Posted on 09/15/2009 10:31:35 AM PDT by cc2k
There’s an old story about frogs in a pot. If you turn the heat up slowly enough you can cook them alive because by the time they notice that it’s too hot in the pot, the have lost their ability to jump out.
Think of the American people as the frogs. And Washington DC as the kitchen. Over the years (many many years, like since at least the 1930’s, perhaps since the teens of last century), both political parties have been advocates of cooking the frogs. The Republicans have advocated a slow simmer, because if you cook the frogs too quickly, they jump out of the pot. The Democrats favor a high, rolling boil.
In 2008, Democrats won big in the elections, and they looked at how much the Republicans had turned up the heat in the last ten years and figured the frogs are finally dead. So, they thought, “let’s put the burner up to high and finish cooking them.” To their surprise, the frogs started jumping out of the pot.
That’s what has happened this year, starting with the TEA parties, continuing through the summer town hall meetings, and reaching a crescendo at the 9-12-2009 march on Washington. The frogs are out of the pot now, and they are mad as hell.
Now, the newly freed frogs are looking around the kitchen, and recognizing the voices they heard while they were in the pot, they realize that the Republicans were the ones saying, “Go slow. Just simmer them for a good long time, they will be so tender that way.” And they recognize the Democrats as the ones that were saying, “Yes, but we’re hungry now. We have to boil them quickly, we need to eat soon.”
The problem is the frogs don’t want to be cooked. They are looking for someone who favors turning off the stove and setting the remaining frogs free. And they aren’t finding anyone taking that position.
The Republicans might think they can harness this passion, get in front and lead this movement. But, for most of them, they are really leading in the wrong direction. They have to turn around and run fast to get to the front of this movement. It’s going the other way.
And there are so many “history revisors” trying to convince you that not only is everything that Obama and the Democrats propose is bad, but they want you to believe that everything bad that has happened has been because of Democrats. They tell you Republicans have always been on your side. This just isn’t true, and most of the frogs know it.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve heard so much “news” about how we got to where we are. I call it “news” because it doesn“t match what I know to be true. It is an attempt by Republican supporters to convince you to support them. The want you to believe that the Republicans had nothing to do with how we got to this point, and that they are the only solution to get us out of the bad spot we find ourselves in. Here are a few examples:
Revised “News” |
The Truth |
| Obama took over the auto companies. | George W. Bush, in December of 2008, started this takeover by authorizing funds from the TARP program to be loaned to GM and Chrysler. Obama just picked up where George Bush left off, continuing the takeover, firing the CEO of GM and “investing” even more taxpayer money into both GM and Chrysler. |
| ACORN gets all funding from Democrat initiatives | Again, the Bush Administration authorized and disbursed funds to ACORN for various programs. Much of the $53,000,000 plus in taxpayer funds that have been given to ACORN over the years have been paid by the Bush Administration. And I’m fairly certain that many Republican Congress Critters and Senators have voted in favor of bills containing funding for ACORN over the years. |
| Republicans are the party of “smaller government.” | This might have been true in the past, perhaps even as recently as 1994-1998, but since 2001, the Republicans have consistently favored growth of big government programs:
|
I’ll be writing more pieces shortly detailing some things we can do to move in the right direction. We do need to educate ourselves, and our neighbors about many things. The situation we are in now is complex, and it can’t be fixed entirely through federal elections and the Congress. I do think we have to rebuild this country to get it back, but it needs rebuilding from the bottom up. And we must be much more vigilant. I hope people have awakened to the point where they will not easily be lulled back to sleep.
I’m not sure whether the Republican party can become part of the solution, or if it is so damaged and such an integral part of the problem that it can’t be saved. One thing is certain, without major restructuring and a commitment to the kind of changes we really need, they will be irrelevant at best, and an obstacle to be overcome at worst.
There was a man there (he gave his name, but I honestly don’t remember) who told the story of the frogs in the pot. That was part of my inspiration for this piece.
Then, after hearing Rush yesterday telling how this had to be an opportunity for the Republicans, and no other options could work, I think he is also missing the point. 9-12-2009 wasn’t good news for the Republicans. They need to listen to the people just as much as the Democrats.
NICE!!
They are angry at being called "UnAmerican, Nazis, and Astroturf"... to which you are trying to add the epithet of "Frogs". They are angry at the Stimulus (of which Obama and friends are holding back 80% right now), Cap and Trade which will require a New Roof, Furnace, A/C, Hot-water Heater etc. in the year they try to sell it.
And being stuffed into Obama-Kennedy Care. Any change forces them into it.
Yeah, they are mad. They are mad at people like you calling them things like "Frogs"
I loathe RINOs and the GOp has mega problems. The Dems on the other hand have become criminals.
Under Bush we had 5% unemployment and they tried to stop Fannie & Freddie destroying the financial system but the Dem Congress stopped them. Bush should have pushed harder but there is no comparison.
The GOP needs to get rid of RINOs. The Democrat Party moderates refused to stand up to Obama/ACORN/SEIU criminals.
No way.
It is my wish that the GOP would explicitly emphasize state sovereignty and the nation-wide push to reclaim the 10th Amendment. The GOP should come right out and try to weaken the federal government. We need a strong military -- other than that, what do I want the federal government to do? Not much. This would be the right thing to do for the country, and I think it would be a winning platform.
But Democrat-lite policies and RINOs won't get me to the polls anymore.
Good point. Ironically, McInsane was the one who screamed the first and loudest warning about Fannie & Freddie.
Yes - possibly the only good thing Juan Pedro McLame has done since he was in the Senate. He did try. Bush should have veto’ed any and every bill until Fannie & Freddie were regulated properly or shut down.
In 1776, George Washington needed the full support and backing of the people to get the job done. And they sacrificed their wealth, and their very lives, to obtain a successful result.
Those of us not willing to take the same level of personal responsibility, and make (if necessary) the same sacrifices, have no right to blame leaders, politicians or political parties for our own failures.
There's a reason we only have two political parties that matter, and the reason is mathematical: In a winner-take-all electoral system, there can only be two parties of any consequence. And in the 235 years of our history, there is only one instance where a new party replaced one of those two (the Republicans replaced the Whigs.) The important word there is replaced. There will still just two parties of any consequence.
What has happened much more frequently is for one or the other party to be taken over from the inside by activists with a new philosophy, vision and agenda. That strategy is much more likely to succeed than attempting to replace one of the parties with a new one.
Don't sit there at your computer bitching. Go do what needs to be done.
Think of the American people as the frogs.
Frogs-Americans?. My ancestors may have been French Canadian, but I am 100% American dang it. ;-)
Obama took over the auto companies.
George W. Bush, in December of 2008, started this takeover by authorizing funds from the TARP program to be loaned to GM and Chrysler. Obama just picked up where George Bush left off, continuing the takeover, firing the CEO of GM and “investing” even more taxpayer money into both GM and Chrysler.
Obama threw a fit when he met with President Bush. Something that was forgotten. And Obama has supported the decision. He just says “I didn’t START this changeover”.
Also Paulson had HORRIBLE ideas.
Just because Boosh supported it doesn’t mean that conservatives supported it. Kind of hard to vote him out of office in December 2008.
And McCain was no sweetheart. But he wasn’t a foreign schooled Marxist.
Yes, Rush was on this theme yesterday that the Tea Protesters were only mad at democrats, not republicans. No, we are mad because both parties are out to screw us.
I get pings from the revisers every day." GWB got a bad economy in 2001, saved it with tax cuts but Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and Jimmy Carter and Clinton wrecked the golden Bush economy. " also " The Bush tax cuts paid for themselves, and the two wars and Iraq reconstruction too. All the debt was democrats fault, democrats and a few RINOs maybe but not real republicans. ". We didnt even need the Iraq oil to pay for Iraq like Cheney promised us on NBC, tax cuts paid for all the wars and homeland security too(and Obama-care will pay for itself too when no one gets sick anymore LOL.) .
L
Everyone needs to recognize the TRUE political battle -
it’s between the elitists
and the individualists.
I think my in-laws were there... that's a good turnout for such a small town, isn't it?
That's the point. Maybe it was better that the "10" setting jolted the the frogs enough to jump out of the pot. If it had been kept at "7" by Republicans we might have never jumped and could have lost our jumping ability. Maybe the slap in the face, which is the Obama administration, was necessary to "wake up" the nodding citizenry.
We need to take over the GOP and kick the RINO's out ourselves.
Did the frogs who were being cooked go out and send gun and ammo sales through the roof? There is a difference between frogs and patriots.
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