Introducing Stengel-gate: I Write a Letter to David Eisner, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Constitution Center
by Aaron WorthingAbout a week ago I published a post at Big Journalism outlining fourteen clear factual errors in Richard Stengel’s essay on the Constitution.
I said at the time that I considered it a journalistic scandal that such an error-ridden piece appeared in Time magazine, a once-respected publication. For instance, in the article he stated remarkably that “[i]f the Constitution was intended to limit the federal government, it sure doesn’t say so.” I have dubbed this scandal “Stengel-gate.”
I also considered it scandalous because of who the author, Richard Stengel, is:
The author is not only the Managing Editor for Time, but he spent two years as President and CEO of the National Constitution Center. And even today, he works with the National Constitution Center’s Peter Jennings Project for Journalists and the Constitution, whose stated mission is “to help both professional journalists and students interested in journalism understand constitutional issues more deeply.” That is right. He is there to help journalists understand the Constitution better.
It has been about a week and the story has even appeared on Fox News. And yet there is apparently no correction, no retraction of the story, or even a defense of it.
So frankly in an effort to keep the heat on, I decided to explore the other end of the scandal: what on earth was he doing working at something called the National Constitution Center?
I plan to spend several days discussing that issue and to kick it off, I decided to write a letter to its current President and CEO, the man holding the position that Richard Stengel once occupied: David Eisner.
So on Tuesday night, I wrote to him directly. You can see the letter I wrote below the fold (the format is slightly altered by wordpress itself).
I do not know if he will respond or how he will respond. But whatever his reaction is, even a non-response, will reflect on him and his organization. And that in and of itself is noteworthy.
——————————————-
David Eisner
President and Chief Executive Officer
National Constitution Center,
525 Arch Street
Independence Mall
Philadelphia, PA 19106
[email omitted]
Dear Mr. Eisner,
My name is Aaron Worthing, and I write to you as a concerned member of the public. I wanted to alert you about the recent statements of one of your members that calls into question his fitness to serve at the National Constitution Center. Specifically, I wanted to talk about Richard Stengel, who used to serve as President and CEO of your organization, and still serves on the Board of Advisors for the Peter Jennings Project for Journalists and the Constitution. This program, as you know, is designed to help journalists to understand the Constitution more deeply. As an attorney and as a private citizen, I consider that to be a laudable goal, very much worth pursuing.
However, I am deeply concerned about what role Mr. Stengel might be playing in your organization given the shocking lack of knowledge that he has recently demonstrated in regards to the Constitution, in his work as Managing Editor of Time magazine. On June 23, Time magazine published a cover story by him entitled “One Document, Under Siege,” discussing the Constitution and its application to four present controversies. I was stunned to discover fourteen clear errors in that Time article and published a piece outlining those errors at Big Journalism. Eight of those errors specifically relate to the interpretation of the Constitution and are generally obvious on the face of the document. The most remarkable paragraph in his piece made this patently false statement about the Constitution:
If the Constitution was intended to limit the federal government, it sure doesn’t say so. Article I, Section 8, the longest section of the longest article of the Constitution, is a drumroll of congressional power. And it ends with the “necessary and proper” clause, which delegates to Congress the power “to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.” Limited government indeed.
(emphasis added.)
That is a direct quote from him, and it does not appear to be taken out of context. I invite you to read his original piece to verify that he did actually say it. I will admit that I could hardly believe it myself when I first saw it.
There are seven other errors that directly relate to the Constitution. They are:
- The Constitution is not law.
- The Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment emancipated the slaves.
- The Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment granted the right to vote to African Americans.
- The original Constitution declared that black people were to be counted as three-fifths of a person.
- The original, unamended Constitution prohibited women from voting.
- The Commerce Clause grants Congress the power to tax individuals based on whether they buy a product or service.
- Social Security is a debt within the meaning of Section Four of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Each of these claims are patently false, and the majority of them can be proven false by doing nothing more than reading the Constitution itself. Indeed many of these points are in my opinion common knowledge. I invite you to read the linked materials and make up your own mind on the subject.
But I wish to ask you, sir, two questions:
First, what is Mr. Stengel’s exact role in the National Constitution Center? Specifically, does he teach others about the Constitution?
Second, does the National Constitution Center have any official statement regarding the serial inaccuracies that appeared in Time, a national magazine, regarding the Constitution?
I will note that your website states that your organization as a whole is “dedicated to increasing public understanding of, and appreciation for, the Constitution, its history, and its contemporary relevance” and therefore I have to believe that once you are made aware of these errors, you would be eager to seek that this information be corrected.
I thank you for taking the time to read this email and to consider the issues that it raises. I eagerly await your response.
Sincerely,
Aaron Worthing
——————————
Please note that this post is expected to be cross-posted at Big Journalism and was adapted from a substantially similar post at Patterico’s Pontifications.
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78 Comments
Time magazine is the "news" written so that 4th graders can understand it.
Which unfortunately is about all the general citizen in this country can take.
Our enemies will always try to destroy and/or circumvent the foundation upon which this great Country was built. Omarxist and Holer do it all the time. We will always fight that to the bitter end. Bring it on Socialist, Marxists and Globalists. We will defend our Constitution forever, and you will be defeated.
Journalistic scandal? Federal Law uses the charge Activities affecting Armed Forces during War.
United States Code
Title 18 Part I Chapter 115
§ 2388. Activities affecting armed forces during war
(a) Whoever, when the United States is at war, willfully makes or conveys false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States or to promote the success of its enemies; or
Whoever, when the United States is at war, willfully causes or attempts to cause insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty, in the military or naval forces of the United States, or willfully obstructs the recruiting or enlistment service of the United States, to the injury of the service or the United States, or attempts to do so—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
(b) If two or more persons conspire to violate subsection (a) of this section and one or more such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each of the parties to such conspiracy shall be punished as provided in said subsection (a).
(c) Whoever harbors or conceals any person who he knows, or has reasonable grounds to believe or suspect, has committed, or is about to commit, an offense under this section, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.
(d) This section shall apply within the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction of the United States, and on the high seas, as well as within the United States.
Socialists will never do anything but spread lies and propaganda concerning the U.S. Constitution since it is the complete opposite of any communist/socialist agenda.
EXCELLENT!
Way to go Aaron!
Keep shining the light of truth…..roaches will continue to scatter or be squashed!
Mr. Worthing,
You may have uncovered another leftist lying organization. I hope not, but if true, we need to make sure that every citizen is made aware. Some other leftisit lying organizations are ACORN and Planned Parenthood. Keep up the pressure and shine the light, I am sure that not many Americans were aware how many cockroaches were around.
Thank you for your diligence and your hard work.
Very, very nice.
Typical of the MSM being shills for Communism/Obama. They lie, the tout it enough and it sticks no matter if they print a retraction on page 68 next to the ad on Viagra.
Time, you can kiss my ass.
look forward to hearing the response- good work Mr. Worthing. Thank you for keeping the public educated and for your hard work.
Good Job Aaron!!!
When they propagate LIES and misinformation We must hold their feet to the fire.
The second amendment implies we have a small central government, and should be armed to protect our freedoms from tyrants, foreign and DOMESTIC.
We dont have a second amendment for hunting, although it is a benefit of SELF PROTECTION
It amazes me how this crap can be published un-challenged. In the old days (70s?) other publications would have jumped all over this. Now, it's OK to fabricate information to make history and historical documents fit the narrative, whith no major MSM outlet uttering a word.
Constitutional incompetents from the lefty activist media "teaching" journ-o-listas about the constitution, that's hilarious and disturbingly sad.
None of these losers should be allowed within 1000 feet of a classroom or a minor!
Is it so hard to believe that the twisted liberal world view process a document that is as clearly written as The Constitution of These United States and conjure up this drivel?
He lives in a world where: taxes create jobs, every dollar of taxes creates $1.40 in economic activity, sharing the sacrifices makes us all better off…
Psychosis is a loss of contact with reality, usually including false beliefs about what is taking place or who one is (delusions) and seeing or hearing things that aren't there (hallucinations).
I think the entire liberal establishment may be off their meds.
Keep up the good fight, Mr. Worthing
Seems to me that the 'National Constitution Center' is to constitutional education, what "Media Matters" is to the fairness & accuracy in media—an absolute scam of progressive misinformation.
It has to be enforced to be effective and that is the major downfall of our society at the present, no one is enforcing long standing laws.
I would say dont hold your breath for a response at all, some screener is going to chuck the letter into a spam bin.
I hope Mr. Worthing sent a hard copy directly to the top executive of Time asking them why they publish such drivel and lies. I would also ask them how much did Soros pay you to promote lies and back obamasama's agenda.
Someday Time mag will be relegated to a rubbish heap like some old, useless and irrelevant comic book.
to whatever extent 0bama & Co. have actually studied the Constitution, it is for the sole purpose of finding loopholes. Stengel & the MSM are actively complicit in providing cover for this exercise.
A failure in leadership.
New people at Justice are needed.
The old people at Justice need to be charged with Treason.
The loony left has NEVER liked or appreciated our Constitution.
Now they want to "change" it in the minds of the the drone crowd, most of whom, have never read it, for the express purpose of further subverting it for their own ends.
This bunch of glaring errors was no mistake.
Just TIME's attempt at revision..
My interpretation of freedom of the press does not extend to journalists. Does the constitution mention journalists? NO. Does it mention freedom of the printed word? NO. It just gives freedom to the printing press I guess.
Now I believe I am ready to write for Time. I can distort with the best of them.
And mine. Time is no more relevant or credible than the NYT–only leftists and the weak pay it any mind.
The Narrative demands that the constitution be marginalized, even ridiculed…
And TIME- like the rest of the Progressive fishwraps- is dedicated to The Narrative. The simple fact that what Eisner said is not only demonstrably NOT true, but is a deliberate corrosive added to the mix at the same moment other publications (NEWSWEEK, NY Times) are also questioning the validity of the Constitution.
Almost like it was planned.
One of Glenn Beck's great services to this country was exposing the fraud that is the Progressive media. Largely funded by one-worlder (HIS world) Georgie 'spooky dude' Soros, there are literally dozens of media organizations
(Many fraudulent 501c's like media matters) financed by him that spend 100% of their time A) attacking FOX news, and B) advancing the lie that Obama is either following the constitution, or it doesn't matter anymore.
The Constitution is an ironclad set of rules we all agree on. It LIMITS what government can do TO us.
This is anathema to the Progressive movement, which sees this as an impedement to their forced collectivization.
It is, and with God's good graces it shall remain to be…
Well said Mr. Worthing. I respectfully submit that you should not hold your breath waiting for an intelligent response.
I wouldn't use it to wipe with nor would I puppy potty train with it. I might use it to smack a regresso on the nose with but…
Top of the day to ya Petro. Let's rattle the cages of ignorance shall we?
Too many bird cage liners and not enough birds.
Nice article Aaron. I look forward to Mr. Eisner's response.
It would seem that Mr. Stengel hasn't figured out exactly how to "spin" his response, or, he's too arrogant to respond.
So much for those toothless hillbillies.
If only our justice system, Congress, and the POTUS would enforce laws as written.
Learning about the Constitution has long ceased,….
being an important topic in the education of our children.
The next step in the elimination of the relevance of this document,……
has obviously begun.
"Intellectual" discussion by the;…
"President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Constitution Center"
wooowwww,…..he has got to know what he is talking about.
Thank you Mr. Worthing.
I see the "Distinguished Scholars Advisory Panel" includes Breyer and O'Connor from SCOTUS.
It also includes Bill Moyers. And Cass Sunstein.
Be fewer Liberals running around this Nation, that is for sure.
"Peter Jennings Project for Journalists and the Constitution"
Wait — was Jennings ever a US citizen?
I disagree vehemently with regard to your second sentence. I have a lot more respect for the general citizenry of our country than that. I would agree that there is a readily identifiable portion of the population that refuses to understand anything that is not explained to them at a fourth or third grade level — we call them liberals. However, they certainly do not comprise the "general citizenry." Just ask any TEA Partier, who is far more representative of the general citizenry.
Very well put! Liberalism is a mental illness; co-dependence writ large.
Time is still in circulation?
You said it all in your opening statement; "Time magazine, a once-respected publication."
Lead the way, I just got done with yard work and would like to rub a Libs face in my armpits….
Obama does it all the time and no one questions what comes out of his mouth………sad
Now that's what I'm talkin bout.
Give credit where credit is due…the progressives have worked long and hard to infiltrate and set up a destructive path of of this country by taking over the media.
Sharing sacrifices DOES make us all better off.
Me thinks it is more than liberals off their meds.
But not before he forwards it around so others can get a laugh too.
What conservative can't distort with the best of them?
"Glenn Beck's great services to this country" thats all you had to say to show you should be ignored.
Did Jennings have to be a US citizen? Is it required in the Constitution?
Go Aaron! Keep it coming!!!
You hit the nail on the head!
Raising taxes on the rich is NOT shared sacrifice. The "rich", including those making $250,000, create jobs. If they get taxed high enough, they don't create jobs. They leave the state or the country and go elsewhere.
Businesses are not created for charity, they are created to make a profit. In the meantime, a side-effect is that it does create jobs where people can work and get paid money so that they can buy a place to live, buy food, buy clothes, which in turn helps other businesses and other employees.
Cutting the taxes for EVERYONE who now pays them, or perhaps a flat tax where everyone pays something, is the shared sacrifice we should be talking about.
What's to laugh about. The article had obvious inaccuracies and should be corrected. If news is about giving out information to people, then when wrong information is provided it should be retracted and corrected.
Wow, ignored because he happens to agree with someone you don't agree with.
And you supposedly support a libertarian for President?
Yeah, and if anyone believes that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn for ya. Real cheap. Sign here.
That's all I need to know about that organization.
LEFT WING all the way.
It would seem that this "constitutional expert" takes the Barbossa approach to the Constitution…
And I intentionally misquote: "First, your return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement so I must do nothing. And secondly, you must be a Politician or Journalist for the Constitution to apply and you're not. And thirdly, the Constitution is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules. Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Miss Turner . "
no, sir- it is you who should be ignored.
Frequently…
No, because he agrees with Glenn Beck. There are plenty of other people he could agree with, whom I don't agree with, that would be perfectly respectable. Glenn Beck is not one of those. Let alone to refer to the "great services" Beck provides us! Not since televangelism has a character of such creepy wares been allowed a megaphone on television to build his empire of cultist rubes.
I've watched Beck's program, every single time I wonder how anyone can believe the feces he is shoveling. Nothing else exemplifies the weakness of conservative ideology than being a fan of Glenn Beck. But hey, if conspiracy theories, chalkboards and grown men crying are your thing, Beck is here to help satisfy your fetish.
"And you supposedly support a libertarian for President? Yeah, and if anyone believes that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn for ya. Real cheap. Sign here."
Johnson is my guy, as I said. Beck is a moron, not a Libertarian.
Sorry to correct you again on a technical point, but, the bridge you want to sell is for those who would believe me, not for me actually, in your little analogy there.
I'm rubber, you're glue…
Fair point and taken, but it sure seems like I'm right sometimes.
Oh well.
"However, they certainly do not comprise the 'general citizenry.'"
If that's the case, how did Obama get elected?
Where did all of our trolls go? Did we scare them all away?
Time Magazine = Yellow journalism
I copied, slightly edited and sent off the same letter to the at ceo@constitutioncenter.org
why not all of us do the same?
Beck has the best research team in the business..
You may not like him. That's your affair. But he has been CORRECT on the issues.
Show one- ONE area where he has been wrong. His errors have been minor, and few. But he has provided the historical context for the Progressive movement and as such is the most hated man in America- by the Progressive Left.
Is that where YOU stand?…
To be fair to you, I'd say that there are certainly an awful lot of idiots out there. Still, they can run their own lives better than the government can, which is why conservatism works and liberalism fails. It's all about personal responsibility. I know that we agree on those points, of course.
"Raising taxes on the rich is NOT shared sacrifice."
I agree with that sentiment. I wouldn't describe an action of shared sacrifice to be an action of raising taxes on the rich. I support raising taxes on the rich regardless. Rather, at least restore their tax rates to what they were in 1999. They've enjoyed the increase in wealth for about a decade now, it hasn't translated into job creation in the US. The only result is rich people with more wealth. They're already wealthy, so restoring their rates wouldn't affect them and it would help reduce the deficit.
I don't bemoan their wealth, good for them, I'd like to be one of them. But lets be grown ups now, our deficit is a priority, cutting taxes for the rich doesn't help the economy or the deficit, so lets pick some low hanging fruit and get this ship righted. Its time to expire Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy, in addition to big spending reductions.
You want tto talk about shared sacrifice, lets start with the burden of our wars. Lets raise taxes right now on everyone to pay for OUR wars. Its not right that the burden of our wars completely rests on the backs of our military members and their loved ones, and the next generation that will pay for OUR wars.. We all should be required to sacrifice for the effort. Thats where we should start in any discussion of shared sacrifice.
Its astounding anyone has the gall to even talk about cutting taxes right now. We already pay historically low taxes, and given the severity of our deficit and debt, it is simply crazy to think now is the time to reduce taxes. But, thats what we get when people ignore reality and common sense in a desperate attempt to cling to ideology.
Just because you and a gaggle of right wingers thinks its inaccurate, doesn't mean it is. The right is notoriously inaccurate with their rhetoric and messaging, so no one can trust what the right says on its face. I'll read the Time article and the applicable parts of the Constitution to make my own conclusion.
But Beck doesn't even talk about real things. He aggregates facts to make a wholesale conspiracy conclusion, he makes connections and associations that aren't accurate, he connects disparate factoids as though they are related, all to come up with the same conclusion: you should be scared.
And he does it all with a strong emotional appeal to xenophobic tendencies of his audience. Thats his hook, thats how he can build the cult he has. He rings the bell and the rats come running for their meal of frenzied conspiracy. He gives what you want, and makes you dimmer in the process.
But, he became wealthy and powerful in the process, so to say he is successful is quite accurate. Its just too bad so many people are so gullible to buy it, so lost in the forest that a charlatan like Beck is able to lead the acolytes to the pool of stupidity. Ah, good old fashioned, ignorant Americans, never has arrogance found a better home than the empty shell of American conservative souls.
say what you will- but he is telling people things we've known to be true for decades, and is spot on correct about both the so-called 'arab spring' being engineered by the current lot, and the Progressive's 100 year plan of takeover, and the Cloward Piven strategy.
He has 34 death threats at any given time and spend $2 mil a year on security.
He may be an emotional man who knows how to make connections with his audience.
But he IS demonstrably correct in his core assertions, something you have YET to challenge…
You may think these are things you've known to be true, could be these are things you think are true, things you WANT to believe are true – problem is, you believe they're true before you have any evidence to think they're true. Thats where Beck's crack research teams come in to gather up some factoids so Glenn can string them together and present a narrative that reinforces your beliefs. Thats the gig, and it is a lucrative one. Faith and loyalty go a long way to make Beck rich.
"He has 34 death threats at any given time and spend $2 mil a year on security."
He made his bed, now he lies in it, and lies to you while he's in it. Its too bad his liberty is impugned like this, but really, he chooses his words and he knows how controversial he is. Its what his audience wants, so he chooses to put up with the crazies who would threaten him so he can make his livelihood. It'd be courageous if he weren't such a snake-oil salesman.
I'll let the experts show you how misleading he can be: http://www.politifact.com/personalities/glenn-bec...
They fact-checked 23 things Beck has stated, 3 were found to be true or mostly true.
" the so-called 'arab spring' being engineered by the current lot"
Really, how in the hell do you think that is demonstrably true? They can't pacify Iraq, yet you think they can engineer a popular uprising in Egypt? Really?
This from Beck's website::
Are you helping to pay for the Arab Spring? Glenn said on radio that leaders of Egypt and Tunisia are now going to the G8 and requesting funding. “The G8 has decided to give $40 billion to fund the Arab countries trying to establish free democracies,” Glenn said.
Why is this an issue?
(Answer: its not)
“We told you yesterday that the Nazi party is actually being formed in Egypt. The Nazi party,” Glenn said.
(Why does this matter, other than to get your hackles up? Guess what, freedom is messy. When people are free, they do things like establish a Nazi party, and worse! But these meaningless words get you fired up don't they?)
“A Christian lawyer living in the United States was now stripped of his Egyptian citizenship and banned from entering Egypt. According to a lawyer handling the case he’s guilty of insulting Islam, supporting Judaism and calling for the killing of Arabs,” Glenn also reported. “You know, it’s strange, because I don’t see anybody in Egypt banning anyone — I don’t know if this guy did — and if he did call for the killing of Arabs, he’s wrong. But I don’t see anybody in Egypt banning anybody’s citizenship or putting anybody in jail for calling for the death of Jews.”
(How can you not see how misleading that can be? A Christian lawyer is banned from Egypt – why does that matter? Because he or she is a Christian, so we should be pissed off about it…
And a lawyer handling the case gives us the reasons… who is this lawyer, why should we believe him/her? Should we rely on only one side of the story? Ah, but Beck said it, it must be true, he has the best researchers in the business.
And the cherry on top- Glen doesn't see anyone else in Egypt being banned… really, Glen's researchers are keeping tabs on all 83 million people in Egypt and they can verify no others are being banned?)
So in this example Glenn offers wild generalities and profers his conclusive opinion, and these are the types of assertions you believe are demonstrably correct?
Progressives have a 100 year plan? They can't plan 2 years ahead, how in the hell do they have a 100 year plan? And don't you think they want to take over a bit sooner than 100 years from now? But it scares you if you don't think about it.
I'd think Cloward Piven is a conservative strategy if the creators didn't explain they're goal is to creat a socialist utopia. Rather convenient to pull out the Cloward Piven strategy to scare you at a time our social programs for the elderly and poor are straining our federal budget. I'd challenge you to demonstrate how this 45 year old theory is related to Obama. But I bet Beck demonstrated it for you, and I'd bet a picture of Stalin was involved. Its not a bad strategy actually (other than the creators' goal),
one more contuance…
I'd be fine with that if the result is ideal – fewer people on welfare and far less tax money wasted.
Sorry to be blunt, but Beck would still be in a gutter if not for the faith and loyalty of rubes like yourself.
And sorry to blab so much. Indeed, it takes a lot of words to unravel the narrative Beck feeds you and point out a few ways he is misleading. Take any example from any show ever and it is the same, full of generalities, exaggerations, conspiracies, and primarily Glenn Beck's opinion. You share the opinion, so naturally for conservatives, you think its fact.
your examples are extremely poor generalities of your opinion…
And with fine formal educations and worldwide experiences you could only dream of, 'rubes' as a pejorative shows you to be a typical media matters troll whose pretense is to engage in intelligent conversation and then march out simplistic talking points to confuse the matter.
The arab spring nonsense is a result of Google executives and the Clinton state department advancing Samantha Power's traitorous notion of 'Responsibility to Protect' act, which WILL culminate in backing the Israelis into a corner and allowing Palestine to become the seat of the new islamic caliphate.
He is dead on correct on this.
And the 60's radical marxists who worshipped at the feet of Frances Fox Piven are now in charge- and Obama IS surrounded by communists and Malthusian eugenicists.
He was right about that as well.
So no matter what your soporific assertion, Beck has done a service to this country.
Hopefully it will culminate in the marginalization of people like you.
One can only hope…
Glenn and his team research and use people's OWN WORDS from audio and video. He connects dots. I don't think I've ever seen him go far out on a limb with his theories.
He was correct from the get go about the so-called "Arab Spring". While "conservatives" were crowing about "democracy" he saw it for what it was, and frankly so did I. Not to say that some who were out in the crowd really wanted freedom, but I knew from the get go that the people weren't necessarily looking for Western style freedom, but freedom FROM the West because Mubarak represented the West. Yes, he wasn't a nice guy either, but he also had an agreement regarding Israel. As soon as I heard the crowd talking about going after Israel, I knew it was bullsh!t. But somehow Bill Kristol knew Beck was wrong.
"Progressives have a 100 year plan?"
You need to pay attention to history if you think they do not have a plan.
"I'd challenge you to demonstrate how this 45 year old theory is related to Obama."
Overwhelm the system. Food stamp rolls went up during Obama's first 3 years in office. Unemployment is up. He keeps doing the same stupid moves over and over again and unemployment either goes up or doesn't go down. 14.1 million Americans are unemployed. And then they have the 99ers.
Oh, and now the FHA loan recipients will be able to not pay mortgages for a year before foreclosures will be started against them. And we wonder why the housing market is still faltering in most places and house prices continue to go down?
Overwhelm the system.
And btw, Beck always says do your homework and we do.
Apparently you don't. Your head is in the sand. Or up your third point of contact.
"cutting taxes for the rich doesn't help the economy"
Yes it does. See Harding, Coolidge and Reagan. Employers are not hiring, businesses are not expanding right now because they don't know what their future tax liabilities are going to be. Employers and businesses like stability and they like to be able top project liabilities and profit. Right now it's not possible and certainly if taxes are raised, especially payroll taxes, that will continue to kill the economy.
We don't have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem.
As for wars, I would say that right now they have run their course. Afghanistan and Iraq are not Europe or Japan. Rebuilding them is simply not possible. We perhaps can leave small contingents there just in case the fit hits the shan, but it's useless.
As for propping up Europe's defenses, I'm done with them. It's about time they grew up and did that job themselves, all by themselves.
I'm not an isolationist or anything, but I think I'm done with foreign aid and propping up Europe. That would save some money.
So would shrinking the gov't. Then taxes don't have to be raised. If we cut in the right places in the right amounts, we'll find the money to pay down the debt without having to raise taxes.
Excuse me, but learned people who have studied the Constitution know its wrong. Heck, as the author of the original article has stated – any person who can read can read the Constitution and know that what TIME said was wrong.
And what examples do you have of the inaccuracy of the "right".
"I'll read the Time article and the applicable parts of the Constitution to make my own conclusion."
Yeah, you go ahead and do that. That's good and you'll find out the guy was wrong exactly where the author said he was wrong.
this is a media matters troll who is pretending to be a libertartian- but if you look closely he defends social programs and defends Obama.
This is hardly libertarian stuff.
You correctly pointed out facts that Beck presented using their own words. He comes back with a website called 'politifact' which is financed by the Annenberg Project. Wonder where we heard of them before.
Could it be the links Beck established from Soros on down? As Lady Sarah would say, 'you betcha'.
He did not reply to the last post we put up. The simple FACT that Mark Lloyd, John Holdren, Eric Holder, Ron Bloom, Andy Stern, Richard Trumka (we could go on) are either communists, Malthusian eugenicists, or social utopians is NOT either questioned nor rebutted.
They think themsleves FAR more clever than they truly are…
What do "genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing (mass atrocities)" have to do with Egypt's popular uprising? The UN didn't go into Egypt… And what do those things have to do with Israel? Israel may be using excessive violence and some immoral tactics against Palestinians, but nothing to the level of war crimes or ethnic cleansing.
Ah, whatever. Seems you're pretty well under Beck's spell. Thats some pretty prose all right – "backing the Israelis into a corner and allowing Palestine to become the seat of the new islamic caliphate." Um, the Palestinians, the ones whose main weapons are rocks and crude missiles that are less accurate than bottle rockets? Against an Israeli army that has technology almost equal to the US and tons of money? Boy, Israel is in trouble there.
How do you know Beck is/was dead on correct and right about those two things? They haven't happened, they aren't reality. Beck spun a few facts into a conspiracy. Its still just a conspiracy, for which the evidence is quite tenuous, which is why, as I expressed, faith and loyalty are key ingredients to his snake oil.
I think it will be the opposite, Beck's style and opinion are what is and will become more so, marginalized. Its on the margin, the extreme, already anyway. Americans are moderate in general, only the fervent attitude of Beck's followers has made him such a celebrity, a media darling. But good luck anyway.
Yes, Beck connects dots… into conspiracies.
That "somehow" you wonder about regarding Bill Kristol knowing Beck was wrong.. its called common sense and reality. Put those two things together, its easy to see Beck's BS.
You heard the crowd talking about going after Israel. Just like you heard tea partiers talking about going after coloreds. Ridiculous, right?
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