I heard a radio ad for Eric Massa yesterday. The ad dealt with economic issues.
I was struck by the reference to high gasoline prices. Massa's ad described them in a way that would lead a listener to think that Massa believes high gas prices are "bad" and that he will do something about them.
But isn't this just political hypocrisy? The Democratic party champions higher gasoline prices as the vehicle to get people to move to conserve gasoline and move to alternative fuels. The Democrats routinely told us that we should add taxes to the price of gasoline that raised the price even further, so as to achieve environmental goals.
Massa is strongly supported by the national Democratic party. He knows the Dems stands on the environment, offshore drilling, and energy policy in general. So why is he pretending that he will "do something" about high gas prices?
The Answer? Poll driven hypocrisy.
Just as Nancy Pelosi and Barak Obama have changed their no drilling tunes in light of overwhelming public opinion, Eric Massa has chosen to try to deceive the public about his true beliefs and to just tell us what he thinks we want to hear.
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2 comments:
Repoman:
Thoughts on "You and What Army"---
With the events in the Republic of Georgia, the US finally admits that there is a limit to its power. We may protest - we may make diplomatic gestures - but the realization - finally- is that there is nothing we can do to stop Russia - nether militarily or with economic sanctions.
The fact that we are accepting the limitations on our power is a good thing- like a sick person finally admitting that smoking is killing him - the admission is the first step to health.
In terms of foreign policy perhaps this world wide seen impotence, will cause us to retreat and regain our inner strength ( from which comes our foregin strength)
Remember this from grade school social studies. From 1815- to about 1915- Britain was the SuperPower. It owned 20% of the earth. It was the country with "the white man's burden "on its back - Rhodesia, South Africa, Austrailiam, India and tens and tens more it owned or controlled. It was involved in wars from Crimea, to the Boer, to Tibet - wars large and small too numerous to remember. Many historians argue that the British focus on Empire led to a failure to deal with internal problems. It was this failure that ultimately caused Britain's back to break under the weight of the Empire.
The US today is a debtor nation. Our governments at all levels are in debt. As individuals we are in debt- never imagined by even our parents of a generation ago. Our culture has become slothful and lazy, seeking entertainment and passive amusement. Our prisons are full, the levels of mental health problems unparalled ( some 20% of all adults on depression or anxiety meds). Postponent of gratification is a concept not even discussed. We have allowed the amusement of our children to overtake and consume our lives as adults. Yet at the same time allow children to live in the violent worlld of our inner cities.
The limits of our power have been reached. It is time to come home, and renew our broken culture. A country like a person can't put up much of a fight when it is sick.
But what about the rest of the analogy? What happened when Britain tried to pull back from its role as protector of the balance of power during the 20's and 30's? The totalitarian powers stepped in and threatened to take over the world.
So Putin's Russia is flexing its muscles and we can't do anything. Well, I doubt we should do a heck of a lot about Georgia. But what happens when they go for the Ukraine or Poland? Do we still stand by? Do we let them re-establish the Iron Curtain? I don't think so!
Meanwhile, I accept a lot about what you describe as wrong with this country. But I disagree to the extent that you seem to blame these problems on America's foreign policy efforts. Where's the connection?
Bush's foreign policy and the war on terror have not been perfect, but we haven't had a repeat of 9/11. Yes, its cost much in money and lives, but you cannot blame America's cultural downslide on Bush.
I also think you are selling America short. I do not believe that the US is a spent force. That is the problem with the Democrats. They want to have us accept that our day in the sun is over.
Why? In the late 70's, many experts said America was washed up. Viet Nam had broken us militarily and economically. The Japanese and Germans had all the economic power and the Soviet Union was at its apogee.
Ten years later, Russia was a broken-down husk of the former Soviet Union. The Japanese economic miracle had collapsed.
Today, the US is down again and the Russians are ramping back up to super-power status. Nothing is permanent, if we can just find leaders who will take us in the right direction.
Dare I say it? We need another Ronald Reagan. A leader with a positive vision for the country and the will and determination to carry it out.
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