Sunday, February 05, 2006

GOP leader sees democracy as "embarrassing"

Troop withdrawal referendum questions will be on the ballot this year in more than 20 Wisconsin communities. In each community the ballot question is the result of the hard work of scores of citizen activists, most of them employed, or full-time students, or with family obligations, or engaged in other activities that make it difficult to dedicate the time necessary to collect petition signatures. Most have also had to deal with a hostile establishment press, double-talking local politicians, and uncooperative city attorneys. These obstacles proved to be too difficult to overcome in Oshkosh, at least in order to get the question on the ballot in April.

Regardless of where one stands on the war, you'd think that this experiment in democracy would be something to celebrate. "Small d" democracy is, after all, something that we say we stand for.

Not so for Wisconsin Republican Party Executive Director Rick Wiley. Asked to comment on the referendum drive, he told the Journal Sentinel that "I think it's kind of embarrassing, quite honestly."

Let's see if the state Democratic Party condemns Wiley's remarks. Don't hold your breath.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm reading my first Noam Chomsky book, which I had mentioned on the Bab & Ak site (yes, I'm repeating myself). It is a pretty amazing book in several ways, one of which is the way it seems relevant to what is talked about on blogs so it comes to mind quite often.

The most surprising thing about it (for me) is that Chomsky shows the Democratic leaders as being only slightly less militaristic and imperialistic than the Republican ones, if at all. The difference seems almost to be not in actions, but in the language surrounding the actions - nationalism, righteousness, etc. on the part of the Republican strong arm and expolitative tactics, a "dirty little secret" kind of attitude on the part of the Dems.

So do we want to bomb and torture with glory and pride, or keep the whole mess in the closet? That seems to be the voter's choice.

Just as many genocidal dictators seem to have been ignored/supported by U.S. Democrats (as long as the regime allowed US control of "3rd world" economy and resources) as so-called hawkish Republicans.

Also - he points out the belief in the illusion of "democracy by force" is sacred to many Americans on both sides of the aisle, who carefully ignore that it is NOT actually democracy that is then the result, but US control of foreign populations and economies.

Chomsky has 85 million footnotes and seems not to be pulling this info out of his...you know. So he builds a pretty believable case.
All of this stuff hinges on the press doing that good old self-monitoring thing, and people having no idea really.

So, I guess I'm with ya on the Not Holding My Breath thing.

Anonymous said...

...and is anybody else freaked out that the rhetoric around Iran is exactly like the crap we were hearing during the "case-building" pre-Iraq invasion period?

Anonymous said...

What aould you suggest we do with Iran? Tell them to play nice? The only thing these animals understand is force.

Anonymous said...

First of all there is no "we". You and I share nothing as far as understanding, perception or analysis.

Having said that, might I suggest that if your current employment situation doesn't work out, you might want to get an app. in at Abu Ghraib. You sound like you would be very happy there.

I cannot understand your viewpoint at all. In fact, your cruelty shocks me. But I suppose that is because you have not enlightned me through beatings.

(And the assuptions that you make about actual animals "learning" through violence makes me feel sorry for your dog)

Have a nice life.

Anonymous said...

Jody,
Noam Chomsky actually maintains a blog: http://blog.zmag.org/bloggers/
?blogger=chomsky