Joe Biden asks questions worthy of Thomas Paine: Who the hell are we, and what century is this?

[marmar]

Joe Biden asks questions worthy of Thomas Paine: Who the hell are we, and what century is this?
For all the problems of the Biden White House, the president has no illusions: America faces a historic emergency

By BRIAN KAREM
Columnist
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 6, 2022 9:33AM (EDT)


(Salon) Thomas Paine is sorely missed. We've abandoned the Age of Reason, are lacking in common sense and live in times that truly try men's souls.

"Folks, what century are we in?" President Biden asked the press pool Tuesday afternoon.

His detractors will no doubt seize upon the question as further proof of the president's mental decline, but the facts — and the context — once again won't support it.

Biden was talking about the anachronistic stance of today's Republican Party, a synthesis of evangelicals, crackpots, conspiracy theorists, authoritarians, misogynists, sadists, racists, masochists, flat-earthers and science deniers whose greatest shared characteristics are fear and ignorance.

His question to the press pool was a retort after being asked about contraception and comes on the heels of regressive actions by the Supreme Court toward women and reproductive health care in particular, while certain members of Congress try to throw the nation into a tailspin in order to embrace a time that never existed. ................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2022/10/06/joe-biden-asks-questions-worthy-of-thomas-paine-the-hell-are-we-and-what-century-is-this/

[sanatanadharma]

1. All those Founding Fathers phamphets and papers were debating "who we are (should be)"

They were people of progress and science and possibilities (as understood then), and they certainly were not trying to conserve any of the values of the past Monarchy. The one constant exception is the attempt to conserve one's own privilege.

Few truly want the beastly, mean, miserable, nasty future that is the logical outcome of conservative philosophy when actualized.

[William769]

2. +1

[RussellCattle]

10. +2 Nicely written and a good appraisal of the founders and their action. I have trouble spelling..

...."pamphlets" too.

[4dog]

3. Thomas Paine learned a lot from Native Americans

and if the Framers had managed to put more of their values into the Constitution, and fewer of those of the slavers, we would likely not be in our present Constitutional pickle, with the moral descendants of the slavers trying to roll back the clock.

[niyad]

4. "the problems of the Biden White House", and this guy's "bothsider" barbs

in sevral of his pieces is annoying.

[Midnight Writer]

9. Right. "Certain members of Congress"? Why doesn't he just say "Republicans in Congress"?

I'm getting really aggravated that the media is being so vague about not pointing out where the real problem lies: loony Republicans.

[Lonestarblue]

5. The NYT has an article today that contains a perfect description of the Republican Party--

even though it was written as a description of the libertarian cabal in the UK. The sentence:

“Shrinking the state, cutting taxes and ushering private companies into the public realm are their guiding principles.”

Liz Truss has been on the libertarian bandwagon for some years, and announced a huge tax cut for the wealthy on the advice of a UK libertarian think tank. The result was such a disaster that she had to rescind the plan almost immediately.

But that’s exactly what Republicans want to do to the US. The Koch Foundations alone have donated many millions over the years to push forward their libertarian goals of very small government with few agencies (mostly the military and border control) supported by low taxes and free market capitalism unfettered by any regulations for consumer safety or environmental protection. Plus, no SS, Medicare, Medicaid, or any safety net programs. I don’t remember what they’ve pushed for public education, but they probably want families to fund it from their earnings rather than taxpayers since I doubt they want to educate anyone but white children.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/opinion/truss-kwarteng-uk.html

[scarletlib]

6. Outstanding article.

[hibbing]

7. #1 is the racism imho n/t

[Slammer]

8. Biden vs Trump

Joe Biden asks questions worthy of Thomas Paine: Who the hell are we, and what century is this?


If Trump had asked this, it'd only be signs of his dementia....