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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

How I Became a Political Junkie


I’ve only been interested in politics for 20 years, but I can't remember this country being so polarized. My family is not a bit interested in politics, so the subject doesn't come up during family gatherings.

My start began as my wife and I were cruising inside the city limits of Houston (my wife will tell you I was lost as usual) when we stumbled into a gathering around the San Houston Park in downtown Houston, Texas. We walked a little further when a couple of persons handed us Clinton/Gore signs and enthusiastically invited us to stay for the rally. We did, and we enjoyed our first political speech; I was really impressed with the young governor from Arkansas. It was a rare time in my life because I can't remember whether I voted for Bush or Governor Dukakis in 1988 but I know that I've always liked President George H.W. Bush, then again I might have been starting to lean toward the  Democrats before 1992. Six days later I voted for Bill Clinton and never looked back.

After the 1992 election, I found out how much  politics meant to some of my coworkers. I've heard a little of the Clinton put downs before the election, but I ignored it, for some reason. After the election, it became a daily ritual which didn't really affect me until someone asked why I didn't participate in what they thought were true statements. I told them that I had voted for Bill Clinton, so that put me in their cross hairs. I quickly found out that I was outnumbered, so that meant that I had a little margin for error. I've always loved economics, taxes, and anything to do with math, so all I had to do was work on foreign policy, if I was going to stand a chance with the Clinton haters.

I was put on a spot one morning in January of 1998 ,after the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke out. I remembered going into the break room where a lot of my buddies expected me to apologize for Bill Clinton. My answer came naturally, I remember saying that Monica was the same age as one of my daughters and Bill Clinton was my age and Lewinsky's boss, so it was wrong. I didn't use the consensual sex excuse, but instead I said it was reprehensible and he should be punished. When the Republicans decided to impeach him, I said it was not a high crime and misdemeanor offense, but since their minds were already made up; I thought censure would have been appropriate. Then one of my loudmouth friends walked up to me and said I was an apologist, and I replied “the only difference between man is opportunity." I'm not someone's fool because I always believed that Bill Clinton was a womanizer, but that didn't have a thing to do with being president. I stood my ground for eight years without much help, but it didn't have to be that way because I saw a lot of my fellow coworkers the day Bill Clinton came to Victoria in 2008. I told them I could've used their help, but they said from their perspective, I had it well in hand.

Two years ago, I decided to stay out of the “and you're another one" Sean Hannity type face- offs with my VA opponents and tried to force them to have a serious discussion on the issues. Periodically, I slipped back to my old habits, but I have come to realize that I'm playing on their home turf, when I do that. I'll let someone else fight those who believe Obama is not an American or that Hillary is employing someone from the Muslim Brotherhood as Michelle Bachmann is spouting.

Today, the Obama campaign is controlling the agenda because of Romney’s refusal to submit at least 10 years of tax returns, and it will haunt him until he does. The issue of the day will then turn to taxes again, and the Republicans will emphasize the debt. The Democrats will emphasize income inequality and the merry- go and- round keeps spinning. All we are doing is recycling the same issues without solutions. That's got to come to a head because in January, the budget cuts on defense spending are real because of the sequester deal both parties made. I can't believe a former vice president, who went out with a 13% approval was invited back to the house to rally the troops against the defense budget cuts.

I still wish the VA would go back to a version of their old format, which will allow me to answer my detractors. I don't expect that to happen anytime soon, if ever, and so I've laid out the topics of my blogs as if I was getting paid to do this...:- ..Friday's blog will be about the role of government and the myths of government spending. Republicans might not want to read my blog on the last two weeks of October up until the election because it's going to be 100% pro President Obama, but that shouldn't surprise my Republican friends.

I know some of you have told me that your political interest came naturally because of your family’s interest and other’s have a penchant for local politics but not for national politics. I  also know a lot of readers don’t like politics at all. Feel free to share.


Note the  YouTube video of Clinton’s speech is 32 minutes long and the Clinton speech is at the  11.42 mark

11 comments:

Mike said...

Good for John McCain,he may be a grouchy old man but every now and then he reverts back to the "straight shooter."

"Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) vigorously defended top State Department official Huma Abedin against allegations by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and other conservatives that this Muslim-American woman is part of a Muslim Brotherhood conspiracy to infiltrate the U.S. government.

"These allegations about Huma and the report from which they are drawn are nothing less than an unwarranted and unfounded attack on an honorable woman, a dedicated American and a loyal public servant," said McCain in a speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday morning.

The accusations stem from a report by the Center for Security Policy. The organization is run by Frank Gaffney, who has been crusading against the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood and Sharia law for years.

Bachmann, along with Reps. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.), Thomas Rooney (R-Fla.) and Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.), recently sent letters to five federal agencies demanding investigations into infiltration by the Muslim Brotherhood, citing Gaffney's work."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/18/john-mccain-michele-bachmann-muslim_n_1683277.html

born2Bme said...

I truly wish politicians, and tv personnel/stations, could be held accountable, and prosecuted, for slander.
Think elections would go a lot differently?

dale said...

Politics can be a tough game. And I do know that first hand. But, my one and only campaign never really became "dirty". Although it was the first time I was ever referred to as a "libertarian". Now, thanks to Mike, I may be wearing that term as a badge of honor. And yes Mike, I too, was able to shake former President Clinton's hand. Also, of more an impression was my exposure to the first time Victoria peace officers ever wore machine pistols, flak jackets and black uniforms in public. Don't you just love Democracy 2000 style?

Mike said...

Good point born,but bat crazy sells....The TV could put a disclaimer on a scroll saying that the statements have are their own opinions without proof....You certainly can't embarrass Michelle Bachmann because when she is questioned ,she goes into a state of hypnosis and then will double down on the nonsense.

It's time for someone to step up and take a lesson from history when "The army hired Boston lawyer Joseph Welch to make its case. At a session on June 9, 1954, McCarthy charged that one of Welch's attorneys had ties to a Communist organization. As an amazed television audience looked on, Welch responded with the immortal lines that ultimately ended McCarthy's career: "Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness." When McCarthy tried to continue his attack, Welch angrily interrupted, "Let us not assassinate this lad further, senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?"

Mike said...

Dale
Politics is not for the timid but name calling to nth  degree from a person that sits on the Intellegence Committe should be censored for spreading untruths.

I do remember the people in military gard as you described but they didn't look that threating..lol...Did you happen to see the Secret Serive in the windows? I wonder if there some we didn't see?Our sheriff looked like the main character in a cowboy movie that night  but I was told that was his everyday clothing.

Btw I guessed correctly the other day,Chris Christie will be the keynote speaker which means he's off the veep list.

Edith Ann said...

Mike, the SWAT team in their BDU's only look threatening to a libertarian! Some of them think that they lose some kind of right every time SWAT suits up! Let us note for the record that the republican Sheriff implemented the BDU's as uniforms for the jail personnel. That last sentence counts for nothing, but why I'm flings stuff around, I thought I'd fling that fact, too.

The same folks, however, do not get upset when housekeepers, day care workers or others wear scrubs and look like surgeons.

Edith Ann said...

*while, not why

Mike said...

EA
Is there any truth to the rumor that Bill Clinton raised his hands to the sky and made the rain clouds go away?..lol.

I remember being one of the last to get into the theater and  then told to go outside because he was going to speak at DeLeon Plaza only to find him less than 20 ft. away on top of a pickup...That's a day I'll always remember.....I also remember the rudeness of the Ron Paulities showing up with their Ron Paul signs,some were arguing with the Clinton fans.
I guess I'm pretty naive because I didn't think  my hometown had hecklers;I thought that was only in big cities....I did say I was naive.

Edith Ann said...

I remember it very well, too! My friend, the late Bill Moore, provided the pick up for Clinton to stand in. I did get to shake his hand also. It was a good day.

I also remember how bad I had to pee, and the cop on the side of the Welder Center, a friend of mine too, would not let me walk up a block to go to my car. She could see my car, but the answer was still no!

BIGJ said...

You know it is people like Buchmann, is the reason dueling should be lawful. I stand by my statements.

BIGJ said...

You know it is people like Buchmann, is the reason dueling should be lawful. I stand by my statements.