I have been getting updates from this website concerning news stories about Trump, his cabinet appointees, what the Republicans are up to, and the status of the Russian hacking scandal. Just watched the video, about the advent of ALTERNATIVE FACTS, what Republicans mean, when they use the DOG WHISTLE….FREEDOM, when they talk to their base. Republicans prefer using the process of GASLIGHTING, to cloud the facts, not only to their base, but anyone listening to them.
Jaime Rodriguez gave examples based on his work as a political consultant for decades in Washington DC of the GOP’s migration to Alternative Facts. Jaime, a longtime DC resident, political consultant, and photographer started his dialogue presenting many of the photographs he took showing both famous and every day events at the White House, Capitol, and throughout the district.
Being a White House photographer Jaime saw firsthand what was going on with the so-called Ice Bucket legislation. He told a story about how the Republicans took over the house, in the 1994, mid-term elections. It was the first time, in 40 years they had control of the House of Representatives.
Newt Gingrich had announced to the public, the Republicans were going to save $400,000 by making each congressman get his own bucket of ice, from the commercial ice machine, in the basement.
Up to that time they had unpaid Pages, which were usually Juniors in High School, whom would go to classes from 5 a.m to 8 a.m., then spend the rest of the day as gophers for each congressman. Each congressman picked whom he wanted for a Page.
In the morning, the Pages, whom were unpaid, would go to the basement and fill buckets of ice, for each congressman, put them on a cart, then distribute them to each office. They had nothing better to do, at the time, so it was something to keep them busy.
After becoming Majority Speaker Newt declared they would save $400,000, by making each congressman get their own ice. He wanted people to think paid staff were going to the basement to get the ice, when it was the unpaid Pages, whom were doing it.
No staff was eliminated, like Gingrich had made the people think. Instead, now a paid staff member had to go to the basement, to get the ice and since there are 539 congressman, in the House & Senate, it created a line, at the ice machine and paid staffers wasted time and money, to get the ice.
After about 6 months, each congressman decided to buy a refrigerator, with an ice maker, which in the mid-1990’s was not very cheap. They purchased the refrigerators with ice makers with money out of their offices allocation, so the costs of the machines, ranging from $4,000-$5000 dollars, was a drop in the bucket to them.
539 Congressional offices:
- At $4,000 each = $2,116,000
- At $5,000 each = $2,695,000
Now the total additional cost was $2,116,000-$2,695,000. There was no savings of $400,000! But after that, Newt carried around an empty ice bucket reminding everyone, as if he saved $400,000, when in reality, it ended up costing over 2 million dollars!
In the 2012 elections, Bob Dole had said he could not support Newt. Whenever Newt came to campaign headquarters, he was carrying an empty ice bucket. Maybe thinking people would not remember that his supposed savings of $400,000 ended up costing over 2 million dollars more, when each Congressman purchased their own refrigerator with ice maker.
Bob Dole could not figure out how Newt could try to make people think he saved any money, when he actually ended up costing Congress so much more.
When the Republican base hears the Dog Whistle Freedom, the Republicans have taught them to think:
- FREEDOM from big government,
- FREEDOM not to be regulated,
- FREEDOM, from the EPA, telling us where we can spill or dump our company’s chemicals,
- FREEDOM, to not have our food products checked by the FDA.
- FREEDOM, to do whatever we want to do
To the Republicans and their base, FREEDOM means, less regulation, less government,
On a TEA Party protest sign was written, LESS GOVERNMENT means MORE FREEDOM!
Oxford Dictionary defines freedom as: The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants: we do have some freedom of choice.
When we think of freedom, it is nowhere near what Republicans think of FREEDOM.
Some of our definitions of freedom are:
- FREEDOM, not to be harassed, in the work place,
- FREEDOM, to get an EDUCATION, (where is that going, with Betsy DeVos planning on eliminating the Department of Education, by the end of 2018)
- FREEDOM, to travel.
When the TEA party came into being this is what they stood for:
Taxed Enough Already! Lower taxes, less government, more freedom
In Iraq, the Repuplicans wanted to privatize the commissary, where it was open 24 hours a day, so people could come and go, to eat, when it was convenient for them, then leave. It was working out great, until it was privatized and the private employer decided to change things and have specific times where everyone would come in at specific times to eat breakfast, lunch & dinner, announcing the new specific times, to everyone.
The problem being, so many people were there at those times, the enemy knew just when to attack the commissary, when they knew the most people would be there and do the most damage.
After the first attack, it went back to being open 24 hours, so there was never many people in the commissary, at any one time.
Tea Party, rallies back then were against EGOTISTICAL DICTATORS! For some reason, you don’t hear from them complaining about our new EGOTISTICAL DICTATOR. Wonder why?