tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post114019699121808537..comments2023-10-18T11:04:13.946-04:00Comments on Connecticut Local Politics: Rasmussen: Lieberman Ahead, But Numbers ShakyGenghis Connhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042849182723767087noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140410923037725842006-02-19T23:48:00.000-05:002006-02-19T23:48:00.000-05:00GC,I'll see if I can get the State Dems to See you...GC,<BR/><BR/>I'll see if I can get the State Dems to See your car tax and Raise you the sales and income tax since you obviously think politics is more poker than policy.<BR/><BR/>If the debate offered here starts with the assumption that any tax reform that lowers the taxes of anyone is good tax reform would you support a Dem plan to eliminate all taxes and call then geniuses and politically brave.<BR/><BR/>Every honest assesment of Rells car tax and proberty tax abatement elimination plan shows it raises the tax on the middle and poor class and lowers them on the wealthy and you still suuport it?ctkeithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10225806283179995491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140364760922693612006-02-19T10:59:00.000-05:002006-02-19T10:59:00.000-05:00MikeCT,I'd be willing to accept that definition, a...MikeCT,<BR/><BR/>I'd be willing to accept that definition, and to differentiate between "radical" and "extremist." I should have chosen my words a tad more carefully.<BR/><BR/>As for the rest, there's a difference between acting boldly and acting thoughtlessly, cruelly or impulsively.<BR/><BR/>Keith, I still support the elimination of the car tax. It's a good start, it'll help a lot of people, and it's better than what the Democrats are offering (which is nothing). Show me a better plan. <BR/><BR/>I'd also like to call on you (and I'll do this, too) to debate honestly, without personal attacks. I think we can do it, and set a better example. Politics may be personal, as you say, but these attacks make sure your message is never heard. The person you attack only hears the attack, and only feels anger.<BR/><BR/>DeanFan,<BR/><BR/>I'm not a fan of the Bush Administration, either. They ofyen act like extremists, and they've done things that make my blood boil. They'll be gone in three years, and we'll have a chance to start over. I hope.<BR/><BR/>Agreed about Bob Dole--he's generally a decent, smart, witty guy. He was also a pragmatist, although his campaign really got away from that side of him. A shame.Genghis Connhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13042849182723767087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140358587808040182006-02-19T09:16:00.000-05:002006-02-19T09:16:00.000-05:00Moscow still ain't Madison, but it is far cry from...Moscow still ain't Madison, but it is far cry from the Evil Empire<BR/><BR/>Positive change never occurs to those who don't try. I thought even liberals would understand that.Otherwise we would still be in the Lochner eraAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140331196361896672006-02-19T01:39:00.000-05:002006-02-19T01:39:00.000-05:00"Radicalism" has a long and honored career at 1600..."Radicalism" has a long and honored career at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.<BR/><BR/>A few examples of Presidents defying conventional wisdom and charting a new direction sua sponte for the nation<BR/><BR/>Antitrust laws/T. Roosevelt<BR/>The New Deal/F. Roosevelt<BR/>Marshall Plan/NAT0/ Truman<BR/>Space Program/Kennedy<BR/>Diplomacy with PRC/Nixon<BR/>SDI/"tear down this wall"/Reagan <BR/><BR/>The Presidents we remember all did controversial things to change our direction <BR/><BR/>Perhaps one may find solace the failed status quo had plenty of support in those days too , so if one wishes to emulate WH Taft, Robert Taft, Hoover, McGovern and Mondale by all means call Bush "radical"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140325245094046882006-02-19T00:00:00.000-05:002006-02-19T00:00:00.000-05:00Perfect Mikect,I'm not a radical at all I just dis...Perfect Mikect,<BR/><BR/>I'm not a radical at all I just dispise Cowards whether they Be US Senators,Right wing Bloggers or former Greens.<BR/><BR/>I own the fact I'm a liberal and wear it as a badge.I'll have civil discussions with any Rockefeller or even Goldwater Republican and We'll both walk away better for it BUT those who Support the Radical agenda of George W Bush are not Republican at all. They're way to radical to ever be considered Republican.<BR/><BR/>The Republicans I grew up with were Fiscal Concervatives, were foreign intervention minimalists, didn't particularly like Social security but admitted it's obvious benifits,were pro buisness BUT didn't believe in Corperate Welfare and thought the rates of corperate taxation of the 1970s weren't out of line at all and Hated the very idea of Defecits.Not one of them would vote for George W Bush.<BR/><BR/>Believe it or Not Howard Dean was a Republican in his earlier Days as was Ed Meyer when he was in The NY state Legislature.Isn't it Funny that the 2 people I respect the Most in politis are former Republicans yet because I'm critical of GC and I make it personal,which all politics are,He wants to label me a radical and irrelevent.<BR/><BR/>What I find radical is Owning a blog,Listening to a state of the state speech and without doing a lick of research of the effects endorsing the car tax repeal less than an hr after the speech is finished.This is just the latest example of radical from the owner and only front pager of this site.ctkeithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10225806283179995491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140323350324987922006-02-18T23:29:00.000-05:002006-02-18T23:29:00.000-05:00Genghis,Radicalism to me means getting to the root...Genghis,<BR/>Radicalism to me means getting to the root of the problem, not contenting oneself with window-dressing reforms for appearance's sake that don't get at fundamental causes. So I'd like to think of myself as a proud radical, though we usually are limited to modest compromises. To me there is a difference between radicalism and "extremism" or closed-mindedness.<BR/><BR/>turfgrrl,<BR/><BR/><I>That lack of policy and strategy is soley W's. Who cares what Lieberman says about it publicly. He's not part of the administration, he's 1 guy in the senate, which is a republican majority right now. That is the fact that dems should be more concerned about.</I><BR/><BR/>This war was bipartisan in its implementation and the majority of Dem politicians were and are active collaborators. Let's not delude ourselves into thinking that we have a genuine opposition party, as <A HREF="http://www.counterpunch.org/walsh12052005.html" REL="nofollow">this op-ed</A> and <A HREF="http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10063.htm" REL="nofollow">this one</A> argue. This is not a partisan battle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140317610879033612006-02-18T21:53:00.000-05:002006-02-18T21:53:00.000-05:00Post what you like, Sanity, you don't need my perm...Post what you like, Sanity, you don't need my permission.Genghis Connhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13042849182723767087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140317536898798202006-02-18T21:52:00.000-05:002006-02-18T21:52:00.000-05:00Radicals on the right seem a lot louder, right now...Radicals on the right seem a lot louder, right now, but I'm not really sure that there are <I>more</I> of them necessarily.<BR/><BR/>Radicalism to me is not only positions, but a state of mind in which one refuses to believe that anything but one's own opinions (or the opinions of one's group) are the absolute truth. I see that happen here, sometimes, and it's a little scary.Genghis Connhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13042849182723767087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140316179953755382006-02-18T21:29:00.000-05:002006-02-18T21:29:00.000-05:00Echelon began after WWII, it became known during C...Echelon began after WWII, it became known during Clinton's Presidency, he certainly didn't develope it. The Federal Gov't has been spying on foreign countries and it's own for 60 years. That's not news.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140314613721880932006-02-18T21:03:00.001-05:002006-02-18T21:03:00.001-05:00Genghis,I do appreciate what you said. I attempte...Genghis,<BR/><BR/>I do appreciate what you said. I attempted, rather unsuccessfully, to try and make a distinction between who I was talking about and who I was not at the beginning of what I wrote. I was using the term 'Liberal' as it is commonly, even if incorrectly, used these days by many people, including the MSM, to describe the 'radical/extremist' left. I also use the terms 'Neocon' and 'Social Fundamentalist' to describe the 'radical/extremist' right. Both sides have perverted their respective political parties' basic ideals. Both give bad names to the true definitions of liberalism and conservatism.<BR/><BR/>So, using the terminology you mentioned, who I was speaking of were the 'radicals/extremists' of the left (as opposed to those who certainly do exist on the right), I still stand by what I wrote. And I think some of the continued reaction to my web site and that particular posting in my blog only helps to support the point I was making.<BR/><BR/>Genghis, I respect your views and how you present them in a well thoughtout manner, even if I don't always agree with your conclusions. You get me thinking and asking questions. Same goes for several others who post comments on your blog, most notably Aldon Hynes. I find these insights very valuable.<BR/><BR/>Also, Genghis, I'd like to post your 4:39 comment on my blog. I am probably not going to do anything on my blog or web site until tomorrow. If you decide you don't want me to include your comment, I won't post it or will remove it if I've already posted it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140314602636661142006-02-18T21:03:00.000-05:002006-02-18T21:03:00.000-05:00OK, so NSA spying is decades old and its all Bush'...OK, so NSA spying is decades old and its all Bush's problem<BR/><BR/>(I wasn;t aware about Echelon until Clinton's Commerce Dept was nailed by the EU using it for industrial espionage)<BR/><BR/>howe about the case where the 4th Circuit approved Jimmy Carter's warrantless wiretapsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140312260167470542006-02-18T20:24:00.000-05:002006-02-18T20:24:00.000-05:00so why did Clinton develop Echelon?so why did Clinton develop Echelon?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140312086088295492006-02-18T20:21:00.000-05:002006-02-18T20:21:00.000-05:00oooh--Thanks for the searing light. So you honestl...oooh--<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the searing light. <BR/><BR/>So you honestly believe the President should be above the rule of law? (Cuz previously there were laws about what the NSA can, and can't do.)<BR/><BR/>And I imagine Habeus Corpus to you is like the Geneva Convention. How did Attorney General Alberto Gonzales put it, um, "Quaint"?<BR/><BR/>That you'll stand for torture, Gitmo, domestic spying etc, really suggests that you'll stand for an "anything goes" America, even though it is an embarassment to those who fought and died for our Country.<BR/><BR/>Finally, please get off your imaginary high horse. Thanks buddy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140311250398093702006-02-18T20:07:00.000-05:002006-02-18T20:07:00.000-05:00there is a difference between heat and light.Many ...there is a difference between heat and light.<BR/><BR/>Many of the lefty posters here are really hot and really dark. <BR/><BR/>You learn nothing but 100 decibel DNC talking poists, that ignore minor details like...<BR/><BR/>Odd that the "Echelon" NSA system under Clinton was fine and dandy until a Republican president actually used it to fight terrorism.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140304747581441332006-02-18T18:19:00.000-05:002006-02-18T18:19:00.000-05:00That didn't answer the question, Keith.That didn't answer the question, Keith.Genghis Connhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13042849182723767087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140301978289335192006-02-18T17:32:00.000-05:002006-02-18T17:32:00.000-05:00more rich irony, claiming your opponents use "fear...more rich irony, claiming your opponents use "fear" as a tactic by calling them Nazis.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140299097742590542006-02-18T16:44:00.000-05:002006-02-18T16:44:00.000-05:00Is Preemptive war Radical?Is Spying on Americans R...Is Preemptive war Radical?<BR/><BR/>Is Spying on Americans Radical?<BR/><BR/>Is allowing Big pharma write the medicare bill and inserting a provision that disallows negotiating purchase price radical.<BR/><BR/>is attempting to privitize Social security radical.<BR/><BR/>is allowingthe Vice President to amass more power and decide intel matters that should only be made by a president radical.<BR/><BR/>Is detroying the relationship and trust the USA has had with "old Europe" built over decades radical.<BR/><BR/>If you don't believe the answer to every one of these questions is Yes you don't understand what the word radical means.<BR/><BR/>As far as the question to wheter or not 51% of the voters are radical or not I'll just remind you that Hitler was elected too.Fear is an amazing tool and Rove and Goering both new how to exploit.ctkeithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10225806283179995491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140298768482479742006-02-18T16:39:00.000-05:002006-02-18T16:39:00.000-05:00Keith,Aren't you a radical, too? Really, no snark....Keith,<BR/><BR/>Aren't you a radical, too? Really, no snark. Aren't you?<BR/><BR/>Sanity, <BR/><BR/>I think you're confusing "liberals" and "radicals/extremists" in your post on your site. Liberal is a <A HREF="http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/liberal" REL="nofollow">philosophy</A>, while radicals or extremists follow dogma, and do not deviate from it. Certain conservatives have tried, with great success, to equate the one with the other. It's just as incorrect to treat all conservatives as racist, facist whatevers. <BR/><BR/>There is nothing wrong with liberalism. In fact, our society is built on the magnificent liberal gains of the 19th and 20th century such as women's rights, civil rights, social safety nets, workers' rights, the withdrawl from imperialism and so on. Liberalism has a long and quite successful history over the past two centuries. An article I read recently suggested that the reason why Democrats have lost their focus is that they have no more big battles to fight: at least none that they can identify.<BR/><BR/>Radicalism, on the other hand, has a long, violent, ultimately unsuccessful history. Revolutions never accomplish their aims, and radicals can never hold power for long without either losing their radical nature or incurring the wrath of the people. There are exceptions, of course, but in the main this is the rule.<BR/><BR/>There are radicals who act in the manner you describe on both sides. I remember an ultraconservative who remarked that he was "so right I'm almost left!" and, although he didn't mean it, he was correct. The fringes have more in common with one another than they do with the center.<BR/><BR/>I do believe that liberals and conservatives, when they can back away from radicalism long enough to actually hear what the other is saying, can work together productively.Genghis Connhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13042849182723767087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140295055814152412006-02-18T15:37:00.000-05:002006-02-18T15:37:00.000-05:00well, calling over 51% of the public in 2004 "radi...well, calling over 51% of the public in 2004 "radicals" sure sounds like a plan to get back into the majority.<BR/><BR/>But, then again, there are those who think VT is a "moderate" state...it's the other 49 states that are too radicalAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140294901194016262006-02-18T15:35:00.000-05:002006-02-18T15:35:00.000-05:00When I criticize social funamentalists, Ann Coulte...When I criticize social funamentalists, Ann Coulter is one of the first names that comes to mind. When I read her books, most of my reaction was "I can't believe she just said that" or "what balls she has." I was more gawking when I read those books than actually thinking that her message is the correct message.<BR/><BR/>I can see why some people might think my including her on my Recommended Reading list would feel I was a proponent and supporter of her views, especially in the absence of any explanation as to why her books are on the list. After thinking about it, including her books on the list is not consistent with the spirit of what I want my web site to be about, so I think it would be appropriate to remove them from the list.<BR/><BR/>I will also remove various descriptions from resource sections and reviewing each resource that I've listed as to whether it truly is appropriate or consistent with my web site's message. And I must confess, I view CNN online more than FoxNews online primarily because CNN's site is formatted better and easier to find the news I want to read. So I'll add CNN too.<BR/><BR/>I will not make any changes until tonight at the earliest to give people a chance to see what Anon 12:46 is talking about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140294001769158082006-02-18T15:20:00.000-05:002006-02-18T15:20:00.000-05:00Oh what a tangled web we weave,when we practice to...Oh what a tangled web we weave,when we practice to decieve.<BR/><BR/>There are no more moderate Republicans.Anyone who supports W is a radical.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>You're a wingnut.Own it!ctkeithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10225806283179995491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140293233788771122006-02-18T15:07:00.000-05:002006-02-18T15:07:00.000-05:00I'm a Republican who grew up in New Canaan, and ho...I'm a Republican who grew up in New Canaan, and hold my beliefs in spite of snarky elitists like Ms. CoulterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140285918742067402006-02-18T13:05:00.000-05:002006-02-18T13:05:00.000-05:00Ann Coulter is listed as a read, not because I agr...Ann Coulter is listed as a read, not because I agree with her. I try to read a broad spectrum of books. I read her books to understand far right thinking and to see what I agree with and what I don't. Just because I reference her books doesn't mean I subsribe to her beliefs. I have also listed a bunch of books, in greater number, that present far more moderate views that are far more consistent with my beliefs. Of course you chose to ignore that.<BR/><BR/>I'm not going to waste Genghis's bandwidth to explain myself further on this. I'll follow up more on this in my blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140285463905999012006-02-18T12:57:00.000-05:002006-02-18T12:57:00.000-05:00p.s. Best reason ever to hold your nose and become...p.s. Best reason ever to hold your nose and become a Dem partisan?<BR/><BR/>Even the so-called "moderate" Republicans are reading and recommending Ann Coulter!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214263.post-1140284762604475352006-02-18T12:46:00.000-05:002006-02-18T12:46:00.000-05:00Sanity's Recommended Books. Ann Coulter has two of...Sanity's <A HREF="http://www.saveconnecticut.org/15.html" REL="nofollow">Recommended Books</A>. Ann Coulter has two of his top reads.<BR/><BR/>His <A HREF="http://www.saveconnecticut.org/19.html" REL="nofollow">Online News Sources</A>.<BR/><BR/>Sanity regarding Fox News<BR/>"We've all heard it - "fair and balanced reporting." I would have to say that this is as close as the major cable and network news outlets get to fair and balanced reporting. Yes, there is a slight right twist to the reporting, but that tends to happen with accurate, fair and balanced reporting."<BR/><BR/>And on the Hartford Courant:<BR/>"The Hartford Courant<BR/>I begrudgingly include this selection. I am not happy to admit that I subscribe to this newspaper. It is anything but fair and balanced. Unfortunately, it is the primary newspaper covering activities at the Connecticut General Assembly, even if it is written with a very strong, almost exclusively (save for Laurence Cohen) liberal bias."<BR/><BR/>And Sanity re Cybercast News Service.<BR/>"Cal Thomas said about CNS "...facts that you can print out and share with your friends... and those facts can be used to convert people to the truth." That pretty much describes this online news site."<BR/><BR/>Finally, besides Sanity also having a lobbyist wife, one should note <A HREF="http://www.saveconnecticut.org/blog/political/blog.html" REL="nofollow">this page</A> where he decries the decline of the national dialogue. This, from an Ann Coulter fan, has me ROFLMAO.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com