tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884128379999766348.post5230181323879417771..comments2024-03-28T22:02:16.520-04:00Comments on Politics and its Discontents: The Party Of LincolnLornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15741324981120408977noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884128379999766348.post-50055827905864449222016-07-26T08:23:10.732-04:002016-07-26T08:23:10.732-04:00I, of course, remember those times, Pamela. it doe...I, of course, remember those times, Pamela. it does seem a lifetime ago in so many ways. Perhaps one of the ironies of the Vidal-Buckley debates is that they ultimately proved to be the template for the talking heads of contemporary TV, the difference being that outside of media like NPR and PBS, they have become shoutfests and ad hominem opportunities more than anything else. That is not to say that there was no acrimonious exchanges between Buckley and Gore which, at times, became quite nasty.Lornehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15741324981120408977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884128379999766348.post-84757212285514428042016-07-25T23:58:24.143-04:002016-07-25T23:58:24.143-04:00Thank you Lorne for wanting to feature my comments...Thank you Lorne for wanting to feature my comments as a guest post. Being able to listen to an intellectual of Gore Vidal's stature discuss politics benefited those in our generation who were trying to understand their political culture. If a Gore Vidal came today he would be completely ignored and not given any exposure, television or otherwise.When we were younger many of the shows and even the news networks discussed serious ideas with their articulate interesting guests. Canadian shows also had substance. I watched Front Page Challenge the other day on youtube. They were interviewing Malcolm X. Even film peronalities like Orson Wells being interviewed made for really interesting television. I think we were the last generation to experience a progressive, vibrant, sophisticated culture. The acquisition of knowledge was still valued and respected. Today, the intelligent discussion of serious political ideas is pretty well none existent and the culture is a wasteland bereft of any critical thinking.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07842215982128591742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884128379999766348.post-4538481861296814232016-07-25T20:11:08.350-04:002016-07-25T20:11:08.350-04:00The other night on Netflix we watched a documentar...The other night on Netflix we watched a documentary on the 1968 Republican and Democratic Conventions as framed by the debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley. It amazed me that in those days, these two commanded such respect that the debates set ABC News well on its way to leaving its third-place status behind.<br /><br />I was young at the time, but I used to watch Buckley on Firing Line and such. I asked my wife how many young people today would sit still to watch such television.<br /><br />Your comments are well-taken, Pamela, and I am taking the liberty of featuring them as a guest post tomorrow.<br />Lornehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15741324981120408977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884128379999766348.post-2280859063270303812016-07-25T17:12:36.889-04:002016-07-25T17:12:36.889-04:00I listened to a JFK speech the other day Lorne.If ...I listened to a JFK speech the other day Lorne.If you're interested , you can find it at #NoWar2016 and what Kennedy said, WorldBeyondWar.org.Some people consider it his greatest speech and some even think it's what contributed to his assassination. The speech was about PEACE. Why do I bring this up? Strictly for contrasts. Compare this speech with Trumps, nomination speech. Implicitly, both speeches are a reflection of American culture.Kennedy's speech reflects a culture that was serious about ideas, where an intelligent President could articulate how a viable option of peace over the cold war could be achieved.Trumps speech reflects a culture that is intellectually and morally bankrupt.It contains no serious ideas and in fact sounds more like something that would be said at a marketing or business meeting.More importantly it reveals a culture not only in decline, but a culture, intellectually having reached rock bottom where all that dominates is faith and force. American culture has gone from the political sophistication and the pursuit of progressive ideals of a JFK to the anti-intellectual rhetoric and sleaze of a Donald Trump.<br /><br />The GOP with its Evangelical and neoliberal beliefs reflects a culture of power and entitlement. They do not bring anything beneficial to the table for the average American. They are political zombies. Having no political ideas they need a leader who reflects that lack. Anyone with political substance and intelligence, or even common sense, would completely avoid the GOP. They would feel embarrassed to be associated with this mindless group called the GOP. Donald Trump feels no such embarrassment.<br /><br />Do Americans ever wonder why they once had an intellectually sophisticated president such as JFK and now have a presidential candidate whose character is that of a P.T. Barnhum barker?<br /><br />Who is responsible for the American cultural and political destruction? Why have Americans stood by and watched their governments both democrats and republicans turn their country into an ignorant war monger, that wants to dominate the world?<br /><br />Going from a political culture under JFK to a political culture under Trump is like going from super sonic jet travel back to the horse and buggy.<br /><br />An empire in decline and with its nuclear weapons could take the rest of the world with it. <br /><br />Americans don't seem to know it, but they are looking into a cultural abyss.<br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07842215982128591742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884128379999766348.post-28234061282143868322016-07-25T12:26:12.030-04:002016-07-25T12:26:12.030-04:00I'm with you on this, Mound. I rarely visit th...I'm with you on this, Mound. I rarely visit the U.S., and the only state I am now considering visiting, perhaps in the fall, is California, as I still want to drive the Pacific Coast Highway. Other than that, increasingly it looks like a country to avoid.Lornehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15741324981120408977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884128379999766348.post-77551021964974662312016-07-25T12:23:12.020-04:002016-07-25T12:23:12.020-04:00Your comments reflect the sad state of American po...Your comments reflect the sad state of American politics today, Anon; indeed, they can be applied to far too many so-called contemporary healthy' democracies. Lornehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15741324981120408977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884128379999766348.post-70558496479294485732016-07-25T11:24:35.657-04:002016-07-25T11:24:35.657-04:00Like Ms. Stark, above, I recall when I crossed Mex...Like Ms. Stark, above, I recall when I crossed Mexico off my motorcycle adventure list because it had become much too perilous. Now I may have to do the same with the U.S. save, perhaps for the west coast states. There's no way in hell I'd take my chances in the mid-west or the Bible Belt. I think Hedges may be right. America may be in a pre-revolutionary state, a pot on the cusp of a rolling boil. Populists in the political and media sectors have left the people deeply divided, angry and suspicious. Could it spill over into something nastier, possibly violent? The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884128379999766348.post-19719497892208825162016-07-25T11:22:41.215-04:002016-07-25T11:22:41.215-04:00Americans as a whole have never had a problem elec...Americans as a whole have never had a problem electing "egocentric, racist, misogynistic bloviating bag(s) of gas." That's pretty much what's on offer in every election.<br /><br />But if you're an American fed up with the raw deal you've been getting over the last couple of decades, are you going to vote for Clinton who's offering more of the same, or Trump who's promising to shake things up? You only have to look at the last Canadian federal election and the Brexit vote to know the answer to that one. The Dems are in big trouble in this election and they know it, hence the fearmongering about Trump.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com