A Response to Alexandra Pelosi
First, it’s great to see that a liberal is interested in studying conservatives and trying to understand the perplexing ideologies of this subset of the American population. Bravo, Ms. Pelosi. Too many of your peers are content to stay in their 5th Avenue lofts and sneer at Middle America without actually venturing out into this uncharted territory to try and understand why these people cling to their guns and religion.
But unfortunately, Ms. Pelosi, that’s where the kudos end. Your comments show that you approached your documentary from the vantage point that your political beliefs are correct, and that the ‘angry Conservative’s’ beliefs are incorrect. Let’s take a look at a quote from you:
“For me, it wasn't so much the Muslim thing, it was the socialist thing. Respectfully, I wanted to say to them, I live on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. I am on the winning side of capitalism. I work for HBO, corporate America. The Man has been good to me. You, on the other hand, are driving a truck that says, "Obama is a socialist idiot," and you're in a much lower tax bracket than most of the people in Manhattan that are voting for Obama. So the times I would actually get into it would be like, "OK, explain to me why you think he's an idiot. He's trying to give you a tax cut. You understand you're voting against your own self-interest?"
If some of us in Middle America had the same connections you had, we might be able to do our own documentary to study liberals like yourself, who are just as perplexing to conservatives. For example, for someone who purports to be an intellectual, it’s puzzling to understand why you think it’s the most efficient use of your money to first give it to the government so they can then give it to someone else. Those of us in Middle America who believe in old fashioned values and in helping our neighbor understand that when my neighbor is in trouble, I can hand them $100 and guess what? They get to keep 100% of that money. That makes sense to us. But rich liberals like yourselves apparently don’t want to be bothered with getting to know those in need, and would rather hand over your money to the government so that they can keep 70% of it for admin fees and give out the remaining 30%.
We see the passion that wealthy liberals express when talking about those that are hurting and struggling. Great news! We conservatives in Middle America are here to tell you that you do not have to wait for the government to act! You can go to your local bank and take out some greens and head out to the streets and pass it out! (See above explanation for efficiency of doling out money in this fashion) So, just as perplexed as you are about the ‘backwards, redneck conservatives’ that vote ‘against their own self interest’, we are perplexed as to why wealthy liberals cling to their wealth and wait for Obama to tax them further, instead of being proactive helping their fellow American in need right now.
There’s also a sense of pride and freedom in Middle America. One of the surest ways to be free is to keep the government out of your life. Perhaps those redneck, backwards conservatives think our government is bordering on dangerous, and that giving more money to our government gives more power to a small, elite, select few. Perhaps they would rather struggle and weather this storm, knowing that it’s better for all of us in the long run to not have a government so powerful that wealth and power is concentrated in just a select few (I mean, really, Ms. Pelosi, how DID you get your cush job and cush loft? Amazing how the children of those in government all seem to do so well!).
You assume that the redneck conservative is voting against his own interest by not voting in a government handout (after all, you can’t get a tax cut if you don’t pay taxes); perhaps he cares most about freedom and therefore is voting in his own self-interest. Perhaps, at his core, the redneck conservative believes that conservative principles give everyone an opportunity to share in the American dream and the good life that you yourself enjoy; and that liberal principles give power to a select few and gives the rest of us the opportunity to share in the misery. After all, did your mother get behind school vouchers? Wouldn't school vouchers have given the rednecks in a lower tax bracket than the 5th Avenue Manhattanites a chance to receive the same or similar education that you all enjoyed? (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming you did not go to public school. Let me guess, just like Caroline Kennedy, you're an advocate for public schools but wouldn't ever attend one nor send your children to one) This is what I mean by power and privilege to a select few. To put it in even clearer terms: you are not on the winning side of capitalism, you are on the winning side of nepotism, and 'redneck, backwards conservatives' at their core understand this, and understand that liberal policies will only continue to give power, privilege and wealth to a select, connected few.
But unfortunately, Ms. Pelosi, that’s where the kudos end. Your comments show that you approached your documentary from the vantage point that your political beliefs are correct, and that the ‘angry Conservative’s’ beliefs are incorrect. Let’s take a look at a quote from you:
“For me, it wasn't so much the Muslim thing, it was the socialist thing. Respectfully, I wanted to say to them, I live on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. I am on the winning side of capitalism. I work for HBO, corporate America. The Man has been good to me. You, on the other hand, are driving a truck that says, "Obama is a socialist idiot," and you're in a much lower tax bracket than most of the people in Manhattan that are voting for Obama. So the times I would actually get into it would be like, "OK, explain to me why you think he's an idiot. He's trying to give you a tax cut. You understand you're voting against your own self-interest?"
If some of us in Middle America had the same connections you had, we might be able to do our own documentary to study liberals like yourself, who are just as perplexing to conservatives. For example, for someone who purports to be an intellectual, it’s puzzling to understand why you think it’s the most efficient use of your money to first give it to the government so they can then give it to someone else. Those of us in Middle America who believe in old fashioned values and in helping our neighbor understand that when my neighbor is in trouble, I can hand them $100 and guess what? They get to keep 100% of that money. That makes sense to us. But rich liberals like yourselves apparently don’t want to be bothered with getting to know those in need, and would rather hand over your money to the government so that they can keep 70% of it for admin fees and give out the remaining 30%.
We see the passion that wealthy liberals express when talking about those that are hurting and struggling. Great news! We conservatives in Middle America are here to tell you that you do not have to wait for the government to act! You can go to your local bank and take out some greens and head out to the streets and pass it out! (See above explanation for efficiency of doling out money in this fashion) So, just as perplexed as you are about the ‘backwards, redneck conservatives’ that vote ‘against their own self interest’, we are perplexed as to why wealthy liberals cling to their wealth and wait for Obama to tax them further, instead of being proactive helping their fellow American in need right now.
There’s also a sense of pride and freedom in Middle America. One of the surest ways to be free is to keep the government out of your life. Perhaps those redneck, backwards conservatives think our government is bordering on dangerous, and that giving more money to our government gives more power to a small, elite, select few. Perhaps they would rather struggle and weather this storm, knowing that it’s better for all of us in the long run to not have a government so powerful that wealth and power is concentrated in just a select few (I mean, really, Ms. Pelosi, how DID you get your cush job and cush loft? Amazing how the children of those in government all seem to do so well!).
You assume that the redneck conservative is voting against his own interest by not voting in a government handout (after all, you can’t get a tax cut if you don’t pay taxes); perhaps he cares most about freedom and therefore is voting in his own self-interest. Perhaps, at his core, the redneck conservative believes that conservative principles give everyone an opportunity to share in the American dream and the good life that you yourself enjoy; and that liberal principles give power to a select few and gives the rest of us the opportunity to share in the misery. After all, did your mother get behind school vouchers? Wouldn't school vouchers have given the rednecks in a lower tax bracket than the 5th Avenue Manhattanites a chance to receive the same or similar education that you all enjoyed? (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming you did not go to public school. Let me guess, just like Caroline Kennedy, you're an advocate for public schools but wouldn't ever attend one nor send your children to one) This is what I mean by power and privilege to a select few. To put it in even clearer terms: you are not on the winning side of capitalism, you are on the winning side of nepotism, and 'redneck, backwards conservatives' at their core understand this, and understand that liberal policies will only continue to give power, privilege and wealth to a select, connected few.
Labels: Alexandra Pelosi, conservative, liberal, nepotism, Obama, redneck, socialism
posted by PJ at
1:08 PM
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