Friday, August 15, 2008

Hypocrisy and Subterfuge, Thy Name is Democrat(ic)

While surfing around today, I found something at Vilmar's that caught my attention and jogged my memory. I remember a few years back when Bush caught a lot of flak for referring to the party of Democrats as the "Democrat Party", so I investigated what all the fuss was about. For as long as I can remember, people in the news and just about everywhere else always referred to them as the “Democrat” Party and there was never any hub-bub about it. So I wondered why all of a sudden, now, were the Donks getting their collectivist panties in a wad about calling themselves the "Democratic Party"? I figured it was just another convenient thing to use to bash Bush. I searched Google to try to find out what the real scoop was; when (and if) there had ever been a change in the name. All I could find related to “Democrat” Party were referrences and links to sites that claim the use of the term "Democrat Party" was wrong; that the name of the party had always been “Democratic” (except for waaaaaay back when it was originally named the Democratic-Republican Party by founder Thomas Jefferson in 1792); and the use of the term “Democrat Party” had its roots going back to the 50’s as a way of demeaning the party by the “evil right wing” etc. Some places even tried getting into why it is grammatically incorrect as Democrat is a noun, while adding the “ic” makes it an adjective and thus correct (which it isn’t necessarily). I find this matter interesting from the perspective of meaning derived through language.


= DEMOCRAT



It is the “party of Democrats,” hence it is the “Democrat Party;” not the party of "Democratics." The same goes for Republicans: It is the party of Republicans, not the "party of Republics” (following the same “logic” it should be the “Republicanist” party). To me it seems that to call the party “Democratic” implies that it is the party of “democracy,” and I think that is THE ONLY reason why they are playing fuck-fuck games with the language used. That is what they want us to think. Dickheads. They are anything but the party of democracy. Doing a bit of a refresher in preparing this post I found a few things worth noting. Frequent visitors here know that I am not a Republican; the modern Republicans have lost the plot. But, while I am not pro-Republican, I am vociferously anti-Leftist/anti-collectivist and, therefore, anti-Democrat.

I went right to the source to get the history right from the donkey's ass..err...mouth (same thing). Get this:
At the start of the 21st Century, the Democratic Party can look back on a proud history — a history not just of a political organization but of a national vision. It is a vision based on the strength and power of millions of economically empowered, socially diverse and politically active Americans. Over two hundred years ago, our Party's founders decided that wealth and social status were not an entitlement to rule. They believed that wisdom and compassion could be found within every individual and a stable government must be built upon a broad popular base.

The late Ron Brown — former Chairman of the Democratic Party — put it best when he wrote, "The common thread of Democratic history, from Thomas Jefferson to Bill Clinton, has been an abiding faith in the judgment of hardworking American families, and a commitment to helping the excluded, the disenfranchised and the poor strengthen our nation by earning themselves a piece of the American Dream. We remember that this great land was sculpted by immigrants and slaves, their children and grandchildren."
Are you shitting me??? The party of "...the excluded, the disenfranchised and the poor..."??? Seems they left out (conveniently) the part about them being the party that was in favor of slavery and fought very hard to retain it in the Civil War.

Here is a brief outline of the original Democrat platform:
1. The party of tradition.
2. Looked backward to the past.
3. Spoke to the fears of Americans
4. Opposed banks and corporations as state-legislated economic privilege.
5. Opposed state-legislated reforms and preferred individual freedom of choice.
6. Were Jeffersonian agrarians who favored farms and rural independence and the right to own slaves.
7. Favored rapid territorial expansion over space by purchase or war.
8. Believed in progress through external growth.
9. Democratic ideology of agrarianism, slavery, states rights, territorial expansion was favored in the South.
Contrasted with the platform of the Whigs:
1. The party of modernization.
2. Looked forward to the future.
3. Spoke to the hopes of Americans.
4. Wanted to use federal and state government to promote economic growth especially transportation and banks.
5. Advocated reforms such as temperance and public schools and prison reform.
6. Were entrepreneurs who favored industry and urban growth and free labor.
7. Favored gradual territorial expansion over time and opposed the Mexican War.
8. Believed in progress through internal growth.
9. Whig ideology of urbanization, industrialization, federal rights, commercial expansion was favored in the North.
Read the rest of this outline of the evolution of political parties in America and you will see how the Democrat Party re-defined itself distinctly after WWII in the election of 1948 when there was a split between Southern Democrats ("Dixiecrats") and the liberals in the North. However, if you continue reading the history of the Donks at their own site, they acknowledge none of that. The general image they try to portray is that they have always been the party of "strength, inclusion and opportunity." Here is what they say about the future of the party and their view of America for the 21st century and beyond:
While we have accomplished a great deal — as a nation and a Party, we must continue to move forward in the 21st Century. We must work to incorporate all Americans into the fabric of our nation. The history of our next hundred years can be seen in the gorgeous mosaic of America, from the wheat fields of Nebraska to the barrios of New York City, from the mountains of Colorado to the rocky coast of Maine. The Democratic Party is America's last, best hope to bridge the divisions of class, race, region, religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation. We will succeed if we continue to govern by the same principles that have made America the greatest nation on earth — the principles of strength, inclusion and opportunity. The Democratic Party is ready to take advantage of the opportunities we have and meet the challenges we face.
Excuse me, I need to vomit.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

It has been the democratic party as long as I can remmeber (and that's a long time)

7:46 AM GMT+12  
Blogger BobF said...

I don't know OCM as we know how that "weed" affects the memory...LOL.

I always knew it as the Democrat Party. My mom used to be a strong Democrat, campaigning for FDR and JFK. Fortunately, she's now a Conservative.

8:59 AM GMT+12  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mind your 'grammar'!

1:42 AM GMT+12  

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