Comments

1
If you ever knew anyone who wrote for the Oregon Commentator at UO, then you pretty much know Paul Ryan.
2
And Tom Morello isn't part of the "privileged elite" now? What a tool. Essentially he is saying that he doesn't appreciate his fans. But he will cash that check, baby!!!!

It's funny how these musicians (there are more sad, young souls out there using this election as a way of drumming up their fan base and sell music) think so negatively about conservatives while the nation is now divided more than ever and our economy is roaring toward collapse due to liberal irresponsibility. This is Obama's legacy. Division and failure. Paul Ryan has a good plan for health care and Mitt Romney will make a great president. Disagree with me all you want but one thing is certain. Obama didn't get it done. Now it's time for someone with actual real world business experience to clean it all up for him. To restore order. To LEAD America instead of dictating.

Paul Ryan said he also likes Led Zeppelin. A far better band than RATM could EVER be.
3
Here is a very intelligent leader. We need many more like him:

From Artur Davis:

…And the question of party label in what remains a two team enterprise? That, too, is no light decision on my part: cutting ties with an Alabama Democratic Party that has weakened and lost faith with more and more Alabamians every year is one thing; leaving a national party that has been the home for my political values for two decades is quite another. My personal library is still full of books on John and Robert Kennedy, and I have rarely talked about politics without trying to capture the noble things they stood for. I have also not forgotten that in my early thirties, the Democratic Party managed to engineer the last run of robust growth and expanded social mobility that we have enjoyed; and when the party was doing that work, it felt inclusive, vibrant, and open-minded.

But parties change. As I told a reporter last week, this is not Bill Clinton’s Democratic Party (and he knows that even if he can’t say it). If you have read this blog, and taken the time to look for a theme in the thousands of words (or free opposition research) contained in it, you see the imperfect musings of a voter who describes growth as a deeper problem than exaggerated inequality; who wants to radically reform the way we educate our children; who despises identity politics and the practice of speaking for groups and not one national interest; who knows that our current course on entitlements will eventually break our solvency and cause us to break promises to our most vulnerable—that is, if we don’t start the hard work of fixing it.

…Taken together, these are hardly the enthusiasms of a Democrat circa 2012, and they wouldn’t be defensible in a Democratic primary. But they are the thoughts and values of ten years of learning, and seeing things I once thought were true fall into disarray. So, if I were to leave the sidelines, it would be as a member of the Republican Party that is fighting the drift in this country in a way that comes closest to my way of thinking: wearing a Democratic label no longer matches what I know about my country and its possibilities.
4
@SJR, it's so tempting to believe that someone so aggressively wrong about absolutely everything is merely trolling, and yet......
5
Aggressively wrong about everything? Like what, CC? I'm not "trolling". I'm setting the record straight. Our nation is horribly divided and I want someone who will lead us out of this terrible economy. Obama didn't get it done. There is no reason to be offended or angry about it. It's just time for change. I have a right to my opinion, even if you don't agree with it. That is a far cry from telling me I'm "wrong" about everything. That is YOUR OPINION. Not a fact. Please note the distinction.
6
Well, at least we know now that Paul Ryan likes angry music and doesn't pay attention to lyrics...or what statements a band is trying to make...or what a band's name may be in reference to.

Ugh...this sounds like every dudebro I've every had the misfortune to encounter at a concert.
7
Maybe Paul Ryan connected to the song, "Testify." Especially (and only) these lyrics:

Now testify
Yeah testify


The repooplicans don't have a lot of options when it comes to playing rockin' music at their rallies! I imagine right now the RNC is checking into the Megadeth catalog to see if they have any starched white jams. Maybe a muzak-ified version of Holy Wars...

8
No one disputes you have a right to your idiotic opinions, or for some awful reason, the continued ability to express them ad nauseum in this forum. We all just want you to stop, or failing that, for the moderators to stop you. Those are facts.
9
If he'd been a little older Ryan would've totally been a Dead Kennedys fan.
10
Portland Oregon is bigger than the Mercury. It's true. I have perused the Merc for many, many years in print form. What is truly astonishing to me is how one-sided the political rhetoric has become here. Portland isn't merely a "liberal" city. There are all sorts of people. Hard-working and family-oriented. Black and white. Gay and straight. Good and bad. You call my comments "idiotic" and that I'm "trolling" here. But you never state the reasons why. It's like you don't know any better, CC. You shut down any reasonable discourse by trying to demonize those with whom you obviously so vehemently disagree. That doesn't get anyone anywhere but divided. That is on you.

I respectfully suggest to Humpy that he really begin to consider employing fair-minded, independent writers instead of only telling one side of the story, over and over again.

The moderators can certainly ban me. That doesn't make them right, hip, cool or friggin' awesome. The right thing to do is let everyone have a voice, no matter how much you disagree with them. I would LOVE to see Dan Savage and Fred Phelps hash it out here. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum. They both have the right to their opinions and I don't agree with either side there. I don't expect you to stop commenting or shut up, CC, even when I don't agree with you. I'm still an asset for my community and my city. I won't lose any sleep over it. I just have the testicular fortitude to state my opinions, even if they are unpopular amongst the fervent liberals here. That doesn't make me wrong or a bad person. Just different. Liberals used to be all about acceptance and appreciate differences in thought. WTF happened?

So far Alison and Humpy have been fair. And for that, they deserve all of our respect.
11
Morello seems to have retained his ideals, and is still raging against the machine. Don't punish him just because he's successful, SJR.

Try to stay on topic, please.
12
i enjoy st.john's comments, save for when he resorts to childish & homophobic name-calling.....and i disagree with nearly everything he says.

and i enjoyed the inclusion of that arthur davis bit.....and surely i disagree with a lot of what that man believes, too.

speaking of the arthur davis thing: doesn't he realize that being a republican is just as stupid as being a democrat?

our party system is broken, as are most of its members. (as are most of us.)

13
That's why I'm a happy independent, HITman. Thanks for the support for free speech, even if you don't agree with my opinions.

@ROM: I just find it hypocritical that a wealthy rock star is criticizing the "privileged elite". That's like me criticizing another handsome, well-hung raconteur for being a handsome, well-hung raconteur.
14
SJR, no it would be like you criticizing a fellow handsome, well-hung raconteur for being a criminal and a dickhead (I'm not saying P Ryan is a criminal - I'm just making a metaphor). You two may have a couple things in common, but those similarities aren't enough to put you out of the running for criticizing his flaws. Morello may have money and success, but money and success isn't everything! His beliefs haven't been completely warped by his wealth.
15
I'm not criticizing Morello for being wealthy. I wish him and his family all the success that is properly due to him through hard work and talent. I stand by my statement. Also, I have things in common with both Ryan and Morello. I also disagree with both of them on certain issues. I just think that Morello is being a little too extreme and considering that Ryan has contributed to Morello's wealth, albeit in a tiny way, he should be more respectful toward his fans that helped him get where he is today. Still, I respect his guts to take a stand.

I just don't subscribe to the idea that Paul Ryan is some greedy hop-goblin bent on pushing granny off the cliff over Medicare or just in the race for the further enrichment of the "privileged elite". In my own humble opinion, he brings a logical brain to solve major problems that Obama couldn't fix and also has the political savvy to weather the storm that surrounds his party's ticket.

Obama is certainly charismatic. But charisma isn't everything. Sometimes you need that math nerd to come in and check your homework and make much-needed corrections. If not, you will most likely fail the class. In this case, the stakes are much, much higher.

I may not agree with the current extreme liberal mindset but I do want my liberal neighbors to succeed in the private sector. That makes a healthy economy for everyone. When you divide people, everyone loses.
16
Thanks for getting back on topic... let's all stay there please.
17
SJR: Ryan is grooving on tunes whose lyrical content is all about how people like him suck; Ryan is proposing a budget that, while it sticks to his ideals, will contribute to the ruin - for one - of his own district. The guy must have a doctorate in cognitive dissonance. He's a dumbass!

"When I pointed out to Ryan that government spending programs were at the heart of his home town’s recovery, he didn’t disagree. But he insisted that he has been misunderstood. “Obama is trying to paint us as a caricature,” he said. “As if we’re some bizarre individualists who are hardcore libertarians. It’s a false dichotomy and intellectually lazy.” He added, “Of course we believe in government. We think government should do what it does really well, but that it has limits, and obviously within those limits are things like infrastructure, interstate highways, and airports.” But independent assessments make clear that Ryan’s budget plan, in order to achieve its goals, would drastically reduce the parts of the budget that fund exactly the kinds of projects and research now helping Janesville."

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/08…
18
ROM: I don't really get your point and I did read the article you posted. Ryan wants more responsibility in government? Sounds good to me. If those projects get less government help for his community? That is sacrifice for the greater good. The big picture is what I'm looking at. I see a respected conservative who has a plan and has the courage to put it out there in this tremendously divisive political climate. I don't hate Obama. I just don't think Obama is or has been a good leader for America. We are too divided. I'll be honest here. I liked Reagan AND Clinton. The Bushes were not very effective but did a better job than Obama. People can rattle on and on about W's record but now Obama has a record and it isn't even close to being adequate when our economy is stalling and spending has been out of control for too long now. Obama's policies didn't work. Now it seems the debate has taken away from the real issues and devolved into personal attacks against the opposition. To me, that is desperate and not at all worthy of the office of the president. We need a leader, not a failed dictator. Ryan has a plan and I'm willing to give it a shot. Things must get better for all of us, not just one side or the other.
19
We disagree about this here "sacrifice for the greater good." The people in his district are benefiting from government spending programs that are helping bolster industries in many places on relatively small scales. I see that as good work by the government. You disagree. A huge economic recovery takes a lot of time, and a lot of money.

And Ryan is not very respected amongst conservatives. They've been rejecting his crazy budget plan for years. He doesn't JUST want more responsibility in government. He wants to privatize social security, make medicare a voucher program that will end up costing the people WAY more, and basically scrap medicaid. He may be responsible for LOADS of government spending during the Bush terms, but that doesn't make him a responsible person.

Stop getting off topic, please. Your opinions about Obama have been made clear. I, personally, have a job and don't have the time to go into big discussions about the greater issues. So I try to just comment on the topic of the posts themselves. Sorry bro, can't engage.


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