Tea party wins in northeastern primaries could bode well for Democrats

[Via_Dolorosa]

No, Emanuel was talking about how a crisis opens policy windows that are usually closed during normal times. The statement was very telling and, in my experience, 100% correct.

When did you get the memo from Rahm where he told you what he was thinking?

 

[Via_Dolorosa]

Not that it really matters, but that doesn’t entirely describe his situation. Aside from the fact that nobody knows whether he was really an “academic star” in law school or not, (grades and courses not available) he didn’t work as a community organizer after law school for any significant time, if at all. He did work as the director of a largely Church funded organization for three years before law school and was an instructor at another organization at the same time.

He graduated from law school in 1991 and went to work for a law firm in 1992, also teaching at University of Chicago. During his “community organizer” and student period, he did manage to afford a three week trip to Europe and a five week trip to Africa.

His fortunes did improve when he was elected to the state senate in 1997. His wife was hired by a medical complex that created a new job for her at that point and paid her $120,000/year. But then, he got state money channeled to her employer and they raised her to $317,000/year as a third-year employee. As soon as she left for Washington with him, the employer terminated the position entirely.

I’m sure you got this info from his 'biographer"

Well, and there was a book deal in there, and the house deal with Rezko.

So, he wasn’t on “poverty row” very long, if he ever was.

 

[a_priori]

I can think of one Republican. Not more than one, though.

Meaningless.

“So the final conclusion would seem to be that whereas other civilizations had been brought down by attacks of barbarians from without, ours had the unique distinction of training its own destroyers at its own educational institutions and providing them with facilities for propagating their destructive ideology far and wide, all at the public expense. Thus did Western man decide to abolish himself, creating his own boredom out of his own affluence, his own vulnerability out of his own strength, his own impotence out of his own erotomania; himself blowing the trumpet that brought the walls of his own city tumbling down. And having convinced himself that he was too numerous, labored with pill and scalpel and syringe to make himself fewer, until at last, having educated himself into imbecility and polluted and drugged himself into stupefaction, he keeled over, a weary, battered old brontosaurus, and became extinct.” -Malcolm Muggeridge.

 

[Ocean52680]

When did you get the memo from Rahm where he told you what he was thinking?

Because this is how it works in Congress.

 

[a_priori]

I can think of one Republican. Not more than one, though.

Meaningless.

“It has become abundantly clear in the second half of the twentieth century that Western Man has decided to abolish himself. Having wearied of the struggle to be himself, he has created his own boredom out of his own affluence, his own impotence out of his own erotomania, his own vulnerability out of his own strength; himself blowing the trumpet that brings the walls of his own city tumbling down, and, in a process of auto-genocide, convincing himself that he is too numerous, and labouring accordingly with pill and scalpel and syringe to make himself fewer in order to be easier prey for his enemies; until at last, having educated himself into imbecility, and polluted and drugged himself into stupefaction, he keels over, a weary, battered old brontosaurus, and becomes extinct.”-Malcolm Muggeridge,* Jesus, The Man Who Lives*, p.33

 

[Via_Dolorosa]

Meaningless.

“It has become abundantly clear in the second half of the twentieth century that Western Man has decided to abolish himself. Having wearied of the struggle to be himself, he has created his own boredom out of his own affluence, his own impotence out of his own erotomania, his own vulnerability out of his own strength; himself blowing the trumpet that brings the walls of his own city tumbling down, and, in a process of auto-genocide, convincing himself that he is too numerous, and labouring accordingly with pill and scalpel and syringe to make himself fewer in order to be easier prey for his enemies; until at last, having educated himself into imbecility, and polluted and drugged himself into stupefaction, he keels over, a weary, battered old brontosaurus, and becomes extinct.”-Malcolm Muggeridge,* Jesus, The Man Who Lives*, p.33

Well, thanks, I guess, for bringing up the famous author Malcolm Mufferidge and his astute opinion, whoever the heck he is.
Wow! What a great argument. I hereby denounce my education lest it render me an imbecile.

 

[ishii]

Meaningless.

“It has become abundantly clear in the second half of the twentieth century that Western Man has decided to abolish himself. Having wearied of the struggle to be himself, he has created his own boredom out of his own affluence, his own impotence out of his own erotomania, his own vulnerability out of his own strength; himself blowing the trumpet that brings the walls of his own city tumbling down, and, in a process of auto-genocide, convincing himself that he is too numerous, and labouring accordingly with pill and scalpel and syringe to make himself fewer in order to be easier prey for his enemies; until at last, having educated himself into imbecility, and polluted and drugged himself into stupefaction, he keels over, a weary, battered old brontosaurus, and becomes extinct.”-Malcolm Muggeridge,* Jesus, The Man Who Lives*, p.33

Excellent quote. I would say that the old curmudgeon was on to something. I actually met his niece recently. Very nice lady.

Ishii

 

[ishii]

Well, thanks, I guess, for bringing up the famous author Malcolm Mufferidge and his astute opinion, whoever the heck he is.
Wow! What a great argument. I hereby denounce my education lest it render me an imbecile.

He is not exactly a household name in this country, but he was an important figure in England during the last century until his death. He had an interesting life as a journalist, partied and wrote a lot (including satires), and then eventually toned down his ways and converted to Catholicism. He is credited with bringing Mother Teresa and all of the works she did, out of obscurity and pretty much introduced her to the rest of the world. He was famous for criticizing some of the popular British acts of the day including Monty Python and the Beatles.

Ishii

 

[a_priori]

I hereby denounce my education lest it render me an imbecile.

Well, if you’ve never heard of Muggeridge I would suggest that you take your education back where you bought it and see if the warranty is still good. Perhaps they can fix it for you. (Disclaimer: It seems to be increasingly necessary to explain that that was a joke. A harmless tease that wasn’t meant to suggest that your education isn’t top shelf.)

There are many “dealerships” here in the Northeast. In fact I live a half mile away from a large one. The marketplace of ideas up here doesn’t know what to do with a “Tea Party”, so they deride it. That’s much easier than exerting the effort necessary to understand it. Dealerships are like that up here.

 

[Via_Dolorosa]

He is not exactly a household name in this country, but he was an important figure in England during the last century until his death. He had an interesting life as a journalist, partied and wrote a lot (including satires), and then eventually toned down his ways and converted to Catholicism. He is credited with bringing Mother Teresa and all of the works she did, out of obscurity and pretty much introduced her to the rest of the world. He was famous for criticizing some of the popular British acts of the day including Monty Python and the Beatles.

Ishii

Well, thanks for that. I think Mother Teresa’s light would have shone on its own power.

 

[a_priori]

Excellent quote. I would say that the old curmudgeon was on to something. I actually met his niece recently. Very nice lady.

Ishii

Yes he had edges. Great intellect with a great heart. Meeting his niece must have been a wonderful experience. He is pretty high in my personal pantheon.

 

[Good_News_1]

He is not exactly a household name in this country,

He was in my house growing up, but I never ran across him in my schooling (Catholic schools at that). Payback for that “imbecility” quote, maybe.

 

[Beau_Ouiville]

Not that it really matters, but that doesn’t entirely describe his situation. Aside from the fact that nobody knows whether he was really an “academic star” in law school or not, (grades and courses not available) …

Only those who don’t know what an honor it is to be on law review at Harvard.

… he didn’t work as a community organizer after law school for any significant time, if at all.

No, it was before law school.

His fortunes did improve when he was elected to the state senate in 1997. His wife was hired by a medical complex that created a new job for her at that point and paid her $120,000/year.

Which was less than she was making at Sidley & Austin.

But then, he got state money channeled to her employer and they raised her to $317,000/year as a third-year employee. As soon as she left for Washington with him, the employer terminated the position entirely.

You do not state the fact that there were at least 5 U of C alums in the state legislature at that time. The president’s rep in the state house had a husband who was a professor at the law school. But folks did not make that connection.

Well, and there was a book deal in there, and the house deal with Rezko.

There was no ‘house deal’ with Rezko. You are repeating urban legends and are wildly irrelevant. You give limited information and expect folks to make wild leaps to some supposedly sordid conclusions.

 

[a_priori]

Go into a room full of Ph.D. candidates in mathematics, oceanography and geology. Then do the same with a room full of women’s studies, political scientists and sociologists. If the word “imbecile” doesn’t cross your mind at least once when hanging out with the latter, your friends should organize an intervention.

I have friends in all these disciplines. Good friends. But I have to be honest. Perhaps subjective, but honest.

 

[Via_Dolorosa]

Go into a room full of Ph.D. candidates in mathematics, oceanography and geology. Then do the same with a room full of women’s studies, political scientists and sociologists. If the word “imbecile” doesn’t cross your mind at least once when hanging out with the latter, your friends should organize an intervention.

I have friends in all these disciplines. Good friends. But I have to be honest. Perhaps subjective, but honest.

What are you saying? Spell it out.

 

[Suudy]

Go into a room full of Ph.D. candidates in mathematics, oceanography and geology. Then do the same with a room full of women’s studies, political scientists and sociologists. If the word “imbecile” doesn’t cross your mind at least once when hanging out with the latter, your friends should organize an intervention.

Exactly. People confuse education with wisdom. And being a good leader requires far more wisdom than education.

 

[Via_Dolorosa]

Exactly. People confuse education with wisdom. And being a good leader requires far more wisdom than education.

I couldn’t agree more.

 

[Suudy]

I couldn’t agree more.

Right. Then can you cast some light on what you wrote below?

Isn’t this what the tea party is saying when they put dim-wits up for elected office. You don’t have to be educated. You don’t have to know what you are talking about. You needn’t know anything about world affairs or how things actually work. All you have to do is say “Im pro-life” and you’ve got my vote. It doesn’t even matter that you never do anything about it. Catch me next time and I’ll be fooled again…and again…and again.

Do you think the tea party is advocating foolish, un-educated dim-wits?

 

[Good_News_1]

Do you think the tea party is advocating foolish, un-educated dim-wits?

You said it, not me.

 

[a_priori]

What are you saying? Spell it out.

Well, I was about to, when Suudy did it for me. Education is not wisdom. I’m all about education and knowledge. I live in a neighborhood where every other resident is a college professor. People in the hard sciences like physics know when they don’t know something and self-delusion is not possible. It is easy for political scientists and those around them to convince each other that their particular POV has the specificity and gravitas of quantum mechanics. Armed with this delusion, apart from real wisdom and boots-on-ground, real world experience, they set about to impinge on others.

To put it another way, reading a book then walking out to a Cessna 172 by yourself for the first time in order to take it for a spin is imbecility. You should do a few touch-and-go’s and a few power-on stalls (and survive them) before you tell the world you can fly an airplane.