Showing posts with label southern states. Show all posts
Showing posts with label southern states. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Bernie-Brats Need to Stop Dissing the South! - Update with Paul Krugman

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Previous Related Posts
Desperation in Bernie Land
Susan Sarandon Likes Trump Over Hillary
 Bernie Camp Blames Hillary for AZ Loss
Bernie Gives Hillary the Hand of Silence
Polls and Predictions for Hillary and Bernie on Super Tuesday
Hillary Landslide in South Carolina
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Win or Lose, the Bernie camp and rabid followers cannot let go of the fact that Hillary is ahead right now due to winning many of the Southern states on Super Tuesday. It really sticks in their craw that the great Southern base of the Democratic Party has a voice in this election. Bernie fans would rather pretend that a handful of delegates from Idaho, Utah, Washington State are more important the millions of votes already cast in the Southeast and Texas.

Bernie said most recently that the early Southern primaries "distort reality."





UPDATE One: Paul Krugman wrote a great column called "The Pastrami Principle" about why it is rather stupid to insult voters, but also that Bernie is deliberately spinning the "rigged" Southern primaries to give hope where there is no hope, to make his supporters believe he can still win in spite of the delegate math:

Paul Krugman, New York Times
. . . Mrs. Clinton didn’t win big in the South on the strength of conservative voters; she won by getting an overwhelming majority of black voters. This puts a different spin on things, doesn’t it?
Is it possible that Mr. Sanders doesn’t know this, that he imagines that Mrs. Clinton is riding a wave of support from old-fashioned Confederate-flag-waving Dixiecrats, as opposed to, let’s be blunt, the descendants of slaves? Maybe. He is not, as you may have noticed, a details guy.
It’s more likely, however, that he’s being deliberately misleading...
. . . No, claims that Clinton wins in the South should be discounted are really aimed at misleading Sanders supporters, giving them an unrealistic view of the chances that their favorite can still win — and thereby keeping the flow of money and volunteers coming.
. . . But trying to keep his campaign going by misleading his supporters is not O.K. And sneering at millions of voters is truly beyond the pale, especially for a progressive.

UPDATE Two: Bernie blamed Southern voters AGAIN last night during the CNN debate and twitter pushed back:

























Apparently the candidate agrees with many of the stupid theories and myths about the South which are rampant in Bernie-land:

  • The DNC "front-loaded" the primaries with Southern states to favor Hillary.
  • The white "base" in the South reject Bernie because they are old fashioned "conservative Dems" no better than Dixiecrat racists.
  • The black voters of the South are especially singled out for blame in ruining Bernie's chances, which many people of color view as a racist dog whistle.
  • Southern Dems don't matter anyway since they live in red states like South Carolina that won't go for the Democrats in the general election, so why should they get such a large proportion of delegates? 
The Bernie-brats seem incapable of understanding the delegate system on a good day, or the way the Democratic Party works.
  • Southern Dems are just as progressive as Dems anywhere. Think of Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, John Lewis, etc.
  • Dems in red states are outnumbered by Republicans, so their votes are usually cancelled out in the general election. Therefore it is imperative that their voices be heard during Primary Season, and they turned out by the hundreds of thousands. 
  •  Bernie got votes in the South, but Hillary simply got more, and therefore earned more delegates. His surrogates claim now that he never tried to win in the South, but that is smoke and mirrors, with a good bit of sour grapes too.
  •  If Bernie had invested more time and money in southern states, he might have done better, but he won't take responsibility for his own losses, and would rather blame voters.
  • Any student of recent election history can clearly see that the South is the future of the Democratic Party. Demographics are destiny, and states such as Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina, and even Texas will not always be red - it's just a matter of time.

Here is just a small sampling of anti-Southern comments by Bernie and his minions:
















But the Misinformation Train keeps rolling along!





















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Saturday, August 22, 2015

Trump in Mobile, Alabama

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Previous Related Posts:
Trump Gives Helicopter Rides at Iowa State Fair
Trump's Hair and Other Viral Memes
First #GOP Primary Debate on Fox
Countdown to Trump Clown Car Debate
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Donald Trump flew into Mobile, Alabama, last night and spoke to an enthusiastice crowd of 30,000 people. There's no doubt they love him, but do they actually want him for President of the United States. Time will tell . . .

From CNN
Over an hour of often rambling remarks, the New York businessman reveled in the crowd size while he offered them his usual menu of patriotic pledges and carefree criticism of the media, his opponents and political correctness that he said his crowd similarly despised.
"We've gotten an amazing reception," Trump said as he began his remarks, turning his back to the podium at the Ladd-Peebles Stadium and pointing to the rafters behind him. "Has this been crazy? Man!"
The event had the trappings of a big Friday night high school match-up. Trump flew by the stadium in his private jet shortly before 6 p.m., doing a loop around the arena before landing. The fly-by was announced over the stadium's loudspeaker to cheers.

From Politicus USA
After Trump ran through his lines about suing Macy’s and Univision, two of the three cable networks had seen enough and cut away.
CNN cut away to a discussion of whether or not the term anchor baby is a slur. MSNBC flipped it back to Chris Hayes, who mocked Trump’s bragging.
It seems that at least some in the media are growing tired of the Trump circus. The truth about Donald Trump is that his speeches are rambling and boring. A Donald Trump speech is a lot like listening to your Fox News-watching relative spout off for hours because they think they are informed.









Byron York in Washington Examiner
Trump had predicted up to 40,000 people would fill Ladd-Peebles Stadium. That would have been huge, had it happened. As it was, filling about half the stadium was huge, too -- extremely impressive by any standard, except Trump's own.
How did Trump do? He gave what is now his trademark speech, which means it was a long stream of consciousness address incorporating all sorts of extraneous information about his business dealings but also connecting with audiences, both in the stadium and on television, with his outsider's message on immigration and trade. And all in Trump's distinctive style. Like this: "The 14th Amendment? You know what? I was right on it. You can do something with it, and you can do something fast." It's a style that probably works better in a smaller setting than a stadium. But Trump still made his points.



















































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Saturday, June 28, 2014

Mississippi Chaos: McDaniel Charges Voter Fraud ~ Tea Party Leader Commits Suicide

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Previously Related Posts
Poutrageous: McDaniel Loses to Thad Cochran
Mississippi Courthouse Shenanigans

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The chaos over the Republican Senate Run-Off Race in Mississippi continues. Seasoned politician Sen. Thad Cochran was declared the winner last Tuesday, but Tea Party challenger Chris McDaniel refuses to concede amidst allegations of some type of voter fraud particularly aimed at Democratic black voters who crossed over for Cochran, although that is legal in Mississippi and this was an open election. In the midst of the election angst, a prominent Tea Party leader who was arrested for spying on Cochran's wife in a nursing home has committed suicide. He had been indicted by a grand jury and was facing a court date later in the summer. Many say he was devastated by the arrest and the effect on his legal career, but it's possible he somehow blamed himself for the loss of the election.

The outrage of the Tea Party in Mississippi isn't going away any time soon. They are going hyperbolic and nearly apoplectic over McDaniel's loss:

This is a win for the establishment, but it’s a win with an asterisk, because it’s so tainted that it might be one of those things where they’re going to be sorry they ever won the runoff in Mississippi.
~ Craig Shirley, a political consultant and the author of two respected biographies of Ronald Reagan, via National Review

This just threw gasoline onto the flames of the civil war. What happened yesterday in Mississippi will resonate for years to come. It will become the battle cry, just like the Alamo. We will remember Mississippi.
~ Richard Viguerie, the author of Takeover: The 100 Year War for the GOP’s Soul

And the McDaniel campaign is looking to find more votes, but local election officials in Mississippi say there is no proven voter fraud, which is refreshing to hear from a mostly Republican state.

From New York Times
The McDaniel camp charged that a partial review of the tallies in Hinds County had turned up nearly 1,000 ballots that were cast by voters who participated in the Democratic primary on June 3 and were ineligible under state law to vote in the Republican runoff. McDaniel aides said supporters were reviewing ballots across the state, although they have met resistance in about half of the counties they have approached.

Pete Perry, the Hinds County Republican Party chairman, said the McDaniel campaign’s claims were “wildly exaggerated.” In the Jackson precinct at Fondren Presbyterian Church, he said, the McDaniel campaign charged that 192 illegal votes had been cast by people who voted in the Democratic primary. But, he said, only 37 Democrats voted there on June 3.

“Instead of making wild accusations which stir up social media with cries of fraud and corruption, it would be much better for all involved — the voters, the candidates, the 500 poll workers in Hinds County — if we let facts enter into the conversation,” Mr. Perry said.


















On Death of Tea Party Leader Mark Mayfield:









A prominent lawyer and leader of the Mississippi Tea Party, who was arrested in connection with photos posted online of U.S. Senator Thad Cochran's bedridden wife, died on Friday of an apparent suicide, the man’s attorney said.
Mark Mayfield, 57, was a founding member of the state's Tea Party and had served as its vice chairman, the organization said.
. . . Police received an emergency call on Friday morning from his wife, saying her husband had just shot himself. Mayfield was found lying on the floor of a garage storage room with a single gunshot wound to his head, according to the police department in Ridgeland, Mississippi.
~ Reuters

Mayfield was one of three men charged with conspiring to photograph U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran's bedridden wife in her nursing home and create a political video against Cochran.
That incident was one of the most explosive events in the Mississippi Senate primary, which Cochran won in a runoff over Tea Party-backed Chris McDaniel on Tuesday. McDaniel has refused to concede the race and suggests that voting irregularities may have helped Cochran win.
Mayfield, 57, an attorney and state and local Tea Party leader, was arrested last month along with Richard Sager, an elementary school P.E. teacher and high school soccer coach. Police said they also charged John Beachman Mary of Hattiesburg, but he was not taken into custody because of "extensive medical conditions." All face felony conspiracy charges. Sager also was charged with felony tampering with evidence, and Mary faces two conspiracy counts.
~ USA Today

Regardless of recent allegations made against his character, Mark Mayfield was a fine Christian man who was always respectful and kind. He was one of the most polite and humble men I’ve ever met in politics. He was a loving husband, father, a pillar of his community, and he will be missed. We are saddened by his loss, and we send our thoughts and prayers to his wife, his family and friends.
~ Candidate Chris McDaniel on his friend Mayfield

They killed him. They sent a SWAT team to his office, six officers, just to arrest him.
. . . I'm just crushed. Mark's death just kind of puts an exclamation point on how out of control this has all gotten."
~ Pat Bruce, president of the Madison (MS) County Conservative Coalition, Via Jackson Clarion-Ledger:





“A good man is gone today [because] of a campaign to destroy lives,” Keith Plunkett, a Mississippi GOP operative, tweeted. “To all ‘so called’ Republican leaders who joined lockstep: I WILL NOT REST!”
Plunkett deleted the post after others on Twitter responded negatively and accused him of using a tragedy for political gain.
. . . McDaniel allies have argued that the whole nursing home incident was politicized to get sympathy for Cochran in what became one of the nastiest races in memory.
“The politicization of the incident was beyond the pale,” Plunkett said. “It was an attack on a good man that is well respected. I’ve never met a person that had a bad word to say about him. It’s shocking to those in the state who knew the demeanor and quiet dedication of the real Mark Mayfield. He wasn’t the character he was being cast, and he didn’t deserve that kind of treatment.”
~ Politico





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Thursday, June 26, 2014

Poutrageous - McDaniel Loses to Thad Cochran in Mississipi Run-Off

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Previous Related Post:
Locked-Up - Mississippi Courthouse Shenanigans

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The Republican Senate Run-Off Election in Mississippi has turned into a big deal. Tea Party candidate Chris McDaniel had been favored to win, but at the last minute Thad Cochran appealed to black Democratic voters who turned out in record numbers to vote AGAINST McDaniel. And thus began another strange night in American politics.

Cochran won the election, but McDaniel has so far refused to concede the race, and there's talk of a write-in campaign, a third party for Teabaggers, an investigation into the election, and general far-right Poutrage.

Make some popcorn and read what happened.

From Time
McDaniel lost in a runoff to the six-term incumbent Cochran by only about 6,000 votes, amounting to less than 2% of the total count. Many of those who pushed Cochran over the top were either Republicans who’d been unmoved to vote in the initial June 3 primary (in which McDaniel narrowly won but failed to secure the 50% needed to prevent a runoff), or Democrats who were inspired to vote for Cochran to prevent a Tea Party victory for McDaniel.
Turnout in Tuesday’s runoff was higher than in Round One, with about 55,000 more ballots cast, many of them by Democrats for Cochran. McDaniel supporters felt robbed; as their candidate took the stage at his election night watch party, the crowd chanted “Write Chris in!”

From Robert Costa in Washington Post
In a bitter and angry speech to supporters in Hattiesburg late Tuesday, McDaniel refused to concede and said, “we are not prone to surrender.” He cited “voting irregularities” and thundered that the “Republican primary [was] decided by liberal Democrats.”
“We’re not done fighting,” McDaniel vowed.
. . . McDaniel has drawn support from national tea party groups as well as conservative stars, including former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, former senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Chuck Woolery, the original host of “Wheel of Fortune.”



























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Sarah Palin Word Salad On Facebook
With Friends Like These, Who Needs Liberals?
As we pointed out last week (see: http://t.co/y8T64iZQyR), there were several potentially illegal political games afoot in Mississippi to motivate Democrat voters to “switch” over to the GOP for a day to help save a 42 year Republican member of Congress. On top of that, millions of dollars from out of state liberal billionaires like Mike Bloomberg poured in at the last minute on that same incumbent’s behalf. You have to ask yourself why?
When a primary election is lost fairly, I am all for unifying behind the victor and joining forces to fight in November. When an election is questionable, with potential legal violations, politics MUST be put aside and the irregularities MUST be fully investigated. Regardless of party, we owe it to voters and to democracy within our Republic. The integrity of the vote speaks directly to the integrity of those who serve and the trust we ask the American public to put in our institutions.
I told Chris McDaniel last night that I stand with his effort to get to the bottom of this – he needs to know average, but tremendously concerned, citizens want to make sure the integrity of last night’s results in Mississippi are verified. Voting shenanigans never cease to amaze, but they had better cease altogether for the sake of ethical elections. And any GOP “architect” behind these abhorrent voting shenanigans should be ashamed of this Pyrrhic victory for the establishment.
If we find out it’s true that some of the characters alleged to have masterminded this Mississippi hijacking are the same ones who’ve tried to destroy other Republicans’ careers, they need to be taken to task and only be hired by unethical campaigns. Fool us once, shame on you; fool us twice, shame on us. And if any news organization ignores a free and fair elections issue like this, then whether left-leaning or center right, their silence will speak volumes.
You can read more about this issue from an article last week here:

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/06/18/MS-GOP-Chair-Only-Those-Who-Plan-To-Support-GOP-Nominee-In-November-Should-Vote-In-Runoff

- Sarah Palin


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From "The Marionettes Remain Uncut" by Erick Erickson on Red State
. . . the Mississippi race does crystalize for me the desires of many to start a third party. In essence, tea party activists are the RINOs. A Republican Party campaigning on making the Senate “conservative,” used liberal Democrats to preserve an incumbent Republican and defeat a conservative. The actual conservatives are the outsiders with the GOP establishment doing all it could to preserve its power at the expense of its principles.
. . . Mississippi is a crystalizing election in that sense. Cochran is, for all intents and purposes, a marionette. His strings are pulled by staffers and lobbyists. They drop him onto the stage of the Senate and pull up a string to raise his hand. These puppeteers are so invested in keeping their gravy train going that they will, while claiming to be Republicans, flood a Republican primary with Obama voters to ensure their gravy train continues.

And to be clear, there is nothing wrong with that. They won fair and square. They changed who the electorate was, which was allowed under the rules.
. . . Unfortunately for the Republican Party the fight continues. And as grassroots activists feel further and further removed and alienated from the party, it will become harder and harder to win. . . . we may just see an irreparable split. Then, and even worse, if party leaders and party base voters cannot reconcile themselves to a common candidate in 2016, God help us.
I continue to oppose a third party. I’m just not sure what the Republican Party really stands for any more other than telling Obama no and telling our own corporate interests yes. That’s not much of a platform.









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Friday, April 12, 2013

"Accidental Racist" Song a Failure to Communicate

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Racism has been on my mind. Last year, we had some really powerful movies deal with it really well. We had Django [Unchained] and Lincoln, and the media deals with it all the time, and I thought maybe it would be an interesting conversation between country music and rap music to deal with this subject between two individuals in a loving and understanding way.
~ Country Singer Brad Paisley on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno

The song wasn’t perfect. You can’t fit 300 or 400 years of history into a three or four minute song.
Ultimately, I can’t defend the song, but I can clarify my intentions. I in no way would ever compare the history of the Confederate flag with a do-rag. However, when you think about a kid like Trayvon Martin and you think about some of the things that happen in society based on clothing, when you put it in this proper context, it makes sense.
~ LL Cool J to Jay Leno







"Accidental Racist" Lyrics Via The Wrap

Paisley:

To the man that waited on me at the Starbucks down on Main, I hope you understand
When I put on that t-shirt, the only thing I meant to say is I'm a Skynyrd fan
The red flag on my chest somehow is like the elephant in the corner of the south
And I just walked him right in the room
Just a proud rebel son with an 'ol can of worms
Lookin' like I got a lot to learn but from my point of view

I'm just a white man comin' to you from the southland
Tryin' to understand what it's like not to be
I'm proud of where I'm from but not everything we've done
And it ain't like you and me can re-write history
Our generation didn't start this nation
We're still pickin' up the pieces, walkin' on eggshells, fightin' over yesterday
And caught between southern pride and southern blame

They called it Reconstruction, fixed the buildings, dried some tears
We're still siftin' through the rubble after a hundred-fifty years
I try to put myself in your shoes and that's a good place to begin
But it ain't like I can walk a mile in someone else's skin

'Cause I'm a white man livin' in the southland
Just like you I'm more than what you see
I'm proud of where I'm from but not everything we've done
And it ain't like you and me can re-write history
Our generation didn't start this nation
And we're still paying for the mistakes
That a bunch of folks made long before we came
And caught between southern pride and southern blame

Cool J:

Dear Mr. White Man, I wish you understood
What the world is really like when you're livin' in the hood
Just because my pants are saggin' doesn't mean I'm up to no good
You should try to get to know me, I really wish you would
Now my chains are gold but I'm still misunderstood
I wasn't there when Sherman's March turned the south into firewood
I want you to get paid but be a slave I never could
Feel like a new fangled Django, dodgin' invisible white hoods
So when I see that white cowboy hat, I'm thinkin' it's not all good
I guess we're both guilty of judgin' the cover not the book
I'd love to buy you a beer, conversate and clear the air
But I see that red flag and I think you wish I wasn't here

Paisley and Cool J (Cool J in parentheses):

I'm just a white man
(If you don't judge my do-rag)
Comin' to you from the southland
(I won't judge your red flag)
Tryin' to understand what it's like not to be
I'm proud of where I'm from
(If you don't judge my gold chains)
But not everything we've done
(I'll forget the iron chains)
It ain't like you and me can re-write history
(Can't re-write history baby)

Oh, Dixieland
(The relationship between the Mason-Dixon needs some fixin')
I hope you understand what this is all about
(Quite frankly I'm a black Yankee but I've been thinkin' about this lately)
I'm a son of the new south
(The past is the past, you feel me)
And I just want to make things right
(Let bygones be bygones)
Where all that's left is southern pride
(RIP Robert E. Lee but I've gotta thank Abraham Lincoln for freeing me, know what I mean)
It's real, it's real
It's truth

~~~~~~~~~~~~





























The "Accidental Racist" we can work on. It's the "Intentional Racist" we need to eradicate.
~ Raptor2U on Huff Post

Those lyrics are impossible. I cannot believe this song actually exists!
Who the heck thought it was a good idea. . .complaining about how hard racism is. . .for white men? Ooof. I'm incredibly disappointed that LL Cool J chose to participate.
~ Horrible Pourable on Huff Post

They both get to wear the "I'm with stupid" t-shirt.
~ WinkandaNod on Huff Post

I think the purpose of this song is to get people talking. We don't talk to each other because of too much history and uncomfortable situations. We also don't want to listen...I appreciate Brad and LL for at least trying.
~ KimPeach on Huff Post

The performers call for racism to magically heal itself through major chords and willpower. It’s The Secret by way of Tinkerbell.
Paisley doesn’t want to talk to the coffeeshop guy about racism any more than LL wants to talk to white folks about mandatory minimums or systemic disparities in educational outcomes. They each want to know that ‘We’re cool, right bro?’ without actually engaging the ugly substance and legacy of American history. “Accidental Racist” deserves every ounce of clowning it gets...
~ Alan Pyke on Think Progress

Brad Paisley: “We’re still pickin’ up the pieces, walkin’ on eggshells, fightin’ over yesterday”
Nothing says “walkin’ on eggshells” quite like entering a Starbucks with a giant symbol of the institutionalized enslavement of human beings emblazoned on your chest. I wonder what he’d wear if he wasn’t so concerned with politeness!
~ Funny or Die, "The 11 Worst Lines from Accidental Racist"

As Dolly Parton once said (well, I heard her say it at a concert) "What do you get when you mix country and rap? CRAP!"
~ Simone F. on Think Progress

The members of Lynyrd Skynyrd were not racist. However, It was disappointing to learn that they decided to keep the confederate flag after their fans threw a fit.
~ Stacie B. on Think Progress

Whatever the reason, the song itself is a lyrical disgrace filled with awkward non-apologies and faux-pensiveness over the history of racism in the south.
~ Bobby Finger on Hairpin

My only objection to the song, and to the surrounding controversy, is that Brad Paisley says he is merely giving a the "Southern white man's point of view."
Mr. Paisley is from West Virginia, and as someone who was born and raised in Georgia, I resent that he considers himself Southern.
~ Class of '98, Atlanta on New York Times

To claim, as Paisley does, that wearing a confederate flag is actually about being a Lynard Skynyrd fan so we should ignore the dominant meaning, is silly. You can’t wear a swastika and say, “Oh don’t be upset–I’m thinking of the way the Chinese used it before it was appropriated by the Nazis.” That’s not how symbols work.
. . . I wonder if LL was drugged when he wrote and recorded the lyrics, “If you don’t judge my gold chains, I’ll forget the iron chain.” How could he have not recognized that as a possibly career-ending moment that would offend almost all of his fans to the core? He follows with other references to amnesia about a multi-century atrocity that still has a deep impact on America. Let bygones be bygones?
. . . I hope to never hear this horrible song again.
~ Touré on Time Magazine

But does this character exist? When people wear the Confederate flag, are they really surprised or concerned with who might be affected?
"They want to be able to carry the wounds of the Civil War but not the baggage," is how a source in the Nashville music industry described it to me. "They want to hold on to the trappings of the Confederacy but not be held responsible for everything they symbolize. And they're tired of having people make them feel bad for it I don't know if they are so much concerned about racism as they are about being seen as racist."
The lifelong Southerners I spoke to about this said that anyone wearing the flag as an adult in 2013 is fully aware of how it's viewed by others and has made the decision that they're okay with that.
~ Summer Anne Burton on BuzzFeed

The Confederate flag is a banner of hate, plain and simple. People need to do their research before they go around waving it around. And this is coming from a southern white male that was born and raised in Alabama.
~ Judd H. on BuzzFeed

I'm really upset with LL Cool J in this situation. Doesn't he realize what that flag represented to our ancestors? Pure hate. People in the south can be proud and display where they came from without this flag. This song is a cop out.
~ JoannaJ2 on BuzzFeed

. . . early in the song Paisley laments being judged for wearing a T-shirt that features a Confederate flag. He says he's not racist, he's just a "proud rebel son" and Lynyrd Skynyrd fan.
Here's what Paisley fails to realize - the very thing that is a symbol of pride for him is a symbol of oppression for others. The Confederate flag represents a movement that aimed to keep my ancestors in servitude. If that flag flew over our nation's capital today I wouldn't be allowed to read, let alone express myself in this column.
Do I think Paisley is racist? Not at all. But the symbol on his chest is. So yeah, I'm offended.
LL is just as offensive, reciting rhymes like this:
"If you don't judge my gold chains, I'll forget the iron chains," and "If you don't judge my do-rag, I won't judge your red flag."
In a song that hopes to erase stereotypes, LL is essentially glorifying them. Of all the metaphors he could have been used, why did LL go with gold chains and do-rags, the very images blacks have been trying to overcome for decades?
~ Edward Bowser on AL.com

David Graham on The Atlantic
But this is exactly how not to write a song about the Confederate flag. To see the right way, you've got to go back 20 years to the Bottle Rockets. They've got as much southern cred as Paisley -- the band is from Festus, Missouri, they're as likely to have steel guitar on their records as he is, and they write songs about trailer parks, $1000 cars, and Loretta Lynn. In other words, this isn't like Ontario-born Neil Young blasting backward racists in "Southern Man" (though he was right, too, no matter how it infuriated Lynyrd Skynyrd) -- it's a critique from within. Here's how songwriter Brian Henneman handled it in 1993:


Here's the first verse:
Look, here comes another one, 4-wheel drive
Look there in the window, man, sakes alive!
That good ol' boy's waving the stars and bars.
It's a red, white, and blue flag, but it ain't ours.
And the chorus:
Wave that flag high, wave it high,
Do you know what it means, do you know why?
Maybe bein' a rebel ain't no big deal
But if somebody owned your ass, how would you feel?

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Secession Wars!

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source: Twitter

Previous Post:
To Secede or Merely Succeed, That is the Question

























Gov. Perry believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it. But he also shares the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government. Now more than ever our country needs strong leadership from states like Texas, that are making tough decisions to live within their means, keep taxes low and provide opportunities to job creators so their citizens can provide for their families and prosper. We cannot allow Washington’s tax and spend, one-size-fits-all mindset to jeopardize our children’s future, undermine our personal liberties and drive our nation down a dangerous path to greater dependence of government.
~ Press Release from Governor Rick Perry of Texas

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— Fact or fiction? As a condition of its admission to the Union, Texas was given the unilateral power to return to its former Lone Star Republic status if it so chose.
FICTION.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is responsible for spreading this widely held misconception. Three years ago, he declared, ”When we came into the Union in 1845, one of the issues was that we’d be able to leave if we decided to do that.”
That’s just plain not true.
Texas has no right to secede. The bottom line is that any state — or confederation of states — can illegally secede from the Union. But the result, as we discovered in 1861, is Civil War.
~ From an article in Dallas Morning News called "Some Facts and Fiction for Texans Who Want to Secede from the U.S."


What would happen if we just decided to let them go? Imagine the possibilities. After a short phase-out period (so that the panicked citizens of New Orleans; Austin; and Washington, D.C., can join us), we let these ungrateful states go. And pull up the borders after us - the electric fence they're always so interested in having.
My prediction? Absolute chaos in the Southern states as they realize we're possessed of 85 percent of the country's venture capital and entrepreneurs and two-thirds of the country's tax revenue.
Meanwhile, nothing but happiness as the arugula-eating states lavish on projects like infrastructure and education those tax dollars we'd previously been sending to the red states.
~ Caille Milner on SFGate


Of course, this is mostly a symbolic gesture. The odds of the American government granting any state permission to go its own way are on par with winning the lottery while getting hit by a meteor while seeing Bigfoot while finding gluten-free pizza that tastes like the real thing.
~ Mike Krumboltz on Yahoo News Blog


WAIT
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF ALL STATES SOMEHOW SECEDED?
would obama just be all alone or what?
~ before-earth on tumblr


12-21-12
The day the United States of America will become the Divided Zombies of America.
~ devin devotion on Tumblr


Yeah okay states you go ahead and secede like little 8-year-olds running away from home with their stuffed bears and a tube of bubbles. Let me know how lack of national funding treats you. I hope anarchy is all it’s cracked up to be.
~ bejoyfull on tumblr


I would also just like to point out the presidential election results in NC:
Obama/Biden (DEM)
2,157,909 48.30%
Romney/Ryan (REP)
2,253,689 50.45%
Johnson/Gray (LIB)
43,947 0.98%
Write-in
11,870 0.27%
So in what world, exactly is it going to work to create a separate “North Carolina with a ‘NEW’ government” (whatever that means) in which 48.3% of the population voted for the president you so adamantly dislike. Oh, they can leave if they don’t like it, you say? Oh goody, let’s watch your entire infrastructure crumble.
. . . And seriously, if anyone tries to bring up a historical argument to back this up, I will beat them into the ground with it.
That is all.
~ The Misty Path on Tumblr

Hey, Texas, you won't get to keep the military bases, or NASA, or the Pantex nukuler weapons manufacturing plant in Amarillo; also, the INS will patrol north of the Red River, not the Rio Grande. Keep all that sh** in mind.
~ BaldarTFlagass on Wonkette

Take my Confederacy... PLEASE!
Leave the racists. Take the cannoli.
~ memzilla on Wonkette

Photobucket

LIBERAL ATTACK! Obama Petitioned To Strip Citizenship From State Secession Signers!
~ Headline from a blog called "Now The End Begins" about thist petition:

we petition the obama administration to:
Strip the Citizenship from Everyone who Signed a Petition to Secede and Exile Them
Mr. President, please sign an executive order such that each American citizen who signed a petition from any state to secede from the USA shall have their citizenship stripped and be peacefully deported.
Created: Nov 12, 2012
Issues: Civil Rights and Liberties, Defense, Homeland Security and Disaster Relief
Learn about Petition Thresholds
Signatures needed by December 12, 2012 to reach goal of 25,000
18,124
Total signatures on this petition
6,876
~ Petition Filed at WhiteHouse.Gov

~~~

we petition the obama administration to:
Erect Electrical Fence and Place Alligators around Seceded States
In case any state(s) successfully secede from the Union:
(1) Erect Electrical Fence around the boarder, around the seceded State(s).
(2) Place Alligators around the boarder of the seceded State(s).
(3) The States which have seceded the Union must be liable for all the cost of installation, equipments and alligators.
Created: Nov 14, 2012
Issues: Defense, Foreign Policy, Homeland Security and Disaster Relief
Learn about Petition Thresholds
Signatures needed by December 14, 2012 to reach goal of 25,000
24,994
Total signatures on this petition
6
~ Petition with a Fun Idea

~~~

we petition the obama administration to:
Reaffirm that secession is not an option, while acknowledging that D.C. itself is largely what provokes secession talk.
With the many secession petitions on the WhiteHouse.gov website, it is important for the Obama Administration to remind the people of the United States of two facts: first, that secession is impossible and impermissible under the Constitution, as established at Appomattox; and second, that secession talk today is largely the result of the chronic failures of Obama-Administration policies, coupled with the Washington D.C. habit of overreach and arrogance.
Created: Nov 13, 2012
Issues: Civil Rights and Liberties, Government Reform, Regulatory Reform
Learn about Petition Thresholds
Signatures needed by December 13, 2012 to reach goal of 25,000
24,973
Total signatures on this petition
27
~ A Less Popular Petition on WhiteHouse.Gov

~~~

we petition the obama administration to:
Keep the United States United
The United States of America was founded on principles of democracy and cooperation. We have gone through over two centuries of triumph and turmoil, but more importantly,we have done so as a united country.
Times have been tough for all of us; some states are frustrated to the point of petitioning for secession, but now is not the time to be divided.Their actions can only harm our country. The best way to help the American people is not through bipartisan bickering, secession, or the general lack of cooperation that runs rampant in our country. The best and only way to help the American people is by continuing to be “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
We the undersigned implore the Administration to do everything in its power to keep our nation united.
Created: Nov 12, 2012
Issues: Civil Rights and Liberties, Government Reform, Human Rights
Learn about Petition Thresholds
Signatures needed by December 12, 2012 to reach goal of 25,000
24,721
Total signatures on this petition
279
Petition on WhiteHouse.Gov Trying to Stop the Madness

~~~~~~~

Barack Obama won. He won by turning out the most people in a well run campaign. In other words, he won fair and square.
We here at RedState are American citizens. We have no plans to secede from the union. If you do, good luck with that, but this is not the place for you.
~ Message from Erick Erickson, owner of the conservative website Red State







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