Shallow America prefers politicians on the Zombie-side
From Maureen Dowd's column in today's N.Y. Times, she says of Al Gore's speech:
John Kerry's advisers were surprised and annoyed to hear that Mr. Gore hollered so much, he made Howard Dean look like George Pataki.
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This was a very funny line by Maureen. I laughed out loud, in spite of my often-too-serious self.
They don't want voters to be reminded of the wackadoo wing of the Democratic Party.
There is a difference between strongly making your case and "going wacko".
The problem I have with Maureen Dowd (who, even though she kids, she kids
not) is that she speaks for most of today's mainstream media. If our politicians do not act with an air of mind-numbing gravitas (to the point of Zombie-like droning), they are categorized as nutballs.
(Although you'll notice, in the same column, Maureen puts John Kerry in the "mind-numbing" category.)
I did not see Al Gore's speech yesterday, but I did read it (twice).
I'll tell you this: everything he said needed to be said. He spoke the truth. Perhaps Mr. Gore spoke the truth with too much emotion for some. The shame is that the mainstream prefers style over substance. It's such a shallow attitude. Often, I find it no wonder Americans are seen as shallow fools to those outside our borders.
Perhaps it isn't Maureen Dowd's job to take a serious stand on such topics. She loves to play on personalities. Yet I feel compelled to point out the fact that Maureen is just one reflection of the problem with our dreadful state of democracy today. She hasn't done all that much good for the true American spirit in her role as a very-visible (albeit silly)political commentator. I recall in 2000, when she made Gore seem like a goofy boob at every opportunity.
Al Gore knows the truth about America. I read it in his words from yesterday's speech. Without some form of public support in the media, the average American will never hear his words of warning. What a pity that Maureen (and others like her) do not appreciate a decent American's raising of issues when they have the opportunity to intelligently discuss those important issues in their professional writings. Instead, they talk about the politician's demeanor and their
hair.
The slick zombie liar is preferred. It's no wonder we have no Thomas Jeffersons or Ben Franklins offering public service anymore. We do have them...we just don't value them or bring them to light.
The most ironic part is that Maureen Dowd often compared Gore to a stiff tree trunk. Now that he emotes upon the truth about the disgrace to which America has been brought, he's a 'wackadoo'.
Rush Limbaugh agrees with Maureen Dowd:
Algore, this whole speech, he went
nuts. He's
flailing around wildly there.
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At least Rush goes on to actually talk about the issues that matter (to him).