link With liberals pining for a Clinton challenger, ambitious Democrats get in position – The Washington Post.
And so the farce continues. Anxious to show that the Democratic buffet has more than just Hilary to serve, they are pushing possible contenders to be alternate menu items to the devoted faithful. As of now, the choices are, leftover meatloaf, pemican or a pick of a duo of mixed nuts.
The only thing delicious about this tortured analogy is the irony since there is nothing on the Democratic table that is remotely fresh or new considering that the barb most often hurled at the Republican party is that they are the party of old white men.
Like most positions that emanate from the Democratic party, their presumptive candidates are hopelessly out of touch and lost in the past. Clinton, Warren and Brown are relics of the hippie past in America, holdouts from the 60’s in their mindsets and worldviews. Biden, if he is a contender, is a relic of Archie comics. These people have as much in common with the sensibilities of the present generation of voters as cheese does to head cheese. The fact that the party is unable to attract anyone to be their standard bearer who isn’t already collecting a seniors’ pension is very telling. The contrast with the core values of the party of “old white men” couldn’t be more stark.
Whereas one party harps on the tired core values of entitlement and fantasy, the other party has a plethora of young capable leaders whose visions have an arm’s reach connection with reality. Most could be the children of the aged Dem candidates. Many have already proven their talents in actually running state governments with effective results whereas on the Dem side, most of them are professional politicos. There is enough range in the positions of those on the Republican side that there is not just one tired monolithic message that followers are obligated to subscribe to as if in a moonie cult.
If I were looking to dine at the Democratic buffet table, I’m not sure I’d be all that excited about the addition of Jerry Brown to the offerings. The stuff that’s on the table now has been there a long time, some of it passed over and adding more leftovers doesn’t make it more attractive. Of course that doesn’t mean that there’s no appetite for this. America loves buffets. It perpetuates the myth that you can get a lot for very little.
link Firefighters union halting federal contributions – Yahoo! News.
The benign image of the affable firefighter who fixes kids’ bicycles, rescues stranded cats in trees and posing for cheesecake calendars when not risking their lives to pull infants from burning buildings is as quaint and passe as the iconic slide pole in the firehouse. Like the brass poles, which have been put to good use and made notorious by another profession, the image of some firefighters are being associated with some iffier elements.
Who knew that collectively they felt compelled to contribute to political parties as part of their jobs? What does supporting Democrats have to do with cats in trees? Most of us have grown up with the image of the fireman as the gallant and selfless hero. They were always considered above the fray of partisan activity. That was left to sleazy businessmen, ambitious politicians and occasionally, the wayward cop. But not firemen. Who doubts the intentions of a fireman?
Alas, that profession has fallen victim to the disease that has fatally affected many professions. The public union. Like the infamous Teachers unions, firefighters’ unions now exert political influence beyond their expected roles in society. You would think that their roles are pretty clear, that is to look after the needs of their local constituents. According to this article however, these unions have been actively supporting national level politicians sympathetic to union interests. How is this different than if janitors and tree pruners banded together to have a national voice? What if they decided that Global warming was a sympathetic cause?
When someone decides on a profession such as firefighter, presumably they do it out of conscious choice. As far as I know, no one goes into it because they were forced into it or that it was a way to make ends meet to support 4 kids. Presumably, they liked the lifestyle and job description; the red trucks and sirens didn’t hurt. Certainly, there is always the element of mortal danger with the job as well and that’s why we have such respect for them. But clearly, some in their ranks find it more lucrative to be climbing up political ladders than those propped next to burning buildings. With the political activism of their unions, it now certainly appears that hooking up their hoses to the public pension system is the end game for them. Their burnished image suffers and they’ll be seen as just another self serving union organization. I’d guess that most of the public isn’t even aware of this. They may be hosed in ways they didn’t expect.