Comments on: Let’s revive an old slogan

By: Assistant Village Idiot

Assistant Village Idiot — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:56:01 +0000

turfmann, I was not precise, and you are correct. When I said vacation areas of the Cape, I was thinking mostly of the outer, P-Town, area, plus the islands. Barnstable County is certainly also a vacation area, but I think of that as more mixed.

As to the South Shore, my father-in-law is a Roosevelt Democrat from Scituate who will never vote for a Republican, and he has mentioned a few times that his area, despite being the Irish Riviera, has too many Republicans for his taste.

By: Anne

Anne — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:55:32 +0000

And wouldn’t it be lovely if Brown is – really truly is – what he seems? A mixture of points of view, not a tool of either party, not beholden and not indebted, just a regular guy (as you say) who says what he means and actually will do what he said he would do, someone with points of view and a sense of humor and a sense of balance and a sense of fair play? Let’s hope!

By: will

will — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:14:39 +0000

To add on to what AVI said, I’m always amazed when I hear folks talk about Massachusetts being nothing but liberals. “Trucks, guns” etc. Hey, every home in my old neighborhood had at least one shotgun in it. Our’s certainly did. Trucks?, I learned to drive in a 53′ Chevrolet out in the fields as soon as I could reach the pedals. Of course we had trucks, and used them as well. Until I was in high school there were more cows in town than people. Every family had men that served in the military, by choice, and sense of duty. Much of New England the same. Over on Michelle Malkin’s page there is an excellent graphic of the state and how the voting went down in blue and red. For the uninformed, have a look. Where it’s blue is where the money is almost exclusively, (aside from the urban areas of S.E., Boston, Brockton, Worcester, Springfield etc.) and those folks aren’t really sweating in these times, you can believe it. While the family farms, fishing, small town business have been all but destroyed completely, there’s still plenty of Yankee spirit left in the bones that has nothing to do with Volvos, Birkenstocks and Obama.

By: turfmann

turfmann — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:48:59 +0000

“JESUS CHRIST!!!

You simply could NOT pass up a chance to get in a cheap shot at Sarah Palin, regardless of what the post and thread was about.”

Apparently our friend did not hear the palinisms that were peppered throughout Brown’s speech, did he?

Also,

Mr. Assistant,

I take issue with your comments about the various political geographies in Massachusetts. If you take a look at the results from last night you will see that much of the South Shore and Cape Cod were very much in the red, indeed, my state representative from Cape Cod is one of those lonely Republicans on Beacon Hill. My Congressman, Delahunt, is the most conservative of the cabal in Washington – an exceedingly low bar to jump over, I know.

The South Shore area, while purple in the past few years, is traditionally a Republican area. If the Democrats keep up the nonsense I think that it will return to its roots.

By: Mr. Frank

Mr. Frank — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:58:07 +0000

Obama’s repeated references to Brown’s truck were dripping with condescension. It is much like his derision of people who cling to guns and religion. Obviously, lots of regular people got the message, whether or not they had a truck.

Brown one-upped Barry when he suggested he might drive that truck to Washington for Obama to see.

By: Gray

Gray — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:32:28 +0000

From Australia, I ask: is this a common solecism—rather like the American practice of using lay to mean lie—or is it unique to Mr. Obama?

An excellent question–an awkward phrase; it is not a common solecism; I noticed it as well, but there is a subtext.

(With Obama, it’s not about what he says, but what the “second narrative” is.) It reads like this:

“Everybody (running for office) can run slick ads. Forget the truck, everybody (running for office) can buy a truck. (as a gimmic)”

By “everybody”, he means everybody in his political class vs the “nobodies” in America. It is a “Kinsley Gaffe”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinsley_gaffe

By: Assistant Village Idiot

Assistant Village Idiot — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:04:58 +0000

Background for you who aren’t from New England. Massachusetts is very much a blue state, but that is regional as well. Boston, Worcester. and a few of their suburbs are overwhelmingly blue. The Cape Cod and Islands vacation areas are overwhelmingly blue. Western MA is essentially Southern VT/NYC escape hatch (but, I repeat myself). Notice also, Seven Sisters colleges and Little Ivies. The rest of the state is much more independent, even red in places. Think of all those stories about Yankee Fahmahs in NH and VT from years ago. That’s central MA as well. Lots of libertarian instincts.

That may also reveal to you how strongly Republican VT and NH went blue over the last 40 years, and why upstate NY is still red. Two cultures. The domestic immigrants overwhelmed us in numbers at first, but maybe we can still turn them around.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:41:23 +0000

Brown ran as a populist independent, despite the “R” next to his name. Who knew driving a truck in MA was so popular?

The Tea Partiers are going to be emboldened by Brown’s win, even if Brown tried to distance himself from the movement. Look at what’s happening in Florida. The Tea Partiers favorite in the FL U.S. Senate race, Marco Rubio, has crushed Charlie Crist in every straw poll taken.

By: Paul_In_Houston

Paul_In_Houston — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:30:33 +0000

E.M. Crotchet Says:
January 20th, 2010 at 2:50 am
. . .
Talking of eloquence and presidents, your allegedly eloquent President says, “Everybody can run slick ads. Forget the truck, everybody can buy a truck.” He appeared to be using everybody as if it were the same as anybody. (Unless he really did mean that everybody can buy a truck, which I find hard to believe.).

No, this is just Obama.

Although of supposed superior intelligence (obviously why his academic records are sealed; it would be so demoralizing to see a level we could never attain ), as with most narcissists, he’s not nearly as smart as he thinks he is.

By: Nolanimrod

Nolanimrod — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:24:28 +0000

What amazes me is that McGovern’s and Dukakis’s political managers are still making serious money as political experts.

Historical note: after the 68 convention they picked McGovern to rewrite the delegate selection rules. And the nominee in 72 was … wait for it … wait for it … McGovern! An ethical angel manipulated the delegate rules to see he got nominated. In the party of Richard J. Daley. Whooda thunkit!

The first year I could vote in a presidential election was 1972 and I voted for McGovern. Ever since then, whenever I think about it, suicide has been an option.