Topic: Ron Paul
The Most Misleading (Reality) Show in Town: The Latest Republican Blither Debate The Republican candidates, except for Ron Paul, ignore yet again the disastrous course of the U.S. economy. McCain and Huckabee have replaced one-liners in the presidential debates with anything remotely sounding like an idea.by Sherry Baker
(libertarian)
Friday, January 25, 2008
There it was last night: the Republican candidates all lined up (the ones left standing), talking. And let's not forget the eye-rolling, smirking and the odd off-camera stage whisper that informed Romney about Reagan raising taxes --- just as Mitt started to blither he'd do exactly what Reagan did for the economy, and wouldn't raise taxes. Huh?
Technically called the MSNBC Republican candidate debate, it wasn't a debate at all. Let's get real.
It was more of a sideshow.
In fact, it was simply another installment in the reality sideshow that should be called "Who Has the Best Jingo?" or "Who Looks Most like They Came from Central Casting to Play the Role of President?"
Of course, with the writers' strike still underway and with an American populace so dumbed down from a woefully inadequate and non-challenging educational system and literally fat and lazy (oh, don't slam me, check out world health statistics) and apparently unable to think critically, maybe this is just the show we want.
Maybe it is what we deserve.
It reinforces we don't need to think much. Let's just sit back and be assured that the good ol' U.S. of A. will keep trucking along because we'll have some leader soon who looks the part and sounds good and speaks those rehearsed lines the best.
A case in point: John McCain in the previous debate (with all the spontaneity of a hack actor rehearsing the line in front of a mirror hoping he'll get the part of Sylvester Stallone's sidekick in some new testosterone overloaded post-middle age male fantasy action flick), hissing he'd follow Osama Bin Laden to "the gates of hells" .
In this debate we had Huckabee working it, "it" being his stage persona. He flashed his cutesy dimples and delivered his Bob Hope-ish joke with perfect timing. The reason he didn't disagree with Chuck Norris when Chucky said McCain was too old to be president was because B movie martial arts star Norris could take his foot and "put it on this side of my face", Huckabee said, grinning back at the appreciative guffaws from the audience .
Giuliani, of course, continued to play his one note ( 9/11,9/11,9/11 ad nauseum) card , this time augmented a bit by pointing out his supposed economic leadership in the Big Apple. Never mind he has no real details or plan to offer -- he sounded like a used car salesman explaining he has a great deal for us and there's no reason to look under the hood. And never mind the crowd outside the debate, the New Yorkers who flew down to Florida to warn anyone who would listen that "America's Mayor" is America's worst nightmare choice for president.
"Give them bread and circuses", was the ruling Romans' plan to keep the masses happy. Today's American version is "Give them junk food and reality shows" . And the 2008 presidential race is filling the bill.
Who'd a thunk coming up with a president at what is perhaps the most critical point in U.S history would be reduced to this low level type of entertainment? How can there be a presidential candidate "debate" without any true give-and-take about ways to get us out of the spiraling out-of-control financial disaster looming ahead for this country?
And why has the issue of the Iraq invasion ( I'll never call it a war until someone shows me when and where the U.S. declared war), dropped way down on the list of topics worthy of being discussed? Helllooooooo, Republicans... there's that little matter of thousands of American losing their lives we need to face. And there's also the matter ( can you spell "war crimes"?) of the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis who were minding their own business until the Bush regime reigned down hell on them, all in the name of righteousness, of course. But...shhhhhhhh, we aren't supposed to talk about that , ladies and gentlemen. After all, they are just collateral damage and darker than most of us and have a different religion so maimed, homeless, dead Iraqis who had NOTHING to do with 9/11 are not REALLY important, right?
What's important, if McCain, Huckabee and Giuliani are to be believed, is that we hold fast to really macho sounding slogans that mention the "gates of hell" a lot and not " cutting and running " and "not surrendering" -- as if "saving face" is now the most important concept of America's foreign policy.
The exception to all the non-addressing of the issues was the one man on stage who didn't come from central casting. You can watch his thoughtful answers (including his addressing the idiocy of the Iraqi invasion) as opposed to the canned performances of the other Republican presidential contenders here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49LLlhVJez0
He was the man without the coiffed hair and massive pancake makeup who always tries, so earnestly sometimes it is almost heartbreaking, to be heard as he speaks the truth and, gasp, common sense.
And more often than not he's ignored, talked over, interrupted, dismissed.
Not one other candidate had the interest -- or was it the guts? -- to ask Ron Paul a single question when it came turn to do so.
But Dr. Paul asked McCain an important one, an economic one: Would McCain want more "sunshine" from the President's Working Group on the Economic Markets? Would he keep it in place? What would its role be?
There was an opportunity there. He could have opted to attack, or ask a pointed and negative question. No, he just asked a smart question. I suspect Dr. Paul would really like to KNOW what McCain's thoughts are on these issues.
McCain could hardly control his infamous temper, jaw clinched, eyes rolling like some teenager who thinks his parents are ridiculous as they try to lay down the law.
And his answer? Oh, he wants "sunshine" on the situation, he said, voice dripping in sarcasm . The he pontifically spewed out names of the "experts" he'd call on for advice. He would surround himself with experts. Ok. And THAT is supposed to give us confidence in his economic leadership?
And that will get us out of a financial deck of cards fast collapsing around us because no one seeking to be the president of this country, including the senator, seems to have a clue about how world economics, much less the Federal Reserve, work?
Did anyone notice? Has one reporter even mentioned this?McCain DID NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION?
Is it not hard to gather he has no clue what the President's Working Group on Financial Markets even is?
For the record, John, if you are running for president you might want to actually do some homework on these matters and not just tell us oh, well, your buds know about that economic stuff so you'd ask them what to do if you elected.
The President's Working Group on Financial Markets was created by Reagan in l988, specifically in response to the "Black Monday" crash of October 19, 1987, for "enhancing the integrity, efficiency, orderliness, and competitiveness of [United States] financial markets and maintaining investor confidence".
In recent years, though, it been awfully secretive and some suspect it is not beyond manipulating U.S. stock markets (using government money to buy stocks) if a sustained crash occurs.
Wouldn't it be comforting to think someone running for president in addition to Ron Paul might actually KNOW something about the group? And be able to answer the question intelligently without blowing it off with an unrelated answer?
Ron Paul speaks sense . He knows economics and he has the facts. Yes, he's smart. He's educated. He has IDEAS . And he has an economic plan that could be at least at start at saving America's collective financial ass. http://www.ronpaul2008.com/Prosperity
But he's not from central casting. He's not a character playing a role to get another role -- that of President. He's authentic.
However, if Americans don't wake up and think, listen, and investigate for themselves , instead of mindlessly accepting the talking head one-liner spewers and mistaking public relations spin for facts, we'll end up, again, with style but no substance.
The U.S. can't take any more stupidity and ignorance from our so-called leaders. Or from ourselves. To settle for a reality "show" instead of working to restore this great republic will be nothing less than deadly -- and tragic.
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The views expressed in this
article are those of Sherry Baker only and do not represent
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Sherry, you are dead on. there is probably ne better way to say what you just did. i have felt the same way for months now. heck, people take survivor more serious than they do the presidential race. as a matter of fact, when you try to tell them these things they are so dumbfounded they don't know what to do or say.
a side note; i got banned from posting on ABC News. i was never disrespectful, never cursed, and i never insulted anyone. i can post some of the stuff on here that i was doing just so you guys see what is really going on in the media. my user name on ABC was "ikarusoftexas" some of you might have seen me on there pretty regularly, but not lately. i even asked abc to explain to me why, but to no avail. yes, i fully support Ron Paul.
Great writeup. I feel exactly the same way about the debate last night. I just wanted to jump into the TV and point out the obvious to the "viewers at home" about McCain not getting the question, and the Romney "whisper helper" about the Regan President's Working Group on Financial Markets "Someone should do an edited video on YouTube (like a pop-up video type thing) showing the inconsistencies / obvious flaws in logic: seriously!! I don't have the skills for it but I'm sure someone out there does. It would make the other candidates look like fools! Go Ron Paul!
McCain is an idiot. Not only did he not answer the question (and obviously did not know what Paul was referring to), but he stated he would rely on his advisors, including Henry Paulson - WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE PRESIDENT'S WORKING GROUP ON FINANCIAL MARKETS!
Excellent article! Inciteful. Articulate. This IS, in fact, the type of article that should be written by the professional, mainstream, journalists. Instead they are busy crafting propaganda pieces and buffing the images of the media-anointed political whores like McCain.
This story is getting legs in a big way and it is absolutely critical it be covered.
Ron Paul's simple question to John McCain has opened this Pandora's box around the world and the MSM in the U.S. is blacking it out. A simple google news search of "Plunge Protection Team" is very revealing.
Summary: The "Presidents Working Group on Financial Markets" is a group created by Executive Order that meets in secret with no Congressional oversight. Their charter is to conference with elite "market makers" when markets dramatically react to the downside.
It is proof-positive that the financial markets are not free markets rather they are manipulated and controlled at the highest level of US government. They use a strategy of "short-selling rally" In the process, these financial elites profit greatly under the cover of "patriotism" and is clearly an extraordinary level of insider trading. This group meets in secret like mafia dons and communicate with their "made men" to pull a trigger for instigating a rally. Even the SEC Chairman serves on this committee, and is supposed to be the top cop responsible for policing market manipulation and insider trading.
The video within this report received over 100,000 views in the last three days after the GOP Fla. Debate:
"Warning Shot Fired Over the Bow of Admiral John McCain’s Ship" http://www.thejershow.com/2008/01/warning-shot-fired-over-bow-of-admiral.html
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