The Tygrrrr Express is Santa Barbara bound, with the destination being an anti-Islamofacism weekend led by David Horowitz. Since multitasking has led me to whatever the opposite of brilliant blogging is, I shall finish my previous excursion before heading to Santa Barbara.
The aforementioned prior event was a debate about the 2008 elections at Temple Beth Haverim in Newport Beach. Larry Greenfield, the California Executive Director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, debated Andrew Lachman , the Los Angeles head of Democrats For Israel.
The attached link contains the recap of the debate itself.
https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2008/05/a-jewish-debate-about-2008/
The blogosphere has been given several days to digest the descriptive elements of this event. For the less sophisticated readers that have to work for a living, I have provided the breakdown of what the words actually mean. Translation…most analysts are gasbags, and interpreting things that are literal allows me to look like I offered effort at a column when the truth is I (e)mailed it in. For those who attend wine and cheese parties on a regular basis, this analysis will make as much sense to you as most simple concepts. Try to pretend you get it.
“It is the left that disparages the military. Dick Durbin compared our soldiers to the Khmer Rouge. John Kerry said that our troops are dumb, and that those who flunk out of school end up in Iraq.”
The above comments by Larry Greenfield may enrage liberals, but that does not diminish their veracity. What enrages liberals are words that point out truthful, yet warped, modes of thinking. What enrages conservatives are the actual comments themselves. The Senator from Illinois did not get to be know as Dick “Turban” Durbin due to his love of our military. Barack Obama is considered the more moderate of the Illinois Senators. That is frightening. As for John Kerry, he was the reason that masking tape was invented. He pretends he is a Smarty Pants, yet more Americans see him as Smarty Jones. Kerry may be qualified (thank you David Letterman) to win the 5th race at Belmont, but at this point this horse’s rumpus needs to be muzzled.
“This is not your father’s democratic party.”
Larry is dead right about this one. Scoop Jackson, Harry Truman and JFK are forgotten memories. JFK favored supply side tax cuts, now known as Reaganomics. All of these men favored a muscular foreign policy. Joe Lieberman was kicked out of the democratic party despite voting with democrats on every issue except surrendering to the Caliphate. Zell Miller has said he is too old to switch parties, but the man who gave the keynote speech for Bill Clinton now understands that the democratic party of Kerry, Clinton (Hillary) and Obama plan to have our troops defend themselves with spitballs.
“The left wing blogs contain most of the antisemitism. Anti-zionism runs wild on college campuses.”
Larry and I are both tired of watching liberal Jews stand shoulder to shoulder with people who have hobbies that consist of hating Jews. Bush does not equal Hitler, despite scholars such as Cindy Sheehan arguing otherwise (given how dreadful our universities are, calling someone a scholar is equivalent to calling them an imbecile. They take it as a compliment, further validating the parallel.).
“We should care about the downtrodden. However, we should also ask what actually works.”
Liberals talk about compassion. Intentions matter. Conservatives care about results. The Great Society has destroyed the very people it claimed that it wanted to help. Liberals won elections, which seems to be their only goal. Now America is paying for the decades of disaster. Conservatives that actually act like conservatives focus on accomplishments, regardless of the lack of warm and fuzzy pablum that covers the actual meal.
As for Andrew Lachman, I have nothing against the man personally. However, if he were hooked up to a machine that pumped him full of electric volts every time he took something out of context, his body would be charred hotter than a perfect steak at a republican barbecue.
“Even most republicans think that President Bush botched the war.”
That is actually a complete lie. Most republicans wanted a full scale escalation and would be fine if Iran and Syria were incinerated immediately.
“President Bush was the one who came out in favor of a Palestinian state.”
This is completely misleading. The Palestinian State was based on conditions the Palestinians had to meet. Unlike liberals, who believe dialogue in itself is a victory, President Bush refused to meet with Arafat. Furthermore, President Bush gave Ariel Sharon a free hand to allow Arafat to spend his final years in a state of humiliation. Long before President Bush even mentioned a Palestinian State, Hillary Clinton expressed love for the idea. Of course that was due to the afterglow of a passionate kiss between her and Suha Arafat, seconds after Ms. Arafat acucsed Jews of blood libel by poisoning Palestinian children’s drinking water.
“Barack Obama has 20 years of experience, which is the same as what Bill Clinton had when he ran.”
To quote Ross Perot, “running the corner general store does not mean you can extrapolate that and run Walmart.”
It depends what the word “experience” means. If it means actual real accomplishments that matter, then Obama did have Bill Clinton’s experience…none of significance.
“Obama has been endorsed by Lee Rosenberg, the head of AIPAC, as well as Congressmen Henry Waxman and Howard Berman.”
Liberals support liberals. My mother supports my blog. Her support is appreciated. I endorsed John McCain. I can feel the Earth shaking. No wait, a liberal is merely moving the Earth with powerful gusts of empty words.
“Obama wants divestment from Iran, and is anti-Hamas. The current Congress is the most Pro-Israel Congress in history.”
Maybe I only imagined that Nancy Pelosi put on a Burkha and went to Damascus to have tea with that nice doctor fellow. After all, most Pro-Israel people see kindness in Bashar Assad and Evil in President Bush. Oh wait, I meant most lunatics see that.
“McCain waffles on torture, and on his description of Evangelicals.”
Yes, we have gotten to the point where a man that was subjected to torture has his motives questioned. Cindy Sheehan is a grieving mother, and her positions are supposed to be absolute. Well John McCain was beaten within an inch of his life, so if anybody has moral authority on any issue, he does on torture. His critics that have never had their bones broken fighting for the land they love (That would be America, liberals) should think twice before they dare break out the waffle iron against this man. I personally disagree with his view on the issue, but absolutely subordinate my opinion to his based on who he is.
“Dialogue does not necessarily mean face to face discussions.”
Dear lord, Bill Clinton has reproduced himself, or learned how to channel himself in other bodies.
Decking an imbecile in the face for making stupid comments does not necessarily imply a violent solution.
“McCain will bring us right wing judges, and he will NAFTAize healthcare.”
Good. He should. John Roberts is one of the finest legal minds on Earth, and NAFTA has been a rousing success in areas that have low taxes. States with high tax burdens have been crippled. The answer is more free trade and lower taxes, not more regulations and protectionism. Liberals offer the feel good rhetoric that escapes conservatives, who are too busy worrying what actually makes a positive difference.
As for Larry, the following line sums it up best.
“The republican idea is the American idea, that free markets work best, and help middle Americans.”
Yes it is, and yes they do. With all due respect to the vastly improved Post Office, IRS, DMV, and city airports, I want my Government to kill terrorists and leave me the heck alone. I did not ask for their “help.” If I want to screw something up I will ask my government to do so. Otherwise, I appreciate my liberty.
Andrew offers truths, but does not know that they are truths.
“McCain has a zero percent rating from the Sierra Club.”
Yes, another reason to vote for John McCain. Members of the Sierra Club have bombed businesses, resulting in deaths. This is called terrorism, which they never officially renounced. McCain most likely also has a zero percent rating from Hezbollah, Hamas and Armageddonijad. Somehow rational people should overlook this. Maybe even liberals will dislike these terrorists once evidence turns up that their homicide bombing campaigns also kill trees.
Larry gets it on economics, which is probably because he has a Wall Street background.
“Investment funds are fungible. When people are overtaxed, they leave. America has the second highest corporate tax rate among industrialized nations, ahead of Japan.”
People think that we should just soak the rich. Then rich people leave, and people blame them for having the same rational self interest that everybody else has, only with more success. Why would anybody want to go to a restaurant with higher prices, lower quality, and bad service? Corporations are not evil entities. They are run by people, and people want a positive working environment.
Andrew does not get it.
“Tax breaks have failed. Exxon is the most profitable company in the world.”
This is nonsense. Corporations should make profits. The problem behind oil prices is crooked Arab governments, not United States citizens. By blaming Exxon, we are hurting ourselves. We are Exxon!
Reasonable people should understand that if we do something that makes Mullahs happy, it is probably a bad idea. Destroying our own corporations would thrill the Mullahs. When U.S. corporations get rich, they put the money into research and development. If liberals would stop locking both, they could do more. Does anybody think Arab governments aren’t monitoring the stupidity of the anti-corporate left?
Maxine Waters wants to nationalize (she used the word socialize) the oil companies. Somebody should break into her home and steal everything she has looted from her constituents, and see how she likes it. Only a woman that has never held an actual real job could make such an asinine statement.
“Japan is beating us in the sales of hybrids.”
Hybrids are ugly. Period. They are simply hideous looking. They are all oversized hatchbacks. If somebody would have the brains to make a hybrid that looks like something a single, male, heterosexual male would actually drive, more men would drive them. Guys use Jaguars and Maseratis to get laid, not hybrids. That smug look on the face of hybrid owners (brilliantly captured by the creators of “South Park”) is the look of people that are willing to buy an ugly looking car so they can feel good about themselves. Ask these people if they paint their walls paisley, and they do not understand the analogy.
“McCain was hypocritical in how he handled Cindy McCain’s drug problem. She got treatment while others go to jail.”
This was a cheap shot, akin to Kerry and Edwards going after Mary Cheney. I spoke to Mr. Lachman after the debate and let him know. He was a nice guy, and while he initially tried to defend his remark, when I told him it was also a loser of a strategy because people would flock to Cindy McCain’s defense, he agreed. I recommended he stop using it, and he did agree. Of course, saying something is unwise is not the same as saying it is just wrong, but he was reasonable in hearing me out.
I remember when Yassir Arafat said that homicide bombs were “not helpful.” That is not the same as acknowledging that something is simply wrong. This is why Hillary Clinton can imply that Barack Obama could be murdered, rendering her the nomination. She knows that she does not need to offer an actual apology. A “statement of regret” suffices. In the case of Andrew Lachman, he accepted my argument that his cheap shot was a strategic political loser of an argument, but he rejected that it was just plain wrong.
When I inquired about why the cities, controlled by liberals are failing, Andrew blamed Ronald Reagan.
“The problem with education is not that it has been administered badly by the left. The problem is that starting with Ronald Reagan, it has been strangled financially by the right. The right has cut budgets for cities, and they have suffered. It is not the left failing. It is the right strangling things.”
If Ronald Reagan is responsible for failing cities 20 years after he left office, why not 50 years? Why not 100 years? When Detroit is a mess in 30 years, people will blame George W. Bush. Unlike the Clintons, who spend every waking minute of their baby boomer lives blaming everybody else for everything, most people understand that those directly closest to a situation bear the greatest burden.
Detroit of 2008 has nothing to do with Ronald Reagan. Cities such as New York simply function properly when conservatives take over. This is because conservatives want to cut taxes, kill criminals (or at least lock them up), destroy crime, reduce welfare, and lower taxes.
Liberals do not believe in this. They want “progressive” approaches to crime, in the form of “prevention,” when the answer is harsh punishment. Liberals want higher taxes on corporations, who then move to lower tax areas. People blame President Bush for the few days after Hurricane Katrina. How about the years that Ray “Chocolate City” Nagin and Kathleen “I’m so overwhelmed” Blanco drove Louisiana into the ground.
Liberals blame the right for strangling government. Government should be strangled. Republicans were not thrown out for strangling government in 2006. They were thrown out for acting like liberals. Conservatism in its truest form gets the job done.
“When Clinton was President, Israel talked to Jordan. With Bush, the Iraq war strengthened Iran, which threatens Israel.”
When Clinton was President, Taco Bell had larger sales than Pizza Hut. When Bush was President, Pizza Hut had more sales than Taco Bell. Therefore, President Bush hates Mexicans.
Yes, that is how liberals debate. Forget the evidence. Facts, schmacts.
“The GOP has gotten away from Tikkun Olam.”
This implies that Judaism equals liberalism. It is a statement that is nothing short of ideological bigotry. It makes as much sense as telling a young black man that getting a respectable job is “selling out” or “acting white.” Judaism does not equal liberalism. Judaism teaches that the highest form of charity is helping somebody help themselves, such as going into business with them. This is a staunchly conservative message.
“This election is about tolerance vs those who believe in the private sector and leaving people behind.”
It is the government that has left people behind by destroying the attempt at wealth creation in a misguided attempt to punish existing wealth. The private sector brings the best advances in medicine, technology, and business. If you want experts in law, go to government officials, who are pretty much all lawyers. If you want to improve an economy, find business people. They work for corporations, not governments. Governments can do something right. They can get out of the way, stop impeding progress, and let the military go blow up our enemies. The last time I checked, it was not employees of Halliburton beheading American citizens.
Larry provides the perfect punctuation mark.
“This election is the American Hero versus the American Idol.”
It goes deeper than that. This election is a philosophy of liberalism that takes people, rips their insides out, destroys them, robs them of their dignity, and calls it compassion. It is also a philosophy of conservatism that preaches hard work, responsibility, and appropriate rewards for real accomplishments.
This election is about an untested rookie with few concepts of how the world actually works vs a grizzled veteran that has fought, bled, and nearly died for causes much bigger than him.
This election is about a bunch of self indulgent spoiled brats, aka baby boomers and their offspring, versus those that remember a time when merit mattered and doing what was right meant giving, not taking.
Barack Obama says the right things. His policy proposals are the same failed ideas that have ripped inner cities to shreds. He is new. His thoughts are old and tired.
John McCain does the right things. His ideas are not new either.
In McCain’s case, they don’t have to be. They were right, they are right, and they will be right.
eric
“Most republicans wanted a full scale escalation and would be fine if Iran and Syria were incinerated immediately.”
Wow. That’s pretty frightening. Just how much blood will satiate your thirsts? How many families, women, children, the elderly, would have to be massacred to make you feel secure? Really. There is something deeply troubling about that statement.
JMJ
Yea, theres probably a few individuals in Iran and Syria that dont deserve incineration.
But I wonder if the trade off for saving them would be worth it in the long run simply because the longer these evil regimes exist the more innocents they will continue to kill as a result of state funded terrorism and terrorist activities.
So today we will save a few thousand normal good hearted Iranians and Syrians.
And tomorrow the rest of them will kill all the jews and whatever Americans they can get away with.
Do the math, what has been the exchange of casualties in the last 50 years that we have been trying to get these dysfunctional regimes to acknowledge Israels right to exist ?
JMJ:
“That’s pretty frightening. Just how much blood will satiate your thirsts? How many families, women, children, the elderly, would have to be massacred to make you feel secure? ”
Why dont you try asking Hezbolla, Iran and Syria the same question. Huh ?
So you’re saying we should be more like Hezbollah?
JMJ
NO, he’s just asking you to be consistent in your criteria. You’re quick to condemn Americans, specifically Republicans, but go dead quiet when it comes to the opposition. That’s all.
Jersy, if we did anything so drastic it would be in response to these a$$holes.
We would not be initiating but rather ending the cycle we have seen for decades now.
They are the terrorist states, not us. And they are the ones who have expressedly wished to wipe Israel off the map and are not being forthcoming and transparent with their nuclear programs.
But yet are incredibly forthcoming and transparent with their intentions.
Deacon and Micky, we ARE Americans. We can only speak and act for ourselves. We are not accountable for the actions of others, only ourselves.
Assaulting Iran and Syria would be an incredibly evil and wrongheaded tthing to do unless we absolutely and truly had hard evidence they have are are right about to commit some horrific act against us or one of our allies. The current administration has ZERO CREDIBILITY with the vast majority of the human race and Americans. If they commited such an act, it would be seen as the belligerent aggression of a violent and hostile colonialist regime.
I realize that these countries are a threat to Israel, and that should be a major concern. But Israel is not America. America comes first. Unless Israel is on the verge of annihilation (in which case they would simply take care of the matter themselves, I’m quite sure) it is not for us to launch yet another foolish preemtive debacle of a war.
JMJ
IThe iraq was war was not foolish. was the initial invasion screwed up ? Yea.
JMJ:
“Assaulting Iran and Syria would be an incredibly evil and wrongheaded tthing to do unless we absolutely and truly had hard evidence they have are are right about to commit some horrific act against us or one of our allies.
I repeat:
“Jersy, if we did anything so drastic it would be in response to these a$$holes.
We would not be initiating but rather ending the cycle we have seen for decades now.
They are the terrorist states, not us. And they are the ones who have expressedly wished to wipe Israel off the map and are not being forthcoming and transparent with their nuclear programs.”
Let me ask you something ?
Should we give aid to countries that suffer from disaters ?
JMJ;
“Assaulting Iran and Syria would be an incredibly evil and wrongheaded tthing to do unless we absolutely and truly had hard evidence they have are are right about to commit some horrific act against us or one of our allies.”
Hmm. I guess “enough ” evidence for you would be after they’re all dead ?
Israel is our allie, so please, decide if its America or our allies or both.
Usually its to late once the evidence is discoverd jersey.
And the theres always the question that libs hate.
How long should we let this go on ?
Do we allow the middle east to fall into oblivion ? Destroy our economy ?
Maybe we could get the libs to convince the Syrians and Iranians that they are experiencing climate change because of weapons and heavy metal deposits in their countries.
Hey, it worked using carbon deposits as the cause on half of America.
Micky, what you’re conveniently leaving aside here is that Israel can protect itself – to a point. The Israel soldier, per man and woman, may well be the finest on the planet (no offense, America). Also, Israel intelligence probably is the finest on the planet (just ask our American intelligence!). So, for these reasons alone, we should not preemptively engage in war in the Middle East. The result – the losses and costs and even the gains – has gone horrifically. Repeating such an obvious mistake would be obnoxiously stupid.
JMJ
What you’re conveniently forgeting is that if Israel retaliates one or the other of many of Irans allies will chip in.
Also you forget our interests over there that must be protected along with our men and women in Iraq that are subjected to Iranian weapons and violent operatives.
These shmucks would just love to see Iraq be brought back to the same kind of oppression saddam imposed upon them.
We have been fighting a proxy war with Iran and syria as it is.
If we lose Israel and Iraq in the middle east you can pretty much kiss goodbye life here as you know it.
You’re assuming Syria and Iran are retarded states. They know what would happen. There’s no immediate threat, or even one in any imaginable near future.
You hawks ought to knock it off.
JMJ
Thats my point ding a ling.
Lets wait til the threat is immediate, thats what libs do when it comes to everything.
And yea there is one in the future, I would bet on it only because its growing by a general concensus that is supported by the world communitys vision of Iran.
Even the IAEA said a couple days ago that Iran is starting to look pretty scarey.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2008/iranreport0508.html
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1809561,00.html
Iran may be withholding information needed to establish whether it tried to make nuclear arms, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday in an unusually strongly worded report.
The tone of the language suggesting Tehran continues to stonewall the U.N. nuclear monitor revealed a glimpse of the frustration felt by agency investigators stymied in their attempts to gain full answers to suspicious aspects of Iran’s past nuclear activities.
A senior U.N. official familiar with the investigation into Iran’s nuclear program said none of the dozens of agency reports issued in that context had ever been as plain spoken in calling Tehran to task for not being forthright. He agreed to discuss the report only if granted anonymity because he was not authorized to comment to the media.
Isolating and not doing business with Iran and Syria over an extended period of time could and perhaps would do wonders in realizing our objectives concerning those two regimes…unfortunately, too much business is done by companies in the western world with the leadership of those two nations.
The Europeans and the IAEA have failed in their dealings with Iran. They and we would be wise to use everything in our arsenal but War (the very last option) to effectively deal with Iran.
Somehow, someway the Chinese and Russians must be cajoled to join us…this shouldn’t be seen as an East/West issue…the prospects of a nuclear Iran are detrimental to the subsistence of all its neighbors…
It’s been 55 years since Mosadegh…it’s high time for the Iranian people to responsibly remove the Mullahs from power…and soon! Or…
We will have to bomb them…