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Sunday, March 13. 2016

An American Cultural Catechism?

What are America’s “core values”?


It could have been a worthy essay, but it turns out it's aimed at Donald Trump. Conservatives seem to hate him. Too much hate. I am no big Trump supporter, but don't blame him - blame his enthusiastic primary voters. As Trump says, "I am just the messenger."

Posted by Bird Dog in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 07:13 | Comments (16) | Trackbacks (0)

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Folks should quit trying to put Trump in the boxes (liberal/conservative). He seems to be an America Firster (new word?) rather than the others.

Also as has been mentioned elsewhere (we) are tired of being told what to say and think by the Super Minorities©.
#1 Dorf on 2016-03-13 10:10 (Reply)
I believe "America Firster" has been in existence since 1940.
#1.1 Exasperated on 2016-03-13 11:28 (Reply)
The reason conservatives hate?/Dislike Trump is that he is a con-man who is only pretending to be a Republican or conservative. A pure opportunist he will be and do whatever helps himself and him alone. He's seized on generally good issues, but has done zero homework to pull together actual policies. Moreover his actual history shows that he is quite willing to go along with immigration loopholes to make some money (pure illegals on his projects, H1-B's etc.) If he was a guy who insisted on even a valid I-9 this would have not occurred.
#2 DirtyJobsGuy on 2016-03-13 10:29 (Reply)
What a stunning and never heard before insight. Did you come up with that on your own or do you have a book club?
#2.1 Vanderleun (Link) on 2016-03-13 18:57 (Reply)
I suppose you can intellectualize American values ideologically. I don’t know which comes first, but it seems to me that these same values parallel the ethos of the Middle Class: the dignity of the individual, self determination, self actualization, self control, accountability, civic responsibility, the right to enjoy the fruits of their own labor and dispose of their property anyway they see fit. I don't think any of this matters without the opportunity and dignity of value added employment. I don’t think America is America without a robust Middle Class, including, the much put upon Blue Collar workers, who have been left behind.
Let’s remember that the disaffected voters existed before the emergence of Sanders or Trump. I don’t know if either is serious about championing the regular everyday folks, but the other candidates are either dismissive, paternalistic, or condescending. I don’t see why working class voters who just want the dignity of contributing and employment would want to vote for the main stream candidates.
#3 Exasperated on 2016-03-13 11:23 (Reply)
To our wonderful American media.You idiots go after Trump and you give G Soros and moveon.org a free ride.The American media is liberalism at its worst and America's cancer.Kruschev loves you.
#4 OLDGEEZER on 2016-03-13 11:34 (Reply)
The problem with the anti-Trump GOPers is that they come off as sleazy used car salesmen or hucksters at a carnival. They seem dishonest and dirty and their argument is so transparently self serving. We are to believe that Romney suddenly found his calling and that is to save the conservatives from themselves. Where was his energy when he was running for president. All of the Marco Rubio supporters simply cannot bring themselves to discuss Rubio's gang of eight disaster and his continued weakness to favor immigrants over citizens.

The left is openly and blatantly selling out the country to the highest bidder and the GOPe believes it is inevitable so they need to get in on the action and if the tea party would just understand that then the GOPe could get elected and retire as millionaires. So the trend seems to be to convince the conservatives and "angry right" to just give them one more chance and they really will do what they say this time. Just let us give amnesty to 20 million illegals and this time we really will build the wall. Just give us one more trade deal that sends all our jobs to China and this time we change our traitorous ways. Just bend over and grab your ankles we promise this won't hurt, much.
#5 GoneWithTheWind on 2016-03-13 11:37 (Reply)
By Jove, GWTW, I believe you have nailed it and screamed "BINGO!" with this post.

It becomes more apparent each day that these faux-conservative Trump haters want him gone so they can pursue their own fortunes at the expense of TEA Party Americans and America in general.
#5.1 Earl T on 2016-03-13 12:47 (Reply)
Excellent points, GWTW. Bravo!
As if Romney now sees his great chance to save the Republican Party, and erase the permanent "L" branded on his forehead?
He had Obama by the throat in early October 2012, but felt it more important to come off in some weird, gentlemanly,non- grasping, don't-want-to-appear-to-pushy, bullshit attitude about finishing off the worst president in my lifetime.
The couch cushion under my ass right now has a better killer instinct.
Something we won't have to imprint on Donald Trump.
#5.2 Scullman on 2016-03-13 14:23 (Reply)
What is saddest to me is the sell-out of Cruz. He is insulting Trump voters left and right. Even this morning he mentioned how 'true conservatives' are starting to coalesce around him, so get on board to stop Trump.

Um, I'm as conservative as they come, and I'm on the Trump Train. When Cruz says things like that, I think he doesn't get it at all.

Conservatives have done nothing for me for decades. I've heard dozens of 'detailed policies' and 'plans' and NONE of them come to fruition. So why would I listen to another detailed policy guy?
#5.3 MissT on 2016-03-14 11:05 (Reply)
"I am no big Trump supporter, but don't blame him - blame his enthusiastic primary voters."

Uh no; blame the GOP establishment who refused to heed the wishes of the voters who provided GOP majorities in both houses of Congress.
#6 BlameTheGOPe on 2016-03-13 12:17 (Reply)
YOWZA! What he said.
#6.1 Sam L. on 2016-03-13 17:16 (Reply)
I was at a dinner last night where older folks were lamenting that the general population doesn't seem to "know history" anymore, or they wouldn't be all jumping on the Bernie bandwagon.

One young 20's woman (graduate of Emory U. and a Bernie supporter) said we should "knock it all down and start over." When asked why we should knock it all down, and what we should build in its place she didn't have any suggestions.

I don't think it's just a matter of people not knowing their nation's history. It has to do with loss of religious and traditional values too, and an wider understanding of Natural Law could be a great antidote to that.

There are so many great new books on Natural Law. Hadley Arkus' "Natural Rights and the Right to Choose", Robert George's "In Defense of Natural Law" are both excellent and worthwhile.

C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" has a clear simple explanation of Natural Law too.
#7 LP on 2016-03-13 12:24 (Reply)
LP, your young lady friend (likely a "strong and independent" woman, until the need to fix something arises and then she's just a little girl!!!) forgets that her side considers firearms "icky and disgusting" and have universally shunned same. (Bernie's occasional statement to the contrary, notwithstanding.)

So who on her side, will do the "tearing down" in the face of armed opposition? A bunch of gangbangers holding their weapons the wrong way?
#7.1 Old Codger on 2016-03-13 12:56 (Reply)
Good comment. I agree with your observation on history, but will add from my own experience that many of my age group (boomers) are pretty weak in these areas also. Alan Bloom noted in his book "The Closing of the American Mind" that many of the students he was facing came with little historical/traditional/religious background, it distressed him so that he wrote a book about it.

It is to be expected that youth is idealistic and lack experience to understand the complexity of life, it is almost tragic to see an adult in a free society believe things come easy also.

Again, good comment.
Good book references, also.
#7.2 Reb on 2016-03-13 13:30 (Reply)
"I am no big Trump supporter, but don't blame him - blame his enthusiastic primary voters."

Blame them for what?

Does attending a speech or rally equate to being a supporter? Possibly with Trump, it might, but here, in New Hampshire, primary voters might attend the presentation of more than one candidate.
#8 Exasperated on 2016-03-13 12:38 (Reply)

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