Private Problems

Rick Santorum apparently had a rough meeting with four parents of gay children last night. Following the meeting, one of them described the Pennsylvania Senator as "condescending, belligerent, argumentative and arrogant."

A spokeswoman for Mr. Santorum, Erica Clayton Wright, described the meeting as "a very professional and polite exchange." She declined to give details, however, saying, "Constituent meetings are private."

Unlike certain other things.

Comments

[Lefty]

Yeah, he's remarkable at appealing to that part of us that just wants to kick some ass.

As for Greenspan, he's an inflation-phobe. Big deficits spawn higher interest rates which leads to inflation. He got his wings during the Carter years when home mortgages were 14% and he fears a return to that more than anything. Some of the right has a problem with him, as you say, but he also caught shit from the left for not tightening credit requirements during the boom-time '90's. Overall, I think people trust him, though, and Bush would have some 'splainin' to do if he let him go.

Regardless of all this, the key for Bush is if he can keep the media in his corner. If they get tired of cheerleading or if he gets over the top on the manipulation or if there's even a hint of scandal, they'll eat him alive.

Yours truly, sans needle

Lefty

[david f]

hey lefty!

thanks! i didn't know that about greenie's beginnings. of course being an inflationphobe makes sense -- just look at the Bundesbank's old policies. so yeah.

also, that part about bush appealing to the "ass kickin' type" in each one of us -- it's all part of the simple two step plan for mastering life:
Step 1: Find Ass
Setp 2: Kick it.

have a great weekend!
drf

[Russ]

Lefty,

Could you please explain to me how higher interest rates leads to inflation? By your reasoning, the Fed should be lowering rates to fight inflation... Where did you study economics?

[Croesus]

Russ,

I thought it was supposed to be the exact opposite. Though lowering interest rates isn't exactly a cure-all either.

You know Greenspan is a former acolyte of Ayn Rand. She used to rail at the Fed and power over interest rates. She is likely rolling over in grave concerning Greenspan. 🙂

[Anonymous]

in the sexual battlefield at least, the republicans are hopelessly outgunned 😀 talk about your over compensation!

i.e. finally an issue the democrats can get behind 😀 no pun intended!

[Anonymous]

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/122/editorials/Santorum_s_passions+.shtml

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/122/oped/Bias_masked_as_inclusion_+.shtml

[Anonymous]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-04-30-florida_x.htm
Gay-tolerant societies prosper economically 😀

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,947880,00.html
Sex, Drugs and Cheap Labour :)(aka the new "Democracy! Whiskey! Sexy!" 🙂

[david f]

greetings! happy friday, all!

as our friend Laz Long noted, Bush is a master of the machivellian realpolitik -- is this yet another move? by solidifying the conservative base, by speaking out on a subject with which many democrats here in the midwest would agree (at least to a certain extent) -- the note in anon's second link makes sense -- the conservatives are really grabbing support. they are using a senator's opinion and running with it. just as that plane bit yesterday really gets people pumped up about the prez, he's smacking against the liberal wing that would have "jenny has two mommies" on the first grade reading lists. that resonates well, i'd bet, with all with more conservative leanings.

however, i doubt whether these types of side shows are to distract us from the economy, as the editorial suggests (after all, we have reality TV, salad shooters, tae bo classes (or is "spinning" the current way of pretending to be in shape this week?), and many other things to distract us from the economy), but compare Bush's reactions with Clinton's:

billie c would be bending in all sorts of ways (maybe some sort of "white trash mating dance") to try and please everybody. if we were lucky, he'd squirt a few tears (of course, so he could squirt a bit... sorry. it's friday, you know?), and get every body sorta confused and warm and gushy. and he'd do it without saying a damn thing. i guess that is impressive, too. just a different style.

bush took this head on and doesn't apologize or do anything indecisive. that black and white approach really seems to resonate with the populace. and those who hated clinton appreciate this style; and those who liked the clintonesque way, bash bushie on this.

i am fully against bush and santorum -- i find the notion that the griswold case opened up a pandora's box of moral decay to be nonsense -- afterall, even in that myth about the garden of eden, there was a choice either to eat the apple or not. isn't making the "proper choice" in the face of good vs evil a component of judeo-christian morality? either way, i think they should have eaten the snake instead -- tastes just like, well, snake. where does this "verboten" attitude come from in these branches of christianity?

but agree or disagree with either the comments or the support that the president makes or demonstrates, but this politiking is amazing.

cheers!
drf

[Lefty]

The Boy Emperor announces the re-appointment of Alan Greenspan who thanks him by again trashing his tax cut plans. He then flies onto an aircraft carrier in his pilot gear, reminding everybody of his National Guard career. This, while arranging his next coronation as close to the anniversary of 911 as possible, not really sure what the public (media) mood will be by then.

Brilliant.

[david f]

hey lefty -

and people love it (anyways). jeez. my uncle in indy thinks this guy is the greatest leader in the country's history.

he really found a way to appeal to a die hard group.

as for greenspan, dont' you think that then when the economy doesn't get better that greenie can get blamed -- after all, many conservatives blame greenspan for the recession that tanked bush the first. so he's still there and that would also placate the dems who worship AG...

or is that grasping too far here?

looking for that needle-ly,
drf

[Diggle]

Watching those pics on CNN last night I understood that we are indeed stuck with the Bush. Possibly the most blatantly contrived photo op ever, and Georgie pulled it off. Brilliantly. We may as well get used to seeing that footage, 'cause it's going to play a major role in his now-inevitable reelection. Economic instability or outright collapse, I just don't see ANY of the available Dems beating this guy under ANY probable circumstances.

[Anonymous]

yeah, he's appealing to the JAG demo! we're living in bush's world now 😀

[Lefty]

Russ, sorry about that. You're right. I should have said deficits instead of high interest rates.

Tail between my legs, humiliated.

[omnibus bill]

Croesus,

Don't sweat it. If Ayn Rand is rolling over in the grave, you can rest assured it is someone else's, and she's only doing it to switch positions, the better to pleasure herself.

[Dunlap Amy]

EMAIL: [e-mail]
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DATE: 02/28/2004 02:41:16
It's never right to say always, and always wrong to say never.