I want it back: it was Camelot

[Bfgrn]

RFK did not like at all how his party,especially Mayor Daley handled the demonstrators at the Chicago Convention in 69.....so yea i am sure there would have been some changes....

RFK died 45 years ago today, June 6th, 1968. The Democratic Convention began in Chicago August 26, 1968.

Try AGAIN...

whoops i fucked that up....thinking of 2 different instances.....got the people mixed up.......sorry.....ok let me re say this.......in 1967 Phil Ochs was asked to come with RFK on his plane.....Phil told Kennedy that he was getting real disenchanted with the "Elite" of the party....Robert wanted to know why......Phil said he did not like how they treated People......they are Hypercritical.........and according to Ed Sanders who was also on that flight... .Robert was in agreement with him.....that he had seen that too.....and then at the Convention.....they treated the protesters just like Phil said Right Wingers would......it was also said that The Mayor told the Police if need be....Shoot the bastards......this is all documented in the documentary film Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune which i saw on PBS a few months ago.....

I didn't see the documentary. I don't know who the 'elite' of the party were Ochs was referring to. But liberals are no fans of Richard J. Daley. And the circumstances at the convention had pretext.

The year 1968 was a momentous year for Daley. In April, Daley was castigated by many for his sharp rhetoric in the aftermath of rioting that took place after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. Displeased with what he saw as an overly cautious police response to the rioting, Daley chastised police superintendent James B. Conlisk and subsequently related that conversation at a City Hall press conference as follows:

"I said to him very emphatically and very definitely that an order be issued by him immediately to shoot to kill any arsonist or anyone with a Molotov cocktail in his hand, because they're potential murderers, and to shoot to maim or cripple anyone looting."

This statement generated significant controversy. Daley's supporters deluged his office with grateful letters and telegrams (nearly 4,500 according to Time Magazine), and it has been credited for Chicago's being one of the cities least affected by the riots. But others were appalled. Rev. Jesse Jackson, for example, called it "a fascist's response." The Mayor later backed away from his words in an address to the City Council, saying:

"It is the established policy of the police department – fully supported by this administration – that only the minimum force necessary be used by policemen in carrying out their duties."

Later that month, Daley asserted "There wasn't any shoot-to-kill order. That was a fabrication."

In August, the 1968 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago. Intended to showcase Daley's achievements to national Democrats and the news media, the proceedings during the convention instead garnered notoriety for the mayor and city, descending into verbal outbursts on the part of politicians, and a circus for the media.

With the nation divided by the Vietnam War and with the assassinations of King and Robert F. Kennedy earlier that year serving as backdrop, the city became a battleground for anti-war protesters who vowed to shut down the convention. In some cases, confrontations between protesters and police turned violent, with images of this violence broadcast on national television. Later, radical activists Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and three other members of the "Chicago Seven" were convicted of crossing state lines with the intent of inciting a riot as a result of these confrontations, though the convictions were overturned on appeal.

At the convention itself, Sen. Abraham A. Ribicoff (D-Conn.), went off-script during his speech nominating George McGovern, saying, "And with George McGovern as President of the United States, we wouldn’t have to have Gestapo tactics in the streets of Chicago. And with George McGovern as president, we wouldn't have to have a national guard." Ribicoff, with his voice shaking, then said: "How hard it is to speak the truth, when we know the problems that are facing this nation", in which the crowd booed Ribicoff. Ribicoff also tried to introduce a motion to shut down the convention and move it to another city. Many conventioneers applauded Ribicoff's remarks but an indignant Mayor Daley tried to shout down the speaker. As television cameras focused on Daley, lip-readers throughout America claimed to have observed him shouting, "Fuck you, you Jew son of a bitch." Defenders of the mayor would later claim that he was calling Ribicoff a faker, a charge denied by Daley and refuted by Mike Royko's reporting. A federal commission, led by local attorney, party activist Daniel Walker, investigated the events surrounding the convention and described them as a "police riot." Daley defended his police force with the following statement, which was also a slip of the tongue: "The confrontation was not caused by the police. The confrontation was caused by those who charged the police. Gentlemen, let's get this thing straight, once and for all. The policeman is not here to create disorder. The policeman is here to preserve disorder."

Despite a decline in popularity following 1968, Daley was historically re-elected for the fifth time in 1971. However, many have argued this was due to a lack of formidable opposition rather than Daley's own popularity.

In 1972, Democratic nominee George McGovern threw Daley out of the Democratic National Convention (replacing his delegation with one led by Jesse Jackson). wiki

 

[Harry Dresden]

RFK died 45 years ago today, June 6th, 1968. The Democratic Convention began in Chicago August 26, 1968.

Try AGAIN...

whoops i fucked that up....thinking of 2 different instances.....got the people mixed up.......sorry.....ok let me re say this.......in 1967 Phil Ochs was asked to come with RFK on his plane.....Phil told Kennedy that he was getting real disenchanted with the "Elite" of the party....Robert wanted to know why......Phil said he did not like how they treated People......they are Hypercritical.........and according to Ed Sanders who was also on that flight... .Robert was in agreement with him.....that he had seen that too.....and then at the Convention.....they treated the protesters just like Phil said Right Wingers would......it was also said that The Mayor told the Police if need be....Shoot the bastards......this is all documented in the documentary film Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune which i saw on PBS a few months ago.....

I didn't see the documentary. I don't know who the 'elite' of the party were Ochs was referring to. But liberals are no fans of Richard J. Daley. And the circumstances at the convention had pretext.

The year 1968 was a momentous year for Daley. In April, Daley was castigated by many for his sharp rhetoric in the aftermath of rioting that took place after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. Displeased with what he saw as an overly cautious police response to the rioting, Daley chastised police superintendent James B. Conlisk and subsequently related that conversation at a City Hall press conference as follows:

"I said to him very emphatically and very definitely that an order be issued by him immediately to shoot to kill any arsonist or anyone with a Molotov cocktail in his hand, because they're potential murderers, and to shoot to maim or cripple anyone looting."

This statement generated significant controversy. Daley's supporters deluged his office with grateful letters and telegrams (nearly 4,500 according to Time Magazine), and it has been credited for Chicago's being one of the cities least affected by the riots. But others were appalled. Rev. Jesse Jackson, for example, called it "a fascist's response." The Mayor later backed away from his words in an address to the City Council, saying:

"It is the established policy of the police department – fully supported by this administration – that only the minimum force necessary be used by policemen in carrying out their duties."

Later that month, Daley asserted "There wasn't any shoot-to-kill order. That was a fabrication."

In August, the 1968 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago. Intended to showcase Daley's achievements to national Democrats and the news media, the proceedings during the convention instead garnered notoriety for the mayor and city, descending into verbal outbursts on the part of politicians, and a circus for the media.

With the nation divided by the Vietnam War and with the assassinations of King and Robert F. Kennedy earlier that year serving as backdrop, the city became a battleground for anti-war protesters who vowed to shut down the convention. In some cases, confrontations between protesters and police turned violent, with images of this violence broadcast on national television. Later, radical activists Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and three other members of the "Chicago Seven" were convicted of crossing state lines with the intent of inciting a riot as a result of these confrontations, though the convictions were overturned on appeal.

At the convention itself, Sen. Abraham A. Ribicoff (D-Conn.), went off-script during his speech nominating George McGovern, saying, "And with George McGovern as President of the United States, we wouldn’t have to have Gestapo tactics in the streets of Chicago. And with George McGovern as president, we wouldn't have to have a national guard." Ribicoff, with his voice shaking, then said: "How hard it is to speak the truth, when we know the problems that are facing this nation", in which the crowd booed Ribicoff. Ribicoff also tried to introduce a motion to shut down the convention and move it to another city. Many conventioneers applauded Ribicoff's remarks but an indignant Mayor Daley tried to shout down the speaker. As television cameras focused on Daley, lip-readers throughout America claimed to have observed him shouting, "Fuck you, you Jew son of a bitch." Defenders of the mayor would later claim that he was calling Ribicoff a faker, a charge denied by Daley and refuted by Mike Royko's reporting. A federal commission, led by local attorney, party activist Daniel Walker, investigated the events surrounding the convention and described them as a "police riot." Daley defended his police force with the following statement, which was also a slip of the tongue: "The confrontation was not caused by the police. The confrontation was caused by those who charged the police. Gentlemen, let's get this thing straight, once and for all. The policeman is not here to create disorder. The policeman is here to preserve disorder."

Despite a decline in popularity following 1968, Daley was historically re-elected for the fifth time in 1971. However, many have argued this was due to a lack of formidable opposition rather than Daley's own popularity.

In 1972, Democratic nominee George McGovern threw Daley out of the Democratic National Convention (replacing his delegation with one led by Jesse Jackson). wiki

glad to hear Daley was considered an asshole......in the Documentary the "Elites" Ochs was talking about were the "Rich" of the Party, he felt just like i do, that they are no different than other Rich people in how they view the rest of us.....even though they try to act like they dont.....Phil knew better.....i found it funny that he also kind of felt Bob Dylan,who he really liked at one time was not only an asshole but getting to be another phony,money over all else.......the ride in the limousine story is what that was all about....it also said Ochs was the only protest singer to show up at the Convention.....Dylan and Baez stayed away....as well as just about everyone else who sang protest songs....

here is an example of what he felt about the Liberals back in 1966...........

 

[MikeK]

I have to agree with you tinydancer ...there was a mystique about them ....something badly missed nowadays...I am glad I am not the only one who thinks that way!

I've never seen that snapshot before. It is a compelling visual comment on the true nature of that great man. He was what he was. Powerful and basically decent with no pretenses.

Killing him was a warning to all who succeeded him that sincere concern for what is best for the Nation will be tolerated to a certain point and no further. And it appears the warning has been carefully heeded -- outstandingly in Obama's example.

 

[Spoonman]

Really? Then why do you vote for people who promise you endless programs (free healthcare, free housing, free food, free money, free education, etc.) in exchange for nothing on your part except your vote and the surrender of your rights? Sure as hell sounds like both lazy and greedy to me...

Is that evidence enough dummy? Or do you need more? By the way - please don't project on conservatives. Just because you libtards know NOTHING except shear irrational emotion doesn't mean other people do. We debate, act, and form policy off of facts and rational thought. It's you libtards who eschew all of that in favor of how you feel about issues....

Sure seems to me YOU are the one projecting and emoting...because the FACTS don't support your ignorance...

Red States Are Welfare Queens

As it turns out, it is red states that are overwhelmingly the Welfare Queen States. Yes, that's right. Red States — the ones governed by folks who think government is too big and spending needs to be cut — are a net drain on the economy, taking in more federal spending than they pay out in federal taxes. They talk a good game, but stick Blue States with the bill.

Take a look at the difference between federal spending on any given state and the federal taxes received from that state. We measure the difference as a dollar amount: Federal Spending per Dollar of Federal Taxes. A figure of $1.00 means that particular state received as much as it paid in to the federal government. Anything over a dollar means the state received more than it paid; anything less than $1.00 means the state paid more in taxes than it received in services. The higher the figure, the more a given state is a welfare queen.

Of the twenty worst states, 16 are either Republican dominated or conservative states. Let's go through the top twenty.

New Mexico: $2.03
Mississippi: $2.02
Alaska: $1.84
Louisiana: $1.78
West Virginia: $1.76
North Dakota: $1.68
Alabama: $1.66
South Dakota: $1.53
Kentucky: $1.51
Virginia: $1.51
Montana: $1.47
Hawaii: $1.44
Maine: $1.41
Arkansas: $1.41
Oklahoma: $1.36
South Carolina: $1.35
Missouri: $1.32
Maryland: $1.30
Tennessee: $1.27
Idaho: $1.21

Does anyone else notice the overwhelming presence of northern "rugged individualist" states, like Alaska, the Dakotas and Montana, along with most of the South? Why it's almost like there's a pattern here or something.

Where can we find liberal bastions California, New York, and Massachusetts? California is 43rd, getting back only $0.78 for every dollar it sends to Washington. New York is 42nd, and one penny better off, at $0.79 per dollar. Massachusetts is 40th, receiving $0.82 for every dollar it sends to DC.

Read more: Red States Are Welfare Queens - Business Insider

Is that evidence enough dummy?

Pretty well sums up the financial plight of the middle class and working man. Blue states have an overwhelming number of wealthy individuals. Lets see how wide that gap between rich, poor, and middle class really is in those blue states?

so I guess that would mean the 1% vote democrat

 

[P@triot]

Do you have any statistics to support you ignorant rant? Or just shear emotions??

Because liberals are neither greedy or lazy.

Really? Then why do you vote for people who promise you endless programs (free healthcare, free housing, free food, free money, free education, etc.) in exchange for nothing on your part except your vote and the surrender of your rights? Sure as hell sounds like both lazy and greedy to me...

Is that evidence enough dummy? Or do you need more? By the way - please don't project on conservatives. Just because you libtards know NOTHING except shear irrational emotion doesn't mean other people do. We debate, act, and form policy off of facts and rational thought. It's you libtards who eschew all of that in favor of how you feel about issues....

Sure seems to me YOU are the one projecting and emoting...because the FACTS don't support your ignorance...

Red States Are Welfare Queens

Hey stupid - who created welfare? Who keeps feeding welfare? (Hint - dumbocrats). The "red" states are filled with dumbocrat welfare queens genius.

I 100% support ending welfare. Do you? 'Nough said....

 

[Bfgrn]

whoops i fucked that up....thinking of 2 different instances.....got the people mixed up.......sorry.....ok let me re say this.......in 1967 Phil Ochs was asked to come with RFK on his plane.....Phil told Kennedy that he was getting real disenchanted with the "Elite" of the party....Robert wanted to know why......Phil said he did not like how they treated People......they are Hypercritical.........and according to Ed Sanders who was also on that flight... .Robert was in agreement with him.....that he had seen that too.....and then at the Convention.....they treated the protesters just like Phil said Right Wingers would......it was also said that The Mayor told the Police if need be....Shoot the bastards......this is all documented in the documentary film Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune which i saw on PBS a few months ago.....

I didn't see the documentary. I don't know who the 'elite' of the party were Ochs was referring to. But liberals are no fans of Richard J. Daley. And the circumstances at the convention had pretext.

The year 1968 was a momentous year for Daley. In April, Daley was castigated by many for his sharp rhetoric in the aftermath of rioting that took place after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. Displeased with what he saw as an overly cautious police response to the rioting, Daley chastised police superintendent James B. Conlisk and subsequently related that conversation at a City Hall press conference as follows:

"I said to him very emphatically and very definitely that an order be issued by him immediately to shoot to kill any arsonist or anyone with a Molotov cocktail in his hand, because they're potential murderers, and to shoot to maim or cripple anyone looting."

This statement generated significant controversy. Daley's supporters deluged his office with grateful letters and telegrams (nearly 4,500 according to Time Magazine), and it has been credited for Chicago's being one of the cities least affected by the riots. But others were appalled. Rev. Jesse Jackson, for example, called it "a fascist's response." The Mayor later backed away from his words in an address to the City Council, saying:

"It is the established policy of the police department – fully supported by this administration – that only the minimum force necessary be used by policemen in carrying out their duties."

Later that month, Daley asserted "There wasn't any shoot-to-kill order. That was a fabrication."

In August, the 1968 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago. Intended to showcase Daley's achievements to national Democrats and the news media, the proceedings during the convention instead garnered notoriety for the mayor and city, descending into verbal outbursts on the part of politicians, and a circus for the media.

With the nation divided by the Vietnam War and with the assassinations of King and Robert F. Kennedy earlier that year serving as backdrop, the city became a battleground for anti-war protesters who vowed to shut down the convention. In some cases, confrontations between protesters and police turned violent, with images of this violence broadcast on national television. Later, radical activists Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and three other members of the "Chicago Seven" were convicted of crossing state lines with the intent of inciting a riot as a result of these confrontations, though the convictions were overturned on appeal.

At the convention itself, Sen. Abraham A. Ribicoff (D-Conn.), went off-script during his speech nominating George McGovern, saying, "And with George McGovern as President of the United States, we wouldn’t have to have Gestapo tactics in the streets of Chicago. And with George McGovern as president, we wouldn't have to have a national guard." Ribicoff, with his voice shaking, then said: "How hard it is to speak the truth, when we know the problems that are facing this nation", in which the crowd booed Ribicoff. Ribicoff also tried to introduce a motion to shut down the convention and move it to another city. Many conventioneers applauded Ribicoff's remarks but an indignant Mayor Daley tried to shout down the speaker. As television cameras focused on Daley, lip-readers throughout America claimed to have observed him shouting, "Fuck you, you Jew son of a bitch." Defenders of the mayor would later claim that he was calling Ribicoff a faker, a charge denied by Daley and refuted by Mike Royko's reporting. A federal commission, led by local attorney, party activist Daniel Walker, investigated the events surrounding the convention and described them as a "police riot." Daley defended his police force with the following statement, which was also a slip of the tongue: "The confrontation was not caused by the police. The confrontation was caused by those who charged the police. Gentlemen, let's get this thing straight, once and for all. The policeman is not here to create disorder. The policeman is here to preserve disorder."

Despite a decline in popularity following 1968, Daley was historically re-elected for the fifth time in 1971. However, many have argued this was due to a lack of formidable opposition rather than Daley's own popularity.

In 1972, Democratic nominee George McGovern threw Daley out of the Democratic National Convention (replacing his delegation with one led by Jesse Jackson). wiki

glad to hear Daley was considered an asshole......in the Documentary the "Elites" Ochs was talking about were the "Rich" of the Party, he felt just like i do, that they are no different than other Rich people in how they view the rest of us.....even though they try to act like they dont.....Phil knew better.....i found it funny that he also kind of felt Bob Dylan,who he really liked at one time was not only an asshole but getting to be another phony,money over all else.......the ride in the limousine story is what that was all about....it also said Ochs was the only protest singer to show up at the Convention.....Dylan and Baez stayed away....as well as just about everyone else who sang protest songs....

here is an example of what he felt about the Liberals back in 1966...........

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLqKXrlD1TU]Phil Ochs - Love me, I'm a Liberal.wmv - YouTube[/ame]

Great song. Phil Ochs was an artist in the true sense of the word. And he was "one acquainted with the night", as was John F. Kennedy, a man who had the heart of an artist and a man who was given the last rights of the Church 4 times in his short life. One of my favorite speeches was less than a month before his assassination. It was at the Amherst College groundbreaking ceremony for the Robert Frost Library.

Remarks at Amherst College, October 26, 1963

"The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the Nation's greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they determine whether we use power or power uses us.

Our national strength matters, but the spirit which informs and controls our strength matters just as much. This was the special significance of Robert Frost. He brought an unsparing instinct for reality to bear on the platitudes and pieties of society. His sense of the human tragedy fortified him against self-deception and easy consolation. "I have been" he wrote, "one acquainted with the night." And because he knew the midnight as well as the high noon, because he understood the ordeal as well as the triumph of the human spirit, he gave his age strength with which to overcome despair. At bottom, he held a deep faith in the spirit of man, and it is hardly an accident that Robert Frost coupled poetry and power, for he saw poetry as the means of saving power from itself. When power leads men towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses. For art establishes the basic human truth which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment.

The artist, however faithful to his personal vision of reality, becomes the last champion of the individual mind and sensibility against an intrusive society and an officious state. The great artist is thus a solitary figure. He has, as Frost said, a lover's quarrel with the world. In pursuing his perceptions of reality, he must often sail against the currents of his time. This is not a popular role. If Robert Frost was much honored in his lifetime, it was because a good many preferred to ignore his darker truths. Yet in retrospect, we see how the artist's fidelity has strengthened the fibre of our national life.

If sometimes our great artist have been the most critical of our society, it is because their sensitivity and their concern for justice, which must motivate any true artist, makes him aware that our Nation falls short of its highest potential. I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist.

If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him. We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth. And as Mr. MacLeish once remarked of poets, there is nothing worse for our trade than to be in style. In free society art is not a weapon and it does not belong to the spheres of polemic and ideology. Artists are not engineers of the soul. It may be different elsewhere. But democratic society--in it, the highest duty of the writer, the composer, the artist is to remain true to himself and to let the chips fall where they may. In serving his vision of the truth, the artist best serves his nation. And the nation which disdains the mission of art invites the fate of Robert Frost's hired man, the fate of having "nothing to look backward to with pride, and nothing to look forward to with hope."



I always laugh when I hear conservatives talk about disdain for a sense of 'entitlement' while looking down their nose at poor people. And I could never understand their devout worship of the opulent. The "entitled" people I've ever met are rich people and the sons and daughters of rich people.

Entitled to possess anything they want
Entitled to do whatever they want
Entitled to say whatever they want
Entitled to the deference and obedience of everyone around them

That is why I am such a huge Kennedy fan. The Kennedy's were political warriors against poverty and injustice. Pretty astounding when you consider they could have chose the path of leisure and the comfort of wealth.

Jack Kennedy once said "A life of complete leisure is the hardest work of all"

My kids bought me the book "The Last Good Campaign", about Robert F. Kennedy's last campaign, which ended in exuberant victory in California, and then in sudden tragedy moments later. Ironically, it was 45 years ago today he was pronounced dead at Good Samaritan Hospital. They know I'm a Kennedy liberal. It is a great read, I recommend it.

In his last campaign, Bobby Kennedy could reach poor and dispossessed people who themselves had difficulty articulating their needs and anxieties. People loved him even though he challenged, even baited them, to overcome their fears and narrow self-interest. He would embarrass middle-class college students — whose support he desperately wanted — by belittling their draft deferments, pointing out that the casualties in Vietnam were disproportionately suffered by minorities and the poor. When a medical student asked him who would pay for better care for the poor, he answered bluntly: "You will."

 

[Old Rocks]

I want people back that I knew as Democrats. I want good men and women who believed in chasing a dream. I want my liberals back.

I want Camelot not Communist dreams. I want real hope and change not dime store bullies from Chicago.

I want the real deal.

No, you don't want that at all. The Conservatives of that day were calling President Kennedy "That pinko punk in the White House". Until he was assasinated. Then it was 'our martyred President'. You people are the same today as you were then, hypocrites.

 

[Harry Dresden]

glad to hear Daley was considered an asshole......in the Documentary the "Elites" Ochs was talking about were the "Rich" of the Party, he felt just like i do, that they are no different than other Rich people in how they view the rest of us.....even though they try to act like they dont.....Phil knew better.....i found it funny that he also kind of felt Bob Dylan,who he really liked at one time was not only an asshole but getting to be another phony,money over all else.......the ride in the limousine story is what that was all about....it also said Ochs was the only protest singer to show up at the Convention.....Dylan and Baez stayed away....as well as just about everyone else who sang protest songs....

here is an example of what he felt about the Liberals back in 1966...........

Phil Ochs - Love me, I'm a Liberal.wmv - YouTube

Great song. Phil Ochs was an artist in the true sense of the word. And he was "one acquainted with the night", as was John F. Kennedy, a man who had the heart of an artist and a man who was given the last rights of the Church 4 times in his short life. One of my favorite speeches was less than a month before his assassination. It was at the Amherst College groundbreaking ceremony for the Robert Frost Library.

Remarks at Amherst College, October 26, 1963

"The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the Nation's greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they determine whether we use power or power uses us.

Our national strength matters, but the spirit which informs and controls our strength matters just as much. This was the special significance of Robert Frost. He brought an unsparing instinct for reality to bear on the platitudes and pieties of society. His sense of the human tragedy fortified him against self-deception and easy consolation. "I have been" he wrote, "one acquainted with the night." And because he knew the midnight as well as the high noon, because he understood the ordeal as well as the triumph of the human spirit, he gave his age strength with which to overcome despair. At bottom, he held a deep faith in the spirit of man, and it is hardly an accident that Robert Frost coupled poetry and power, for he saw poetry as the means of saving power from itself. When power leads men towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses. For art establishes the basic human truth which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment.

The artist, however faithful to his personal vision of reality, becomes the last champion of the individual mind and sensibility against an intrusive society and an officious state. The great artist is thus a solitary figure. He has, as Frost said, a lover's quarrel with the world. In pursuing his perceptions of reality, he must often sail against the currents of his time. This is not a popular role. If Robert Frost was much honored in his lifetime, it was because a good many preferred to ignore his darker truths. Yet in retrospect, we see how the artist's fidelity has strengthened the fibre of our national life.

If sometimes our great artist have been the most critical of our society, it is because their sensitivity and their concern for justice, which must motivate any true artist, makes him aware that our Nation falls short of its highest potential. I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist.

If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him. We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth. And as Mr. MacLeish once remarked of poets, there is nothing worse for our trade than to be in style. In free society art is not a weapon and it does not belong to the spheres of polemic and ideology. Artists are not engineers of the soul. It may be different elsewhere. But democratic society--in it, the highest duty of the writer, the composer, the artist is to remain true to himself and to let the chips fall where they may. In serving his vision of the truth, the artist best serves his nation. And the nation which disdains the mission of art invites the fate of Robert Frost's hired man, the fate of having "nothing to look backward to with pride, and nothing to look forward to with hope."



I always laugh when I hear conservatives talk about disdain for a sense of 'entitlement' while looking down their nose at poor people. And I could never understand their devout worship of the opulent. The "entitled" people I've ever met are rich people and the sons and daughters of rich people.

Entitled to possess anything they want
Entitled to do whatever they want
Entitled to say whatever they want
Entitled to the deference and obedience of everyone around them

That is why I am such a huge Kennedy fan. The Kennedy's were political warriors against poverty and injustice. Pretty astounding when you consider they could have chose the path of leisure and the comfort of wealth.

Jack Kennedy once said "A life of complete leisure is the hardest work of all"

My kids bought me the book "The Last Good Campaign", about Robert F. Kennedy's last campaign, which ended in exuberant victory in California, and then in sudden tragedy moments later. Ironically, it was 45 years ago today he was pronounced dead at Good Samaritan Hospital. They know I'm a Kennedy liberal. It is a great read, I recommend it.

In his last campaign, Bobby Kennedy could reach poor and dispossessed people who themselves had difficulty articulating their needs and anxieties. People loved him even though he challenged, even baited them, to overcome their fears and narrow self-interest. He would embarrass middle-class college students — whose support he desperately wanted — by belittling their draft deferments, pointing out that the casualties in Vietnam were disproportionately suffered by minorities and the poor. When a medical student asked him who would pay for better care for the poor, he answered bluntly: "You will."

Great song. Phil Ochs was an artist in the true sense of the word.

he was probably the greatest REAL protest singer from those times......he not only sang about it.....he backed it up.....

 

[francoHFW]

Love Phil Ochs (I Ain't Marching Anymore, Draft Dodger Rag) but make no mistake, he preferred liberals and Dems to conservatives and Pubs lol.

 

[Bfgrn]

Really? Then why do you vote for people who promise you endless programs (free healthcare, free housing, free food, free money, free education, etc.) in exchange for nothing on your part except your vote and the surrender of your rights? Sure as hell sounds like both lazy and greedy to me...

Is that evidence enough dummy? Or do you need more? By the way - please don't project on conservatives. Just because you libtards know NOTHING except shear irrational emotion doesn't mean other people do. We debate, act, and form policy off of facts and rational thought. It's you libtards who eschew all of that in favor of how you feel about issues....

Sure seems to me YOU are the one projecting and emoting...because the FACTS don't support your ignorance...

Red States Are Welfare Queens

Hey stupid - who created welfare? Who keeps feeding welfare? (Hint - dumbocrats). The "red" states are filled with dumbocrat welfare queens genius.

I 100% support ending welfare. Do you? 'Nough said....

Who created ANY program that helps people? I don't need a hint, I know it was Democrats, liberals and progressives. Conservatives have never been and never will be advocates for helping people. And no, I DON'T support ending welfare. I surmise you would also end other social programs like Medicare and Social Security.

"Republicans care more about property, Democrats care more about people"
Ted Sorensen - President Kennedy's Special Counsel & Adviser, and primary speechwriter

 

[Bfgrn]

I want people back that I knew as Democrats. I want good men and women who believed in chasing a dream. I want my liberals back.

I want Camelot not Communist dreams. I want real hope and change not dime store bullies from Chicago.

I want the real deal.

No, you don't want that at all. The Conservatives of that day were calling President Kennedy "That pinko punk in the White House". Until he was assasinated. Then it was 'our martyred President'. You people are the same today as you were then, hypocrites.

I have been seeing more and more right wing revisionist narrative that Jack Kennedy would be a Republican today. It truly makes me laugh. Anyone who hated Ted Kennedy would hate Jack and Bobby. Ted idolized his older brothers (Joe included), and dedicated his public life to carry on their agenda and beliefs.

'The Work Goes On, The Cause Endures, The Hope Still Lives, and the Dream Shall Never Die.'
Edward M. Kennedy

I believe much of this JFK love from the right has to do with him proposing tax cuts. But what Kennedy proposed was purely Keynesian.

"The Revenue Act of 1964 was aimed at the demand, rather than the supply, side of the economy," said Arthur Okun, one of Kennedy's economic advisers.

This distinction, taught in Economics 101, seldom makes it into the Washington sound-bite wars. A demand-side cut rests on the Keynesian theory that public consumption spurs economic activity. Government puts money in people's hands, as a temporary measure, so that they'll spend it. A supply-side cut sees business investment as the key to growth. Government gives money to businesses and wealthy individuals to invest, ultimately benefiting all Americans. Back in the early 1960s, tax cutting was as contentious as it is today, but it was liberal demand-siders who were calling for the cuts and generating the controversy.

And the final irony, his tax cuts were OPPOSED by conservatives of the day.

The New Frontier WAS Keynesian Economic policies.

“It is no contradiction – the most important single thing we can do to stimulate investment in today’s economy is to raise consumption by major reduction of individual income tax rates.” – John F. Kennedy, Jan. 21, 1963, annual message to the Congress: “The Economic Report Of The President”

Keynesian Economics

JFK’s administration adopted fiscal and monetary policies to close the recessionary gap. Economist John Maynard Keynes was a believer in Monetarism which is the theory that in order to stabilize the economy the government must lower or raise interest rates accordingly. Keynes also introduced the concept of aggregate demand which showed that full employment could be maintained only with government spending. JFK fully embraced this idea, he fueled the economy by investing in domestic, military, and space programs. This is also known as Kennedy's New Frontier. He proposed to give federal aid to education, medical care to the elderly, mass transit, as well as regional development in Appalachia which, in turn, would help the impoverished community for decades. President Kennedy signed the Housing Act of June 30th 1961 to aid middle income families as well as mass transportation users while also increasing urban renewal. Unfortunately, congressional support was limited therefore, his plans were downgraded by congress. JFK was a supporter of organized labor, he helped strengthen their rights with the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The President also looked to increase minimum wages and signed a bill in 1961 which expanded the minimum wage to $1.25.

Congress and Kennedy

Regrettably many of President Kennedy’s proposals were shot down by a conservative congress run by Republicans and Conservative Democrats. It is important to keep in mind that JFK won the electoral vote by 83 votes. Congress was more than reluctant to fund Kennedy’s liberal plans such as the funding of education and Medicare. President Kennedy was, however, able to sign legislation to raise the minimum wage and increase social security benefits – this was possible in part because of his Vice President L.B. Johnson’s extensive relationship with congress . On June 30th 1961 JFK signed a bill that would extend Social Security to over five million people.

"The largest single barrier to full employment of our manpower and resources and to a higher rate of economic growth is the unrealistically heavy drag of federal income taxes on private purchasing power, initiative and incentive." John F. Kennedy, Jan. 24, 1963, special message to Congress on tax reduction and reform

Taxes

Kennedy's tax cut did not go into effect until after his assassination. The theory behind JFK's tax cuts was that when disposable income increases spending increases. This will directly affect aggregate demand. Fiscal expansion raises the demand for products. Increases in demand will lead to more output without changing the prices. Kennedy also introduced an investment tax credit meaning businesses can reduce their income taxes by 10% of their investment in a year. With increased spending and tax cuts, investments grew boosting aggregate demand. According to Andrew L. Yarrow author of Measuring America: How Economic Growth Came to Define American Greatness in the late 20th Century "...more evidence that Keynesian ideas, translated into policy, would further increase American growth and prosperity". The government also purchased bonds to increase the supply of money while reducing interest rates.

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The real death blow to your argument and the ultimate irony is that Republicans OPPOSED Kennedy's tax cuts.

The Golden Age of Republican Deficit Hawks

Several readers wrote in, asking whether Republicans were ever really pro-tax, or if they merely put up with higher taxes in the name of fiscal discipline.

The answer is that once upon a time, Republicans did indeed advocate leaving taxes alone, opposing tax cuts.

In the 1950s and 1960s, federal deficits were relatively small compared to the size of the economy, but even during those flush years, Republican leadership was reluctant to advocate tax cuts. In 1953, for example, Dwight Eisenhower said the country “cannot afford to reduce taxes, reduce income, until we have in sight a program of expenditures that shows that the factors of income and of outgo will be balanced.”

And when his successor, John F. Kennedy, proposed sharp tax cuts in 1963, the more conservative Republicans in Congress initially opposed them because the cuts would expand the deficit.

The legislation eventually passed (after Kennedy’s assassination), but over the objections of about a third of the Republicans voting. Here’s the House vote, and here’s the Senate vote.


The right’s misplaced love of JFK tax cuts

When Kennedy cut taxes, he lowered the top marginal tax from 91% to 65%. Many congressional Republicans opposed his plan at the time, citing concerns that the treasury couldn’t afford such a tax break — the Republican Party used to be quite serious about fiscal responsibility, but it’s been a half-century — but Kennedy proceeded anyway because the higher rates, instituted during World War II, were no longer necessary.

Also at the time, the country had very little debt — Eisenhower, thankfully, kept taxes high throughout the 1950s — almost no deficit. Fiscal conditions, obviously, are far different now.

Keep in mind, unlike contemporary GOP policy, Kennedy’s plan distributed “peace dividends” broadly across the wage spectrum. As the Joint Committee on Internal Revenue Taxation explained at the time, the bottom 85% of the population received 59% of the benefits of JFK’s tax cut. The top 2.4% received 17.4% of the tax cut, and the top 0.4% received just 6% of it.

Those on the right who see themselves as descendents of the Kennedy policy are either deeply confused or they assume you won’t bother to learn the truth.

"Harry Truman once said, 'There are 14 or 15 million Americans who have the resources to have representatives in Washington to protect their interests, and that the interests of the great mass of the other people - the 150 or 160 million - is the responsibility of the president of the United States, and I propose to fulfill it.'"
President John F. Kennedy

 

[Harry Dresden]

Love Phil Ochs (I Ain't Marching Anymore, Draft Dodger Rag) but make no mistake, he preferred liberals and Dems to conservatives and Pubs lol.

gee no fucking shit.....wow that was an eye opener....

 

[Harry Dresden]

Sure seems to me YOU are the one projecting and emoting...because the FACTS don't support your ignorance...

Red States Are Welfare Queens

Hey stupid - who created welfare? Who keeps feeding welfare? (Hint - dumbocrats). The "red" states are filled with dumbocrat welfare queens genius.

I 100% support ending welfare. Do you? 'Nough said....

Who created ANY program that helps people? I don't need a hint, I know it was Democrats, liberals and progressives. Conservatives have never been and never will be advocates for helping people. And no, I DON'T support ending welfare. I surmise you would also end other social programs like Medicare and Social Security.

"Republicans care more about property, Democrats care more about people"
Ted Sorensen - President Kennedy's Special Counsel & Adviser, and primary speechwriter

did not Nixon start the EPA?....

 

[Harry Dresden]

I want people back that I knew as Democrats. I want good men and women who believed in chasing a dream. I want my liberals back.

I want Camelot not Communist dreams. I want real hope and change not dime store bullies from Chicago.

I want the real deal.

No, you don't want that at all. The Conservatives of that day were calling President Kennedy "That pinko punk in the White House". Until he was assasinated. Then it was 'our martyred President'. You people are the same today as you were then, hypocrites.

like Democrats are not Hypocrites too....right Rocks?.......geezus.....

 

[Bfgrn]

Hey stupid - who created welfare? Who keeps feeding welfare? (Hint - dumbocrats). The "red" states are filled with dumbocrat welfare queens genius.

I 100% support ending welfare. Do you? 'Nough said....

Who created ANY program that helps people? I don't need a hint, I know it was Democrats, liberals and progressives. Conservatives have never been and never will be advocates for helping people. And no, I DON'T support ending welfare. I surmise you would also end other social programs like Medicare and Social Security.

"Republicans care more about property, Democrats care more about people"
Ted Sorensen - President Kennedy's Special Counsel & Adviser, and primary speechwriter

did not Nixon start the EPA?....

Yes he did. Nixon started the EPA, but he also dismantled the War on Poverty and started the horrible War on Drugs.

 

[P@triot]

Sure seems to me YOU are the one projecting and emoting...because the FACTS don't support your ignorance...

Red States Are Welfare Queens

Hey stupid - who created welfare? Who keeps feeding welfare? (Hint - dumbocrats). The "red" states are filled with dumbocrat welfare queens genius.

I 100% support ending welfare. Do you? 'Nough said....

Who created ANY program that helps people? I don't need a hint, I know it was Democrats, liberals and progressives. Conservatives have never been and never will be advocates for helping people. And no, I DON'T support ending welfare. I surmise you would also end other social programs like Medicare and Social Security.

"Republicans care more about property, Democrats care more about people"
Ted Sorensen - President Kennedy's Special Counsel & Adviser, and primary speechwriter

First of all, it's not the function of government to "help people" (how tragic that you are so profoundly ignorant of your own government and history that you don't even know that).

Second - when did ANY government program ever help anybody? We're $16 trillion in debt, is that "helping"? We still have homeless people, is that "helping"? We still have hungry people, is that "helping"? We punish hard work and success so we can reward dropping out of high school and shooting up with heroin - is that "helping"?!?

 

[P@triot]

"Republicans care more about property, Democrats care more about people"
Ted Sorensen - President Kennedy's Special Counsel & Adviser, and primary speechwriter

"Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society. As a result of this, every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all." -Frédéric Bastiat

 

[P@triot]

"Republicans care more about property, Democrats care more about people"
Ted Sorensen - President Kennedy's Special Counsel & Adviser, and primary speechwriter

So the speech writer for a political party is desperately trying to keep his job (and hence his wealth and income) and thus tells you that he cares about you, and you believe him?

There is no adjective in the English language that properly covers the extraordinary level of naïveté there!!!!

"The Democrats care about me! They care about people"

I genuinely feel sorry for anybody this stupid. No wonder he loves government - he desperately needs them. This guy couldn't possibly survive on his own. Not for 15 minutes.

 

[buckeye45_73]

That's funny coming from a bunch of fascists claiming to be "classic liberals."

we are classical liberals, not modern liberal commies/statists/facist

I love the libtards trying to paint facists as right wing, when it was started by Musollini who was kicked out of the socialists for being TOO radical....yeah not for being right wing.....

Facism = big government and we all know who supports that (it aint right wingers!)

 

[buckeye45_73]

Who created ANY program that helps people? I don't need a hint, I know it was Democrats, liberals and progressives. Conservatives have never been and never will be advocates for helping people. And no, I DON'T support ending welfare. I surmise you would also end other social programs like Medicare and Social Security.

"Republicans care more about property, Democrats care more about people"
Ted Sorensen - President Kennedy's Special Counsel & Adviser, and primary speechwriter

did not Nixon start the EPA?....

Yes he did. Nixon started the EPA, but he also dismantled the War on Poverty and started the horrible War on Drugs.

Dismantled the war on poverty? are you high? yeah he did start the EPA and the war on drugs was way before then (I believe dope has been illegal since the 30s? wouldnt that be FDR?)