Journal sam_handelman's Journal: Hey, pudge! 6
Okay, let's briefly review how the whole AIG thing blew up. When fire-breathing right wingers started talking about it, the major news media noticed, and it becamse a real political liability. So getting mention only on dailykos (or elsewhere on "our side") is not sufficient to achieve something here.
This means there are *two* benefits to having Dems in power - the filthy pachyderms have it together to function as an opposition, at least some of the time. So how do we get them to do it, in this case?
The Obama administration's sec. of education is Arne Duncan. Eli Broad (a "philanthropist") has been going around bragging about how he now controls the department of education. I have all kinds of left-wing-flavored objections to "public-private partnerships" (including stuff like privatized prisons,) but let's start here: "crooked self dealing" is not popular, so the crooked and corrupt rebranded their policies as public-private partnerships or as venture philanthropy. My Mom goes into it in some detail: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/3/20/710776/-Who-is-Running-Our-Schools
Republicans have been, historically, as bad or worse than the Dems on this - but I don't care! *I* just want the system cleaned up, I want these scum thrown out. If this means that the Republicans can score political points, fine - better that than tolerating people like Arne Duncan.
A lot of the more libertarian wing of Republicans, with whom I ordinarily have more in common, like privatization or market-incentive based systems for delivering public services. I think it's crazy for a dozen reasons, but I don't want to get into that: there's pretty well universal agreement that outright corruption, that business and other ties between those who actually get the public money and those in government, are not acceptable. That's what we have here.
So, do any of my fellow slashdotters have any advice on how to get the right wing blogosphere (pudge specifically for all I care) to notice this as an issue and take it up? The whole thing could be a major embarassment for Obama, which it damn well should be. OTOH, it's a family of policies that Republicans have historically supported, so does this have a chance of changing those? Any way we can add provisions requiring transparency and accountability (not of the teachers, but of the *people who actually get the money*) to the education stimulus?
I can also discuss the underlying issue of government-services privitization, if anyone wants.
The insoluble problem? (Score:1)
How can we show them it's in their best interests? Only by appealing to that will you get a positive response. And ultimately that's the way it works for almost everybody. I just don't know if it's possible to think outside yourself.
We really need to get these traveling salesmen out of politics. But how do you tell a guy he's being conned without him feeling insulted? They get all defensive because they think you're telling them they're stupid. Well, when you see how some of them try to park their car...yea
You need to lower your expectations for Pudge (Score:1)
As the new Undersecretary for Expectation Adjustment, in Treasury, I'd like to counsel you to realize that Pudge probably will never change.
On the other hand, perhaps my son can help him out - I got him a job as Undersecretary for Underwear Adjustment and he says he's a hands on kind of guy with the job, so perhaps he could pay Pudge a visit?
Re: (Score:2)
Pudge is the only Republican with a journalism degree that I know of, but I'm sure many others exist.
Any Republican blogonaut would do, really. I just want to get them all riled up about how the education stimulus is going to be siphoned off by Obama's cronys. Do the Republicans really not understand that attacking a Chicago politician for cronyism is going to get them further than calling him a Communist?
Do I have to draw them a fucking diagram? If they were capable of rational thought
Re: (Score:1)
You're presuming they're capable of rational thought.
I think your expectations may be just a tad too high in that regards.
Re: (Score:1)
You can extract rational thought from the biggest, dumbest redneck on the planet...eventually. But as soon as someone comes in and inflames old passions, it's like you never existed. It's a phenomenon that animal trainers are very familiar with. Humans just aren't that much different. Some individuals, okay, but he ain't one of them. Them instincts is powerful stuff. Some people need to learn how little control we have over them. I would think that this would provide a more basic perspective on human behavi
Wasting your time with pudge (Score:2)
I've had some prior dealings with pudge, and you are completely wasting your time. In any world related to reality (which obviously excludes /.), he would be ignored. He probably has "Loser" tattooed on his forehead in glowing ink. The only thing pudge can do is drag you into his mudhole.