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Sunday, May 2, 2021

 PROGRESSIVES – A TIME TO LISTEN AND THINK WITHOUT ABANDONING OUR PRINCIPLES
COMPILATION AND COMMENTARY
BY LUCY WARNER
MAY 2, 2021 

JAMES CARVILLE SPEAKS HIS MIND 

“FACULTY LOUNGE JARGON” AND “COSMOPOLITAN SMUGNESS” WILL NOT WIN OVER AMERICAN HEARTS AND MINDS, ACCORDING TO JAMES CARVILLE. CARVILLE IS JOKINGLY CRITIQUED FOR HIS WORDS AND CALLED AN “OLD MAN,” BUT IT IS TRUE THAT ANY SORT OF SMUGNESS OR IN-GROUP LANGUAGE WILL BE LESS READILY UNDERSTOOD AND EFFECTIVE THAN CLARITY, OPENNESS AND RESPECT. I BELIEVE HE HAS MADE A VALID COMMENT, BUT OF COURSE HE HAS BEEN CRITICIZED. WATCH HIS COMMENTS FROM A FEW DAYS AGO. 


 James Carville: This is a problem for Democrats, 02:19 MIN.
New Day
CNN's W. Kamau Bell responds after political consultant James Carville says "wokeness" could hurt Democrats going forward.
Source: CNN 
 

IN THIS LATER VIDEO, CARVILLE EXPANDS HIS IDEA, AND IN MY VIEW IT STILL MAKES SENSE. HE IS A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN PANNED IN THE PAST FOR BEING BRASH, BLUNT AND MAYBE A NUT JOB, BUT HE IS NOT ALWAYS ANY OF THOSE THINGS. THIS INTERVIEW IS AN EXAMPLE OF HIS SPEAKING HIS MIND CLEARLY BUT HUMANELY. IT IS PROBABLY CLEAR THAT I HAVE ALWAYS LIKED CARVILLE. THAT IS BECAUSE I AM NO FAN OF TOO MUCH SMOOTHNESS. I THINK IT IS  CLOSELY LINKED WITH DISHONESTY AND BACK-HANDED DEALING. 

FOR THOSE WHO DIDN’T SEE IT AT THE TIME OR MAY WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN, THE READERS MAY WISH TO SIT DOWN WITH A BOWL OF POPCORN AND WATCH THE GREAT COMIC MOVIE ON THE BILL CLINTON PRESIDENCY, CALLED PRIMARY COLORS, FROM 1998, AND NOTICE HOW CARVILLE WAS PORTRAYED THERE. HE CAME ACROSS TO AMERICANS AT THAT TIME AS BEING A LITTLE SCARY, BUT HE WAS ALWAYS CLEARLY INTELLIGENT. HE WAS ALSO CALLED AT LEAST ONCE IN THE NEWS “BILL CLINTON’S PIT BULL.” 

IN THIS CASE HE IS BEING PRUDENT, BUT NOT RIGHTIST. WHILE WITHDRAWING AS A NATION FROM ANY FORM OF RACISM OR BIAS IS ESSENTIAL, IN-GROUP WORDS LIKE “LATINX” STRIKE ME AS BEING A LITTLE SILLY, AND “WOKE” IS ANOTHER OF THOSE. IT SAYS A LOT ABOUT JAMES CARVILLE AND HIS BASIC GOOD WILL THAT HE IS MARRIED TO A BRASH, BLUNT CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR OF THE TIME NAMED MARY MATALIN, OF CNN’S CROSSFIRE FAME. TOGETHER THEY HAVE TWO DAUGHTERS. FOR BACKGROUND ON MATALIN I SUGGEST WIKIPEDIA: HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/MARY_MATALIN.   

I DO USE WIKIPEDIA FREQUENTLY AND WITHOUT APOLOGY. MANY OF THE INTELLECTUAL ELITE, OR WANNABES ALONG THOSE LINES, THROW SCORN ON WIKIPEDIA, BUT FOR QUICK, IN DEPTH INFORMATION IT IS HARD TO BEAT. FACTS ON ALMOST ANY ARTICULABLE SUBJECT CAN BE FOUND THERE. AS WITH ANY SOURCE OF DATA, IF A STATEMENT SEEMS INACCURATE OR BIASED, RESEARCH THE SUBJECT IN GREATER DEPTH ON THE INTERNET. 

WIKIPEDIA IS ONE OF THE FEW ONLINE INFORMATION SOURCES THAT I DO GIVE MY WIDOW’S MITE TO ON A MONTHLY BASIS, AND A LITTLE MORE WHEN THEY ACTUALLY ASK FOR HELP. THEY ARE A NON-PROFIT BUSINESS, AND DO NOT GET THEIR FUNDING FROM CLICKS. 

THE FOLLOWING CLIP SUMMARIZES WIKIPEDIA’S LEGAL IDENTITY AND THEIR PURPOSE: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Ten_things_you_may_not_know_about_Wikipedia#:~:text=Wikipedia%20is%20a%20non%2Dcommercial,bring%20free%20knowledge%20to%20everyone.   

“We are not for sale. If you're waiting for Wikipedia to be bought by your friendly neighborhood Internet giant, don't hold your breath. Wikipedia is a non-commercial website run by the Wikimedia Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in San Francisco. We are supported by donations and grants, and our mission is to bring free knowledge to everyone.” 

“OUR MISSION IS TO BRING FREE KNOWLEDGE TO EVERYONE.” IF THERE IS ONE THING THAT WE NEED MORE OF IN THIS NATION WHICH IS RAPIDLY BECOMING ONE OF OF THE PRIVILEGED AND THE POOR, IT IS FREE KNOWLEDGE, FOR IT IS KNOWLEDGE THAT CAN BE THE FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT RUNG ON THE LADDER OF PRESENT AND FUTURE SUCCESS IN A FREE SOCIETY. TOO MANY OF US BELIEVE THAT THE ONLY LEGITIMATE OR USEFUL PURPOSE FOR MORE KNOWLEDGE IS TO GAIN MORE HIGHLY PAID WORK. I DISAGREE. 

I BELIEVE A “GOOD” EDUCATION IS ULTIMATELY FOR THE HIGHER PURPOSE OF EXPANDING THE INNER MIND AND SOUL, AND THAT RELIABLE INFORMATION NEEDS TO BE FREE OF CHARGE AND WRITTEN ON A LEVEL THAT MOST HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES CAN READ IT WITH UNDERSTANDING, LIKE THE DAILY NEWSPAPER. A FAMILY WITH CHILDREN NEEDS A PRINT NEWSPAPER, SOME REFERENCE MATERIALS AND A GOOD ILLUSTRATED DICTIONARY, IN MY VIEW. ONE OF SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS AND PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN'S GOALS IS A "HUMAN INFRASTRUCTURE" WHICH INCLUDES FREE BROADBAND. THAT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WIKIPEDIA GOES FURTHER THAN BOOKS, IN THAT IT INCLUDES INTERACTIVE EXPLAINER LINKS TO OTHER WIKIPEDIA ARTICLES, CONTINUAL UPDATES, CAUTIONS BY WIKIPEDIA'S EDITORS WHEN THEY BELIEVE THAT THE INFORMATION IN AN ARTICLE NEEDS TO BE FURTHER RESEARCHED AND EDITED. IN ADDITION TO WIKIPEDIA, OUR BASIC SEARCH ENGINES LIKE GOOGLE ARE ALWAYS A SOURCE OF DEFINITIONS FOR THOSE WORDS OR PHRASES THAT WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND. EVEN SCIENTIFIC TOPICS ARE USUALLY WRITTEN IN WIKIPEDIA ON A LEVEL THAT WILL NOT REQUIRE A PHD IN THE SUBJECT TO MAKE SENSE OF IT. 

ANYONE WHO HAS READ MY COMMENTS IN THE PAST KNOWS THAT I BELIEVE STRONGLY IN LIFELONG LEARNING. THAT APHORISM, “A MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE,” SAYS IT ALL. AS FOR THE USEFULNESS OF AN EDUCATION WHICH INCLUDES A STRONG EMPHASIS ON THE HUMANITIES, I BELIEVE IT IS TRUE TO SAY THAT MOST REASONABLY WELL-EDUCATED AND HUMANE PEOPLE, FOSTERED BY SUCH BROADENING AND ENLIGHTENING KNOWLEDGE, WILL NOT RAMPAGE THROUGH THE CAPITOL BUILDING OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, HUNTING LIKE A PACK OF FERAL DOGS FOR NATIONAL LEADERS TO INJURE OR EVEN KILL, BEATING POLICE OFFICERS TO DEATH AND, ACCORDING TO ONE REPORT, ACTUALLY SMEARING FECES ON THE WALLS. THAT GOES BEYOND THE UNCIVILIZED INTO THE INSANE. BEING A GREAT NATION INVOLVES MORE THAN WEALTH AND POWER. 

I CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAME TO THIS PLACE AS A SOCIETY, BUT I BELIEVE THAT BETTER EDUCATION FOR EVERYONE AND AN INCOME THAT RISES WELL ABOVE THE POVERTY LEVEL IS THE WAY OUT. AS INDIVIDUALS WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PAY FOR SOME GOODS AND SERVICES THAT WILL ENABLE US TO MAKE A REASONABLE STAB AT BECOMING BETTER PEOPLE IN A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE, GREEDY, CONCEITED, SIMPLE-MINDED AND SOMETIMES IN OTHER WAYS A NEGATIVE NATION. THE WHOLE IS GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS’ PARTS, TRULY, BUT EVERY CITIZEN GOES INTO CREATING A CIVILIZATION. THE KIND OF PEOPLE WE ARE WILL DETERMINE WHAT WE ARE AS A GROUP. WE SHOULD HAVE NO ROOM IN AMERICA FOR A NEW UPSURGE OF GROUP BASED HATRED, SUCH AS WE ARE EXPERIENCING IN THESE LAST FEW YEARS.

FOR ROGER EBERT’S ENTHUSIASTIC REVIEW OF THE FILM PRIMARY COLORS, GO TO: HTTPS://WWW.ROGEREBERT.COM/REVIEWS/PRIMARY-COLORS-1998 REVIEWS, PRIMARY COLORS, ROGER EBERT MARCH 20, 1998. THE FULL MOVIE CAN BE RENTED ON YOUTUBE, BUT FOR THE TRAILER, SEE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oCOrFe1VTs. ALL THE MAIN CHARACTERS ARE FICTIONALIZED WITH OTHER NAMES, BUT WHEN THE MOVIE CAME OUT THE SIMILARITIES WERE OBVIOUS, AS WITH ALL GOOD SATIRE. JAMES CARVILLE IS PLAYED BY BILLY BOB THORNTON AND BILL CLINTON BY JOHN TRAVOLTA. THE HILLARY CLINTON CHARACTER IS RENDERED BY EMMA THOMPSON. RUNNING TIME IS 2:23:18.      

APOLOGIZING FOR THAT EXTENDED SERMON, I PRESENT JAMES CARVILLE’S FURTHER COMMENTS ON “WOKENESS.” HE IS ABSOLUTELY ELOQUENT IN HIS ARGUMENT, AND WITHOUT ANY FANCY WORDS. CARVILLE CRITICIZES PROGRESSIVES, BUT SENATOR SANDERS HIMSELF ALMOST ALWAYS SPEAKS IN "THE LANGUAGE OF THE PEOPLE." HE HAS, TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, NEVER USED THE TERMS LATINX OR WOKE. 

VIDEO ONLY

 https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2021/05/01/carville-why-wokeness-is-a-problem-for-the-democratic-party.cnn 
James Carville: The woke are tired of being woke, 04:52 MIN.
Smerconish
Legendary Democratic strategist James Carville thinks Democrats' allegiance to all things "woke" will hurt the party at the ballot box and they should speak "the language of the people" instead. Source: CNN 

 

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