September 28, 2010

"Boy, that's an overwhelmingly white crowd."

Says Instapundit, looking at my pictures from the Obama rally.

That's also a popular observation in the comments. Seven Machos started it:
I see white people...
Palladian said:
Do you think they'll photoshop a little diversity in that crowd, the way they used to at the University of Wisconsin-Madison?
Revenant said:
Heh! Yeah, it IS whiter than a typical tea party rally, isn't it?
Yes, that's the thing. If these were pictures of a tea party rally...

216 comments:

«Oldest   ‹Older   201 – 216 of 216
Anonymous said...

Joe -- Come on. Only a partisan would suggest that rich people create jobs and poor people do not. Look at how many government jobs the poor create.

Be nonpartisan.

Calypso Facto said...

Just so we're on the same page, Matt, with this being a mid-term Congressional election and all:

The Republican controlled Congresses of 2001-2006 increased the US gross debt by $2.8 Trillion (about 50%) in 6 years ($433 Billion/year). The Democratic Congresses of 2007-2010 have increased the US gross debt by $5 Trillion (about 60%) in 4 years ($1.25 Trillion/year). So yes, recent Republican spending was bad. But recent Democratic spending was 400% worse! Do you get why people might be a little pissed and ready to wrest Democratic hands off the Treasury in November? Or do you understand that jacked up tax rates won't begin to fill this hole? (Letting the Bush-era cuts lapse will bring in a projected maximum of $200 Billion.) The problem isn't taxes, it's spending. Pure and simple.

Anonymous said...

Also, nonpartisan and super-smart Matt, another complex paradox for you: taxes collected often go up when tax rates go down.

How can such a thing be?

Joe said...

Calypso it's a 300% in increase, spending is 400% greater, but the increase is measured new-old/old...

Matt said...

Seven Machos & Joe

Well you're hardly nonpartisan either, right? Taxes 100%? Umm...what? Not reasonable and you know that is not my argument. I'm simply asking for taxes to be raised to a level they were under Clinton. Hardly that high. The rich knew taxes were coming with Obama.

Why is it that partisans always accuse the other side of extreme views? The left hates the Tea Party so they label them racists. The right hates entitlements so they label people in favor of them communists? It's absurd.

Look, I think the debt is fucking serious. But a good number of working folks who complain about the debt do not seem to realize that there are TWO primary choices: Raise fucking taxes or cut fucking programs. Which will it be? I am a liberal. I say raise taxes. Reagan did it. We survived.

Also, Seven, The Tea Party is not a party BY ITSELF. It is a branch of the GOP. Even if the GOP does not recognize it they will hardly ignore it if it helps their cause in taking back the House and Senate. If the Tea Party had candidates that were truly a third party you might have a point. But it is still a two party system.

Joe said...

(The Crypto Jew)

Well let's cut the F*cking programs, then?

As Limbaugh likes to say, I have less money from having lost my job, I need to cut back...

BUT the government can NEVER do with less money, right?

Anonymous said...

I am a liberal.

I thought you were nonpartisan.

Dude, nobody here arguing with you is nonpartisan. No one said they were. Except you. And you are perfectly partisan.

You also aren't particularly smart, as you now show by your inability to understand why taxes prevent growth and why it would be economically bizarre to raise tax rates in a near depression. This is also funny given your characterization of Tea Party types as "not bright."

Go read some more Matt Taibbi, dude. More your skill level.

blake said...

I'm non-partisan. I'm on my way to becoming a partisan, because I think there's a chance to knock the stupid -- well, SOME of the stupid -- out of the GOP.

With luck, that'll drag the Dems away from Moscow. When they're fighting over who can cut the most government, then my work will be done.

Matt said...

Seven Machos
Your reading comprehension is questionable. I never said I was nonpartisan. As in never ever. Go back and read what I said.

Yes, I am partisan. Yes, I too fall under the umbrella of my accusations against partisans. But let me clarify. Not ALL partisans are like that ALL the time. I wouldn't hang out on this blog if I thought everyone here was an extreme right winger with a closed mind. [Some are to be honest].

Joe
I think corporations and business leaders DO create jobs. I'm not saying to fuck them. I'm saying raising taxes on those making 250k is hardly some radical idea. That said, tax incentives for them is on the table too. I am not as radical as you may think. My views are considered left by right wingers and moderate to right by the left. It's nuts. Try going over to Talk Left blog and talk sense. They label Obama a Republican.

Anonymous said...

What is the implication of labeling some group of obviously partisan people (by definition of participating actively in politics) if not to call yourself not partisan, or somehow less partisan?

Even a third-rate hack like Matt Tiabbi would back me up here.

Also, if you want to tax people making over $250,000 a year, you don't want to tax "the rich." You merely want to tax people who make more than you do. Truly rich people find ways to shelter their money. It is middle class people with incomes higher than yours who foolishly pay these absurd rates you want.

And you are comical if you believe that it is wise to raise taxes on anyone in this economy. The reason the Great Depression lasted as long as it did had nothing to do with the economy itself and everything to do with the idiots making federal policy.

Sofa King said...

Matt -

Do you have any thoughts about Hauser's Law and how it might affect your preferred policy?

exhelodrvr1 said...

Matt,
"I'm saying raising taxes on those making 250k is hardly some radical idea"

Those are the small business owners. You think that will encourage them to hire more people?

blake said...

A lot of stupid ideas aren't radical at all.

Calypso Facto said...

Re: Joe and my faulty accounting.

I blame Sailor Jerry's evil influence and a last minute edit before "publish". Thanks for posting the correction.

Michael said...

The best thing about Althouse is having the chance to read the unedited thoughts of liberals on matters economic. The lack of a grasp of the simplest concepts is stunning. My all time favorite was the writer who believed that if a stock went up one dollar on a float of a million shares the company had an extra million dollars in its coffers. This economic stupidity is prevalent on the left.
Matt: If capital gains taxes are raised next year I will not sell. Capital gains is a voluntary tax and if the tax goes up by 5 percentage points my holdings have to increase 33 percent to get even on an after tax basis. You should be able to get this simple concept and use it as a foundation for learning more about disincentives in the tax structure.

Castle said...

Thank you for posting this. It appears that Wisconsin is not as "diverse" as their Wikipedia page proclaims! I once attended a safety speakers conference in Madison that looked almost exactly like the pictures of this rally.
http://drebinger.com

«Oldest ‹Older   201 – 216 of 216   Newer› Newest»