The bigotry in the Democratic Party
The bigotry in the Democratic Party is not racial or ethnic. It is political. They hate Republicans so intensely that they are willing to let veterans die rather than work with Republicans to fix the problems at the Veterans Administration.
A federal employee union president is wracked with regret because veterans likely died at a time when she knew about gross misconduct within her Department of Veterans Affairs facility but didn’t tell congressional leaders because they were Republicans.
“If I would’ve gone to him two years ago, who knows what kind of lives could’ve been saved,” Germaine Clarno told a radio interviewer Monday, referring to the Republican leader of a VA subcommittee. Clarno, a lifelong Democrat and social worker at the Hines Veterans Affairs Hospital in Hines, Ill., has been president of the union representing doctors at the hospital since before the deadly wait-time scandal unfolded.
Several things about this story. First, my close reading of it does not indicate that this union official “is wracked with regret.” I think she is bothered, but not much more than that.
Second, as a union official she clearly works hand-in-glove with Democrats, who reciprocate that relationship. And in the case of the corruption at the Veterans Administration, that close working relationship between elected Democrats and unions was so strong that none of the Democrats this union official spoke to were willing to do anything to help sick vets, because to do so might do damage to the government unions and workers who were running the VA as their private little playground.
Third, the hatred of Republicans runs so deep in the Democratic Party and leftwing unions that not only were they unwilling to work with Republicans to help sick vets, they were willing to use the corruption at the VA to attack the very Republicans who had been the only politicians willing to deal with the problem. Consider for example this quote from the article:
A similar situation unfolded in Wisconsin, the site of VA’s Tomah hospital — known as “Candy Land” because its doctors doped up veterans with dangerous combinations of sedatives rather than treating their underlying conditions. The Tomah VA employees union didn’t take complaints to Sen. Ron Johnson , a Republican, even though he is not only from Wisconsin, but is chairman of the Senate Oversight Committee with jurisdiction over management issues in government agencies. “We didn’t even talk to Republicans then,” Lin Ellinghuysen, union president and past vice president, told the Wisconsin Watchdog.
But there is no remorse in Wisconsin. The union is now running ads against Johnson, faulting him for not acting on information he was never given. The public employees union is campaigning for Russ Feingold, a Democrat who preceded Johnson in office and is now running to retake the seat.
The article then notes that when Feingold was still a senator in 2009, he was provided information about this VA corruption and did nothing about it.
It is this kind of behavior that has convinced me that the Democratic Party needs a major significant defeat at the polls. They no longer serve the American people. Nor do they appear to have any interest in doing their jobs, as required by law, preferring instead to provide aid and comfort to their own political allies at the cost of everyone else.
Worse, and most important, they appear to be so filled with hate and bigotry against anyone who is not part of their clan that they are willing to let evil flourish without regret. Our country cannot prosper with these kinds of people in positions of power. They need to go, and fast.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
The bigotry in the Democratic Party is not racial or ethnic. It is political. They hate Republicans so intensely that they are willing to let veterans die rather than work with Republicans to fix the problems at the Veterans Administration.
A federal employee union president is wracked with regret because veterans likely died at a time when she knew about gross misconduct within her Department of Veterans Affairs facility but didn’t tell congressional leaders because they were Republicans.
“If I would’ve gone to him two years ago, who knows what kind of lives could’ve been saved,” Germaine Clarno told a radio interviewer Monday, referring to the Republican leader of a VA subcommittee. Clarno, a lifelong Democrat and social worker at the Hines Veterans Affairs Hospital in Hines, Ill., has been president of the union representing doctors at the hospital since before the deadly wait-time scandal unfolded.
Several things about this story. First, my close reading of it does not indicate that this union official “is wracked with regret.” I think she is bothered, but not much more than that.
Second, as a union official she clearly works hand-in-glove with Democrats, who reciprocate that relationship. And in the case of the corruption at the Veterans Administration, that close working relationship between elected Democrats and unions was so strong that none of the Democrats this union official spoke to were willing to do anything to help sick vets, because to do so might do damage to the government unions and workers who were running the VA as their private little playground.
Third, the hatred of Republicans runs so deep in the Democratic Party and leftwing unions that not only were they unwilling to work with Republicans to help sick vets, they were willing to use the corruption at the VA to attack the very Republicans who had been the only politicians willing to deal with the problem. Consider for example this quote from the article:
A similar situation unfolded in Wisconsin, the site of VA’s Tomah hospital — known as “Candy Land” because its doctors doped up veterans with dangerous combinations of sedatives rather than treating their underlying conditions. The Tomah VA employees union didn’t take complaints to Sen. Ron Johnson , a Republican, even though he is not only from Wisconsin, but is chairman of the Senate Oversight Committee with jurisdiction over management issues in government agencies. “We didn’t even talk to Republicans then,” Lin Ellinghuysen, union president and past vice president, told the Wisconsin Watchdog.
But there is no remorse in Wisconsin. The union is now running ads against Johnson, faulting him for not acting on information he was never given. The public employees union is campaigning for Russ Feingold, a Democrat who preceded Johnson in office and is now running to retake the seat.
The article then notes that when Feingold was still a senator in 2009, he was provided information about this VA corruption and did nothing about it.
It is this kind of behavior that has convinced me that the Democratic Party needs a major significant defeat at the polls. They no longer serve the American people. Nor do they appear to have any interest in doing their jobs, as required by law, preferring instead to provide aid and comfort to their own political allies at the cost of everyone else.
Worse, and most important, they appear to be so filled with hate and bigotry against anyone who is not part of their clan that they are willing to let evil flourish without regret. Our country cannot prosper with these kinds of people in positions of power. They need to go, and fast.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Ah bureaucratic, political abuse of power thou art a cold hearted bitch.
I pity the poor SOB who becomes, through no fault of his or her own, the recipient of such inhumane and degrading treatment.
Good enough for thee but not for me is their collective, unspoken mantra.
Mr. Z.
Totally on board with your thoughts & very well written!!
(brief side tangent– the rino GOP/RNC would prefer ANY Democrat rather than a Cruz.)
We have morphed into a 1 Party system with two public faces.
Public-sector Unions are now totally an appendage of the Democrat party & the inside Washington Government “Oligarchical Collectivist system.”
And we as taxpayer’s, fund ALL this, while they skim off the top in a colluding manner.
Cotour–
Well said!
This is why I was excited to hear that Walker was running; I thought he had the best chance of at least shedding light on the problem with public unions, which I see as one of the biggest problems we face. I admit that I didn’t (and still don’t) know enough about Walker to commit to supporting him, but I was excited about what he achieved in Wisconsin and his potential to lead the effort on a national scale.
I keep waiting for one of the candidates to address this (or any other) issue seriously. I’m tired of hearing “You watch, we’ll give veterans the best medical care, the quickest they’ve ever gotten it” or “I’ll hold the VA accountable.” I’d like to hear evidence of understanding the problem and a plan to overcome it.
Something like, “As much as I’d like to hold corrupt VA officials accountable, the president has the power to fire only politically appointed officials, who number just a few. The root of the problem is that the VA employees union is too powerful, and it’s almost impossible to fire anyone below the very top people, even those who have done the worst injustices to our veterans. Not only are they getting away with it, but they’re getting paid outrageous bonuses, while the whistleblowers are getting punished, and our sick and wounded veterans continue to suffer, some of them dying, and be put under unnecessary stress as they wait for care well beyond what the VA’s cooked books say they are waiting!
“Only Congress can fix this. I’m going to make this the focus of my presidency, and I need you, the American people, to raise hell with your Congressman, and help me pressure them until they do it! And I’m going to appoint a special prosecutor to bring justice to the criminals in the VA as we reform the system to work for our sick and wounded veterans!”
Wherever you want to set the odds at a candidate saying like that, I’ll take the under.
Garry:
Extremely well written & totally on point!
(I’d vote for YOU right now… sign me up!)
Reagan was able to go over Tip O’Neill in just such a fashion. Understood the Problem & well grounded in Principles. Recall how he was HATED by rino’s & democrats alike?
Total tangent– caught some of Nancy’s Funeral earlier. I’m glad Obama stayed away. (he’d probably burst into flames just walking into the Library, like Vampires in Catholic Churches! HAR!)
Can you image him– lecturing us all on how bad we were– at her Funeral??
(If I didn’t believe in Rule of Law, I’d advocate we strip him of his $millions$ & imprison him on January 21st, 2017. Make him POOR! But–that would be wrong & anti-American, and I know that in my heart.)
Walker, he was my original choice.
One unfortunate thing is that Cruz, Walker (and Rubio) are a bit too young.
If they had about 8 more years of experience they might perform better and/or be easier to judge.
Mitch S. wrote:
“If they had about 8 more years of experience they might perform better and/or be easier to judge.”
Good point. Rubio is getting better by the week & Cruz is s-l-o-w-l-y getting his “inner-Reagan” going. He does infinitely better in longer-form venues.
Yes, liked Walker– field was just too crowed for him to shine.
I like Walker but not having a college degree is a deal killer for many people and would have been a huge issue in the general election.
@Garry, Instapudit covers the VA. He posted a story a while back about how veterans preference hires were always janitorial and things like that and never in management. He speculated that perhaps what would really help the VA is if its management included veterans rather than just party hacks.
” Good point. Rubio is getting better by the week & Cruz is s-l-o-w-l-y getting his “inner-Reagan” going. He does infinitely better in longer-form venues.
Rubio is an established tool of the leadership, and Cruz, based on his pedigree, appears to be a proxy for the Bush family.
Let us not be naive.
Cotour–
I was simply opining on their respective ability’s to Speak in Public, not their beliefs.
–don’t read too much into a simple statement. ( I’ll try to choose my words more carefully, if you don’t ass-ume too much stuff. Is that cool?)
Oh come on…. “Cruz is a Proxy for the Bush Family? I thought we had somewhat agreed, numerous (dozen’s?) times, that we differ greatly on that & are not going to alter our respective Positions.?
Not my job to convince you , you know where I stand & why.
–My logical fallacy Detector is beeping.
———————————————————————————-
–What do you think of the Left-wing Nuts in Chicago?
I don’t support Trump as President, but I fully (absolutely) support his freedom to hold his own rally’s without being hassled. ( I hate hipster protester’s, BLM, and Occupy types– radical left anarchists, all.)
The Chicago Democrat political Machine is home to Obama’s and Mayor Rahm’s thug soldiers, they are not going to allow such a thing as a Trump gathering without the threat of violence, its a matter of who owns the turf.
You seem to be only able to see Cruz sans his entire professional association history.
Your logical fallacy detector may need new batteries and reprogramming.
Cotour:
What’s your damn trip, man?
I politely asked you for your opinion, and you try to F-with me?
Sorry to Mr. Z., but not to you.
Cotour:
My batteries are fine & the programming is valid.
In notation of first-order logic, this type of fallacy can be expressed as (∃x ∈ S : φ(x)) → (∀x ∈ S : φ(x)), meaning “if there exists any x in the set S so that a property φ is true for x, then for all x in S the property φ must be true.”
Premise A is a B
Premise A is also a C
Conclusion:
Therefore, all Bs are Cs
In other words:
Bob, Steve, Alan, and Tom are all friends of Josh, and they are all petty criminals.
Jill is a friend of Josh;
therefore, Jill is a petty criminal.
Or more precisely in the political context:
“My opponent for office just received an endorsement from the Cat Haters Association.
Is that the sort of person you would want to vote for?”
—————————————————————————————————————–
Sorry to Mr. Z, and almost everyone else.
I do not agree with Cotour and I believe it is he that is being naive (when it comes to Trump) but I think you are edging close to language that I do not permit on BtB. Please stay calm in this debate.
If people died because a government employee withheld information that would have improved the care environment, and if that withholding of information directly increased the mortality rate at VA hospitals, then it would seem they’re guilty of criminal negligence at best, and a case could be made for manslaughter. Given the political climate in Illinois and Wisconsin, I’m not holding my breath that the local DA or state AG’s office will be looking into this.
Blair, That is exactly right. In any sane world there would be serious consequences to such actions (or lack thereof…)
Obviously we are not in a sane world anymore. Remember when people used to go to jail for “white collar crime”?
It is mostly the result of the numerous bureaucracies being stacked with Democrat hacks that all look out for each other, but it is also because the “opposing” party hasn’t done very much opposing for years now.
What is needed is a clean sweep of all political appointments (something that used to be routine after each election)
And an serious effort to prosecute any and all cases like the one above in a VERY public manner such that all the other middle managers get the message loud and clear: There will now be CONSEQUENCES to their actions….
Blair Ivey wrote (in part):
“…then it would seem they’re guilty of criminal negligence at best,….”
Yes, no & maybe. You’ve hit upon a very murky realm of Law. [Broadly, “Recipient Rights.”] The VA is a Federal Administrative Entity & operates (primarily) under a plethora of Federal Regulations.
Depending on the nature of specific actions (or lack thereof) Local or State Prosecutor’s may or may not have jurisdiction or standing to intervene, or even to investigate. (Or even have the legal authority to set foot inside the Facilities.)
Depending on the status of the employee’s involved as well, they may not be subject to Rules & Regulations of Conduct otherwise strictly enforced against you & I in a different setting, or under different Jurisdiction’s. They may be Union, Non-Union, Contract employee’s, Federal Civil Service, State Civil service, etc., “it all depends.” Holding them accountable is far from as easy as anyone might think. (Including the current Republican front-runner.)
“Hospitals” as well, are regulated vastly differently than say Nursing Homes, “Clinics,” (or Day Care Centers for example,) and among “Hospitals” there is a difference in regulation between Local, State, & Federal “varieties.” [Whom is “in control” makes all the difference.]
This perhaps illustrates a quote from Barry Goldwater:”Remember that a government big enough to give you every thing you want is also big enough to take away everything you have.”
And that sadly (tragically), would include your life or quality-of-life.
Mr. Z;
Message received. I apologize . (it’s a bit tedious at times, no?)
Steve cogently wrote:
“What is needed is a clean sweep of all political appointments (something that used to be routine after each election)”
—————-
Yes. Political appointee’s were expected to “tender their resignations,” or be fired outright with a change in administrations.
Huge non-discussed problem in-play with the current Administration; political appointee’s at all levels are systematically secreting themselves into the Civil-Service. Getting rid of them at that point, becomes massively problematic.
President has direct-authority over about 6,000 people who “serve at his pleasure,” unless they “change-status” to Federal Civil Service, at which point you can not simply get rid of them, as the current front-runner so glibly states. (that would be considered “discrimination on the basis of political belief.”)
“Welcome to Ameritopia.”
wodum opined:
“I like Walker but not having a college degree is a deal killer for many people and would have been a huge issue in the general election.”
———————————–
Respectfully counter-differ, although I completely understand your point.
Over half of the adult-population however, does not have a college degree.
And as well, we appear to have too many Lawyers & Poly-Sci major’s, running the show.
(with apologies to the “good-ones.” Have a friend who is an under-paid “Public Interest” lawyer, bailed on Corporate life a long time ago & has no interest in working in Politics, as such.)
I like Walker. He’s still young, so will have more opportunities if he so chooses.
Wayne:
Let me simplify it:
We are all customers, diners at the local restaurant. The management, the two political party’s, serve only what THEY want for their own convenience and reasons. We sit down at the table and we take in the ambiance and we look at the handsome and pretty waiters and waitresses that present their menu and we are only expected to want to eat what the management is serving. This is the business model that we are presented with when we walk in the door and sit down. But when the customers begin to push back about the limited menu and then they have the nerve to tell the management that the food does not taste good, it is making them sick, and they do not like it, management tells them “sorry this is the only food you are allowed to eat”.
When I write “Let us not be naive” that is directed at the general reader of what I write, do not take it as a personal attack that you are not “smart” (?, if you do not like confrontation you might not want to give your opinion so much). For me to push back against your conclusions is not a personal attack but a disagreement and I am willing to lay out my logic and the facts as I see them in order to get you to see a different perspective.
So the customers at this point in time do not want to eat what the management is serving and they are in the process of pushing the kitchen doors open. They see through the little window that the chef is a filthy dirty individual, bottles of Oxycodone and there are a bunch of dead cats on the butchers table and the menu has not changed in years. But the management still insists, you will be eating what we say you will be eating.
To “like” Ted Cruz is fine with me, but understand that he, as are all of them to varying degrees the result of their professional associations and compromised philosophies. Ted Cruz as a main dis includes very large amounts of ingredients of the Bush family in his recipe, like it or not. Do you dispute this? And if you are against the establishment, and you must agree that the Bush agenda for the past 30 years is THEE establishment, and the same ole, same ole you must see past what is presented to you on your plate. You do not seem able to do that, the Oxycodone is having its effects. You are not freely choosing what it is that you think you are freely choosing, you are choosing “their” dish made from “their” recipe. Choose to look in the kitchen!
Power is not surrendered willingly, they (management) will do what ever necessary in order to acquire or retain it.
Cotour wrote in part:
“You do not seem able to do that, the Oxycodone is having its effects.”
——————————————————-
We called that sort of allusion, “Projection,” in the psych-biz. Very revealing.
“Argumentum ad Hominem
The fallacy draws its appeal from the technique of “getting personal.” The assumption is that what the speaker is saying is entirely or partially dictated by his character or special circumstances, and so should be disregarded.”
Dude, Not taking the bait.
I enjoy the other commenters & I like the Space News.
I’ll refrain from sinking to that level.
(I’m already on “probation” Har… just goofing you Mr. Z! (It is tedious, no?))
You undermine your own arguments, valid or fallacious.
You yourself allegedly supported Cruz at sometime, was that before or after he became a “pawn of the New World Order?”
“Oxycodone” in the context of this analogous story is a metaphor for the media / marketing / shiny things that people like instead of the harsh reality of who is controlling the power and how they are accomplishing it. Its personal only in the fact that you are a human and are eating what everyone else is eating that is being served, and it is having its effect because that’s all you can “see”.
Enjoy your cat, I will be reminding you when you are about to swallow it.
Would you agree that Cruz is associate in some way shape or form with the Bush family?
Yes? No? Will not comment?
I don’t see Jeb! out there endorsing and campaigning for Ted Cruz.
In fact wasn’t Cruz fired by the Bushes a long time ago?
If the Bushes represent at least part of the “Establishment”, then why aren’t they solidly behind him?
I don’t see Karl Rove out there singing his praises….
Why do you think that everything has to be out front and above board?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/03/08/jebs-brother-neil-bush-joins-ted-cruz/81488638/
While Cruz may not be their first choice he is certainly connected to them and Neil’s now involvement in his campaign as a money man demonstrates that.
And in fact Cruz may be too conservative for their tastes, but they will have their opportunity to influence and control if he becomes president.
And keep in mind that I will be voting for him if he is the candidate, no one is going to get what they exactly desire here now, or ever.
Let us not be naive.
Cotour;
Sorry dude– not my job to defend Cruz to some abstract degree you apparently require of me. I voted for the most Conservative candidate in my Primary & have no regrets nor feel the need to apologize for anything he is accused of doing.
He’s not perfect by a long shot. I differ with him on some fundamental issues, as I did with Reagan. What is it you require of me?
If you insist on going down that route– Trump has dozen’s of questionable association’s, a long history of supporting people (with real money) you claim you don’t like, and we’ve only begun to scratch the surface with all that type of thing.
I thought we had agreed, we differ on this, greatly? Trying to reptitively convince me of some finely-nuanced, guilt-by-association, New World Order, Neo-Con, ‘thang, doesn’t bolster your arguments.
I’m actually happy to read your comments & find some of them very interesting. When you start playing fast-n-loose with reality, you lose me entirely. And when you get extremely close to attacking my character or making illogical broad claims, you just lose me entirely.
Sorry, you just do.
Why don’t you just read and consider what you connect with or like that I write and throw out what you do not like, you seem to take very personal some things that I write. You are not required to defend Cruz or anyone else.
But, if you read things written by someone that that you find more times than not has some insights or value that are from a different perspective and not considered before, is that who you want to dismiss because they can be tedious? Do you only want to hear what you like to hear?
Read it, think about it, counter comment if you like, but its not required, I take not one bit of this personally, but I am serious about it.
Blair Ivey–
Quick update on my prior comment Ref: “Investigating the VA.”
Lawyer bud of mine who specializes in “public advocacy,” tells me—
“The VA & anything having to do with the Feds, is considered a specialty-practice among lawyers. We occasionally get a call from people in the VA system but I have to refer them out. There is a retired lawyer outside of PDX who does a lot of pro-bono work in this area.”