Airport T-Shirts
Aug26
By John Feehery
On my way to Tampa, I walked in a novelty shop in Reagan Washington Airport (I thought I could buy a magazine there, which I couldn’t), and I noticed a t-shirt that said something pejorative about Republicans (something along the lines of “You must be an idiot to be a Republican”).
I was momentarily taken aback until I looked at the t-shirt next to it, which countered the first T-shirt with a similar message about the Democrats (something along the lines of “You must be an idiot to a Democrat”).
I noticed that there wasn’t a third t-shirt that said that you must be an idiot to be an independent, which is typical for Washington. Nobody wants to call the independents idiots, because you need the independents to win elections, and there is no use in offending them. Although, most Washingtonians have already picked a side and built their livelihoods on picking that side, so they think that most independents are idiots, and annoying idiots too.
The great thing about the novelty shop is that they don’t care if you are a Republican or a Democrat. They are well-hedged to capture both sides of the market. For them, a perfect world comes when there are an equal number of Republicans and Democrats and that those Republicans and Democrats are so annoyed with the other side that they will buy a T-shirt to proclaim how smart they are and more importantly how dumb the other side is.
It wouldn’t hurt if the independents would buy two t-shirts, one on both sides. That way they can really capture the marketplace.
There is a whole class of Washingtonians that do well in hyper-partisan world. The novelty shop owner is but one example of that dynamic. The think tank industry does well in a hyper-partisan world because it makes it easier for them to raise money. Radio talk show hosts (although they mostly live in New York) do well in a hyper-partisan world, because it is better for ratings. Broadcasters do well, because when the Super-pacs come calling (and they come calling in a hyper-partisan world) they buy ad-time, and when they buy ad-time, it is good for the broadcasting industry.
You would think that journalists would be kind of like the novelty shop owner. Their job is to call bullshit on both sides. But what the New York Times public editor found out is that most people who work at the New York Times would buy the T-Shirts calling the Republicans idiots, because they truly believe that the Republicans are idiots.
In his last column, the guy who is in charge of calling bullshit when he see bullshit, said in no uncertain terms that the New York Times is biased big-time against the GOP. Now, you could mark down “no shit” in your calendar entry for the day, but the big editor at the New York Times, Jill Abramson, wrote a tart reply saying that there is no bias at the Old Gray Lady.
Nice try.
We all know what kind of T-shirts they wear in New York.
I think that until Citizens United can somehow be repealed (if it can), then I do not see changes in either party happening when access to politicians can be bought! Don Lemon of CNN had a very revealing interview with Gary Johnson and Buddy Roemer mainly dealing with this. My question is that if they cannot make ANY tangible changes for the better in both parties right now being two former Governors, then how can average people do it? I do not believe that one or a few scattered bunch of average people can make any serious difference until the necessary power to SERIOUSLY back them up and help them comes from the top down of Washington leaders & of well known names in BOTH parties and I will not hold my breath waiting for that to happen (though it is what I would really like to see happen and I would gladly volunteer to help that effort in a minute IF I thought I was doing something serious to make some kind of a positive difference):
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1208/25/cnr.07.html
CNN NEWSROOM
Neil Armstrong Dies; Tropical Storm Isaac Heads Toward Florida, Gulf Coast; Republican National Convention to Start Monday in Tampa
Aired August 25, 2012 – 22:00 ET
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: “We just finished talking about all the crazy stuff going on in the presidential race from cancer deaths to birth certificates to a potential civil war. It is enough to make you not want to vote for either of these people. The one-on-one party rivalry between Republican and Democrats is fueling this craziness and that’s why my next two guests said enough is enough and left their traditional party affiliation and struck out on their own.
Gary Johnson is former and future Republican governor or New Mexico. He is now running for president as a Libertarian. Buddy Roemer, my home state of Louisiana, a former governor of Louisiana who ran in this year’s GOP primaries. He now chairs thereformproject.org.
And Mister Roemer, you’re an independent now, right?
BUDDY ROEMER, CHAIRMAN, THE REFORMPROJECT.ORG: That’s correct. I changed. I was a Democrat for 20 years and a Republican 20 years. I’m going to try independent.
LEMON: All right. So, good to see both of you. I’ll start with you, first, Gary. Is this two-party system broken?
GARY JOHNSON, LIBERTARIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes. I think that it’s vote between twiddle Dee and twiddle Dum and I think people really care about ending the wars and stopping spending. And I think I’m going to end up being that third voice.
LEMON: Yes, listen. When you say Gary Johnson, people will say well, I’ve heard of Mitt Romney. I heard of President Obama. Obviously, you know, I’ve heard of Paul Ryan but who is this Gary Johnson guy? Do you feel like you are shut out of the process in any way?
JOHNSON: Well, completely. And if it were reported tomorrow that I was at five percent of the national vote, the overwhelming reaction to that would be well, who the hell is Gary Johnson? And that would be a great thing.
So, just being on your show here, Don, thank you. I mean, if it drives people to GaryJohnson2012.com, I feel good about the results that people will actually look up and maybe take to heart.
LEMON: All right. So that was a shameless plug and I allowed it. So, listen.
JOHNSON: Shameless? Well, shameless is what this is all about, isn’t it?
LEMON: Yes. Listen, Mister Roemer. Do you mind if I call you Buddy because —
ROEMER: Call me Buddy.
LEMON: What do you say? Is this two-party system, is it broken?
ROEMER: It is broken. The largest party in America are the independents. The party growing the fastest in America today and check the facts is the independent party. We have 90 million Americans that won’t vote in November, 90 million!
This country is in trouble and most people feel like there are no choices. I think they like Barack Obama but are certainly not sold on his policies. And I don’t think they really like Mitt Romney or know any of his policies. Yet, all of the media talks about twiddle Dee and twiddle Dum as Gary says. The issue is reform. Can we build our country and neither party has an answer.
LEMON: OK. So, you said all of the media talks about twiddle Dee and twiddle Dum. So, let’s talk about the media. I’ve heard Gary Johnson and others, people who say, listen. I’m not a part of the two major political parties. I don’t get invited, Don, to CNN or to any other network to be in the debates. I’m not part of the polling. So, do you think the media is part of the problem and that needs to be fixed as well?
ROEMER: And the two parties. They are in concert together. Gary Johnson was a two-term governor of New Mexico. Did one hell of a job in New Mexico. He is a private business who has built a fantastic company. He and I walked through New Hampshire together. There were 23 nationally televised debates in the Republican primary. You know how many Gary got invited to? Two. And I might be exaggerating. Maybe it was only one. There is a man that qualified and the Republicans didn’t even let him on the stage.
LEMON: What would it take to create a true sort of third party movement, a party that has influence, Mister Johnson, who could be a part of the process and maybe start the ball rolling so these two polarized sides don’t have a monopoly on the process?
JOHNSON: Well, that’s what I’m engaged in and I will just ditto that when it comes to Buddy. Very complimentary but the same, Buddy. Very distinguished services both as a Democrat and Republican. And if there is anybody out there who should have been able to talked authoritatively on both parties, it would have been Buddy, but he was shut out.
So, Buddy and I are in New Hampshire and I’m knocking on 20 doors in the afternoon. Guess how many people I reached?
LEMON: What do we do then?
JOHNSON: Well, in this case, really there an exclusion by the media. I was excluded from debates where I was told that I had to be at one percent in a, b, and c polls. I wasn’t in a, b, c polls. So, how do you get into the debate if you’re not in the polls and very, very exclusionary. This is the battle, you know, I’m looking at this —
LEMON: Hang on, Mr. Johnson. I want Mr. Roemer to get in here. But quickly, because I’m really out of time. My producers are saying we got to go. We got to go. Answer the question. What do you think, Buddy, what is it going to take to break the monopoly?
ROEMER: Campaign reform. Get the big checks and money out of the room. Let’s the American people get in it. Campaign reform. Neither candidate is talking about campaign reform. Super PACs, bundle money, special interest money, wall street money, less let the American people stand up and I tell you how it’s going to happen. When someday we let a woman or a man voice those sentiments on national television with the two-party candidates standing right there. They don’t have an answer.
LEMON: Instead, we are talking about dogs on roofs, birth certificates.
ROEMER: That’s right.
LEMON: Legitimate rapes, all of those things and the American people are going what is going on? I wish I had more time.
Thank you Gary Johnson. Thank you, Buddy Roemer. I really appreciate it though.
ROEMER: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: All right…”