Sirotablog
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. David writes about political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties.
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June 6, 2007 11:15 AM
Are We Really Back to Debating What the Meaning of "Is" Is?
The New York Times has this interesting nugget today:
"The Bush administration’s efforts to thwart terrorism at home have created a fissure among the three leading Democratic presidential candidates, with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton coming under attack for saying that America is safer now than before 9/11...'I believe we are safer than we were,' Mrs. Clinton said...'I think the vast majority of Democratic primary voters, and Americans, would agree with Senator Clinton,' said a campaign spokesman."
Whether we actually ARE safer or not is not what's interesting about this particular excerpt - what's interesting is that the Clinton campaign is now asserting that the majority of Americans BELIEVE we are safer, and not really just the majority, but the VAST majority. I say this is "interesting" because it comes from what is widely known to be a very poll-driven campaign team - a campaign team that knows the actual data says precisely the opposite.
According to a CBS News poll a little less than a year ago, 84 percent of Americans say they feel less safe or only as safe as they did before 9/11. This is not a small majority - this actually IS the vast majority saying they unequivocally disagree with Clinton's assessment. That probably has something to do with the fact that by a 4-to-1 margin, Americans believe the Iraq War, which Clinton voted for, has made the country less safe.
And by the way, this data isn't buried. It's screams itself from CBS's website after a five second google search:
Look, we can have a debate about whether the country is or is not more or less safe since 9/11. But it's pretty clear we cannot have a debate about whether the country BELIEVES we are more or less safe since 9/11 - it doesn't, and trying to debate that point is vaguely reminiscent of trying to debate what the meaning of "is" is.
This actually gets to the point that bothers me most about the Clinton campaign (well, almost "the most" - her hiring a union busting corporate PR consultant to run her campaign, her seeming lack of care that she is surrounded by advisers tied to a murderous Colombian government, and her support for the Iraq War I guess qualify for that "most bothersome" slot, but I digress): I always get that feeling they think they are so smart, and that everyone is stupid to fall for the utterly predictable, utterly Clintonian tactics of basically trying to devolve every debate over real issues into another version of a meaningless and transparent debate over what the meaning of "is" is.
It's that same feeling you'd get if you met someone in a field on a crystal clear day, and they pointed up straight at the sun and said, "Of course it's overcast, can't you see that?" You'd think they thought you were either blind or a complete idiot, and that probably would piss you off - as it should.
(h/t Greg Sargent for first pointing this specific excerpt out)
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About David Sirota
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Hostile Takeover. He lives in Denver, Colorado. His daily blog can be found at CREDO Action. He contributes regularly to the Denver Post's Web site, is a senior editor at In These Times magazine and is working on his second book. He has been profiled in Newsweek and the Rocky Mountain News and is widely known for his reporting on political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties. Sirota serves as co-chair of the Progressive States Network, a 501(c)3 organization that supports state legislators and that is a partner of CREDO.
You can subscribe to Sirota's e-mail newsletter by going to davidsirota.com and signing up in the lefthand corner. To find out more about Sirota, download his official biography or see his recent media appearances. You can e-mail him at sirota@credoaction.com.
The views expressed on this blog are his own, and do not necessarily represent the views of Working Assets (publisher of CREDO Action) or the institutions Sirota works for.
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Discussion
Of course we are not safe..!
We're conducting a war and that always by definition makes our nation a target to some so anyone who tells you we're safer now than before September 11th is full of shit like that ass-hole lying incompetent Michael Chertoff..!
Now since 9/11 we have allowed millions of strangers to invade our country s some of them are no doubt terrorists, Jihadists and it's more likely you'll be killed or your wife or child murdered by the 30,000 Gang members who are here illegally and Chertoff wants to allow to stay by promising they'll have nothing more to do with the gangs they belong to ..
Can you imagine that this piece of shit Chertoff would even suggest such stupidity and insult every American with his lying New Jersey corrupt sleaze bag bullshit like that..?
Why not do the same for the Mafia ok Vinnie Gumbatz, just sign here that you are no longer gonna be in la Cosa Nostra and all is forgiven:
"Yeah Really ok where do I sign..bada bing bada boom..!"
How can we even debate if we are safer with a first class lying stupid corrupt douche bag like Michael Chertoff in charge you have to be more stupid the his boss to even think or consider that..?
How can I speak this way, well I have been trying to tell you I have been dealing with two of the biggest lying ass-hole traitor shits in America since 1988 that criminal swine perjurer Samuel A. Alito who is the mentor to this Michael Chertoff incompetent douche bag threat to our security and your children's safety as G.W. Bush would say..QED..!
I myself would rather be Free than Safe, and Bush and NSPD-51 and HSPD-20 threatens both..
But the sold out corrupt Media won't even address this, so we will become a dictatorship soon enough, watch and see..you cowards..!
Of course we are not safe..!
We're conducting a war and that always by definition makes our nation a target to some so anyone who tells you we're safer now than before September 11th is full of shit like that ass-hole lying incompetent Michael Chertoff..!
Now since 9/11 we have allowed millions of strangers to invade our country s some of them are no doubt terrorists, Jihadists and it's more likely you'll be killed or your wife or child murdered by the 30,000 Gang members who are here illegally and Chertoff wants to allow to stay by promising they'll have nothing more to do with the gangs they belong to ..
Can you imagine that this piece of shit Chertoff would even suggest such stupidity and insult every American with his lying New Jersey corrupt sleaze bag bullshit like that..?
Why not do the same for the Mafia ok Vinnie Gumbatz, just sign here that you are no longer gonna be in la Cosa Nostra and all is forgiven:
"Yeah Really ok where do I sign..bada bing bada boom..!"
How can we even debate if we are safer with a first class lying stupid corrupt douche bag like Michael Chertoff in charge you have to be more stupid the his boss to even think or consider that..?
How can I speak this way, well I have been trying to tell you I have been dealing with two of the biggest lying ass-hole traitor shits in America since 1988 that criminal swine perjurer Samuel A. Alito who is the mentor to this Michael Chertoff incompetent douche bag threat to our security and your children's safety as G.W. Bush would say..QED..!
I myself would rather be Free than Safe, and Bush and NSPD-51 and HSPD-20 threatens both..
But the sold out corrupt Media won't even address this, so we will become a dictatorship soon enough, watch and see..you cowards..!
Oh, for crying out loud. This is one of my biggest beefs! This constant attempt to convey the appearance of whatever; or believing we are or are not something. Damnit, when will we have some authentic leadership? David, I think your next book should be something like: Authenticity: Searching for realism in a world of marketing.
McDonald's doesn't really love to see you smile. Coca-Cola really doesn't want the world to sing in perfect harmony. The insurance companies are the worst - Like a good neighbor State Farm is GONE.
Anyway, thanks for the tip on this. I may blog about it later. Sorry to rant.
Moving past the are we safe topic, it’s well known by anyone with the slightest bit of intelligence that we are less safe and increasingly less safe every day Bush is in office. Everyone knows it, it’s not the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about, everyone is talking about it and the multiple crimes this administration is committing; it’s obvious but no action is taking place (impeachment). It’s like all these “for the people” representatives work for Bush personally. I guess they all work for “The Man” whoever that is, the Halliburton/Exxon man I guess. Anyway the point I’m trying make is after the first Regan/Bush fiasco I thought Bill C did a great job restoring our countries honor and doing so many really good things for our country. I thought he did a great job walking that line of actually doing what is right for America and completely destroying a political carrier. And from what I can tell it is a very fine line. Doing what’s right for the American people will get you fired or even killed, as history shows. Speaking of history the stained dress doesn’t seem like that big of deal compared to the current Bush/Cheney crime syndicate. But having said that I have never trusted H.R. Clinton and I still do not,,,at all. I just can’t believe that having liked and respected Bill so much that I could not like and disrespect his wife so much.
David, or anyone, can you maybe provide me a little insight as to why this is?
I wonder if the establishment "Democrats" ever take the time to fight Cheney and the neocons for FUNDING AL-QUEDA. Oh never mind, I think we all know that one. The faux establishment "Democrats" love getting paid to be ABUSED by Cheney and the neocons !
No we are less safe and the Democrats are just as complicit in this mess. Both parties just hope no one sees the fuckups they are committing in the name of political correctness and corporate bribery. Both get a "F".
I just wish the Democrats would show some honesty and leadership on the issue instead of either parroting Bush(Hillary) or just pooh-poohing the whole notion of security(Edwards).
The thing is, neither party wants to tackle Saudi Arabia's funding of radical Islamic preachers and the mosques that support them both here in the U.S. and all over the world. Which is the primary ideological engine of terrorism. Nor do they want to talk about how much of a hold Saudi Oil magnates have on current and former U.S. officials.
Neither party wants to secure our ports and borders and institute real control and roundups of people who violate their visas, as in the case of the 9/11 hijackers.
When confronted on this, the Democrats deploy the race and xenophobe cards, whilst their GOP buddies haul out the "who will pick the veggies" canard.
They refuse to get tough with powerful foreign spawned gangs like MS-13 which is spreading like a cancer through the country.
Hell we don't know who comes in and our border security is hamstrung by politically correct and corporate pols who make sure they can't do their job.
And if folks think the Democrats care for us, ask them why they refuse to gut the clause in the McCain-Kennedy Illegal alien amnesty bill that creates the framework for the SPP and eventually a North American Union. The ulitmate in labor arbitrage, which will kill off the middle-class.
So much for the worker friendly Democrats. They are just GOPers in drag.
So, neither party has a leg to stand on. All either cares about is the aquisition of power. Everything else is just cynical manipulation.
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