The new buzz phrase in the latest political propaganda blitz is “common sense conservatism”, which I’ve seen misspelled as “commonsense conservatism”, “common-sense conservatism”, both wrong, as common and sense are distinct words. Regardless of how much the inconsistency and grammatical ignorance constantly on display in our embarrassingly illiterate media annoys me (and Sarah Palin is the patron saint of illiteracy), what irks me more is how a simple phrase can be redefined to mean something entirely ironic and false, like “compassionate conservative” once was.
Let’s look up the phrase in a few dictionaries:
common sense
n. Sound judgment not based on specialized knowledge; native good judgmentFunction: nounDate: 1726: sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts
Note the word “judgment” in both definitions. Now, let’s look up “judgment” while we’re at it:
(n) the ability to judge, make a decision, or form an opinion objectively, authoritatively, and wisely, esp. in matters affecting action; good sense; discretion
So Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, and their attendant producers and handlers want us to believe that they are the standard bearers of a new form of conservatism based on good judgment, because they have demonstrated the ability to form objective opinions based on wisdom and discretion. Really?
This, from a woman who accepted the nomination for vice president, a physically gruelling and intellectually demanding task, when she already had a special needs infant and a pregnant teen daughter at home, and had been elected governor of a state less than two years prior to the 2008 election; never mind her abysmal knowledge of foreign policy, domestic issues, history, geography or experience in the “lower 48.”
Was that a sample of her good judgment, of her common sense?
This, from a man who harassed a female producer of his show with lewd phone calls and sexually charged pursuit and was forced to settle a multi-million dollar lawsuit out of court to protect his job? Did that demonstrate O’Reilly’s sound judgment?
This, from a guy who throws every strand of WorldNetDaily conspiracy theory spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks, absent any research, search for facts or truth or logic? Is that sound judgment? Would anyone accuse Glenn Beck of having common sense?
Surely you jest.
Will this “commonsense conservatism” [sic] meme have legs? Karl Rove, Mary Matalin and a crew of other Fox and right-wing commentators are doing their best to make it so. When will someone, anyone, point out how ludicrous this is?
Heh! Those chronically impaired Spin Doctors are highly over-rated. Spinning against the wind is similar to pissing against the wind/smimming up stream and letting the fireplug piss on the dog.
Nice to hear from you Loretta deario.
The only way to maintain a balance is to listen to Loretta, the Huffington Post bloggers, Bill Maher and the Colbert and John Stuarts of the world.
Common sense is something that one is born with or not. Out of my 2 siblings of genius level performers had/have none: however, politically simpatico. The Repub’s are RETRO and they know it. I feel sure that the mumbo jumbo of Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh and the entire FOXY crew are just milking the commercial cow for as much as they can squeeze out of the poor dear udders of chemically enhanced uber-cows whose milk has only poison and no nutrition. I am soley speaking from my experience and observations of the pendulum which dew swing baby/like the pendulum do. (The hysteria of cyber-journalists notwithstanding.)
Please pardon moi’s grammar and punctuation and spelling. I am channeling as it wuz.
Too cap it off, I will add that the blasee attitude and insensitivity of those who milk that cow and the insignificant Thistles of PITA are blowing in the wind/aka/blowback. They leave their random prickles in the tender skin of the evolved and the brainless or lamed-brain of the unevolved eat it up like milk weed. I truly believe we are on a path which will bring some common sense back into real space and time. Call me an idiot or idget or adreamer or whatever one might choose. I trust in the direction of the human race.
Our children are more energetic and able to make more changes. Native intelligence will rule in the long run.
The only thing I can’t figure out is why the EWE-ESS-of-Ay was still doing assessment fly-overs of Haiti while the Chinoiseses and the belle France were on the ground. Cuba, I can understand, as they are accustomed to disasters and they are geographically closer. Where are we as a compassionate PEOPLE Flying around in the uber-spy-jets assessing. I have an ongoing discussion with my younger sister about analysis versus instinct and that very important common sense. She has a good sense of humor about this. I have only told her to tell her soon-to-be-16-year-old (who is now driving with an adult in the car) that her mother has no clue about her present stage of development and urges and attitudes! Sister of younger years, the analytical one agrees with moi.
The spin-dox are just another adolescent blip on the stage of life. They are employed and making bigg bux off their dribble and sidewinding liar tactics. I mean, Please. Credibility and common sense go together. See the forest and not the trees. Xxoomoire
Definition of milkweed with some editoial comments for those who have no ranching experience. . .(dotz)
Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) is a
Native perennial forb (non-woody plant with
Flowers) that grows from sea level to over 6,200 feet
In elevation. It occurs in pastures and meadows;
Along streamsides, riparian zones, and ditch banks;
And in waste areas. Regardless of specific location,
This plant inhabits areas that remain moist through
Much of the summer.
Despite beneficial uses by Indigenous People and Monarch butterflies,
Showy milkweed can be a serious toxic weed.
Signs, Effects: [my take is bold print or not]
Signs of poisoning are many and include:
IDIOCY, MAL-THINKING, Promulgation of blind minds.
Then, ladies and gentlemen, use your own imaginations to create new definitions of Retta’s forementioned profliggie-piggie-dytes. I double dawg dare you! heh and to sleep I must go after several daisies of not. Trying to reverse my sleeping habits from day to night. I am wurst than a colicky babe, of witch I was one. Genes are not dumb.xxoomoir
What they’re after here is the usual anti-intellectual stuff. They know that the right answer may not be the most obvious one, and thus they’re going with it.. “We all have to tighten our belts.” that’s big here with the richies opposing tax increases on the rich and corporations, too. Dumb, but logical, if ripped out of context and misapplied.
“We have to tighten YOUR belts” might be more to the point!
We have hypnotized and stultified the minds of several generations, now. The Dumbing Down of America. No Child Gets Ahead.
Since this latest Supreme Court decision (that corporations can give as much as they want to political campaigns), I have to say that it’s working.
If we are dumb enough to accept that, it’s time to hang it up and pass the popcorn.