Politics

“Winning Isn’t Everything”…(It’s A Lot Less Important Than You Think)

Foolish Cat May 22nd, 2008

vince

“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing”

-Vince Lombardi

For the past several months we have heard cries from many prominent democrats, as well as from cynical columnists and bloggers of unknown affiliations, that Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race for the presidential nomination because, barring some astounding revelation about Barack Obama, there is virtually no chance of her winning. Indeed, many have accused her of crippling the Democratic party with her stubbornness; after all, she can’t win so what’s the point? All she’s doing is hurting her friends.

But who said winning was everything?…Oh yeah, Vince Lombardi. But here’s the truth - Lombardi was wrong.

If you think about it, in almost every walk of life, winning probably falls somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of importance. In fact, NFL Head Coach may be one of the few occupations or activities where the quote actually applies. So maybe it isn’t fair to say Lombardi was wrong; for him it made sense. But this idea of “winning is all that matters” has metastasized. In a culture that idolizes athletes and reveres sports teams, football teams in particular, the idolizers have kidnapped the quote and taken the form of regional vice presidents “inspiring” recent grads, or inept little league third base coaches trying to win something in their lives, or armchair quarterbacks whose description of worth is determined only by outcome. Ways and means be damned.

But what of this attitude? Isn’t improving better than winning? Think about it: say you’re a golfer who shoots in the 90’s consistently, and has done so for years, and you’re out on the links with three friends who want to play competitive golf for fun - no money. Let’s also say you’re the uber-competitive “winner” everyone knows you as. Would you rather shoot a 102 and beat the other guys, or would you rather shoot a 72 and come in last? Which round would make you happier and more satisfied?

What if you’re the same “winner” in a sales environment and you have set the goal of becoming the #1 salesperson in the region. Seems noble and ambitious and indeed may be. But what if being #1 meant you had to set a goal of $2,500 in commission for the month, because that was a little more than what the “top guy” was making. Great. But what if you set a goal of $6,000 for the month, achieved it, and were actually third in the region in sales. Which is better? Any pro athlete will tell you: they’d rather play on a loser for a lot of money than on a winner for free.

But politics is not golf or sales you say. Fair. But all three, as well as everything else, fall under the umbrella of Life. Hillary’s struggle is her struggle not just to win, but to improve her skills, satisfy her ambition, and attempt to achieve the private goals she set for herself. Winning would be great, but it is not everything. And I don’t want to hear about the selfishness this stance implies - that she should consider country above her personal ambition - that’s ridiculous. Her attitude (stubbornness if you prefer), that of one refusing to quit, literally against all odds, is what this country is built upon. It not only strengthens the individual, it strengthens the immediate opponent as well as candidates of the future. And if Obama gets the nod in June, he will be battle-hard for the next round.

I’m not really a big Hillary supporter, and indeed have not made up my mind who I’m voting for at all in November, regardless of the nominee. But I have become resentful of those in her own party pressuring her to quit. She’s still winning primaries for Christ’s sake! Leave her alone and do what you need to do to help support who you support. But those of you calling for her to give up, understand that that is the true difference between a winner and loser.

Go on, Hillary.

Blunder.

Improve.

Mission Ridiculous

Foolish Cat May 1st, 2008

Here at Blundering Fools, we try to be as positive as possible by applauding those that take chances in spite of the odds or opposition to the action taken. It is this type of bold action that often changes the course of humanity and improves the lives of succeeding generations.

But there are, of course, commissions of acts of such pristine ridiculousness and infamy, that the literal meaning of our site cannot help but to be invoked. Today marks the five-year anniversary of the “mission accomplished” speech by good ol’ W., on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln. ‘Nuff said.

I don’t have a lot to say about this debacle that hasn’t already been said, and the White House has already issued a preemptive mea culpa to help offset dwelling on the speech on it’s anniversary. No need to dwell - the state of our country since the war began and since W.’s speech speaks for itself.

But that being said, it’s funny to watch the speech again just to hear the magnitude of the blundering words, “major combat operations in Iraq have ended”.

It’s not a dream, this is your president!

Blunder on, George.

The Main Reason People Don’t Buy Into The Environmental Movement

Foolish Cat April 22nd, 2008

earth

Earth Day. Apparently this holiday has been around since 1970! Who knew? I honestly don’t think I heard about Earth Day before 2000. But that’s neither here nor there; the fact is I was a kid during the 70’s and 80’s and was never fortified with the idea of environmentalism.

Anyway, I’m watching a show today on PBS or something with my daughter and a public service announcement comes on regarding Earth Day. They’re specifically talking about the value of trees. “Not only are trees beautiful”, it says, “they provide homes for animals and provide the oxygen we need to breathe.” During this speech they, of course, show cute little monkeys and birds with babies and little children running and so on. Great. But right after that, they say something like, “did you know that everyday thousands of trees are cut down to provide paper to draw your pictures on? You can help save trees by using BOTH sides of the paper when you draw!”

Now, on the surface, this seems like a valid tool to impart the ideas of resource economy and alternatives to kids. But the first thing that came to my mind when I heard this - and I can’t imagine it didn’t occur to a lot of kids as well - was, “that’s true, using both sides of the paper would save trees, but do you know what would save even more trees? Not using paper at all!”

I mean what are we talking about? It isn’t like your stuff is coming off of the refrigerator and going straight to The Louvre (maybe the circular Louvre!). Some scribbley green lines for grass, a yellow sun up in the corner, stick people indicating your family and maybe a couple of “m’s” up in the sky for birds? How necessary is that? It certainly can’t be worth the price of trees! And don’t even get me started on all of those books in your room!

This, of course, is an exaggeration, but it leads to what is, in my opinion, the major dilemma of the environmental movement: who is to say what is necessary? When it comes down to it, 99.9% of everything we have and do is a luxury. We don’t need air conditioning. We don’t need indoor plumbing. We don’t need cars or televisions or churches or museums. In fact, unless it falls under the category of food, clothing, shelter, or medicine - and even then only in the most basic of forms - we don’t need it. For hundreds of thousands of years we had none of these things and managed to survive.

The fact is, in free, civilized, societies, people want more than to survive: they want to be happy. And for some, happiness is driving a Suburban or having a healthy lawn or drinking fifteen bottles of water a day. Or using another sheet of paper to draw on. And as easy as it is to say drive a Volkswagen instead, another could say drive nothing at all.

I don’t know the answer. And I guess if what Al Gore and the scientists tell me is true (I haven’t done the research so I’ll have take their words for it), we have to do something.

I do know this though: either way, the Earth will be just fine, it’s the things living on it that will be screwed.

Happy Earth Day, Fools!

Government Hate Speech Should Never Be Ignored

Foolish Cat April 3rd, 2008

Sally Kern

For those of you who don’t know who Sally Kern is, she is the Oklahoma state representative who was heard telling a group of around fifty constituents about the evils of homosexuality on a YouTube clip last month. She talks of the agenda to corrupt the children of the country and says that homosexuality is “a bigger threat than terrorism.” It’s pretty revolting stuff, and really quite shocking and ghastly that the words are coming from the mouth of an elected official.

Of course, the outcry has been swift and Ellen DeGeneres is involved and the headlines have traveled overseas to, once again, generally embarrass the U.S. and our politics. So be it. One more crazy person slips through the cracks to a position of power and what are you gonna do? Shit happens, right?

Well, maybe, until you see the report today that says over 1,000 people attended a rally to support Representative Kern where she was chanted and cheered for “standing up for the truth of God’s Word”. 1,000 people may not seem like a lot in a state of, I don’t know, 3 or 4 million, but that’s 1,000 people who took off work on a Wednesday to come support a speaker of hate. How many were children? How many people couldn’t get off work? How many secretly agree with everything she said but don’t feel comfortable making it known in a public place? More than a handful I’m sure.

And don’t misunderstand: I believe people have the right to say and believe anything they want; if I didn’t it would be complete hypocrisy. But when certain things are said by Government, everyone needs to perk up the ears. And when those things are said by government and are then heralded and begin receiving support, it’s time to sound the alarm. Some of those things include: limiting what we can say, see, write, or hear; limiting ways we can defend ourselves; SINGLING OUT A GROUP OF PEOPLE AS CORRUPTERS OF CHILDREN AND A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY, etc.

Ms. Kern’s words are not just misguided, religious rhetoric; in my opinion, they can only be interpreted as words of genocide. Think about it, if you were compelled to stop a group of people from corrupting the nation’s children and threatening the security of the United States, how would you do it? Oh yeah, and did I mention you’re doing it IN THE NAME OF GOD?!? Sound familiar?

The question then, Representative Kern, is not whether homosexuality is a bigger threat to the U.S. than terrorism, it’s whether terrorism is a bigger threat to our country than politicians like you.

The Inevitable Subject of Race In The Campaign of Barack Obama

Foolish Cat March 18th, 2008

Barack Obama gave a very moving speech today on race relations in America, a speech that may turn out to be the silver lining in a controversy involving his long-time friend and spiritual adviser Jeremiah Wright, who was shown this past week saying hateful and anti-American passages during several sermons over the past seven years.

In my opinion, the success of Obama’s campaign has shown that the racial divide in America is perhaps not as big a deal as we’ve been led to believe. If it was, based strictly on population, Obama wouldn’t have a chance vs. McCain or Clinton.

However, the issue does remain; ninety percent of blacks in Mississippi didn’t vote for Obama because they like his health care policy.

So what of it?

Forever we have heard, and even today by Obama, that we should vote strictly on the issues; then, the powers that be, proceed to tell us exactly what the issues are (e.g. health care, Iraq, etc.). But who decides that? Why can’t race be an issue? Why can’t religion be an issue? Or sex? Or whatever? Who are the candidates to tell us what is an issue and what isn’t? Who is the media to tell us?

I agree that we shouldn’t factor in someone’s race or sex in our voting, but is it OK to factor in the candidates opinions about other races and sexes? Every pundit and analyst, with their own set of issues and agendas, is attempting to tell us what the Rev. Wright issue should or shouldn’t mean to us. It’s ridiculous. We are adults, with the same ability to see and hear as they are. It means to us what it means. For some that will be nothing and for others it will change their minds. It isn’t wrong or right, it is a difference of equally valid opinion.

And why does someone else’s issue have to be mine and vice versa? Is it a sin for a retired Federal employee with great benefits and no kids not to put health care and education at the top of his issues list? If a twenty-year old college student doesn’t make where the candidates stand on prescription drugs for seniors of vital importance, is she shallow and ignorant?

The fact is, at the end of the day, most of us will vote for the person we think will personally benefit us and our families the most.
And after all the speeches are given that promise us everything, we have to decide who that is from the gut. This we tend to do by determining who is most likely, on a human level, to associate and sympathize with our causes. Does a woman voting for Hillary simply because she is a woman surprise us? How about a Vietnam veteran voting for McCain? Of course not. And people using race as a voting issue shouldn’t surprise us either. So let us recognize race as the issue that it is, factor it as much or as little as we like, and blunder on.

Life In A Hypocrisy Democracy….(Hey That Rhymes!)

Foolish Cat March 11th, 2008

spitzer

Of all the bad axioms that have been drilled into our heads since we were old enough to defy (I guess that means around 2 years old), perhaps none has been more destructive than this one: “do as I say, not as I do”.

These eight words are magnificent in their insanity in that they both rationalize hypocrisy while commanding us not to question authority. This premise has been used by kings, priests and generals for thousands of years and has been the driving force and downfall of myriad civilizations. It’s also been used by countless parents to get their kids to eat cauliflower while they’re mixing a gimlet and puffing on a Pall Mall.

But kids and Branch Davidians aside, are their still people in this country that listen to that crap? I pose this question, of course, because of “Client 9″, aka Eliot Spitzer.

As I write this, Governor Spitzer is about to resign or be impeached, but what I’m most interested in is what becomes of him three, four and five years down the road. Is it possible that a hypocrite of this magnitude can resurrect the trust of the public?

Of course it is!

I’ve lived my whole life just outside of Washington, D.C., where I witnessed the miracle of Marion Barry’s second term as mayor (after all, that goddamn bitch DID set him up!). The mayor of a city ravaged by drugs and crime was caught on video smoking crack with a whore, and was given a second chance as mayor. MAYOR! Did I mention he was SMOKING CRACK!

Jimmy Swaggert and Jim Bakker would get prostitutes all the time. There’d be pictures and first-hand accounts and repeat offenses and So What? Jim Bakker would steal money, commit fraud and go to jail. AND? They both have ministries today that make millions of dollars. “Do as I say, not as I do.” You see, that way, the people in charge can continue controlling things while still having all the fun.

It’s called corruption. And, if this is all true, Eliot Spitzer is corrupt.

If you are an elected official, in any capacity, you simply can’t have it both ways; the slope becomes too slippery. For example, let us say The Emperor’s Club, of which Mr. Spitzer was a client in Washington, decided to expand operations to New York, would the governor be so aggressive in cracking down on that particular business? Hard to imagine he would. Not only is he benefiting from their services, he is also held tightly by the balls. Maybe they even get bold and start asking for favors. Tickets to a show, Jeter autographs, use of the mansion for “private parties”, etc.

Whatever. I don’t live in New York, so I don’t really care. But I know who not to trust if he comes knocking for votes in my neighborhood. And if you are into axioms then remember this one: actions speak louder than words.