“I LIKE IKE!”…But the GOP Doesn’t Seem To…

~~By InsightAnalytical

As yet another disgusting election season nears its end,  I find that Dwight D. Eisenhower has been on my mind lately.

Eisenhower was the first President I knew.  I was born in 1951 and he became President in 1953.

I remember like it was yesterday standing at the corner of Pierrepont and Lincoln Avenues in front of my grade school (Pierrepont Elementary) as I debated with a long-forgotten classmate about Kennedy vs. Nixon. I was in 6th grade and Eisenhower would be out of office by January 1961.

He passed away in 1969.

Since I was so young when Eisenhower was President, I don’t remember much of what went on…but I do remember the Interstate Highway system being built.  Reading about his time in office is fascinating as I try to recall how my childhood fit into the times.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower

I can’t recall exactly when the name “Eisenhower” was purged from the GOP’s history.  I recall David Eisenhower and wife Julie showing up at some conventions, and perhaps they still do, but the Eisenhower name hasn’t been uttered in years as far as I can tell.

The plain truth is that Eisenhower was not nuts.  The current GOP IS nuts.  And Eisenhower is just not crazy enough for them to give him much thought.

There are plenty of sites which have some of Eisenhower’s best quotations.

I’ve selected a few that make me feel nostalgic for Ike. Maybe I’m just wandering back to my childhood, but I don’t think that’s the main reason I’ve been thinking about Eisenhower.

I think I’m just trying to remember what  a more sane GOP might sound like…

So, here are some of my favorite quotations from Ike:

“Unless we progress, we regress.”– State of the Union Address  January 9, 1959

“Only Americans can hurt America.”

“There are a number of things wrong with Washington. One of them is that everyone is too far from home.”

“May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.”

“If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.”

“Whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America.“

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.”

And,  I offer this excerpt from Eisenhower’s Farewell Address, January 17, 1961:  http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower#Farewell_address_.281961.29

• Now this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources, and livelihood are all involved. So is the very structure of our society.In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

Eisenhower  knew that American needs “an alert and knowledgeable citizenry” and that  “The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.”

So, as we come to this Election Day, with the process marred by Citizens United and Koch brother money, voter suppression, extreme hostility to President Barack Obama, most likely fueled by racism, attacks on women’s rights, and the general ignorance of the public,  what would Eisenhower be thinking today??

How would he be viewing the “future of this republic”?

 

 

PALIN LAUNCHES “SarahPAC”!! (Updated 1X–It’s Not Just the Alfalfa Club for Palin This Weekend)

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R-UNQUALIFIED) has launched a political action committee…dubbed SarahPAC!

Here’s the link:  http://www.sarahpac.com/

From the site:

Sarah Palin’s Official PAC

Dedicated to building America’s future, supporting fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation.

SarahPAC believes America’s best days are ahead. Our country, founded on conservative principles and the fight for freedom, must confront the challenges of the 21st century with integrity, innovation, and determination.

SarahPAC believes energy independence is a cornerstone of the economic security and progress that every American family wants and deserves.

SarahPAC believes the Republican Party is at the threshold of an historic renaissance that will build a better future for all. Health care, education, and reform of government are among our key goals. Join us today!

YOU GO, GIRL!!!  It will be interesting to see who receives help from SarahPAC in the future…

I don’t agree with everything in her political viewpoint…BUT, I give her high marks for GUTS in standing up to the shitty media, shitty Democrats, and shitty Republicans, not to mention shitty so-called “feminists” who have worked to demean her accomplishments as a sitting governor who has worked her way up the ladder.

Could she represent a better wing of the Republican Party?  Anybody is better than the slugs in D.C. right now…Republican AND Democrat!!

P.S.–Memo to Hillary Clinton: When you echo words like “clenched fist” exactly as Obama says them, you are disappointing.  You apparently very willingly got kicked upstairs as other people make big announcements about upcoming Obama foreign policy “events.”

Damned shame. Oh, and remember “always fighting for us?”  ……Not so much…

***

Repeating from prior post on the stimulus package vote:

Hat tip to Tennessee Guerilla Women….Obama Axes Birth Contol Funds to Please Republicans

So the F*cking SOB has begun demonstating his love and respect for women by trading our birth control for $$$$$$$$$$$$$$. And won’t it especially hurt POOR women??   And when do we stop paying for VIAGRA????

If I hear one complaint against upfront Sarah Palin, who has NEVER overturned a law that secures the rights of women and gays, I will put another HEX on NARAL, NOW, Ms. Magazine, and Planned Parenthood.

UPDATE 1   6:30 PM MT, January 29, 2009

Looks like Palin will be real busy in D.C. and it won’t be just the Alfalfa Club dinner this weekend…From CNN:

Palin is slated to attend a dinner Friday night at the residence of Fred and Marlene Malek. Fred Malek is a businessman who served Republican presidents Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush. High-profile guests from both political parties are expected to attend the function.

The governor’s office also says Palin will attend a luncheon at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Saturday before heading over the to Alfafa Dinner.

There will be other “non-partisan” events as well.  The visit to the Center for Strategic and International Studies is VERY interesting, isn’t it?

Gossip columnist Cindy Adams over at the New York Post opines:

ASK not what Sarah Palin can do for your country, ask only what you can do for Sarah Palin. And the answer is, pay attention. Trust me, Alaska’s governor is moving faster than those glaciers.

Adams goes on to say that it’s really significant that Palin is attending since she  “may only leave the frozen tundra  two days a month.”

She adds:

Next month she addresses a Washington gathering of prominent conservatives. She’s going ahead with a book. Her Facebook page has 410,000 friends. She wants to influence policy knowing the nation must turn to Alaska as its energy resource. She’s planning to be president.

Well, I’d say this is “developing”….

The Past Week: January 18-24, 2009 (Condi Rice Getting Booked; Pat Paulsen, We Need You!; VOA and wwiTV.com; Questions)

Well, we’re already seeing the arrogance of Obama and Pelosi and some signs of life from the New York governor as Caroline Kennedy fades from the scene of diversion…

***

As you’ve probably heard, Condi Rice has signed on with the William Morris Agency…here is her page at the WMA site:

			Condoleezza Rice

<!– –> <!– –> <!– –> <!– –>		full bio

	Copyright © 2009 William Morris Agency. All rights reserved. WMA

OK,  she JUST signed on, so there’s nothing there now as  I write this…but she already is listed in the roster of people speaking on “Domestic and Global Issues.”

She’s sharing the roster with the likes of Al Franken, Arianna Huffington, Larry King, Diane Dimond, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Winnie Mandela, Ed Koch, Joe Scarborough, James Cramer, Rita Crosby, Gen. Claudia Kennedy and George Lakoff.  Oh, and Prince Edward of Essex.  And there are many more in the club…

Condi is also listed on the “Women’s Issues” roster (and so is Jennifer Lopez!).  My old chum Peggy Noonan is with a whole crew of people to ignore over on the “Mass Communications” roster.

According to Reuters, Condi won’t be going on shows as a policy analyst, but is going to concentrate on “philanthropic efforts involving classical music and college educations for disadvantaged students, as well as initiatives to help U.S. children become global citizens.” And, she reportedly is negoatiating a book deal, which will possibly include a memoir of the Bush years.

Wonder if she’ll include the August memo prior to 911, you know, the one about planes, buildings, etc. etc.

***

I see the pilot of the jet that ditched into the Hudson has finally been released to the public by investigators.  One wonders about the delay…

***

I was watching the show “Make ‘Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America” on PBS last night and really was caught up in the segments on Lenny Bruce and the censorship… and the Smothers Brothers and the censorship…and George Carlin and the censorship. In the middle of all this, the name of Pat Paulsen comes up. Remember Pat Paulsen and his run for President??

Well…his son carries on….Check out the website “Pat Paulsen for President“…

Looks like Pat’s son, Monty Paulsen, is gearing up for a 2012 run for the White House. Here he hits the campaign trail to find the pulse of American voters.  (video follows)

According to Tommy Smothers (Tommy Smothers Says Paulsen Saved the Show):

It’s debatable who actually urged Paulsen to run for commander in chief of the free world starting in 1968 through 1996, Smothers said.

“It could have come from a whole bunch of people,” he said. “But his ‘68 run was one of the best satirical things ever done in politics.”

[Trivia from IMBD: In 1968 Paulsen first ran for President of the United States under the Straight Talking American Government (STAG) Party, first as a “gag” candidate, then apparently for real. Some critics claim that he stole votes from Hubert H. Humphrey and caused Richard Nixon to be elected (in the televised election returns of that year, he was referred to as a “minor party candidate”). Until his death, he ran as a perennial write-in candidate. His last campaign slogan was “Send Pat Paulsen to the White House! He has to sleep somewhere!”…His last running mate in 1996 was Tiny Tim.]

In the article, Smothers opines that the McCain-Obama race could have used Paulsen added to the mix….I agree!!

Paulsen delivered a series of “Editorials” as V.P. while on the Smothers Brothers Show and the texts are preserved on the web. Here is an excerpt that was shown on the PBS special. It’s on the subject of the draft:

Are Our Draft Laws Unfair?

October 29, 1967

A good many people feel our present draft laws are unjust. These people are called soldiers…Now the crux of the criticism is based on the premise that an ineptitude without gross regress tends to efficiate and gorge masical…and frankly, we find this a bit cloudy.

Let’s take this step by step…When we talk about the draft, we are talking about a law duly enacted by Congress, in which men should be drafted first…women second…and Congressmen last. And what are the arguments against the draft? We hear that it is unfair, immoral…discourages young men from studying, ruins their careers, and their lives…picky…picky…picky.

MORE

Paulsen was awarded a Comedy Legends Award posthumously in September 2008 (he died of cancer in 1997). Will Durst remembers:

“I remember Pat when he first announced he was running for president on ‘The Smothers Brothers Show’ in 1968. He did these double-talk speeches that were so hysterical because he had that look of a ’60s-era politician,” Durst said. “It was hysterical. That was satire.”

One of his choice quotes:

Assuming either the Left Wing or the Right Wing gained control of the country, it would probably fly around in circles.
Pat Paulsen

***

Tired of the media? Well, you can get your propaganda directly from the new and improved Voice of America site…you can listen to what’s being piped into Afghanistan, for example, and many other places in many languages.

The Confluence had a great piece up yesterday on the subject of the status of women in Afghanistan, which never seems to improve.  Do check out  Saturday: A little thing for the girls.

***

If you want to see television from Afghanistan, check out World Wide Internet TeleVision from the Netherlands at  wwiTV.com.  This site has the most incredible collection of foreign and U.S. TV that can be viewed via the web that I have ever seen.  I love the CCTV from China. Check out the English feed.  Today I learned that China is hoping to boost its economy by promoting breakfast–Chinese-style breakfast, not American fast food offerings.  One man said that the state-run restaurant breakfasts were very good and one woman said that for only 3 yuan…well, it’s a bargain!  Sure looked great to me…lots of food and who can beat that price?? (But first I’d check for melamine…)

***

I leave you with two questions:

Why am I suddenly getting emails again from the JRE Grassroots group? In case you don’t remember, this was a thing put together by John Edwards.  Well, according to the emails, they want to figure out what to do so they are contacting people on their email list for suggestions.  My suggestion is that they ask John Edwards if HE has any idea on the subject…

And, who would be looking at this little blog at about midnight MT from Andrews Air Force Base (the base the Presidents all fly from)?

Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland landed on https://insightanalytical.wordpress.com/2008/11/03/obama-a-lo… 23:45:02 — 4 minutes ago

Maybe they’ll come back for a visit again?

THE PAST WEEK

*By everyone at IA–Kenosha Marge, Grail Guardian, American Lassie, Leslie Chicago Correspondent, and IA-GRL

**By IA-GRL, Leslie Chicago Correspondent, & Kenosha Marge

I’ve Been Tagged…So Here Are Six Things About Me….

Obama’s Entitlement “Reform”– the Social Security-Medicare Nexus and Health Freedom

T.A.R.P, Recovery Plan, Term Limits Action…All Obscured Under the Cover of Media Hoopla

Come and Get it! “Idiot Wings” Served Up by Republicans & Democrats…(Update 1X: Lyrics from Stealers Wheel)

*Welcome to…THE IA INAUGURATION DAY SAFE-ZONE!

**Throwing Things as We Think of Other Historic Events on January 20th We Don’t Plan to Celebrate (A Joint Post by IA-GRL, Chicago Correspondent Leslie, and Kenosha Marge)

REMINDER: Inauguration Day is an OBAMA-FREE SAFE-ZONE Here at IA!

The Past Week: January 11-17, 2009 (Al Jazeera Hooks up with PBS; House vs. Senate/Obama and Bailout Oversight; “Everyman” Biden; Non-GMO Verification Project; “The Prisoner” is Free; Extra Anatomical Tube Bypass