Somewhere in all of that, I found myself watching the Rachel Maddow Show. I like TRMS. I know it is a remarkably liberal show, and I also know that it's really more about her personality than it is about the news bits she offers. On Monday night's show, she had this to say about the Senate race in Massachusetts. I think she is really onto something about both Massachusetts and the rest of the country during this election season. She talks about the fine art of "stoking" in elections.
So Scott Brown said a nasty thing. That's pretty bad, but it isn't over. It got worse. If you read this New York Times article, supporters of Scott Brown where doing war chanting and the Tomahawk chop to show their solidarity. It's disgusting and racist, but not really the heart of the issue.
The real theme of the day is not just race, I think. The theme of the day is "entitlement." Senator Brown rails on Prof. Warren because she checked a box. Checking that box put her in a category that may have helped her in ways that many other people don't get help. He says the issue is about character; she doesn't "look" Native American, so she's lied to get something she doesn't deserve. It's fancy wording, but it is still about entitlements. It's about asking the voters to look at Ms. Warren and resent her for trying to skip steps on the advancement ladders. You're supposed to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, Ms. Warren. You aren't supposed to take handouts, much less if you're cheating to get them. What do you think you are entitled to?
I am not completely sure how to extend this thought to be a meme, but I do see the issue of entitlements quite a bit. Here's how it's running: Governor Romney is secretly taped at a fund raiser saying some pretty nasty things about 47% of the population of America. Now, to be fair, I don't think the part about how they won't vote for him is probably not that controversial. The issue with his statements, I think, begin when he says:
The real theme of the day is not just race, I think. The theme of the day is "entitlement." Senator Brown rails on Prof. Warren because she checked a box. Checking that box put her in a category that may have helped her in ways that many other people don't get help. He says the issue is about character; she doesn't "look" Native American, so she's lied to get something she doesn't deserve. It's fancy wording, but it is still about entitlements. It's about asking the voters to look at Ms. Warren and resent her for trying to skip steps on the advancement ladders. You're supposed to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, Ms. Warren. You aren't supposed to take handouts, much less if you're cheating to get them. What do you think you are entitled to?
I am not completely sure how to extend this thought to be a meme, but I do see the issue of entitlements quite a bit. Here's how it's running: Governor Romney is secretly taped at a fund raiser saying some pretty nasty things about 47% of the population of America. Now, to be fair, I don't think the part about how they won't vote for him is probably not that controversial. The issue with his statements, I think, begin when he says:
All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. And I mean, the president starts off with 48, 49, 48—he starts off with a huge number. These are people who pay no income tax. Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax. So our message of low taxes doesn't connect. And he'll be out there talking about tax cuts for the rich. I mean that's what they sell every four years. And so my job is not to worry about those people—I'll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. *
See? Those people over there are getting something you need. They think they should just get it. They. That's a key word here. THEY. The only natural comeback for THEY language is US. THEY aren't like US. Entitlements are the new way of creating that "us vs. them" dynamic and that will keep everybody in-fighting for generations.
There's this really wonderful quote by William Sloane Coffin that goes like this, "Human unity is not something we are called on to create - only something we are called on to recognize." I just hope it isn't too late for that.
UPDATE: 9/26 - It ain't just me!
*The full transcript of Governor Romney's tape can be found here. And in it, he mentions Professor Warren, by the way. Makes you wonder if Senator Brown is taking his cues from that video. The emphasis is mine.
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