I love Paul Reiser, I can’t remember what show he was on but I have caught his act and he is pretty funny. I also remember kinda liking his book though I can’t remember the name of his book either.
He has written a piece for The Huffington Post titled Yeah–You and Whose Army?
He compares John McCain and the Republican Machinery to the school yard bully and Barack Obama as the weak little/new kid victim.
We’re in the 3rd grade again. The skinny, smart kid who just moved in to the neighborhood is getting roughed-up by the asshole bully. The kid who hits you in the head with your hand and says, “Why’re you hitting yourself? Why’re you hitting yourself?”
“Um, actually I’m not. You’re hitting me.”
“You calling me a liar?”
“No, I’m just pointing out that…” SMACK!
“Why’re you hitting yourself?”
And there seems to be no one to appeal to. There’re no grown-ups around when you need ’em. No one to step in and say, “Alright, that’s enough now. We don’t do that here, fella.” And in the absence of any authority, the asshole gets to keep doing it.
“Why’re you hitting yourself? SMACK! Why’re you hitting yourself?”
My brother is two years older than me and I have been the victim of this game many times. I know what it is like and it is frustrating. My parents would tell me time and time again to stand up for myself. My brother never actually hurt me but he did embarrass me. My pride was hurt more than anything else. I complained to my parents that I wasn’t big enough to stand up for myself. My brother was bigger, older and stronger. My parents would intervene but that just usually made it worse for me later. Finally I had enough and when he made me hit myself with my own hand the next time I kicked him in the balls. I know, I know it was a horrible thing to do. I had been told never to do that. The thing is, it worked. I only had to do it once. My parents sent me to my room for kicking him in the balls but it was worth it. He never did it to me again.
So far Obama hasn’t figured this out. Which frightens me if he were to become Commander in Chief. When the Russians or the Iranians pick on us what is he going to do? Is he going to look around for a teacher or some other authority figure? If he is president he is the authority figure. He is the one everyone else looks to in times of crisis.
Reiser goes on to illustrate how castrated Obama and the Democratic party is:
Now everyone is calling for Obama to “get angry.” “Get out there and frown this way, curl your lip that way, and clench your fist like so.” And, I don’t know….. That’d be cool. Sure. But I don’t think the fix can come just from him. There’s only so much the guy can do. It’s going to have to be us. I don’t know what exactly we need to do, but I know we’ll do it. I have to believe — I mean I really have to believe we’re big enough, strong enough and smart enough to reclaim what’s ours. I love my children too much to let the assholes take over the school yard.
Reiser seems to be channeling Stuart Smalley, who is busy losing the senate campaign in Minnesota right now. The Democrats simply don’t know what to do when threatened and the White House is no place for men or women who can not stand up for themselves.
It doesn’t bother me too much when some jackass walking around in the street thinks that politics between nations with nuclear weapons can map to a school-yard fight. But it does frighten me that a man who might hold public office (McCain) can plausibly be accused of holding that view. Which is why I am not voting for him.
Senator McCain always has had my vote, not because I am Republican but because I believe he is the right person for leadership of our country. Senator McCain is a man with conviction, years of experience and someone who is willing to work with both parties to bring them together in a bi-partisan fashion.
What frightens me is having someone in office who says they will give a 95% cut across the board and yet raise taxes. There is your version of a Democrat doing the flip-flop dance. I do not want my middle income bracket double taxed so I will be voting for Senator McCain.
Why do you think that Obama will raise the middle income bracket? Have you looked at the plan?
http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/11/news/economy/candidates_taxproposals_tpc/index.htm
Unless you make over $227K you get a tax cut, and even if you are in the $227K-$603K your taxes only go up $12 a year. Thats twelve dollars, ie 3 gallons of gas.
Everybody under $227K gets a tax break. And if you are in an under $112K bracket like me you get a bigger tax cut under Obama than McCain.
If you want to extend tax cuts to the uber-rich w/o changing the budget and continue driving up the national debt, then vote for McCain who will continue the fiscal irresponsibility of the past 8 years when Bush took a surplus and turned it into a deficit.
@ apageor2
Sorry, but you’re either uninformed or stupid.
Obama will give a tax break to 95% of the people – the ones making under $227K per year (you will probably profit more from the Obama plan than from the McCain plan, check out this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/06/09/ST2008060900950.html and this: http://alchemytoday.com/obamataxcut/).
To finance that he will raise taxes for the people with a higher income. That’s not flip-flopping, it’s smart and sensible, if you don’t wish to continue Bush’s fiscal irresponsibility.
Jeez, people: Use your brain, if you have any.