Working class men, freedom and Tea Parties
CNBC had an article (by Reuters) I read yesterday on working class men who (gasp!) may blame Democrats for the recession:
A perplexing situation? Not really--it's just that many working class men understand better than the government that when the government "bites the hand that feeds them," they are not better off. If the government puts a stranglehold on business, the businesses in turn can't hire them. Unlike the "perplexed" Democrats who have no concept, (or choose not to) of how business works, the working class men themselves understand simple economics.
And finally, I love this misinterpretation by a political scientist of why working-class men go to Tea parties:
Sure, that's why the Tea Parties are often held on the weekend, because everyone is out of a job and is desperate. Most of the parties I have seen or attended are filled with many freedom-loving men (and women) who have jobs and can't get the day off during the week. And many of those without a job are retired.
When it comes to the Tea Parties, the MSM wants to make the participants out to be a bunch of white jobless men ready to proclaim allegiance to the KKK with just a bit of coaxing. What they don't understand or pretend not to, is that the Tea Parties are a symbol of hard-working Americans who still believe (perhaps naively) that they have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, without excessive government interference. Michael Patrick Leahy, in his book Rules for Conservative Radicals,
captures the reason of many who go to the Tea Parties: "As a nation, we've lost our way, not because we can't see the path, but because we've allowed a small group in the political class to usurp the natural rights assigned for us in the Constitution."
When this administration and its useful idiots realize that the right to run their own lives is more important to working-class men than government hand-outs, then maybe they will have something to talk to these men about. In the meantime, let the Tea Partying continue.
Working-class males have been among the biggest U.S. losers in this recession.
Does that mean that President Barack Obama's Democratic Party will be the big loser in the 2010 congressional elections? Some analysts say yes, even though blue-collar white males have been leaning Republican for decades and have been a shrinking percentage of the U.S. electorate....
The male unemployment rate rose to 11 percent in September from 6.8 percent in the same month last year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor. The overall rate has gone to 9.8 percent from 6.2 percent over the same 12 months.
For white men over the age of 20 unemployment has almost doubled over that period to 9.6 percent from 5.5 percent....
White working-class males have been turning their backs on the Democratic Party for decades—a perplexing situation in the eyes of some as a vote for the pro-business Republican Party is seen as a vote against their economic interests.
A perplexing situation? Not really--it's just that many working class men understand better than the government that when the government "bites the hand that feeds them," they are not better off. If the government puts a stranglehold on business, the businesses in turn can't hire them. Unlike the "perplexed" Democrats who have no concept, (or choose not to) of how business works, the working class men themselves understand simple economics.
And finally, I love this misinterpretation by a political scientist of why working-class men go to Tea parties:
"Many have lost jobs and working-class white men have difficulty doing things they saw their fathers do which they cannot do and so it is easy to go swing sign at a Tea Party," said Jillson.
Sure, that's why the Tea Parties are often held on the weekend, because everyone is out of a job and is desperate. Most of the parties I have seen or attended are filled with many freedom-loving men (and women) who have jobs and can't get the day off during the week. And many of those without a job are retired.
When it comes to the Tea Parties, the MSM wants to make the participants out to be a bunch of white jobless men ready to proclaim allegiance to the KKK with just a bit of coaxing. What they don't understand or pretend not to, is that the Tea Parties are a symbol of hard-working Americans who still believe (perhaps naively) that they have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, without excessive government interference. Michael Patrick Leahy, in his book Rules for Conservative Radicals,
captures the reason of many who go to the Tea Parties: "As a nation, we've lost our way, not because we can't see the path, but because we've allowed a small group in the political class to usurp the natural rights assigned for us in the Constitution." When this administration and its useful idiots realize that the right to run their own lives is more important to working-class men than government hand-outs, then maybe they will have something to talk to these men about. In the meantime, let the Tea Partying continue.
Labels: politics
posted by Helen at 5:54 PM
17 Comments:
Helen: please tell us what tea party folks offer to make things better?
It was not Obama who caused the loss of blue collar jobs, nor the Democrats, nor in fact the GOP.
It is one thing to say that we have lost our way--what way was it?--and another to offer a path back to The Way. Are you suggesting that American corporations ought not have their blue collar work done overseas where they can get labor that is 23s less than the minimum wage in the US? Or that blue collar workers ought to work at Chinese wages, without benefits and no public health plan?
Just tell us what it is that will fix all things.
Every time I hear that same bull$#%^ about them "voting against their interests," I have to ask what the left thinks their interests are? Aside from immigration, the working class' interests are solidly tied with businesses. Private businesses that are healthy pay them a lot more per hour than they'd get from the government at some menial civil service job with a few welfare credits thrown their way.
Most of the working class men I know are opposed to the corporate bailouts necessitated by 8 years of Republican rule.
They don't forget, Republicans start ambitious projects, get rich and walk away, and leave the rest of the country to clean up after them. Success, eh? Git er done, indeed.
Don't underestimate the bitterness at the Bush/Cheney corporate mentality that bought us into these troubles, "Dr."helen. Next time you're having a beer with these men, or working alongside their wives, or sitting next to them at one of your children's events, maybe you ought to listen in on those discussions?
Personally, my fear is similar to that that which got Obama elected. Unlike what Mike T. thinks above, the working class is now so divorced from any possible identification with the corporate/business world, they might just roll over and not fight so hard against collective Democratic solutions like this poorly planned healthcare bill, or other expanded government programs.
You can only kick a dog so long before he loses heart, afterall, and plenty will go there before they'll ever throw in their lots with the shady corporate/business interests only too willing to sell out the whole for the advancement of a few, select individuals at the top.
Life really isn't an either/or binary choice, and neither party in their "game" mindset seems willing to acknowledge this.
ps. Jon Gosselin doesn't deserve anyone's sympathy either.
Poor kids -- part time dad too busy with his ladyfriends to be with them, day in day out; celebrity mom only willing to camp and play with them for the right product endorsements, on film.
What the Democrats fail to grasp - and what most working people immediately realize - is that when they predge to "stick it to the man" who signs my paycheck, they're sticking it to me, too. Love me, love my employer.
please tell us what tea party folks offer to make things better?
Between family and work obligations, I have not had time to attend any of the tea party gatherings. However, I fully support their ideas such as "you can't borrow your way to prosperity."
The current government and the political class of both parties is borrowing money hand over fist. They're bailing out themselves and their cronies and leaving a massive mess for us to clean up.
" please tell us what tea party folks offer to make things better?"
Hard work and personal responsibility. An agentic approach to life's problems. Reduced federal government. Compliace with the Constitution. Freedom to choose. Less reliance and dependence on OPM.
Trey
Those are some of the themes I have seen at the parties I have attended.
doing things they saw their fathers do which they cannot do
What kind of grammatical structure is that by a professor?
fred - you continue to be an idiot. What is better to you? Having government hand out a bunch of freebies while keeping you a permanent underclass. That's what they do for the black community.
Some of us prefer freedom to wealth. Hell, I don't even have a plasma screen or HDTV yet. But, I'm happy except that the left wants to come in more and more to tell me how to live my life.
fred, you truly are a useful idiot. In all the comments you've made here not a single one has had redeeming value. You're just a shill for the left. I can only imagine what kind of books you write.
Mary - it's not about Republicans and Bush. 4 years ago I wrote in my blog, "You read it here last. George W. Bush's presidency will go down as a failure. During his second term, Bush's presidency has failed at almost every opportunity to succeed."
Of course, such a small mind as yours has trouble understanding anything but the simplest of concepts, such as: Democrat good, Republican bad.
Of course, such a small mind as yours has trouble understanding anything but the simplest of concepts, such as: Democrat good, Republican bad.
Democrat good?????
Are you projecting your simplistic beliefs onto me? Please don't. So long as Bush/Cheney were operating as Republicans the past 8 years, they gotta own em: Reupblican bad. That's the perception amongst the working class I know; you're welcome to change it, but for all the talk of change, the Dems are still the party of big pork and lobbyists, and the Republicans have become the party of big men talking and not getting the job done without being bailed out.
Don't like the perception? Don't blame me for reporting it.
...the Dems are still the party of big pork and lobbyists, and the Republicans have become the party of big men talking and not getting the job done without being bailed out.
Well, Mary, it looks like our simplistic views are pretty much the same. Now, back to playing Crazy Eights.
Our natural rights are not "assigned" us by our Constitution. They are a default condition. As I understand it, the Constitution assigns the Federal government rights and responsibilities, and reserves all other rights to the states and the people, from which they naturally spring in any case.
Although the Feds of both parties (and any number of special interest constituencies) have been "assuming" a lot of invented "rights" that the State uses to dictate to the people lately. I'd say that's a big part of what Tea Parties are about.
"Our natural rights are not "assigned" us by our Constitution. They are a default condition."
Given to us by God. Well said Tom.
Trey
So long as Bush/Cheney were operating as Republicans the past 8 years
Mary, race-mongerers brought us the Community Reinvestment Act in 1977. Neither Bush or Cheney were in office.
And Bush tried 3 times to get Fannie and Freddie under control, but your corrupt Dems in Congress stoppped him.
Then again, you're a partisan idiot, so I shouldn't be wasting energy on you.
Enjoy Sharia! You deserve it baby.
Don't worry about me -- I'm free, and will continue to be. Lock up your women and children though, if you're already conceding defeat Fenny-fen-fen. :-) Live on your knees, die the same way, I guess?
you're a partisan idiot, -- hey, wasn't that a Green Day album?
You seem to think the banking industry is my concern -- it's not. Glad you are following the shenanigans though. Such a shame to have wasted all that money on the wars, heck won in Iraq, and you're still prepping for sharia. Git er done, eh?
Notice the ground-shifting going on. First, accuse the Repubs of causing the current bailout crisis.
Then, when confronted with evidence to the contrary, change the subject quiok.
Definition of a partisan: One who blames one side, and never actually answer any rebuttal.
Definition of a dipshit:
Somebody who doesn't want to hear anything contrary so they never learn to listen at all.
Tip your waiters and try the veal. We're here all week...
And if Bush/Cheney's spending didn't contribute to* this economy, heh. You're a dipshit, indeed!
I won't say "lead" because God knows, they won't take responsibility for their actions. Get er done ... or wail that you woulda finished the job, but the "other side" wouldn't let you...
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