are spending like a drunken sailor trying to lay a pretty woman, so raise your credit limit!

Dance Off

Bush vs. Kerry.

This is funny!