Comments Posted By Shelby
Displaying 11 To 20 Of 45 Comments
This post brings to mind something I have learned about liberals in my own admittedly rather brief life experience of talking to them and working with them daily. To liberals, feelings matter more than logic. If you experience something as offensive, then it is offensive. If you experience Bush as a tyrant, then he is a tyrant. If you experience something as racism, then it is racism--even if you do not have the life experience or the skin color to have firsthand experience of what racism is.
This mentality--of feelings meaning more than facts--has polluted the minds of many. In fact, I would go so far as to say it is now mainstream. In this world, its not the whole picture that matters. It's how you feel when you are reading an article like that one in Vanity Fair talking about "racist" acts. It's how you feel when you see that headline on CNN that someone yelled "Kill him!" at a Palin rally. It's how you experience the world that matters, not the facts that come to light later. And sadly, I have seen this mentality take over the minds of many of my friends who were normally Republican voters, but who eventually voted for Obama after they became emotionally turned off by the "terrible racism" of McCain supporters story line that the media provided America. This story line was particularly emotional for minorities and they felt very saddened by all these racism stories coming out, particularly the infamous Palin "Kill him!" story (even though it was debunked, the damage was done).
Knowing this new trend in our society and in our media, I think our campaign in 2012 should be organized in a completely different way. I don't know what direction we should head in, but we need to steal this victim storyline from the liberals and use it against them, because right now it is their best weapon.
Comment Posted By Shelby On 13.11.2008 @ 14:54
WILL THE HARD LEFT PUSH OBAMA OVER A CLIFF?
Now why doesn't it surprise me that the first group to get pissed off at Obama is NOW, when his campaign paid female staffers less than men, and he "snubbed" Hillary for the VP nod (or so the feminist gossip goes)? lol. I still was surprised they endorsed him. Oh well. I suppose this is just the first group to realize Obama may not deliver the sparkling world of liberal perfection that they are all hoping for. Reality bites.
By the way, I find it interesting that this issue of this Harvard president's comments coming back to the forefront since I am a female computer science major. What disgusts me is not being the only female in all of my classes. What disgusts me is when these diversity-obsessed professors step in and try to change the outcome of competitions so that there is always a female in the winner's circle. I have already had to deal with that and I've found it just causes more resentment towards me among the guys. I'd rather just have a level playing field! I suppose I'd never make a good feminist...
Comment Posted By Shelby On 11.11.2008 @ 15:15
DON'T YOU WISH YOU WERE A FLY ON A WALL?
Ha ha, I love this. The left hated 8 years of Bush and now, in a dramatic twist of irony, they are awarded with a leader who seems to have some of the same qualities. Oh well. We can't say we didn't warn them.
Personally I doubt Obama will be a centrist President. It's obvious from all these past tapes of him speaking and giving interviews that he cares deeply about the far left agenda. You can't expect that kind of ideology to just fade because we are assuming he will want to have good poll numbers. But we'll see.
Comment Posted By Shelby On 10.11.2008 @ 11:16
TWITS IN MCCAIN CAMP MISFIRE IN PALIN ATTACKS
First off I love reading your replies to these comments Rick. LOL. Your comebacks are so funny.
Second of all, Palin has been smeared so badly (and also admittedly has made enough mistakes of her own) that a 2012 comeback could be a real challenge. I think her national reputation is basically screwed at this point, but she does still have a large following. She just won't be able to increase the size of it unless she attacks this aggressively. She will have to rebuild it piece by piece in the years leading up to any national comeback. Her best bet is to just stay in the national eye and keep giving interviews and not make any mistakes. I think when you're a female politician, and in particular a Republican female politician, America expects you to be a walking talking reference book to have any credibility.
It's funny that she can make a couple of mistakes and everyone thinks she is stupid... but Biden says screwball things nearly everyday. I definitely think there is a double standard at play here.
But, on a more general note, I think conservatives need to find a leader that can go toe-to-toe with these left wing professor college types like Obama. We need someone that can really dissect these pie in the sky progressive theories on the left and why they are doomed to fail. We need a real "belly button gazer", the type of person who when doing an interview on TV will make ordinary people space out and change the channel back to American Idol. We need someone who will do that because it will leave them with the impression that they must be too dumb to understand how intelligent and super conservative thought is. I think the left has so infested our colleges that now there is a prevailing attitude that if you are a Republican you must be uneducated or ignorant. We really need to get around that because the electorate is changing. More jobs require college degrees than ever before. If we don't pay attention to this, then before we know it our society will definitely continue moving left. Well, I'll get off my soap box for now :)
Comment Posted By Shelby On 6.11.2008 @ 18:56
PS: Earlier I meant to say Grant Park, not Hyde Park. I think I had a few too many alcoholic beverages last night. Nothing like drunkenness for unity!
Comment Posted By Shelby On 5.11.2008 @ 20:09
Good post Rick. You know, as I sat watching the Hyde Park party, I realized something: If nothing else, I am proud I live in a country where we can vote and exchange power peacefully. I was also proud that we elected the first African American President (though I doubt "racism" according to the left will ever die - there are too many people out there analyzing racism for a living to keep it alive). I still have all the same reservations about Obama that I did before, but I think there is something to be said that conservatives (well most of us anyway) are able to accept the peaceful exchange of power without making effigies of our least favorite candidate to burn in protest, or without making those lovely "X lied, people died" bumper stickers. We live in a country with free speech, which means we also have the freedom to make idiots of ourselves. I don't plan to be that way.
Comment Posted By Shelby On 5.11.2008 @ 13:17
Rick,
Nice post. I hope I too can muster up some of your peacefulness by the end of this week. I have been avoiding reading anything or watching TV all day. I don't want to hear the news... I don't want to hear my college friends cheer in glee when Obama is declared the winner (having no clue what he actually stands for apart from having a D after his name). When I think of a Democrat controlled everything in Washington, I shudder. Finally liberals are going to be able to hatch all these pie in the sky plans that Republicans have prevented. End of our country as we know it? Maybe not. Frightening? Most definitely.
We have 4 years to resell the conservative brand. Hopefully in 4 years we can have a more fired up conservative base, and pick up some more votes from the DisIllusioned-Obama-Promised-Me-Hope-And-Gave-Me-Reality crowd.
Comment Posted By Shelby On 4.11.2008 @ 21:07
Very thoughtful piece Rick. I have always shared a certain optimism about America's future...and that usually puts me in the minority. However, in these past few weeks it has finally started to sink in that the conservative ideas I have embraced my whole life may finally be on their way out the door--or if not out the door, radically changed into a different beast entirely. It's hard to feel optimistic when you feel like your country will change. If we forget where we came from--the plucky pioneer spirit, the determination--then we will lose everything, because that is why we are the greatest country in the world.
Unfortunately I've been becoming less and less optimistic that this pioneer spirit will continue. I hear Obama's speeches and I just feel like he wants to turn the US into one big social experiment, to see if the government can provide better for society by taking more of our money and handing it out how they see fit. And I don't even think anyone cares. We have stopped rolling up our sleeves like our parents and grandparents and greatgrandparents did, and have started holding out our hands for handouts instead.
My hope is that, if Obama is elected, the country becomes disillusioned with this idea that the government can provide everything you need. I feel like it's a dead-end road...
Comment Posted By Shelby On 3.11.2008 @ 13:06
OBAMA BRAGS ABOUT BANKRUPTING COAL POWER PLANT COMPANIES
Wow, I'm speechless. This is what happens when good intentions create very bad ideas. I hope this isn't a preview of the next four years.
Comment Posted By Shelby On 2.11.2008 @ 16:08
'WE DIDN'T KNOW" WILL NOT BE AN ACCEPTED EXCUSE
From what I gather from snippets from other blogs throughout this election, the Obama campaign waves carrots in front of reporters to encourage positive reporting on their campaign. Those that write friendly pieces get the access and the interviews. Those that do not... well, we all know what they did to Barbara West in Orlando. And now these newspapers are booted off the plane. It pays $$ to support the One, doesn't it?
But you know, the press being motivated or tempted by $$ is not news to me. What really creeps me out about this is that I perceive actions like this to be an attempt to discourage fair and objective criticism in any form. And what does that say about a man who wants to be President? Will he listen to opposing sides before he makes a judgement? Or will he turn the Presidency into a left-wing classroom, where any opposing ideas are ridiculed?
Considering he has not reacted well to criticism and opposing viewpoints so far, I am still making up my mind on whether or not he will swing whatever way the political winds blow... He might, but I just can't make it out yet. I suspect his left wing ideas from his college days and after will override any political winds. But, I could be wrong.
But I do agree with you Rick that after Obama will be elected there will be somewhat of a mass hysteria as people finally realize his flaws. the honeymoon will be over then!
Comment Posted By Shelby On 31.10.2008 @ 15:45
