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Seems to me that a lot of our high-profile politicians and public figures are either pretty much oblivious to their own blatant hypocrisy or… they’re genuine, for real hypocrites. They’re certainly good at high-minded rhetoric that resonates with and fires up their base supporters, charges up fundraising and keeps the discussion as consistently simple-minded as possible.
I think “We the people” need to focus MUCH more intently on the atrocious contradictions the money and power-seeking political class continuously foist on us.
Examples abound, so I’ll pick two of my personal favorite characters to illustrate.
Consider Jerry Brown and Wayne LaPierre. The former is a staunch progressive/liberal Democrat, present and former Governor of California and vocal, aggressive supporter of using and increasing the power of the federal government to represent, assist and make decisions on behalf of the powerless, unfortunate and downtrodden among us. The latter, is Executive Director and CEO of the National Rifle Association, a Republican, and an extremely vocal, visible, hard-right-leaning supporter of rugged individualism, freedom and personal responsibility.
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Governor Brown recently signed a law declaring California a “sanctuary state” where state and local law enforcement are NOT required to enforce federal immigration laws or cooperate with federal immigration officials. Brown and the people of California feel that THEY, not the federal government, know what’s best for California and intend to exercise their Constitutional rights.
Well now… The good governor has apparently become familiar with the 10th amendment which reads: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” The people of California disagree with the Trump administration’s position on enforcing immigration laws. Governor Brown apparently believes that the residents of California – NOT the federal government – are the ones who should decide about what goes on in California. How convenient! Sure, it’s 180 degrees from his position regarding OBama-care… But this new-found commitment to the 10th amendment – for this and only this situation – reinforces Brown’s reputation as a champion of liberal social causes.
So just for the record… The progressive leftist Jerry Brown believes the real political power should be pulled from Washington back to the states. (I’ll be polite and call this surprising instead of calling it blatant hypocrisy.)
As for Mr. LaPierre, he and the NRA want federal legislation for “Concealed Carry Reciprocity.” So, for example, someone – like me – with a Georgia permit to carry a concealed gun could legally carry it anywhere in the U.S., including California. GA has very loose (dare I say “liberal?”) gun control. CA is very much on the other end of that spectrum.
Wayne and the NRA love the 2nd amendment. The 10th amendment? Not so much… At least not when it comes to national reciprocity. LaPierre thinks the 10th is vital – but not in this particular case…
Pardon me while I struggle to hold down my lunch. The right-wing conservative wants to pull political decision-making power from the states and into Washington. (I’ll be polite and call this surprising instead of calling it blatant hypocrisy.)
The left-winger Brown is suddenly and conveniently a champion of state’s rights. The right-winger LaPierre is suddenly and conveniently a champion greater federal power and control. Please. Do these guys really think we’re all that stupid?
Follow the friggin’ money!
Brown is driven by power and money. LaPierre is driven by power and money. They both make decisions based on increasing their own power and money. Core principles be damned! I’ve just provided an example of how each of them has compromised and made an exception to his own so-called core principles.
Most politicians and most lobbyists are driven by power and money most of the time. Beware the self-declared “public servant.” ANY public figure who EVER compromises or makes exceptions to his or her core principles is primarily driven by power and money. Sadly, the examples abound.
You make your own call with regard to sanctuary states and concealed carry reciprocity – and all of the other positions adopted by our political leaders and those who influence them. Personally, I intend to cling to the notion that the Constitution and especially the Bill of Rights – all 10 of those amendments, all the time – is the guideline to follow. Jerry, with a rare embracing of the 10th and Wayne with a rare rejection of the 10th, “surprise” me…
Nah… I’ll call a spade a spade. They’re both trumpeting their blatant hypocrisy. Disgraceful.
Right on!
Are our founding fathers’ rolling around in their graves wondering what went wrong with their premise of limited government?
You are on a roll lately. Couldn’t agree more. Politics is by nature self-serving. Politicians routinely support positions they believe will get them the most money and votes (even when they personally disagree with those policies). Obamacare and Social Security are two blatant examples where Congress exempted themselves but forced these policies on everyone else (here is that Hypocrisy word again).
They called Obamacare the “Affordable Care Act”. I have read the entire bill. The objective of Obamacare is to force everyone to buy insurance (reducing the cost of Medicaid). How do poor people afford it? The government forced insurance companies to offer subsidized coverage to poor people. Who pays for the subsidized coverage? Everyone who buys a policy at full rates. Impact: Insurance rates skyrocketed, employers raised the employee deductibles for insurance, but the cost of Medicaid went down for the government.
Let us not forget … there was a forced waiting period which required insurance companies to delay raising rates to recover their increased costs. This allowed the government to claim false benefits from Obamacare. When insurance companies were finally allowed to raise rates to recover the subsidized coverage they were forced to provide, they were demonized for being greedy. More hypocrisy. Ironically, most health insurance is provided by the Blue Cross/Blue Shield network which is a not-for-profit association created by Congress so there is no profit motive.
Thanks, Nick! And good to hear from you. Hope all is well. I’m not actually as prolific as it might appear. I’m guessing you’re picking up the posts from my LinkedIn feed which spits out a random “best of” episode from the past. e.g., this post was originally published Nov, ’17. Would love to have you as a subscriber – try http://eepurl.com/c7WqLb. It’s also a podcast and soon to be a YouTube channel as well. Tell everyone you know what a great podcast/blog it is! 🙂 – Todd