Ready for the obese soprano to trill

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  • Black Bart
    Senior Member
    • Jun 2005
    • 3357

    #1

    Ready for the obese soprano to trill

    "Puh...leeeaaasssee -- let it be over..." The cry of a tormented soul on the rack? No; rather an American of voting age agonizing through this presidential campaign. How long now? Mere years? Surely a decade.

    Sick of hearing about candidates' personalities, personal faults, and their dirty laundry in general, what I'd really like to know is what programs they have in mind and how they intend to implement them. But...I don't think that's coming until after the election.

    The jury's still out on the effectiveness of negative attack ads; psychologists claim threatening messages like these -- McCain's over the hill, out-of-touch, in bed with Bush/ Obama pals around with crooks and terrorists/ Palin's an inept lightweight clothes-horse/ Biden, oh never mind, that's enough -- are remembered longer than positive, uplifting ads, even though polls repeatedly show that voters dislike them.

    While longing for the gentlemanly behavior and noble political restraint characteristic of days of old, I ran across a Newsweek article listing newspaper editorials from the republic's early years: 1800-Thomas Jefferson-John Adams presidential race: "If Jefferson wins; murder, robbery, rape, adultery, and incest will be openly taught and practiced...the soil will be soaked with blood...citizens hid their Bibles for fear the infidel president will declare them illegal." 1828-Supporters of John Quincy Adams called Andrew Jackson "a cannibal, a murderer" and his previously married wife "a whore."

    125 years later and mild by comparison, Senator Robert Taft (upon the firing of popular General Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War) demanded "President Truman must be impeached and convicted...he is unfit, morally and mentally, for his high office...a fool who is surrounded by knaves." Truman's approval rating (22%-Gallup poll) is the all-time lowest for an active American president (Bush--take heart), and he was forced to cancel his 1953 reelection campaign.

    So anyway, mudslingin' and muckrakin' apparently have a long, distinguished history here in River City and --- I should shut up!
  • JohnH
    Senior Member
    • Apr 2007
    • 5339

    #2
    "I'm not an old, experienced hand at politics. But I am now seasoned enough to have learned that the hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving you are unworthy of winning" - Adlai Stevenson
    "The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectful" - John Kenneth Galbraith

    Comment

    • Black Bart
      Senior Member
      • Jun 2005
      • 3357

      #3
      Quite

      Originally posted by JohnH
      "I'm not an old, experienced hand at politics. But I am now seasoned enough to have learned that the hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving you are unworthy of winning" - Adlai Stevenson
      the political buff, aren't you Johnny? Your recent political snippets have been very entertaining to me as well as to, I'm sure, every thinking person on the board.

      Comment

      • JohnH
        Senior Member
        • Apr 2007
        • 5339

        #4
        Thanks Bart, but my goal is to entertain every person on the board.

        Seriously, I believe this nation would be a different place if we had the good fortune to have a few more Adlai Stevensons, Daniel Patrick Moynihans, Alan K. Simpsons, etc rather than the pack of greedy, power-hungry opportunists we are forced to choose from on both sides of the aisle.
        "The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectful" - John Kenneth Galbraith

        Comment

        • JSLATER
          Senior Member
          • Dec 2007
          • 124

          #5
          Originally posted by JohnH

          Seriously, I believe this nation would be a different place if we had the good fortune to have a few more Adlai Stevensons, Daniel Patrick Moynihans, Alan K. Simpsons, etc rather than the pack of greedy, power-hungry opportunists we are forced to choose from on both sides of the aisle.
          I may not agree with the all names you listed, but I completely agree with your comments about today's choices. AND, it starts right down at the "grass roots" level.

          Comment

          • taxxcpa
            Senior Member
            • Nov 2007
            • 978

            #6
            Adlai Stevenson

            One of his best lines:
            "A funny thing happened on the way to the White House."

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