YOU ARE WHO YOU ELECT
You are what you eat. –Dr. Victor Lindlahr, nutritionist (1897-1969)
Pun aside, a lot of whater has passed under the bridge since Dr. Lindlahr coined the above phrase 75+ years ago, and the older I get, the more I’ve taken his caution to heart….with resulting good health to show for it (if I should drop dead tomorrow, I shall reluctantly admit I came to that conclusion a bit prematurely).
But I have also come to see a parallel to this axiom in the public sector: it’s no accident that we have political dysfunction. We are who we elect. Our elected (and wanna-be elected) officials aren’t anomalies who have somehow passed under voters’ attention spans, leaving us to wonder how such coarse incivility found its way into the political mainstream. Well, wonder no more:
http://www.gocomics.com/wumo/2016/03/28
Obviously, then, eatin’ and politickin’ have a lot in common. As with our intellectual standards, if our table manners go down the drain, we regress into uncivilized louts. To combat this uncouth scourge, we must remember our etiquette. Politicians need to model their behavior after the culinary refinement of the epicure:
Therefore, let us get back to the good old days when politicians may have been idiots, but at least they weren’t tasteless idiots with little sense of propriety. Take these examples:
It’s time to put our blood or our urine where our mouth is. — Rep. Pat Murphy (D-IA) on drug testing, Feb. 1997
We have brave men and women who are willing to step forward because they know what’s at stake. They’re willing to sacrifice their lives for this great country. What I’m asking all of you tonight is not to put on a uniform. Put on a [Rick Santorum] bumper sticker. Is it that much to ask? Is it that much to ask to step up and serve your country? –Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), Jan. 2006
My problem was, I was too honest with you the first time. –Rep. Tillie Fowler (R-FL), explaining to her constituents why she changed positions.
The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, antifamily political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, , kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. –Pat Robertson, 1992 fund raising letter
They intend to vote on the Sabbath, during Lent, to take away the liberty that we have right from God. This is an affront to God. –Rep. Steve King (R-IA)
Please burn before reading. –1972 Nixon White House illegal campaign tactics memo
My friends, no matter how rough the road may be, we can and we will never, never surrender to what is right. –Dan Quayle, Vice President under George H.W. Bush
I don’t think we came from monkeys. I think that’s ridiculous. I haven’t seen a half-monkey, half-person yet. –Glenn Beck (who apparently hadn’t looked in the mirror lately)
OK, Pat Robertson and Glenn Beck aren’t politicians. Hey, nobody’s perfect. Well, maybe Sarah Palin is, but we don’t have time to do her justice, so I’ll close with this reminder:
Midwestern Plant Girl 5:24 am on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
I love this quote by Alexander Tyler (or whomever, as I’ve seen speculation he said it. However, it is an awesome quote! )
The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage
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mistermuse 7:41 am on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
The patriotic concept of “American Exceptionalism” may have its appeal, but when it’s an OVER-patriotic concept, I fear it’s leading America down the path of the sequence you outline.
P.S. To those who read this post prior to a half hour ago, I apologize for the confusing link which followed the first two paragraphs (due to my technological incompetence). The wumo cartoon which appears there now is the correct link.
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Midwestern Plant Girl 5:10 am on March 31, 2016 Permalink
Love the comic!
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ladysighs 6:01 am on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
My only thought is “This too shall pass.”
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mistermuse 7:54 am on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
Let us hope it passes before blindness makes America unable to see what we’re eating, election-wise!
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Cynthia Jobin 8:32 am on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
I got very side-tracked here—enjoyably so—with more videos of the Hoosier Hot Shots….”From the Indies to the Andes in His Undies,”…etc. Thanks for the introduction!
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arekhill1 9:45 am on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
Leave it to Pat Robertson to hit the nail right on the head–it’s the girls that are going to do all the heavy lifting, as usual.
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mistermuse 9:46 am on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
Cynthia, I must confess a weakness for the Hoosier Hot Shots (I own dozens of their old 78s), which I guess proves that appreciation of wit and “cornball humor” can co-exist in one package. Now if only conservatives and progressives could learn to co-exist cooperatively in one country! 😦
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mistermuse 9:58 am on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
Ricardo, it’s not too late to send Pat Robertson (born March 22, 1930) a belated Happy Birthday card to show your appreciation for all he’s done to keep this country from going to the dogs (so it can go to the troglodytes instead).
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Mél@nie 2:49 pm on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
I do hope the blond wigged ignorant, racist, barking character will lose…
@”Pat Robertson and Glenn Beck aren’t politicians.” – yeah, I do recall those “bright minds” who have invented hot water(LOL!), and another one “flush limbo”(Rush Limbaugh!)… brrr!!!
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mistermuse 3:29 pm on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
Some say that’s Trump’s real hair, but in any case, I’m far more concerned about what’s in his head, not on top of it. Speaking of questioning what’s real, Robertson, Beck and Limbaugh (not to mention Sarah Palin) must be cartoon characters — it’s hard to believe real people could be such buffoons (on second thought, maybe not so hard to believe).
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tomorrowdefinitely 2:55 pm on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
Great quotes, my favourite is of course Pat Robertson’s prognosis of what feminism entails, he he he!
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mistermuse 3:48 pm on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
Note that Robertson’s “prognosis” was stated in a fund raising letter. As a man of God, he not only knows and proclaims God’s will, but knows how to reach into his followers’ pockets while doing it.
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Mél@nie 12:54 am on April 4, 2016 Permalink |
“man of god” – my eye!(French polite expression!)… 😉
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Don Frankel 4:14 pm on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
There is one candidate and only one candidate who can explain to America that it is rough. And, if they don’t get it, she can explain that it is ruff, ruff. And, if they don’t get it, or don’t like it or her, she can always pee on their leg.
http://www.rabbithashhistsoc.org/the-mayor/current-mayor-lucy-lou/
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mistermuse 10:59 pm on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
Unfortunately, I haven’t heard a peep – or should I say, a ruff – out of Lucy Lou lately, Don (ever since fire destroyed the Rabbit Hash General Store). Apparently fearing a vast right paw conspiracy, the Secret Service is still insisting that she live indognito. I hear The Donald was asked to have “his people” look into it, but The Donald wasn’t biting, as he’d rather face Hillary in the election because he doesn’t think she would pee on his leg….plus, she’s very vulnerable as long as her pee-mails remain under investigation.
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Don Frankel 6:57 pm on March 31, 2016 Permalink |
Pee-mails? I love it. I might steal it.
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mistermuse 7:26 pm on March 31, 2016 Permalink |
Hillary probably loves it too. If she can keep her pee-mails in the mainstream, investigators will find it hard to build a cut-and-dry case against her.
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barkinginthedark 12:30 pm on July 25, 2016 Permalink |
of course agree that morons abound in GOP…and, interesting to me u show “Etiquette Blues” – on one of my CD’s “Who Could Imagine” is my anti GOP song “Etiquette.” nice. continue…
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mistermuse 1:15 pm on July 25, 2016 Permalink |
I see that Trump just bounced ahead of Hillary in the post-GOP convention poll, which suggests to me that moron-ism is spreading outside of GOP circles. If Hillary doesn’t get a similar bounce after the Dem convention, she (and the country) could be in big trouble.
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