Saturday, July 23, 2016

The American Dream According To Republicans

"life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth ~ James Truslow Adams in 1931 defining the American Dream.

According to Marsha Blackburn, the gop potus nominee Donald Trump "believes In the American dream because he has lived the American dream". Apparently she's been using this line a LOT, as when I Googled for it, I got many other instances of her saying it.

The one I was looking for was her saying it at the GOP Trump-tastic Convention. I heard it while watching the news, which, because I live in Tennessee and she is a member of the House representing Tennessee's 7th congressional district, the Tennessee news covered.

According to her Wikipedia page, "Blackburn is one of three female U.S. representatives in congress who identifies as a congressman"... as opposed to a congresswoman (translation: she's an anti-woman woman). Also an idiot, as she subscribes to the myth that the ACA contains "death panels". This, despite the fact that "it had been ...widely debunked by fact-checking journalism organizations".

Oh, and she doesn't believe in climate change or evolution. She was also "named one of the Most Corrupt Members of Congress by the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

Anyway, the American Dream, as I understand it, is having a good job that enables you to be able to pay for all the necessities in life (food, clothing, shelter, health care) and also send your kids to college, take a few vacations a year, and retire with no worries of living your old age in poverty.

Donald Trump was born on 3rd base and GOPers like Blackburn think he hit a homer. In the minds of Republicans Trump represents the "American Dream". Trump having been being born to wealthy parents and inheriting a LARGE amount of money from them.

Sure, many Americans might DREAM about this, but that all it is. A dream. Not attainable. At least the being born wealthy part. Some people work hard, and via a combination of skill and luck end up rich. But these people are in the minority. The American Dream SHOULD be something anyone can aspire to AND have at least a moderate chance of attaining.

BTW, Diane Black, a colleague of Blackburn's (in that she's a "congressman" from Tennessee) says (in a campaign commercial that I saw recently) that government shouldn't play a role in lifting people out of poverty. "Government doesn't get people out of poverty, hard work does" she says.

She must believe that the working poor just don't work hard enough. I mean, if they weren't lazy moochers expecting handouts they'd be rich and living the American Dream, right?

SWTD #341

8 comments:

  1. I for one am sick to death of these people.

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  2. I always hear about Marsha Blackburn from that tireless blogger from Nashville, Southern Beale.

    I recently told Beale that the republican party needs more women in power, to which she promptly cited the examples of Marsha and some other Tennessee Republican women from the state legislature as prime examples as to why perhaps using more women alone may not be the answer to the republican party's problems. (One of them was a former porn star.)

    Maybe I am making your dream even more unattainable than it is as you stated, but I am pretty sure you're not living the dream if you don't have a nice home, two cars, and enough money to buy your kids, (if you are lucky enough to be able to start a family,) nice things, good clothing, books, computers, art or music lessons, maybe an economical car, & cetera.

    Maybe the dream is just to give your children more than you ever had. What I see around me is a generation that would like to enjoy the same things their parents gave them while they were growing up, but can no longer truly afford all of these luxuries and privileges and probably are not saving and planning adequately for a happy retirement, or even worse, racking up dangerous levels of debt.

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  3. Since you insist on stealing my posts, I'll post them on your thread and make it easy for you.

    The Clinton Machine
    I don't like being talked down to, or manipulated. I'm not moved by false images, or stories of falling in love, especially from my politicians. I don't hero worship; and I certainly would not hero worship a musician, a sports figure, or a politician.
    I thought Bill Clinton's speech was low grade pablum for the masses. He was saying the same thing Trump says, only Hillary can solve all our problems. I thought Aleshia Keys song "super woman" was horrible.
    There was detail about Hillary, but only the top icing, nothing that truly exposed how she deals with world leaders. Of course the mistakes were forgotten. And I'm not impressed by her early legal work anymore than I was impressed by knowing Obama was a community activist. I could care less about how Bill and Hillary fell in love. In fact, I found that rather insulting implying she would be nothing without his political career.
    I'm sure there was a small percentage of people who voted for Obama just because he was black. No doubt there will be a small percentage of people who will vote for Hillary just because she is a woman. It would be a mistake for the Clinton's to think those few votes would give her the win. The event did nothing to erase her trust problem, which is what will lose her this election.
    The American people have always needed a little more sales resistance towards their politicians. I have no doubt all this imagery will get votes for Clinton. I just don't understand why. Maybe I have more sales resistance than most.The worst, or best thing the Clinton's have going for them is the dripping hate their supporters write about Trump, or any Clinton opponent. I don't believe Clinton is an angle anymore than Trump is the devil.
    I don't see the Congress passing the money needed to fund her plans anymore than the Congress will pass spending to fund Trump's plans. At least her plans are clear, not some mirage Trumps keeps talking about.
    Bernie was true to his convictions to the end. He stayed in to record the vote. Something he promised his voters. There was no acclimation for Hillary from Bernie, and he left the convention as soon as the roll call ended. He lost the nomination, but succeeded in pulling the party to the left.
    All this talk about the Democrats passing the most liberal platform in history, is bullshit. Although, it's certainly more left than the democrats have been in over 50 years.
    I was totally unimpressed. If you were, get a little more sales resistance for politicians.

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  4. I have zero interest in stealing any of that, Luke.

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  5. I stopped reading Luke's comment after the first sentence.

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  6. Note to Luke: Your last comment, another post from your blog that you're submitting here so I "don't have to steal it", isn't going to be published, nor will any other cut and pastes from your site. Feel free to comment in the future, but no further posts will get through. Like I said, I have no interest in stealing any of your material. If you want to promote your blog, that's fine. It might be that accusing other bloggers of stealing your stuff has worked in that regard previously, but I don't care for the tactic. And, I don't think it's going to yield any results here, given the fact that this blog receives very little traffic. Finally (if you decide to comment again), I'd appreciate it if you could refrain from using profanities. Thank you.

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