09/27/2012
At The Passing Parade, David, an acerbic commenter on the Scots-Irish culture of his home state of Tennessee, offers an unusual perspective on Mitt Romney’s 47% comment:
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney isn’t "dog-whistling" about race when he writes off 47% of the American electorate. Blacks are only 12% of the US population, not 47%. Much of the shortfall is white troops, teachers, vets, unemployed, students, retirees. This means Romney is bundling them with the fewer than 12% of people who are crack-dealers etc. who are on welfare. Finally, a Republican who doesn’t see race.
Perhaps the GOP can stress that in campaign ads. "Lost your job? Received unemployment checks? Chances are, you're white, but Mitt isn’t racist. He thinks YOU'RE scum, too."
Such an ad would probably play well in red states such as Tennessee, despite this state’s being a net taker of federal funds and much of its employment’s being government employment.
Which leads your seldom blogger to his point. Don’t give up yet on Romney’s presidential bid. For American voters are as reliable as Pavlov’s dogs, if certain bells are rung. We all know that "strong defense" works, but "hard work" works even better. "Useless eaters" gives many a disabled vet a tingle. They will climb mountains and swim rivers to get to vote for more outsourcing, fewer government services, and higher taxes on themselves or their families. "I’m not a victim," they will assert even as they take up residence in their American-flag-festooned cars and Mitt goes to China on a junket.
By the way, David has attempted to translate Benjamin Franklin’s crucial but difficult 1751 essay Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind into 21st Century English here. Seems like it needs a better opening paragraph, but it’s pretty useful after that. I wouldn’t mind seeing side-by-side versions, original and modernized.
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