Letter: No lack of rudeness at fair booth (Sept. 15)
The Madera County Democratic Central Committee, chaired by Susan Rowe, has always had a beautiful Democratic booth at the Madera County Fair held in September. This year was no different, and we had the added bonus of beautiful weather.
Husband Scott Hill and I arrived for our usual shift, and Susan was there, prepared as always. We had no sooner put down our things when we were approached by a man wearing a yellow T-shirt emblazoned with a snake and the words “Don’t Tread on Me,” a symbol and slogan that has been adopted by the Tea Partiers. We figured the gentleman had come over from the TP booth, which was located right next to the Republican booth.
He immediately started peppering us with questions, all the while smiling disingenuously as if he were genuinely interested in what we had to say, when he clearly wasn’t. The first subject was the purpose of government stimulus, and I gave him a short lesson in the theory of Keynesian economics.
Then the subject lurched to our schools, and he implied that anything wrong with our schools was the fault of the Democrats. Susan gave him an excellent analysis of how the Madera Unified School District had recently been sued for not having “at large” elections for school board members, and that the school board had been composed of all white, Republican males. She talked about one female Democrat who had previously resigned because she was tired of getting death threats.
Somehow, he segued to saying that all elected officials had “bloody hands.” At this point, Scott had had about enough of this guy and asked him who didn’t have bloody hands. “Does Sarah Palin have ‘bloody hands’?” Scott queried. No answer was forthcoming from the man. I finally said I didn’t think we’d be able to help him anymore, and what he needed to do was read. I suggested The New Yorker magazine, the New York Times, the book “Blinded by the Right,” and former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O’Neill’s book where he’d find the quote from Dick Cheney that “deficits don’t matter.” He dutifully took notes and finally wandered away back to his Tea Party booth.
But we weren’t done yet. Not long after he left, another gentleman (and I used the word loosely) came over and started perusing the information at our table, commenting that he needed “something for a laugh.” I didn’t react to his comment so he made it again to make sure I got it.
I said, “Oh, thank you, God bless you, go in peace!”
To which he replied, “I don’t think your type believes in God.”
I put my hands in the prayer position, bowed deeply to him, and said, “May Buddha bless you.” He turned on his heel and walked away.
I think it takes psychopaths to intentionally walk up to a booth staffed by people they know hold beliefs different than they do and just start insulting them.
Thank you, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin, for inspiring them.
Ellie Schermerhorn,
Madera
Brava for your thoughtful response. There’s nothing better – nor more AMERICAN than having a reasoned, rational and respectful debate between those in disagreement, particularly when the subject is public policy. But unfortunately, ignorance, contempt for facts and in fact: hostile stupidity are being elevated in this country to admirable qualities, when they are anything BUT.
It’s remarkable that so many Americans are thrilled to listed to the likes of Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck – and believe them. I’ve listened at times to the propaganda of the far-right in utter disbelief of their championing of disinformation, deceit, character assassination and incredibly blatant manipulation of the unquestioning. One of the problems we face today is the lack of skepticism; another is our growing inability to follow rational logic.
When it comes right down to it, the FACTS are out there – for example, the FACT that America’s economy, YOUR jobs, YOUR income, YOUR very well-being: are all better during Democratic Administrations rather than during those of Republicans. Proof? All available from our Government Publications Office. The Federal Reserve Archival System for Economic Research. The President’s Economic Reports (PERs) dating back to 1947, the year they first became available. I’ll even help you out: the great source of ALL the data – those year-by-year PERs from 1947 to the present … (WEB LINK REMOVED)
Since 1960 (when all synchronistic data became available) annual budget deficits during Republican presidencies swallowed 2.74 percent of the Gross National Product; under Democrats less than half that figure: 1.21 percent. Unemployment? Under Republicans it’s averaged 6.44 percent but 5.33 percent under Democrats –millions more jobs were filled or created under Democratic presidents. Each percentage point, each and every reporting period registering less unemployment represents millions more jobs under Democrats; real jobs – real economic improvement. And real economic growth has averaged 4.09 percent during Democrats but just 2.75 percent under Republicans. Despite that terrible period (I readily admit and remember well) under Jimmy Carter during which we had record inflation, inflation overall was STILL more than an entire point lower under Democrats (3.81) than Republicans (4.85). By the end of Clinton’s final term, the underlying core rate of inflation was an astonishing 1.9% (the lowest it had been since 1965,) 22.4 million new jobs had been created between 1993 and 2000 and unemployment had consistently fallen for seven years to 3.9%. During Clinton’s years, real wages were up 6.6%, after plunging down 4.3% during Reagan and George HW Bush. Sorry: but facts are truth.
But most folks – such as your antagonists at the Fair – just don’t care about facts, data – and proof. So I’ll just tell them, flat out:
They’re wrong. When they vote Republican, they’re voting against their very own interests. They may as well vote to be fired, vote to have wealth re-distributed UP to the wealthy few at the top. Vote AGAINST America’s present AND future. Vote AGAINST senior citizens, the disabled and their own families. As well as vote for the decline of intelligence in our nation. Because that’s what the Republican platform represents – and has factually produced.