[Samuel] Adams stated that citizens should not get too caught up in the respect given to people in high positions, or the praise given to leaders. “This has led millions into such a degree of dependence and submission”. He went on to say that the people should believe in the constitution, not the leaders who dictate it. “Whoever, therefore, insinuates notions of government contrary to the constitution, or in any degree winks at any measures to suppress or even to weaken it, is not a loyal man.”
I’ve already expressed, as have others here, my frustration with the “renouncing game” that the media likes to play, and some activists seem to support, if they think it might benefit their candidate. One of the main problems, in my mind, is the false equivalency. This business of “Has Obama done enough to distance himself…” seems like a hoop that people demand the candidate jump through. Because, um, they can, and that’s how the game is played.
But some supporter statements are more relevant than others. There’s a difference between “guilt by association”, and people in key positions who make statements that give us a clue about how you will govern. I’m thinking of some of the more egregious remarks made by Carville, Begala, et. al.
If anyone has some of those at your fingertips, could you link them here? I’d like to start collecting those for a post.
I was glad Obama didn’t entirely distance himself. So far, while the preachers comments have been harsh, I haven’t heard anything that wasn’t true, or, in my opinion, deserved. And of course, it’s not the whole story, either. If any of us had something from our lives quoted or taken out of context, heck, we’d all look like horrible human beings!
I wish the press had to go through what they inflict on others.
Polling has held up just fine since this story broke, too. I suspect real people aren’t so shocked or offended… Just the usual whiter-than-white Fox News watching, pearl-clutching, faux-outrage-creating racist authoritarians, who were already not going to vote for Obama (or any Democrat) anyway. No worries as far as I can tell.
But it does show where our “Mainstream Media” journalists and TV hosts fit into the spectrum, doesn’t it?
I saw this photo of West Virginia 02 candidate Anne Barth and I noticed her lapel pin. I know the Republicans made a big deal out of Barack Obama not wearing an American flag pin even though one of the people who made such an issue of it did not wear one either.
So I had my suspicion what was on the pin that Barth wore and I emailed a staffer. Turns out I was correct. She wears a replica of the U.S. Constitution on her lapel.
Others drape themselves in the flag in a faux display of patriotism. Barth’s loyalty is to the U.S. Constitution.
That’s cool. Maybe she’ll start a trend.
Yeah, I’m thinkin’, where can I get me one of those?
They can be found at:
http://pinsforpatriots.com/constitution-goldplated.html
Thanks for the link!
Cool, thanks. That saves me a couple hours’ searching. 🙂
They have a Declaration of Independence pin too. Now if only they had a Bill of Rights pin, that would be very cool.
I rule at goggleing LOL Glad to be of service.
Yeah – get me one of those!
Is that was Obama was wearing on his jacket in Indiana?
I noticed he had a pin on and couldn’t tell if it was a scroll or a shield.
I dunno. It’s really hard to tell at that resolution, and the camera never zooms in. It could be the Constitution pin.
OT, but how about the Constitution Center for Yearly Carnacki this year?
That’s a good possibility. I’ve always wanted to see Liberty Hall and they’re close.
I rocked my BooTrib shirt today during the wrap up of a blogger summit I’m attending in D.C. Thought you would like to know that all five of the congressional staffers that I road the elevator with afterwards said they read here religiously. “Oh my god, I love that site.”
[pats BooMan and everyone else on the back]
Wow. I’m going to have to start waving hi to the congressional aides when I do diaries.
That’s fantastic. I knew BooTrib was mentioned in “50 Simple Things You Can Do To Take Back America” but geez, having people in Congress reading this blog is like having Ziegfeld in the audience, you know?
For a split second I thought they were talking about my site, but then I realized they were all looking at the handcuffed frog that dominated the small space we were crammed into…good times 🙂
Must go to bed now and do this all over again tomorrow. I may finally write a book, finally: When Hobbies Become Lots of Work
Preview if my friend, preview is my friend, preview is my friend Ommmmmmmmmmzzzzz
Manee – they were looking at you, not your shirt, and the word you heard was “sight.”
heh, i like that. will reprogram my memory accordingly so there’s more of a bounce to my step as I hobnob with other people around the conference this week. Hope you’re doing good, Alice!
Great! Working on learning to keep my mouth shut. Sometimes the temptation is overwhelming – you gave me quite a mental picture with that elevator scene. I’m so looking forward to the book.
I hope you’re having a wonderful time there.