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This page contains all of the posts and discussion on MemeStreams referencing the following web page: My Anti-Stump Speech. You can find discussions on MemeStreams as you surf the web, even if you aren't a MemeStreams member, using the Threads Bookmarklet.

My Anti-Stump Speech by Jeremy at 9:06 am EST, Feb 23, 2004
Those dirty words -- "productivity" and "outsourcing" -- are raising Americans' standard of living. Have the politicians on the stump -- so certain that America cannot compete in the new, global economy -- scared you with those words? Is your job really in danger of being stolen by prisoners in China or children in India? Back when unemployment was going up, did you ever hear "it's because people are hopeful and more are out looking for jobs"? I say yes, there are "two Americas." My friends, I've chosen my America. I hope it's yours.
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RE: My Anti-Stump Speech
by Decius at 9:35 am EST, Feb 23, 2004

Jeremy wrote:
] Is your job really in danger of being stolen by
] prisoners in China or children in India?

I'm beginning to decide that I really don't like Safire. If the NYT could please replace him with a writer from Mumbai I'll sign up for a subscription.

] Back when unemployment was going up, did you ever hear "it's
] because people are hopeful and more are out looking for jobs"?

The left blames bush as they blamed hoover, and they were wrong on both counts. Neither bush nor hoover were responsible for the jobs situations that they faced. However, the situation they faced was/is real. Safire has stuck his fingers in his ears and is saying "LALALALALALALALALALALA". This isn't any less disingenuous.

] Optimistic America responds to competition, opportunity, openness,
] freedom ready to do the business that not only creates tomorrow's
] jobs but spreads the prosperity that leads to peace around the world.

Did I catch that right? Did he say optimistic america "responds" to freedom, in the same sense that it "responds" to competition??

Safire isn't responding to the problem. He is pretending it doesn't exist. There is a difference.

My Anti-Stump Speech
by k at 11:53 am EST, Feb 23, 2004

[ My America is certainly not looking like yours, Wm. Safire.

Please. Don't tell me that the 25 bucks that fictional lady saved on shoes makes up for fact that Bush's tax cuts have cost her 100 times that much in the form of increased local and state taxes, not to mention the fact that there is no consideration given to the quality of life of the american factory worker who is collecting unemployment because his job is now done by someone in Myanmar for a buck a day -- at the very least not a wage that's going to tear down the walls and bless the poor nations of the world with our freedom and prosperity.

Safire accuses the dems of fear mongering - all the while clouding the issues with linguistic image distortion - phrasing that draws mean 'ol democrats stealing the shoes right off poor kids' feet.

He also quotes 5.5% unemployment, which is as optimistic as Bush saying he's gonna manage to create 2 million jobs this year. His analysis of how the numbers are affected by people dropping out of the job search is also absurd... the fact that a process is not reversible doesn't invalidate it, jackass, especially when it's partially based on psychology, not some mechanical, invariant system. If my analysis of the economy makes me a "gloomy-Gus" (when did we revert to elementary school, by the way?) then the republicans should all change their names, because i've heard nothing but fear, distrust and anger governing our foreign policy of late. Bush loves to bring up how dangerous the world is, how things have changed, how much the fundamentalists hate us... and you know what, the world *is* dangerous and some people *do* hate us. I disagree with some of the ways the Bush whitehouse has responded to these issues, but the door swings both ways here. No one's used more fear to sell the Patriot Act, CAPPS, TIA, and War than the republicans. Drawing attention to the bad shit that's going down in the world isn't the same as being pessimistic -- it's called addressing the problem.

Jesus, take your pseudo-populist ("my momma didn't raise no fool") cheerleading and shove it. -k]