Maybe I'm being foolish here, but I really like this place and respect you guys and its a shame imho to see the attitude of cynical superiority. Keep the superiority if you must but drop the cynicism. Lots of us are trying. "I said, 'Wait a minute, Chester, You know I'm a peaceful man...'" Robbie Robertson
As long as people remember that, there's no problem. But there's a danger of people taking him seriously as a prognosticator and - worse - arbiter of policy just because dKos has been so successful. And he really isn't qualified for either of those roles.
Rep. Waxman can investigate anything he wants, issue subpoenas whenever he want, and either he gets the info or the non-responder goes to jail (British: gaol.)
The rest ... as he said.
In Europe most people distrusts politicians by default. This does not mean that they do not trust in a general sense, but that they msut always refer to politicans in a cynical way. It is a must for any conversation.
Of course, we like some politicians, we hate some..and overall, we want that they solve ALL our prolbmes.. and when I say ALL I do really MEAN ALL our problems. Europe is BLame the politican land.
I tried to explain that to an amaerican and he almost got crazy... "if you are not in Europe you will not understand" I finished...because it makes no sense... if you think in logical terms.
On the other hand, if you think in mythical or narrative terms (in anthropological sense) it all makes sense. There is a whole narrative of "polticians must solve the problems".. "I do not need to"..and "politicans are nothing and mean nothing"... At the same tiem there is the narrative about we, the people, getting to the streets to get things done (If you are a lefty)..
SO at the same time, we admire the courage of the american left, but we do not expect anyhthing unti lthey do not get to the streets... At the same time, we are glad that democrats are there...but we do not expect anything from thm....
ANd you can add to the mix that any democrat is far to the right on economic issues compared to Europe and only half ot them are cenetered on foreign affair issues..and you get the mixture.
So, when an european sounds condescending is not with americans or with democrats.. it is actually a state of mind.. and it is always with politicans that we consider must solve everything and do not solve anything.
I am sorry I do not have more time... it is really complex stuff.. but at least I hope you get the flavor.. Let's say that the same way you may think we are condescending, we get pissed when someone on the US left calls supporting European social welfare the "cranky left" person (not me... well not that much.. but because I know where they are coming).
I personally think you are fantastic bloke from what you write.
Take care my friend.
A pleasure I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude
The mere suggestion that the President might not have the best interests of the [people of the] United States at heart can make most American heads explode.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. You don't need extraordinary evidence to convince a European that their government is up to no good, but you do with an American. And a fair number of comments on Jerome's diary are saying as much: even after all that we know Bush has done in the past 6 years, it seems to be an open question whether a groundswell of outrage can be generated in the American public. Because to admit what Bush has done flies in the face of the myths that underpin America as a nation and define Americans as citizens. It is a question of faith, if being American is a religion the Constitution is scripture and the President is the High Priest, and people will rather deny the evidence before their eyes than deny their faith. Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
you are the media you consume.
Actually I think it is not paternalistic, it is even worse in some areas and in some groups in Europe...worse than paternalistic.
On the other hand, I really doubt that it is paternalism the way we feel about other countries here or in other forums..a d it is not about countires, it is really about people, classes of people.
In any case, I sort of get what you mean (not completley) but it is not certainly paternalistic (it is of course,an attitude, we all ahve attitutdes towards things)...I also doubt that paternalistic is correct in any US frame of reference.
IN other words... when I say that in Europe (some people) is worst than paternalistic , think about what someone from San Francisco will think about people in Alabama or Kansas or Georgia.
On the other hand , when i think it is better, think about what the peole supporting Dean or Berni Sanderd thought about Kerry. It is nto really a paternalism... not dislike...it is somethin like .. "why are some american naive"... I think somehow you would find this attitude all over Europe.
Is it shit? Well.. I will disagree... because we like very much people like you. And there is no shit among friends
research, surveys, publication... Our $ at work ;-) La répartie est dans l'escalier. Elle revient de suite.
