A Fascinating Phenomenon Is Happening.

[Solomon]

When you talk to the American people like they are adults, we begin acting like adults. When you talk to us like fools, we act foolish.

This is what gives me such hope about America right now. I had been guilty of being disgusted with the stupidity of a public that has been weaned on republican bullshit for so long. Writing off the average American as stupid. How could I not the way we have been acting the past 20 years or so.

As Obama said, it's not about him, it's about us. He respects us enough to talk to us like we are adults.

[NYC_SKP]

1. Your better schoolteachers understand this, not much difference here.

When you treat students with the expectation that they're going to be little bastards, they sink to that expectation.

When you treat them like they're awesome and talented and filled with potential, they rise to that expectation.

Obama is the first in my fifty years to treat us as equals, as qualified to be included in the process.

You are right.

Recommended.

[Solomon]

2. You are most kind. My faith in the American people is being

restored. I thought we had gone over the cliff. Just maybe we can get it back. That's what I like about Obama. It's not about him, but us.
We have to start living up to our creed and stop being assholes. LOL

[NYC_SKP]

4. Well, I was right there with you.

But I do think back to my years teaching long term locked up kids at juvenile hall and some things I learned there, and some educational pedagogy that makes sense, and it's true.

I still become assholish from time to time. :dunce:

[treestar]

3. That is so true - the Republicans don't believe what they are

saying most of the time. They just think they can get the populace to believe it.

[Solomon]

6. And the thing is, they sound so stupid right now.

In trying to justify having their way, they are gleefully and gloatfully saying the most awful things By their own definition, they would have to say it is "unamerican". and traitorous.

I hate to say this, but now is the time to really enjoy Hannity, Limbaugh, Levine, O'Reilly, etc. They are just hanging themselves. Wipping their sycophants into a frenzy. The other night, Olbermann caught O'Reilly in one of the worst gaffes I've ever heard. O'Reilly was complaining about Obama's mr. good guy intentions and how he's afraid Obama is going to stick to values no matter what but that in his big fathead opinion, sometimes you gotta bend and deviate from those values. Keith promptly pointed out that they are not really "values" if at the moment those values are tested, you throw them out the window.

They are saying the stupidest things. Limbaugh with his "I want him to fail". Hannity with his "Conservative Opposition Underground Stop Obama Express".

I can't wait to hear the whine and moan when they start rattling off the names of the republican senators who signed the stimulus bill.
Either that or they are going to claim that they "fixed" the bill and whine and moan about how it had to be done. Anyway, all the stupid sycophants they whipped up are going to be pissed that their senators sold them out.

(Sorry, I know people hate these guys and I turned them off too, but right now I can't help myself. I find them hilarious.0

[pipi_k]

5. I think you're correct, but I also think that

people get exactly the treatment they will tolerate.

In other words, we teach others how to treat us.

For example, that stupid color coded "terror alert" thing from a few years back. It was like Pavlov's dogs...the Bushies would drag it out and Americans would run around like scared little mice. It worked...and it worked again...and it worked again. And each time some new disaster befell the Bushies...each time they fucked up and wanted people to forget, they'd drag out the "Terror Alert" and people would back off and start looking around themselves with fear.

Then it stopped working so much. I guess maybe because by that time, people had gone on to worrying about other things, like their jobs.

I think if people had stood up from the very beginning and said, "Fuck you, you're not going to SCARE us anymore!!!" they'd have been paying more attention to the real problem - like the sinking economy. Or Bush Administration crimes and misdemeanors.

So anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that in any type of interpersonal relationship...even between leaders and the people...we get treated according to what we'll tolerate.

As someone famous once said, "If you don't want to be treated like a doormat, get up off the floor". I think in electing Obama, we showed that we were finally ready to get up off the floor...

:)

[janet118]

11. Did you know anyone who ran around like scared mouse?

I didn't.

Where I did see this type of behavior was on television news reports which sought out the scared rabbits who took that stupid color chart gimmick seriously. Similar to the way, they often seek out the most absurd demonstrators at anti-war rallies to show how silly these "protesters" are. In other words, the media look for self-fulfilling news stories that fit into their pre-ordained template - Americans are running scared, people against the war are nuts. Then, those sane Americans who watch the TV think they are alone.

What the election of Barack Obama proved is that we are not alone. Don't get fooled again.

[tilsammans]

7. The carefully crafted RepubliCON "message" has been out there for years

So many of my otherwise very intelligent friends and family willingly bought into it. They became disciples of Rush, Hannity, O'Reilly, and the rest. :puke:

Spouting talking points. :puke:

Never bothering to fact check anything. :puke:

[Solomon]

9. But watch what happens. The people they bought into are

going to start embarrassing them with ridiculous statements. Right now, Rush, Hannity, etc. are providing nightly cannon fodder for Keith, Rachel, Jon Stewart and Colbert. It's a feast.

I rightly predicted the moment that Obama publicly said Hannity's name, that Hannity was going to wind up being mocked because Obama has pointed him out. Recently he called out Limbaugh, and hung his fat ass, literally wrapped it around the republicn party's neck. LOL

When are people finally going to realize that Obama is the Tiger Woods of politics. LOL

[Life Long Dem]

8. Obama's in the zone.

[Solomon]

10. Exactly. And he knows that as long as he holds course, i.e.

maintain the high road, he will prevail. That is the true source of his power. The man that can demand others to walk the high road has to be an honerable man. As we have seen from the confirmation proceedings, it doesn't take much to be tainted as "dirty." I had always maintained during the campaign that the reason the media was obsessing over his "associations" (as though he only has fivc and they are the only people he ever talks to) is because he must be awfully clean.

He can walk where a lot of them can't. In as much as there are so few truly honorable people in Washington, this gives Obama tons of power.

[Life Long Dem]

12. Right. It's true he can walk where other's can't

As long as he doesn't walk into any traps.

[Tyler Generation]

13. I have a theory about U.S. Presidents

I think they are the most influential American on a subliminal level. Bush enabled people to act like idiots, because hey if the President doesn't try why the hell should we!

When you put an intellectual in there, it becomes cool to be smart again. Thank God.

[anonymous171]

16. I think that's right.

Ever since FDR, the president has become the "moral leader" of the American people.

[xiamiam]

14. its the old okie doke...they say something totally illogical and we're just supposed so believe and

agree..i call it the okie doke..it is ok to think again...and have intelligent people with coherent ideas on tv...even though it is still bad...it was worse not very long ago...

[SwampG8r]

15. people in general respond as expected

if you expect them to be fools they will be
if you expect responsibility you will get it

[stuntcat]

17. every word you said..

I'm totally with you. I was so ashamed the past few years. It's too late for me to get much hope back (bein so centered on environment stuff) but I have been surprised by my fellow Americans, surprised and over and over IMPRESSED.