Posted by The Sticker on August 21st, 2007
Every now and then, I come across a bumper sticker design that cuts through all the complicated arguments of the professional politicians, and reduces an issue down to an essence that people can understand and identify with on a human level. That is the case with this bumper sticker design:
Mr. Bush, Stop Harshing on My Mellow
We can talk for week after week about the irrationality of George W. Bush’s Iraq policy, the inadequacies of his economic policies, the ignorance of his science policies, the near-sightedness of his environmental policy, and the injustice of Bush’s agenda to dismantle the constitutional liberties guaranteed us under the Bill of Rights. The sad truth is that many Americans just tune out when you try to talk about the details. We need an anti-Bush shorthand, a quick way to identify the core problem with Bush’s politics.
Hey, Mr. Bush! Stop harshing on my mellow!
That is the problem, isn’t it? George W. Bush, in spite of his Republican rhetoric, believes that it’s the job of big government to be the boss of us all. We’ve got no room left for mellow under harsh President Bush.
Bush thinks it’s his job to run our country through war on little more than a hunch, to get us to work longer hours for lower wages and worse benefits. He puts us through heat waves of denial of global warming, and subjects us to the sex police if our relationships don’t fit his idea of morality. Bush gives us Big Brother government, always watching, with its Total Information Awareness and warrantless wiretaps of our telephones.
Oh, and he wants us to be afraid, afraid, afraid of the boogeyman who’s going to get us all unless we all do exactly what Bush says.
Bush needs to back off. Bush needs to stop harshing on America’s mellow.
Posted by The Sticker on August 21st, 2007
In recent years, many people have made the mistake of assuming that the terms progressive and Democrat are synonym. Sadly, that is not the case. Many Democrats, like Joseph Lieberman and Bob Casey, are downright anti-progressive. Others, like Nancy Pelosi, are happy to give lip service to progressive ideals, but abandon progressive need whenever things get tough.
Consider the way that the promises of the 2006 congressional election quickly faded away. There still is no plan to confront global warming. Alberto Gonzales has more power than ever. Yet more of our constitutional freedoms have been given away by Democrats working with the Republican Party. The Iraq War continues, with no end in sight, and no improvement in strategy. Impeachment is off the table, and George W. Bush has not been held accountable for his failures, abuses and crimes.
So, the bumper sticker of 2006, Take Back Congress, has given way to a new set of bumper stickers, of politicians who are trying to take back the Congress from the Democrats who have failed to promote a truly progressive vision for America.
In California, Cindy Sheehan is gaining support in her independent challenge to Nancy Pelosi. Imprison Bush, the web site that created the pro-Sheehan bumper sticker you see here, explains, “Cindy Sheehan stands strong against George W. Bush and the Republicans. Nancy Pelosi waffles and warbles, and takes impeachment off the table. It’s a clear choice. Vote Cindy Sheehan for Congress.”
Posted by The Sticker on August 6th, 2007
I would feel sorry for Brian Higgins, if he weren’t such a low-down, craven political coward.
Over the weekend, Higgins voted to give additional powers to Alberto Gonzales - even though Alberto Gonzales has been caught lying to Congress and abusing his power for political purposes. As a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Upstate New York, Brian Higgins ought to know better than to join in with the likes of George W. Bush to help push through an attack against the Bill of Rights. Higgins ought to know better, but his political instincts seem to be getting mighty rusty.
Brian Higgins voted for a rotten law called the Protect America Act. The Protect America Act removes enforcement of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, effectively killing an essential part of the Bill of Rights. Under the new law, Alberto Gonzales is given the power to start spy operations against Americans without a search warrant and without any supervision or control. The law Higgins voted for specifically contradicts the Fourth Amendment, which demands that searches only be approved by warrant backed up by oath or affirmation, and requires that searches only be authorized for specific targets. The Protect America Act allows Alberto Gonzales to send out spies to read Americans’ email and listen to their telephone calls in blatant violation of these requirements.
The Progressive Directory of the USA compares the support that one New York Democrat, Michael Arcuri, has received as a result of his vote against the Protect America Act, with the opposition among grassroots Democrats Brian Higgins has provoked because of his vote with the Republicans in favor of the Protect America Act.
You reap what you sow, Congressman Higgins.
There already were these bumper stickers criticizing Brian Higgins - in a progressive bumper sticker catalog, no less. As a Democrat, Brian Higgins ought to be receiving support from such sources… if he were actually a progressive, which he isn’t. So, Brian Higgins is rightfully coming under attack from fellow Democrats.
Given the terrible record Higgins has in Congress, it seems that the New York State Democrats would be better off without him.
Brian Higgins Helped Bush Torture bumper sticker
Brian Higgins Killed Habeas Corpus
