America is not the greatest country anymore - "The Newsroom"

[Teatownclown]

we didn't scare so easily....we were revered.

[RecycleMichael]

Why would you start a thread and post a movie clip like that?

Please explain what you are doing. Are you just being a dick or you just want people to argue with you?

[Teatownclown]

Why would you start a thread and post a movie clip like that?

Please explain what you are doing. Are you just being a dick or you just want people to argue with you?

If I had put it under "Entertainment" would you have not attacked me personally?

I happened to find it quite provoking. It seems to have worked. I open it up for discussion. There's a sh!t load of interesting commentary in that clip.

Many intelligent people I know were discussing it during the past week. You find it disturbing rather than honest?

American exceptional-ism seems to have evaporated.... discuss?

[swake]

If I had put it under "Entertainment" would you have not attacked me personally?

I happened to find it quite provoking. It seems to have worked. I open it up for discussion. There's a sh!t load of interesting commentary in that clip.

Many intelligent people I know were discussing it during the past week. You find it disturbing rather than honest?

American exceptional-ism seems to have evaporated.... discuss?

Just more boomer bullsh!t wishing for the good old days that didn't really exist even then.

[Teatownclown]

Just more boomer bullsh!t wishing for the good old days that didn't really exist even then.

Really? You must be from "this" generation. We've let it slip away over comments like this?

"We didn't belittle anybody"

Let's start addressing non-sense that distracts society from prioritizing the real problems before us.

example: http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/new-tea-party-theory-kindergarten-leads-hig

An interesting essay from the 60's identifies the culprit:

THE Paranoid  Style in American Politics and Other Essays
http://studyplace.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/files/courses/reserve/Hofstadter-1996-Paranoid-Style-American-Politics-1-to-40.pdf

[Gaspar]

I love Teatown.  Without the clown, progressives on this forum would appear reasonable. 

[Teatownclown]

"Since 2010, the Republicans have cut the federal firefighting budget by more than $200 million."
Budget Cuts Hinder Efforts to Fight Colorado Fires
http://powerfulstorms.com/budget-cuts-hinder-efforts-to-fight-colorado-fires/


More evidence.....more coming as to why we are no longer looking after each other....

and btw Gassie, Nate and Aquaman are the ONLY others here who could claim to be progressive.....besides me.

[AquaMan]

Its a small, lonely club.

I get so tired of seeing conservatism paraded around the air waves, internet and print like its the default philosophy. It was the laughingstock of the country in the sixties and seventies. To me it still is. Must we always have equal time for stupid, fearful people? I tune in to Fox and am stunned at how fast and loose they play with the facts but one thing for sure, they rarely give a sucker an even break. They load up their talk shows with idiots, a few moderate guests who seem overwhelmed by it all and fire at will. Then I go to MSNBC for contrast and damned if some of the same people aren't sitting on the panel there as well spewing their nonsense. This idea of balancing repubs, dems, libs and conservatives whenever reasonable people are in charge of discussions is just not working. They don't reciprocate and they dominate every media they touch by turning up the volume, fear rhetoric and vulgarity. It polarizes people and it does get tiresome.

I learned in college that there are no stupid questions. If you asked the question there are many others too fearful to do so lest they sound dumb. That's the way I feel about Tulsa and on this forum. There may be few of us questioning the default status quo, but we represent many others who are not participating.

[Red Arrow]

I get so tired of seeing conservatism paraded around the air waves, internet and print like its the default philosophy. 

I know how you feel.  I was around in the 60s and 70s.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I know how you feel.  I was around in the 60s and 70s.

Then you, too, should be tired of seeing conservatism paraded around the air waves, internet and print.  Except for the internet, it has been the dominant noise since before then.  Remember Gene McCarthy?  Richard Nixon?

And no, LBJ getting a voting rights act passed is not progressive.  It IS doing the right thing.  100 years AFTER it should have been done.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Just more boomer bullsh!t wishing for the good old days that didn't really exist even then.

Classic no clue about history moment.

We have always been a combination of good and evil.  And many times, much more evil than good.  But what we see in recent years is a whole lot of exactly what he was talking about.  We have come full circle back to the 1890's - in terms of handing the keys to the chicken coop over to the Fox (happy coincidence working out that way....).  We are back in a robber baron world, with class structure - caste system - that has become recognizable on and from the world stage.  That is a huge degradation of what we have been in the past and what we SHOULD be.  In terms of direction - we are moving backwards rather than progressing.

All the rah-rah propaganda they are feeding you in school or on Fox is just coverup for what is going on around you.  Really should have actually read/studied some history when you had the chance - but it's not too late - could start tomorrow!

Notice how the Fox are all literally foaming at the mouth these last few days?  Whipping up the ignorant and the richest to try to rid themselves of something that IS the first step in trying to elevate our position as 38th in the world in health care systems.  Yeah, that's gotta be real bad...

[Red Arrow]

Then you, too, should be tired of seeing conservatism paraded around the air waves, internet and print.  Except for the internet, it has been the dominant noise since before then.  Remember Gene McCarthy?  Richard Nixon?
And no, LBJ getting a voting rights act passed is not progressive.  It IS doing the right thing.  100 years AFTER it should have been done.

I am not tired of seeing basic conservative values paraded in opposition to liberal ones.  I do resent the hijacking of conservatism by the religious extremists.  I remember McCarthy, McGovern and others.  Knowing what I know now, I would still vote for Nixon rather than them.  And yes, I know, not everything Nixon did would fly today.  I was most disappointed in the 55 MPH speed limit joke that lasted more than 20 years. LBJ did some good with Civil Rights, which was actually in opposition to some of JFK's and RFK's views, but the Great Society created a generation dependent on government. Not so good. Why did you leave out Kennedy?  Most of my opinions on JFK are based on my father's opinions since I was still somewhat young.  Dad said he had some good ideas but chose the wrong way to get there.  That is frequently my view of many liberal ideas today.  I don't really remember the details.  When Kennedy got shot, the attitude among many of us Jr High kids was "Oh no, now we get Johnson".   I do remember the 1964 Presidential election. Even then, politics divided some of us Jr. High school friends.  Goldwater was painted as a war-monger.  History tells us the story of our involvement in Viet Nam.

I forgot about Humphrey.  Still wouldn't vote for him either.

[Red Arrow]

Whipping up the ignorant and the richest to try to rid themselves of something that IS the first step in trying to elevate our position as 38th in the world in health care systems.  Yeah, that's gotta be real bad...

Not everyone who believes that Obamacare (or whatever you want to call it) is the incorrect path is an ignorant bassturd.  I don't believe anyone really thinks the status quo is the correct answer either.  There is certainly a lot of political rhetoric on both sides but true differences of opinion do exist.

[RecycleMichael]

I do resent the hijacking of conservatism by the religious extremists.  

What are you going to do about it?

If you and other reasonable republicans don't step up, the religious extremists will destroy the republican party. The fiscal conservatives have already began leaning toward tea party which is costing lots of money spent just to survive the primary for normally strong republican incumbants.

[Red Arrow]

What are you going to do about it?

When a "conservative" candidate lists his religious beliefs before other qualifications, I will try to choose another candidate.  Sometimes there is little choice.

A religious conservative candidate is usually still closer to my views than the Democratic Party candidate.  We all have to make our choices.

What are you going to do about Democratic Party candidates that will lead us to bankruptcy, over dependence on government, and socialism?