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update: 4/24 8:50 AM
I have had 43 submissions to the contest so far; lots of you are having fun
with this one. If you live "away" I can mail the hot dog :)
*****
Now that I have written my pseudo-serious blogs about:
FairPoint's year-long failures,
the silliness regarding Obama and ASU,
whether the banks should be nationalized or marginalized,
if the Kindle 2.0 is already obsolete,
whether Steve Jobs should have admitted to himself that he was sick,
when/if AT&T 3G service will come to the rest of Maine,
how I met Harold Pinter over a pint, etc.,
I realized as I watched the grass slowly emerge from the winter moss in the side yard, that it was high time to have fun and to offer readers a chance to win two tickets to a Sea Dogs' game while saving the Republican Party from itself.
(You can enter for either reason - or both.)
With Obama's approval rating averaging 63% for the first three months of his administration, the highest rating in since 1977, members of the Republican Party have struggled very hard to find ways to successfully label Obama and his administration thereby gaining the heart and soul of the American voter.
"Socialist" was one of the earliest attempts and still lingers to this day.
Governor Palin used that epithet to describe Obama's plan to extend health care.
Obama's proposal allows people with health insurance to keep their own coverage, to buy into a plan such as one members of Congress have, or to be covered by Medicare. Medicare is currently accepted widely by Americans as a good thing and not viewed as socialist, but somehow would become socialist if offered to those Americans without insurance.
For those keeping score, according to Wikipedia, "Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating public or state ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and a society characterized by economic equality for all individuals."
Greg Pason, National Secretary of the Socialist Party USA said presciently of Obama in September 2008: "A socialist program (even a reformist one) would not be a program that props up capitalism when it fails, but one that transforms the economy."
Obama has long been described as a "Communist." Alan Keyes used the term in the 2004 Illinois US Senate race when he ran against Obama. Keyes description of Obama as a Communist and as an "Abomination" are captured in this YouTube video. RenewAmerica.com did a lengthy piece tracing Obama's Communist roots back to his days in Hawaii.
Again from Wikipedia: "Communism is a socioeconomic structure and political ideology that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless society based on common ownership and control of the means of production and property in general."
With two of the three non-American pillars of political theory already in play, it was inevitable that the third would soon fall into place. And so, the polar opposite of socialist and communist has been thrown into the ring to describe Obama's policies: Fasicst.
According to the New York Times, the former chair of the Michigan Republican Party, Saul Anuzis, described Obama's domestic policies as "economic fascism." But Anuzis did note that "We've so overused the word 'socialism' that it no longer has the negative connotation it had 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago" ... "Fascism - everybody still thinks that's a bad thing."
For those under 40 or for those who never understood what Fascism had to do with trains, Wikipedia states: "Fascism is a radical, authoritarian, corporatist and nationalist political ideology. Historians and political scientists disagree on a precise definition, however; some would omit one or more of the preceding themes."
So, as you can see, the problem is that the Republicans are running out of "ists." I think Anuzis would have preferred sticking with socialist but went to Fascist because "that's a bad thing."
I want you, kind reader to help the republicans out of their dilemma by either
1) Proposing a new, exciting, unused new pejorative adjective to describe President Obama so the Republicans can capture the heart and soul of the American voter, or
2) Propose a coherent new Republican answer to the economic crisis that could be written on the back of a t-shirt and could be understood by all to capture the heart and soul of the American voter.
The winner will receive two tickets to a Sea Dogs' game (hopefully the game of his or her choice), and the chance to explain their submission at a press conference I will call and invite the Press Herald, the Bangor Daily News, the Phoenix, the Media Mutt, Fox News (NY), MSNBC, a few TV stations and of course, Frank-FM.
Now, who are you people and why will this work?
I am told my blogs average 350 readers.
The most hits (over 900) came with the excitement of the AT&T 3G network finally coming to Southern Maine. My blog on the supposed nationalization of the banks had 650 readers, and the Obama - ASU blog received 500 page loads.
So, I anticipate lots of good submissions, and I hope I have enough to award TWO sets of tickets, one for the first option and one for the second option.
I might even treat the winner(s) to a hot dog or sausage at the cart across from Starbucks.
In the end, it's about returning this country to a healthy two party political system, and all are invited to enter: Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, Socialists, Communists, Fascists, non-voters, those too young to vote, and all others. If you win and are from out of state, you have to provide your own airfare to the hot dog stand where we might have the press conference.
Remember, the goal is to fit (1) on the front of a t-shirt and (2) on the back of the t-shirt.
That way, the Republicans will always be on message. We need to pull all pieces of the tribe back from its diaspora; Moses was in the desert 40 years; we cannot let the Republicans go too.
Entries can be made by clicking this link or by emailing me at blogcontest@maine.rr.com.
Please do NOT enter by posting your suggestions in the comment box below. That is an unreliable means of communication due to gremlin server issues.
And the regular contest restrictions apply; the following MAY enter but their entries will not win: members of my immediate family; people with whom I exchange email; Hannity, Olbermann, Limbaugh, Rachel Maddow, members of the paid Maine Media, and Jesse Jackson -- because he nearly ran me over while I was jogging.)
Elected local and national officials are not even allowed to enter as they should be busy doing the people's business.
I promise will not use your email address for anything other than notifying you if you are the winner. All addresses will be deleted after the contest.
To be notified immediately of new tweets from those you follow, you can use a PC program such as Mad Twitter, a Mac program such as Twitterrific, or for the iPhone/iTouch, many apps like Twitterific or a web based client such as Hahlo.
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