GOP ‘diversity’
Watching the first GOP presidential debate on May 3, I was struck by the diversity of the candidates. I saw 50-year-old white guys, 60-year-old white guys, and even a couple of 70-year-old white guys. The message was equally diverse.
If one of these jokers gets elected I will truly fear for our country’s future.
Jeff Smith, Denver
But they were different heights.
Posted by Sharon B. on May 11, 2007 01:14 AMThe letter writer seems to be saying that no white man between the ages of 50 and 70 is competent to run the country. That point of view is both racist and sexist.
Posted by karen on May 11, 2007 02:38 AMLiberals only believe in diversity as long as it fits their idea of diversity. They can blame absolutely every thing that has ever (supposedly) went wrong in this country on "the white man". They are known as selective racists and bigots when it fits their agenda. Typical.
Posted by Super lib Sean Flam-Flim on May 11, 2007 05:59 AMYou must really get upset when you look at a picture of the Founding Fathers. Nothing but a bunch of dead old white guys!
Posted by Doug H. on May 11, 2007 07:31 AMAND they had on different colored ties too! That's diverse.
Posted by shaupeen on May 11, 2007 07:56 AMWe all know that in the Republican party diversity means,
some are Catholics
some are Mormons
some are Baptists
etc.
Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
How offensively defensive the Republican faithful are today. Stung a bit by the truth, perhaps?
Oh,well! Just keep on keeping on. The other Party will clean up the mess - as it usually does - after 2008; and you all can go back to blaming Clinton (maybe even Hillary) for everything.
Posted by Old Grouch on May 11, 2007 08:11 AMI'm with Karen on this. We have to stop viewing diversity solely in terms of race and gender.
I think that from both parties, there was "some" diversity in terms of ideas and beliefs. Kucinich being the most diverse out of the dems, Tancredo out of the repubs.
Posted by mytwosense on May 11, 2007 09:04 AMindeed, did anyone listen to what the candidates were saying, or did you just stare blanking at the tv screen? If you listened, you would have heard many diverse opinions and issues...Ron Paul for one, is probably the only candidate at this time, republican or democrat, that cares anything about freedom and liberty for this country, and i'd rather have that than some token racial diversity that turns us into France.
Posted by Roy on May 11, 2007 09:20 AMRoy,
I'd like to hear your definition of "freedom and liberty".
Because I know that my definition of those things is not the same as any of those candidates.
They believe in the freedom to discriminate, the freedom to exclude, forcefully exporting democracy and the concept of liberty to other countries while quashing it here at home.
The only diverse opinion expressed at that debate was by Giuliani when he had the courage to say that he would support a woman's right to reproductive choice. He effectively ended any chance he had to win his parties candidacy because he goosestepped out of line.
Posted by Thomas on May 11, 2007 09:28 AMThomas, it doesn't seem like you listened to the debate at all...at least not what was said by Ron Paul, who said over and over again that he is against nation-building and policing the world, which would, while also protecting liberty here, including freedom on the internet, freedom from government extortion, freedom from government spying, etc, etc...
Posted by Roy on May 11, 2007 09:35 AMThomas, it doesn't seem like you listened to the debate at all...at least not what was said by Ron Paul, who said over and over again that he is against nation-building and policing the world, while also protecting liberty here, including freedom on the internet, freedom from government extortion, freedom from government spying, etc, etc...
Posted by Roy on May 11, 2007 09:35 AMRoy,
I hope you won't be offended if I ask, "Ron Paul? Who he?"
And, more to the point, just how much impact does he have on the programs - or lack thereof - on either side?
O.K. leaving "diversity solely in terms of race and gender" entirely aside then, just how much do either Kucinich or Tancredo really "count"? Or influence, or affect,"diversity", either in the Party or out of it? Are 1%/2%/3% candidates all that meaningful?
Or are we dealing with what might be called, "window dressing", for the sake of publicity and exposure?
Posted by Old Grouch on May 11, 2007 09:38 AMDoes anyone happen to know of a link(s) on the Internet where one can access videos of both parties' debates in full?
Posted by mytwosense on May 11, 2007 09:44 AMA truly diverse Republilcan would be a Democrat.
Posted by Sharon B. on May 11, 2007 09:47 AMIf this nation is a nation of laws, as the Royal Shrub keeps saying, then why are all those in Federal power doing everything they can to destroy the Constitution? Ron Paul or Tom Tancredo are the only ones of either party who will stop this 'business as usual' destruction of the Constitution. I feel that if the folks don't get it right in 2008, there won't be an election in 2012. Ron Paul for President of the Constitutional Republic. Oh, and Thomas, is your last initial "M"?
Posted by Jay on May 11, 2007 10:14 AMThe choice is between left wing Political Correctness or right wing Neocon politics; some choice! No wonder voter turn out is so low!
Posted by CH on May 11, 2007 10:22 AMRev. Hypo Sharpton claims Mitt Romney's god is not his god, the transmogrified Jew and he is correct. Mitt is just leaning with the direction the wind is blowing.
Joe, through his revelation(s) claims god aka Adam or Michael, came from the planet Kolog or a planet near the star Kolog and mated with Eve siring Jesus Christ and if a man has many wives he will aspire to become god himself.
The angel appeared to Joe and offered to behead him if he did not implement plural wives. Joe and Brig both sought the presidency and now they seek to achieve it through Mitt, having watched the drama unfold from their celestial palace where due to the 32 and 52 wives are now gods.
LDS in Salt Lake City renounced polygamy to gain statehood; however, there are an estimated 20,000 polygamists in SLC wanting to be gods. Me, your friendly deicide.
Posted by Richard Grimes(Risen Ape)r22037yahoo(ffrf.org) on May 11, 2007 11:06 AMI have been impressed, personally, by the statements and actions of Sen. Obama, and Mayor Giuliani and I think it would be a tremendous service to this country if they would both leave their respective parties and run as independents, together (it would not matter to me who is the face man, because each would augment the other in policy and diplomacy).
But to comment on the diversity comment in the letter, how do you measure diversity? Is it gender, ethnicity, education, philosophy, or ideology? I seem to remember a great discussion of diversity when Justice Thomas was confirmed for the Supreme Court, that he wasn't "black enough" (I don't even know what that means), but that was the comment from Rev. Sharpton back in 1991-92. I would prefer to see more educational diversity and not so many lawyers running for office. But that is just me.
Posted by Dan2 on May 11, 2007 11:27 AMRG, i am following you around today. Wonder how many people know the goal of Mormons is to be gods and goddesses?
Temple Mormons, that is, the masses of LDS just contribute money.
Mitt may be the most diverse one the Republicans can come up with: a sort of, not to sure about this, Christian.
Posted by Sharon B. on May 11, 2007 11:30 AMI think they showed diversity and were articulate too.
Posted by KW on May 11, 2007 11:36 AMSharon: We have to stop meeting this way; it won't be long before we hear from Keith since we seem to be usurping his province of double and triple posting even when he doesn't have anything to say. It would be fun for all in this forum to meet at convention. I can assure you, we'd all be friends, at least for a while.
Yo Sharon: No full-time heaven for you; your lesser heaven will consist of a rendezvous with me. You will be my antidote if I can find a powerful aphrodisiac. Stretch a bit for rhymns for this deicide Grimes. I love that Sharon from whom I appropriated my not a Risen Christ but a Risen Ape.
Posted by Richard Grimes(Risen Ape)r22037yahoo(ffrf.org) on May 11, 2007 11:48 AMDan 2,
Well, they can always fall back on the Colorado horse proctologist in the Senate, if called upon. He's not a lawyer, anyway.
Posted by Old Grouch on May 11, 2007 11:58 AMI would prefer to see more educational diversity and not so many lawyers running for office.
Dan II, regarding the first point of your letter, interestng you point this out. I often wonder if an Ivy League education is an unspoken pre-requisite for running for president in this country. That's another noteworthy observation about Kucinich, I believe he is the one exception out of the dem candidates that didn't go to an Ivy League college.
As for the latter part of your statement, I am wondering if a lot of politicians first go to law school so they can learn the fundamentals of the law. That would make sense to me.
Posted by mytwosense on May 11, 2007 12:04 PMAs the author of the opinion I must apologize. The candidates were diverse. When asked, 4 raised their hand announcing they did not believe in "evolution".
Oh and in reference to God......She's african-"american".
Posted by Jeff Smith on May 11, 2007 12:52 PMRichard, quit stalking Sharon! ;^ )
Posted by KW on May 11, 2007 01:07 PMNice to have a light forum sometimes, news can get pretty nasty and depressing.
RG, I can pick out the nuggets of gold in your posts. Let the others whiz by.
Posted by on May 11, 2007 04:33 PMMr Smith. Did you vote for Joe Rogers for Congress? I doubt it. Would any of the Civil Rights leaders of today support a black candidate, a woman candidate with an R beside thier name? I doubt it. What does Senator Biden say about his candidates that add to the diversity of his primary?
I do not accept it when christians shove religion down my throat, but I also do not accept it when athiests try to shove their religion down my throat. Yes I said Athiests espouse religion! At least from where I sit they do! Both sides are tearing apart this country.
To hack on Romney because of his specific affiliation of Religion is a disgrace. To accept this sort of "diversity" and lack thereof would have eliminated some pretty good Americans in the past. Even though they were old white men.
Just say NO to both Sides,
You said something that puzzled me:
"I also do not accept it when athiests try to shove their religion down my throat."
I re-read it to make sure that I had read it right, and I had. But I could have just kept reading, because you then said with unexplainable pride:
"Yes I said Athiests espouse religion!"
At that point I quit reading, having discerned you as someone so conspicuouly wrong that I feared I would get thicker as I read.
Charles after reading many of the posts on here and the continual mantra put forth by the anti religion. Sounds like a cultist repeating their own scriptures. Religion is full of issues in its true definition. Ecology and other non Theology areas have been described as religion. Buddhism and Satanic cults partially fit Religion.
Posted by [Just say no] Soros Mini Me on May 11, 2007 11:20 PMLove to see you get all worked up about religion and non religion. You and a few others are so worked up about it, you treat it as any theist would if it were thier own. To have so much "faith" and conviction against gives the illusion of religion. Sorry to make you soil your undies.
A good night to both Rev. Charles and Rev Richard
[Just say no] Soros Mini Me,
"Charles after reading many of the posts on here and the continual mantra put forth by the anti religion."
Soros, I happen to be close to many religious people and we get along fine.
I don't attack religious people or their religions as a policy, but rather when they exhibit hypocrisy.
I have discovered in this pursuit that those wearing their faith on their sleeve and touting it as the factual underpinning for their contentions are usually hypocrites of the highest order.
In short, if someone brings up their religion as evidence of their correctness, I will tell them how ridiculous it is.
Thin-skinned much?
Posted by Charles B on May 12, 2007 08:59 AMThanks guys: I needed that. Me, your friendly deicide.
Posted by Richard Grimes(Risen ape)r22037@yahoo.com(ffrf.org on May 12, 2007 09:41 AM