chagedorn's Comments (114)

“Of course, if someone had said it was "terrorists" or "Al Qaeda" who killed him, we'd have a march on Washington because this fine American (an Eagle Scout, no less) wasn't protected.­..but it just couldn't be paranoid reactionaries with an axe to grind, THAT is just a "libS" fantasy.”

“The sad ting is that it's not that his performance was any more racy than anyone else's....­Lady Gaga, J-lo, even Janet Jackson was oddly grabbing her crotch and thrusting.­..so enough with the "we have to protect the children" complaints. The problem was that the performance was bad...clun­ky and tasteless and phony right down to the awful suit he was wearing and terrible makeup. Whoever talked Mr. Lambert into doing this was not his friend...I doubt he conceived it himselr -- as part of the terribleness was how uncomfortable he looked during the whole proceeding. An interesting career stalled for the moment. Homophobia­....who knows? Probably, as many have done much worse in both the sex and violence area on stage and film who are still thriving.”

“HuffPost needs a new section that quarantines non-stories like this, something called "Irrelevancies" or "Media Narcissism" or "Mindless Puffery."”

“I wish I was smart enough to know. Part of me thinks it's already gone too far...that we're so fragmented that there is no "we" anymore and it will take some larger event -- larger, obviously, than even the financial crisis and the healthcare crisis and two wars and the declining standard of living and the growing gap between rich and poor. So maybe it's the demagogues that are prescient in calling for what history seems to indicate, some destructive conflagration that "resets" everything. I think we'v e forgotten that as a nation we're only 233 years old....in the scheme of human civilization that's not very old, we're still very capable of tearing ourselves apart. A start would be for our "leaders" on all sides to "lead" us away from this precipice by exemplifying things like tolerance and fair play and honesty rather than anger and winning at any cost and divisiveness. A bullying minority who have no standards or values other than "winning" is difficult to beat.”

“People making death threats, etc. aren't really "Republicans" or even "Democrats" though they may have checked a box on a piece of paper somewhere. They are reactionaries, and hysterics and bullies and patriots-i­n-their-ow­n-minds...­because no hero or patriot resorts to hate or violence as a first resort...a­nd their "arguments" are a long, long way from enlightened reason and civil debate.

Most echo the sarcastic "laughter" that contains no real joy or mirth that you hear from people like Ann Coulter and Glenn Beck...the­ir cynicism drives people who are even more frightened to desperation instead of hope. But we have been enabling this kind of thing in America for a long time by not speaking up and fighting against it, primarily by destroying the kind of education in critical thinking and informed debate and creative expression that would lead people to fulfull America's promise instead of breaking them-- by worshiping wealth and equating torture and violence with "entertain­ment."

Now we're in an untenable situation where any attempt to defend against this cynical reversal of the Founder's most cherished ideals over the last 30 years is called tyranny and amplified in the media so that there is nowhere for "truth" or even the idea of truth to be found, only "opinion" gradually devolving into "my voice is louder than yours," my money, my gun...some­how, even if really "only a minority" we need to repair this damage to our national psyche.”

“What is a "long form" birth certificate? The whole thing is just so amazingly ridiculous­...”

“I'm sure Rupert Murdoch has already made them an offer they can't refuse...”

“All of these corporate types live in a bubble where they're all geniuses, their failures are all caused by others' jealousy and their successes are completely their own. They've internalized "never apologize, never explain" completely -- plus what seem to be the oddly connected ideas of Ayn Rand and The Family that tell them that whatever they do is right, and that they are completely misunderstood and constrained by people who are "inferior" to them by virtue of not being rich. It's difficult not to believe that such bankruptcy of morality and intellect are in the majority after what we've experienced for the last 8 to 20 or so years depending upon how you look at it, but I think the faultiness of these people's ideas and the shabbiness of their actual execution of them are finally causing the whole phony edifice to come apart at the seams. The question is what will we replace it with...pro­gress or devolution?”

“As convinced as I am of your sincerity, I sincerely thank you for your wishes for my enjoyment, and heartily send them back your way.”

“There is nothing "conservative" about the protestors or most of our current Republican representation in Washington­...the word "conservative" merely gives their "movement," such as it is, legitimacy. What they are is "reactionaries," that good old word describing those who say "No" to any type of progress and who want to roll back the clock to a non-existent, "simpler" time...how­ever understandable it is for many of them who are presented with too much information about the rest of the world that they used to be able to avoid, as well as too much disinformation from their propaganda source of choice, Fox News. The contradictions of life are ever more complicated, particularly if you favor non-critical thinking and blind allegiance to ideology/p­ersonality­. The question really is who will re-direct the rage to its proper objects -- not those who seek reform but those who have created AND harnessed the "rage" to line their own pockets and continue the status quo. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue, this is about our rights and responsibilities as citizens, not to "refuse" taxation but to demand better representation for our taxes from our elected leaders. And the best way to do that is participate -- not simply demonstrate -- and to vote. If our elected officials choose not to lead, or cannot make clear HOW they are leading, they are dooming our Nation to the fate of California -- government by whim rather than the enlightened reason envisioned by our Founders.”

“Surely you can think of something more trenchant and accurate to call David Gregory other than "girlish." "Girlish" in this context is an insult to girls everywhere. Otherwise, thank you for being such a vital part of my Sunday morning and alleviating my own tv-induced Irrational Pundit Anger Syndrome Symptoms (I PASS) which used to last well into the following Thursday..­.”

“Little wonder Wall Street Repubs oppose health care reform. If these folks they're bundling life insurance from happen to live longer, they lose money. Talk about Death Panels!

This is where the worship of profit leads. When will we ever stop listening to Wall Street gamblers as the arbiters of success? Wall Street "analysts" are the ones that force corporate America year after year into meeting short term profit goals rather than focusing on long term innovation, taking care of employees equitably and creating quality products at reasonable prices. Profit and "growth" are not the only values...u­nnatural and rapid "growth" can also be a cancer which eventually overwhelms almost all of us.”

“It's yet another disheartening message about our media culture that will more than likely dissuade serious, thoughtful and independent individuals from seeking work in television journalism. Like Luke Russert, it seems that having a famous parent is enough "dues" to pay for one of these kids to get what has to be a much envied plum on camera job on a major "news" show. I'd be interested in the honest opinion of some "real" journalists about this...in the end I suppose it just emphasizes that actual television news and the role of the fourth estate in our democracy ended a long time ago and now everywhere you turn it's simply about commerce.”

“I am joining the chorus...w­hy oh why do we have to keep seeing these same people on the Sunday shows? It is NOT the same thing as Carol Burnett keeping Tim Conway on as a regular :) I already know what Liz Cheney and John McCain and Liz Cheney's father and George Will have to say....and am I wrong in that it seems like in the last administration it was just about all Republicans all the time and now in this administration there is no let up in having those same Republicans on every show? Further, I am completely mystified that "journalists" who appear to want to be taken seriously like Chris Matthews (he of the completely unnecessary comment that "Obama should have come" to Ted Kennedy's burial..."­I'm just sayin'") still have people like Dancin' Tom Delay and Tom Tancredo and so many others just grinning and lyin' and grinning and lyin' and making money on the back of the "relevance" and the credibility that Matthews at least technically provides them. Look at how MTP's ratings jumped with just a little touch of Maddow in the morning. Couldn't we have Kos and Digby and Arianna as respected regulars rather than just stunts like "Maddow takes on Armey?"”

“Sadly, I have to agree, the only conspiracy theory I believe in is that 30 years ago Reagan began the process of dismantling public education in this country, both physically and ideologically, thus created an electorate that has no knowledge or understanding of history and is ever more easily led...”

“Liberal women have been treated in "such a fashion" for years, and still are. Does the name Hillary Clinton ring a bell? When Sarah Palin has to undergo years of investigation of every aspect of her personal and professional life by Kenneth Starr, has a major national figure produce a videotape calling her, along with her husband, a murderer, and in general is villified beyond all reason or truth for many, many years at a time...not just "over a year now"...the­n perhaps she can complain about her poor treatment as a conservative woman. In the meantime, while Hillary has been actually and painstakingly cleared of every accusation ever made about her, legal or otherwise, Ms. Palin seems to think that a smile and a wink are enough to protect her from cutting ethical corners, fuzzy thinking and a clear lack of qualification -- emphasized and compounded by her current resignation from the Governorship -- for higher office. What happens if she somehow becomes President and the "media" says mean things about her, as they do about every President. Will she just quit and go home? Her actions have not revealed a great deal of character or toughness.­..sure, if she was just a wife and mother who lived around the corner the media attention would be outrageous. But that's not what she signed up for. Politics is a tough game, for EVERYONE. Why should she get a pass?”

“Completely irrelevant­...”

“I was absolutely for giving her the benefit of the doubt, as a sort of mild comic figure that mitigated at least some Republican anti-American extremisim, but after seeing her, I was suprised how embarrassing and embarrassed she was, like "oh wow, I can't believe I'm on the same panel with these people" but at the same time using her youth and inexperience and lack of educations as a shield from criticism.­..not that she couldn't do something about at least the last two of those things. It's sad that our standards for commentators are so low, but then again Huffpost has many columns by celebrities that are perhaps more heartfelt than brilliance based.”

“Amen to that.”

“Again, the ratings of all these guys are going to keep slipping as long as they keep putting on people that nobody wants to see or hear. Who is remotely interested, really, in what Michael Steele has to say? Or John Kyl? Why not have Jim Webb on with Dennis Kucinich or Barbara Boxer so we can find out what's going on inside the party in power? Rather than keep turning to these unbearable Republican talking heads who never say anything new.”

“Notice who was on all the Sunday Morning shows last Sunday...D­ick Cheney has become must see viewing for his craziness quotient but everyone else showcasing the same old boring Repubs tanked. Also. of course, Schieffer is a cut above in terms of asking thoughtful questions. Let Gregory start having some interesting, progressive guests and some panelists who are NOT Peggy Noonan, et al and watch his ratings rise. Why not have Katrina Van den Heuvel and Rachel Maddow as panelists? Or Arianna or Digby or Kos?”

“Since Reagan our lending system has become usury and our insurance system has become extortion, and our commitments to things like a living wage, affordable healthcare and education for all have been smeared and dismantled along with our adherence to the Geneva Conventions -- all in the service of a group of people wanting to recreate our country in the image of their own venality and self-righteousness and desire to punish all those not like themselves. 20 years of dumbing down has ensured that most of the populace can't even tell democracy from oligarchy, socialism from fascism (yet the Republicans want to "rename" the Democratic party.) "Corporatized" Americans think the government needs to be run "like a business" even though Corporations are NOT democracies and only exist at our pleasure we are allowing them to use us as a cash machine, both coming and going. President Obama is not reponsible for all of this..."we the people" need to stop listening to phony patriotism and scare tactics and remember that this is our country and our government, or used to be and possibly could be again.”

“Joe the Plumber has children? And I suppose, by extension, a wife? Why have we never seen nor heard from this happy All-American family...w­hy is Joe always sadly alone when he faces the media or goes off to foreign climes as a correspondent. Where IS Joe the Plumber's family in this part of good old fashioned family values? I think it's odd, and surely something that would be remarked upon if he was a Democrat..­..if Sarah Palin can drag Levi on stage for a career enhancing photo op, can Joe the Plumber do less? Curious...­and almost...q­ueer...”

“In the 60s, Vietnam war protesters burned their draft cards....w­hy aren't these bailout protestors burning their credit cards and refusing to pay the increased fees and interest rates that banks are imposing on their customers while taking OUR tax dollars? This would make a great deal more sense...an­d actually require some commitment and guts...tha­n protesting Obama's meagre tax increases on the top 2 percent. Let's have a REAL revolt -- about real lack of representation in the boardrooms of the financial giants who stay afloat of nickel and diming the rest of us to death, addicting kids to credit while they're in college and in general spending hundreds of dollars per person to get Americans to sign up for more and more credit cards -- and against the members of Congress, including our VP, who voted to re-instate usury in this country.”

“Those of us who are more liberal simply do not understand the world this woman and many others are living in, and it's full of self fulfilling prophecy. Part of the reason Bachmann is so afraid is because she believes that the President has all of these extraordinary dictatorial powers, so she can't imagine not using them. She believes that people who do not fit within her narrow view of what is acceptable are frightening and in most cases deserve to be punished. Her answer to crime is more policemen and more prisons, her answer to poverty and illness and want is "it's your own fault," and her answer to political differences is violence and war, and her actual sense of morality or social responsibility is nil. Not to mention she's obviously mentally imbalanced in combination with being unbelievably ignorant..­.and with Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly and many others, responding to their own lack of relevance by going off the rails entirely her behaviour appears to be a trend. Being a poor loser is only the beginning of the problem...­.”