A lesson to Senate Republicans
If you thought that after this past week, no one on Capitol Hill wanted to ruffle any more feathers when it comes to race, you would be wrong.
And if you thought that if anyone wanted to do it, it would be a Republican, you would be very wrong.
James Webb: Diversity and the Myth of White Privilege - WSJ.com
That’s Jim Webb, as in Senator Jim Webb (D-VA). (hat tip to Kevin DeAnna at YWC).
Why is it that conservatives in Washington can’t seem to muster the guts to say anything constructive on race or any other “touchy” issue, particularly in an election year? Their overall impotence this week, a week where the Right should be dominating the news cycle, culminates with this article. Webb puts out a totally reasonable proposal that almost no one can touch besides hysterical sociology professors. Sure, he gets more leeway to say it because of the “D” next to his name, but to let him redefine this debate and give himself cover for his reelection is something that the GOP lets happen every day, in one form or another. Instead, I’m sure this will go nowhere.
What Republicans ought to do is fully endorse this proposal, even if it falls short of what most conservatives would want. Any chip at the institution of affirmative action and race-based preference systems is a win in my book. Once people see what is possible, and begin to accept this as the norm, taking away what’s left will not seem like a big deal.
Cheers to Jim Webb for a fine proposal that we can applaud as a good first step. If I have to move from one state with two Dem Senators to another, I’d much rather it be the one with him.
A return to blogging (sort of)
(WARNING: This is going to sound a lot more like a LiveJournal entry than my usual posts, but you should read anyways).
It has been MONTHS since I’ve posted on AverageJoeLE. I will admit, like most of my projects, I had very high hopes for what this site could be. I envisioned it being a haven for distinctly “young conservatives” who were recent college grads, caught somewhere between students and professionals.
So what went wrong? The biggest part of it was the lack of content, obviously. Even with a number of writers on staff, people get busy, and you know the drill.
Second, I was creating a niche for a market that didn’t exist. Although we did have one big scoop (the Obama gear at the NBC Store) it wasn’t enough to pull us over the top without a steady stream of news.
Finally, I should have been more realistic and been able to recognize that I couldn’t run a full-fledged News and Opinion website while in my second year of law school. I bought the lie that second year was supposed to be easier. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT NOT TRUE. Toughest year of school at any level ever.
For the upcoming year, I hoped that maybe I could revive the idea, but the inherent problems still exist. On top of that, add on the fact that I am Editor in Chief for the Circuit Review at Seton Hall, will likely be volunteering for a campaign this summer and fall, need to earn some sort of income, traveling back and forth to DC to visit the lovely Ms. Yasenchak, searching for a permanent job, prepping for the bar exam, and O YEH, I’m getting married in a year.
Where does this leave AverageJoeLE? Well, for starters, it’s staying around for a little while longer, at least. It’s going to be slightly more “personal” but not in that creepy online diary way. It will be more like extended Facebook and Twitter posts, more like casual commentary on politics and news as the feeling strikes me. Some things will be more ranty, others will be more eloquent. Depends on my mood, really.
Although I’m not banning any old writers from the site (if you guys still have your passwords, feel free to contribute anytime!) I don’t expect them to write that much on here again. In fact, I’d be surprised if even half of them even read this post (but go ahead and surprise me in the comments, Tim Ryder et al.) I haven’t decided exactly what to do with the old content, but I’ll likely just leave it up for now.
Bottom Line: Please check back when you can to see what this Average Joe L-E, all on his own, thinks about the world. Hopefully, You’ll find it interesting.
Sincerely,
Joe
The Daily Show host Jon Stewart knocks mainstream media for not investigating ACORN
To the surprise of some conservative commentators, Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central’s news spoof program, The Daily Show, ran a segment on the ACORN video scandal on Tuesday night.
In the clip, Stewart praises James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles for exposing ACORN on hidden camera. But Stewart is also critical of the mainstream media that failed to pick up on the story before the unlikely duo did.
“I’m a fake journalist and I’m embarrassed these guys scooped me!” Stewart exclaimed. Continue Reading »
NJ Hall of Fame must induct Milton Friedman
Not to take too much thunder from my excellent article in The Record this morning that you can read HERE, but something must be said on why Milton Friedman should be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame on the next ballot.
Anyone can vote on NJHallofFame.org under the “General” category for the father of modern economics. Friedman’s theories obliterated the tired old models of the Left that always failed and ushered in a new understanding of the economic system. Continue Reading »
Egg, meet face
Unless you live in a shell away from popular culture (which I almost do), you’ve probably heard that Kanye West made a complete fool of himself last night at the Video Music Awards. When Taylor Swift was receiving her award, Kanye walked up after being spotted “swigging” alcohol earlier and gave a shout out to Beyonce, who had lost out to Swift.
The whole incident reminds me of a parody that South Park did of Kanye back in the spring, which apparently will be shown again tonight. Continue Reading »
ACORN prostitution sting caught on video is wave of new conservative activism
With the recent scandal involving ACORN employees giving out tips to those turning tricks and trying to hide it from the taxman, much has been made of the tactics by those behind the project. James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles blew open the story by posing as pimp and prostitute and asking for help securing a loan. They actually received help in New York, Washington D.C., and Baltimore. Whether or not the mainstream media covers this is another matter, but it is a massive story.
The videos are shocking and appalling, and ACORN is finally getting its just desserts as the US Senate voted last night to cut their funding from upcoming Housing and Urban Development Projects. The US Census cut their ties with ACORN last week.
Had ACORN been watching the activist scene from the Right and not just encouraging it from the Left, they might have seen O’Keefe coming. Continue Reading »
Kanye West latest rant against Taylor Swift at VMAs is one in a long line of race-based outbursts
Kanye West has been known for some outrageous statements and tantrums over the years, and last night’s bizarre display was no different. West stormed the stage of the MTV Video Music Awards when country singer Taylor Swift was announced as the winner of the Best Female Video category. West pulled the microphone from the winner and left Swift to clutch her iconic “Moonman” award as she looked on in shock.
Obama backpedals on ways for school children to “help the president”
The Obama administration has pulled off quite a disappearing trick that’s so good, some of his supporters don’t even think the rabbit was there in the first place! (Which I guess would make it terrible, like this trick).
Would this happen for Bush?
One man is the son of a former President who went on to become the President himself. He had a checkered early life with numerous arrests and alcohol problems. However, he was sober and more responsible by age 40 when he began to enter politics.
Another man is the son of a wealthy businessman and politician whose brother was President and other brother was a Senator and Attorney General and well on the way to becoming President before his assassination. He won his older brother’s former Senate seat a couple years after his brother was elected President and held onto it for nearly fifty years until his death. He continued to live a checkered life for decades, including killing a woman by driving off a bridge and not reporting the “accident” to authorities until after her body was found. Continue Reading »
Obama to school children: Ask what you can do for your president
With the passing of Ted Kennedy last week, it is easy to recall the memories of “Camelot” and the lore of the Kennedy family. Much of that has to do with the rhetoric flourishes of Ted’s brother, John F. Kennedy.
The words, “Ask not what your country can do for you; Ask what you can do for your country,” although ingrained in the hearts and minds of most Americans, seem to have been misunderstood by Barack Obama to say, “Ask what you can do for your president.” Continue Reading »
