Bringing the Hudakmobile into focus

But I *do* want to protect my country from the enemy within. Within that vehicle, that is. So I guess it’s truth in advertising!

Wow. That Patrick caricature is a little . . . stereotypical, dontchathink?

And the Obama cartoon was ripped directly from Mad Magazine.

Wonder if he got permission.

It should be noted that these pictures are of the vehicle after it was repainted when Hudak decided to run for Congress. The paint job was different and even more ridiculous prior to his deciding to run.

Does anyone have a picture of the car (or his house) from October/November 2008?

“Am I the only one who believes it’s only a matter of time before we learn Hudak’s mom was on welfare and he received free lunches in school?”

Republicans are for welfare (Brown’s mother) before their against it.

In the meantime, I’m thrilled that Hudak might eventually represent my district in DC. How proud I’ll be!

“Scott Brown, care to comment now?”

Ikcape says: “Fantastic journalistic effort, Dan.”
Ikcape, if this guy is one of yours, if you endorse the caricatures, the “enemy within” line, the number plate and all that, why not just say so? Embrace the guy and defend his style as befitting a potential member of Congress. Meanwhile, lay off journalists who are trying to find out more about a candidate for office. It’s their job, and when the tables were turned and it was Obama, or Kerry or Barney Frank, you enjoyed it very much.

I hadn’t seen the updated SUV… here are some photos from the teabagger rally in Peabody Square last fall:

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs196.snc1/6640_134539862703_536162703_3290430_6949469_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs196.snc1/6640_134539877703_536162703_3290431_4297808_n.jpg

… also, if the Republicans banish him or distance themselves from him, do you think he’d run as an independent?

There seems to be this common technique among the repubs to do the twists on names. It’s positively third-grade stuff.

They certainly back up their claims of being non-elite. A penny is elite compared to these folks.

“Imagine the left wing version of this truck.”

Okay, I’ll bite. It would be a Vanagon. I know that much.

Decorate it how you will.

Focusing on Obama and none of the context, and attributing Obama’s handling of TARP and the Recovery Act as “proof” of his subversive communist ideology is so absurd, no one bothers to raise it in our political discussion and yet Tea Party members who believe it and repeat it and campaign on it are winning statewide elections and serving in the US Congress.

Remember how this came to be. Our financial system was put at risk by business and incompetent government oversight. We faced domestic and international financial ruin while the Bush Administration reassured us that the economy was strong.

Bush’s Secretary of Treasury said give us $750 Billion or die. In an unprecedented act of trust, faith and fear we did give the treasury secretary our money.

This consequence of the numerous well documented acts of incompetence by the Bush Administration swept Obama into office because Obama offered a different seemingly competent approach as compared to McCain’s unimpressive, recycled, thread bare plan.

Obama consulted the best economists, the world’s greatest experts in depression economics, who told him that government must provide the demand to resurrect the economy.

right. Typo, sorry.

Based on the lush, green foliage and the 2009 expiration decal on the plate (vanity plates expire in November), it’s obviously not a recent photo. “A” for effort though.

The RMV, led by a Democrat former State Rep., has strict regulations prohibiting offensive wording on plates. Obviously, the plate shown is well within the guidelines.

PS Dan — “Teabagger”, the offensive sexual term used to denigrate Tea Party activists, has been allowed to appear quite a bit in Media Nation since Brown’s victory. Understandably, some here might still be at “anger” in the five stages of grief promulgated by Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. Still, that term has no place here. Even Anderson Cooper has apologized for using it.

“As for choosing not to attack Mr. Hudak, I share Dan’s philosophy.”

Actually, you admitted in an earlier thread that you’ve sent money to the Hudak campaign.

Apparently, it is his philosophy that you share.

“A growing number of people are beginning to share that philosophy, Harry,”

Which one? The one that would tolerate what can only be described as racist caricatures on the backs of their vehicles?

The one that posits the lie that tax rates are currently at 99%?

The one that continues to float the proven lie that the elected President was not born in this country?

Not a philosophy I can get behind, as it runs counter to my own conservative leanings and the conservative tradition, one that puts facts and reason above emotion and divisiveness.

“A recent vote here in Massachusetts, if you recall, upended the political calculus.”

It did indeed shine light on the outragous fact that the Senate holds their own rules above that of the Constitution. There is nothing in the Constitution that states you need 60 votes to pass a law.

But I am hoping to see the (at least in part) unconstitutional “Health Care Reform” bill die a quick death.

“We’ll see come November, won’t we?”

The party in power always loses seats in an off-year election. I expect this November will be no different.

And I appreciate you offering your own positions, things that can be reasonably discussed, as opposed to snark and smarm. Much more civilized, ya asked me.

Harry – “the Senate holds their own rules above that of the Constitution”

Huh? The Constitution itself states that the Senate can make its own rules (Article 1, Section 5: “Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings”), so this statement makes no sense.

It is definitely possible that heterosexuals also “teabag”, which means that playing the homophobia card in this context, is…homophobic.

Meanwhile, it looks like only 35 people have subscribed to the subscription only Newsday:
http://www.observer.com/2010/media/after-three-months-only-35-subscriptions-newsdays-web-site

Steve: My statement makes perfect sense.

The following article should shed some light on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_option

In those cases where the Constitution is silent about how many votes are needed to perform their functions (for example, confirming Supreme Court Justices) a simple majority is needed.

The Constitution is silent about how many votes are needed to pass a law, therefore, constitutionally and (notwithstanding the “Senate Rules) by precedent, only 51 votes are required.

The Senate has (obviously) acknowledged this simple fact, given the gyrations the recent “Gang of 14” went through to circumvent the very Constitution itself.

Again, the article should make this clear.

Senate Rules do not trump the Constitution.

Not the popular view here, but some people are concerned:

IACOCCA SPEAKS OUT ON OBAMA

Just as true today as it was when his book first came out.

He was, and still is, a brilliant businessman!
Often we need to be reminded of Iococca’s words.

Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its death throes? He’s now 82 years old and has a new book, ‘Where Have All The Leaders Gone?’.

Lee Iacocca Says:

‘Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? Where the hell is our outrage with this so called president? We should be screaming bloody murder! We’ve got a gang of tax cheating clueless leftists trying to steer our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even run a ridiculous cash-for-clunkers program without losing $26 billion of the taxpayers’ money, much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, ‘trust me the economy is getting better..’

Better? You’ve got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned, ‘Titanic’. I’ll give you a sound bite: ‘Throw all the Democrats out along with Obama!’

You might think I’m getting senile, that I’ve gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore..

The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs.. While we’re fiddling in Afghanistan , Iran is completing their nuclear bombs and missiles and nobody seems to know what to do. And the liberal press is waving ‘pom-poms’ instead of asking hard questions. That’s not the promise of the ‘ America ‘ my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I’ve had enough. How about you?

I’ll go a step further. You can’t call yourself a patriot if you’re not outraged. This is a fight I’m ready and willing to have. The Biggest ‘C’ is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C’s of leadership, with crisis being the first.)

Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It’s easy to sit there with thumb up your butt and talk theory. Or send someone else’s kids off to war when you’ve never seen a battlefield yourself. It’s another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A hell of a mess, so here’s where we stand.

We’re immersed in a bloody war now with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. But our soldiers are dying daily.

We’re running the biggest deficit in the history of the world, and it’s getting worse every day!

We’ve lost the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.

Gas prices are going to skyrock again, and nobody in power has a lucid plan to open drilling to solve the problem. This country has the largest oil reserves in the WORLD, and we cannot drill for it because the politicians have been bought by the flea-hugging environmentalists.

Our schools are in a complete disaster because of the teachers union.

Our borders are like sieves and they want to give all illegals amnesty and free healthcare.

The middle class is being squeezed to death every day.

These are times that cry out for leadership.

But when you look around, you’ve got to ask: ‘Where have all the leaders gone?’ Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?

We’ve spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.

Everyone’s hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping the government will make it better for them. Now, that’s just crazy.. Deal with life.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when ‘The Big Three’ referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, look what Obama did about it!

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving theenergy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.

I have news for the Chicago gangsters in Congress. We didn’t elect you to turn this country into a losing European Socialist state. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on NBC or CNN news will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don’t you guys show some spine for a change?

Had Enough? Hey, I’m not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I’m trying to light a fire. I’m speaking out because I have hope – I believe in America . In my lifetime, I’ve had the privilege of living through some of America ‘s greatest moments. I’ve also experienced some of our worst crises: The ‘Great Depression,’ ‘World War II,’ the ‘Korean War,’ the ‘Kennedy Assassination,’ the ‘Vietnam War,’ the 1970’s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years since 9/11.

Dec. 19,2008 “President George W. Bush stepped in Friday to keep America’s auto industry afloat, announcing a $17.4 billion bailout for GM and Chrysler, with the terms of the loans requiring that the firms radically restructure and show they can become profitable soon.”

March 30, 2009 “And so today I’m announcing that my administration will offer GM and Chrysler a limited additional period of time to work with creditors, unions, and other stakeholders to fundamentally restructure in a way that would justify an investment of additional taxpayer dollars.”

Not everything is Right or Left – – – the problems or the solutions. Neither President Bush nor President Obama should be blamed for the auto industry. It happened and the blame can be widespread. Both administrations made effort to solve the problem or soften the discomfort.

We’re fortunate to have freedom of speech in this country and much that Mr. Iacocca wrote while Mr. Bush was president can still be applied, unfortunately, even if the work of something “created by right-wing fantasists.” It is freedom of speech along with right-wing and left wing fantasists that help steer us to the middle. As said earlier, we are fortunate the Congressional candidate has made his position clear.

President Bush was not a right-wing screwball, nor is President Obama a liberal screwball. Fortunately, both were and are serious about working hard at extraordinary challenges and neither has had the level of success any of us desire. Not all their fault. Either one of them.

Funny comparison though: the real Mr. Iacocca and the fake “fantasist” Mr. Iacocca are not that much different. They both, overall, make the same point.

The extreme rant some people disseminate is a welcome reminder of the freedoms in this country and those issues and positions which are most important to them. As such, we should be thankful for Mr. Hudak contributing so bluntly to the public discussion.

If he is truly doing this with the expectation of harvesting enough votes for a victory many of us I think can be quite comfortable predicting his disappointment. More importantly to him though, is that his objective may be merely to attract attention to his political opinion.

Most, but not all, who are elected assume a more responsible position to merge their own political beliefs with that of the mainstream of voters. I have seen Rep. Frank riding in a car without banners and advertising when there was a president of the other party. Tip O’Neil didn’t have his car decorated like that either when there was a president of the opposite party.

There was a time, too, when our Congressional delegation could have expressed themselves with a drawing of a big set of lips running the length of their car “Read my Lips!” Obviously, there are varying levels of dignity. At the time, there was a president who had to break the integrity of his campaign promise about new taxes and work with our congressional delegation for what they believed was in the best interest of the country and its people.

Ironically, this president who would like to be more generous is logically backed into a corner to tighten the spending reins.

Thank goodness for the ranters and the likes of Mr. Hudak, and thank goodness that we, in the end, are governed and represented with, usually, as we demand, people more representative of middle ground and who display more dignity.

The president did express that he welcomes better ideas than those of his own. Not a bad.

“It’s best to avoid becoming aggrieved by proxy.”

Hilarious.

Setting aside your recent claiming of Martin Luther King as your own, yet seeing nothing at all racist in Patrick’s caricature, the above calls to mind your recent statement:

“The “nothing to see here” attitude smacks of the dismissive tone when Coakley’s goon assaulted the reporter.”

Given your blatant inconsistency bordering on hypocrisy, I am beginning to think you are not a serious person.

Dot, It’s not that O-FISH-L is blind to racism, it’s that he’s deaf to it.

For the sake of argument, I will stipulate that the Patrick caricature depicted is racist. That said, any idea why His Excellency the Governor hasn’t spoken out about it yet? Certainly his bevy of aides are tuned in here and he’s aware of it. To overlook racism is to condone it. While I disagree with Patrick on most issues, I think we agree that racism should never be condoned.

Further, and to his credit, our host Dan Kennedy made fast work of contacting Sen.-elect Brown’s office and getting a statement on Hudak, yet there is nothing from the governor on Hudak. What does Patrick say, about the truck especially? Perhaps you could follow-up, Dan.

I was trained under the philosophy, “no victim, no crime.” While some of you –to whatever degree of seriousness- seem highly offended by the caricature, I think it’s only Governor Patrick, not the bystanders, who could claim a violation of civil rights here. I haven’t heard Patrick making any such claim yet, nor do I expect it. He’s actually trained in the law, after all.

@Dot: “And I love the way you set the terms–”to overlook racism is to condone it” yet when people do call it out you accuse people of being aggrieved by proxy. Your argument is an intellectual mess.”
—
Dot, do you really believe that a Milton Academy, Harvard College and Harvard Law grad needs anyone on Media Nation to “call out” a racist cartoon aimed at him? If there were any concern by Patrick or the experts who handle him, the special State Police detail assigned to the governor would have already seized the SUV shown and revoked the NOBAMA plates. Obviously, there is no concern, except for a few busy bodies here.

I’m not sure how my “argument” is an “intellectual mess” when the person depicted in the caricature seems to have no problem with it.

Let me first state that I’m glad Hudak has that on his truck, because it clearly telegraphs his intentions. Freedom of speech is wonderful thing because so many people avail themselves of it.

But since the cartoon depicts an individual, no one else can be offended. Got it. Now take the same caricature and put “This is America. Pull your weight. No handouts” under it, without Patrick’s name. What do you have in that case? In other words, using 19th century racist imagery to depict an individual does aggrieve others who understand the role of such imagery in denigrating an entire race of people for over a hundred years. Does the Governor need to speak out about it? If someone in the public eye takes the time to respond to every slight and criticism nothing would ever be accomplished. You can drag out the red herrings all you want, but your argument will only stink of fish.

@Dot: “Now take the same caricature and put “This is America. Pull your weight. No handouts” under it, without Patrick’s name. What do you have in that case?”
—
Dot, if one must engage in hypotheticals and imagine words that aren’t there, I rest my case.

If I were the governor I would ignore whatever the Congressional candidate had on his car. In this case, my view would be that the intent of the message fails due to its lack of dignity and respect. We know what the candidate doesn’t like.

What does he like, what will he do, how will it accomplish his goals with success, and will he proceed with the class and dignity voters desire and expect?

@Fish: Are you saying you support Dr. King? If so, did you lock up every member of the Aryan Nation and the other racist scum walking the streets of Milton or wherever it was you claim to have been a cop?