John Baer (Phila Daily News): We're still on the lapel thing? Seriously?

[brooklynite]

By John Baer
Philadelphia Daily News

Daily News Political Columnist

MAYBE IT'S ME but last night's debate seemed too much about the "gotcha" politics that campaigns and much of the national media thrives on and not enough of the actual problems facing Pennsylvania voters.

...snip...

The whole thing started with a soft opening, short general statements from each about how voters "don't feel like they're being listened to" (Obama) and "feel that their government is not solving problems"(Clinton).

Then there was a TV commercial.

That should have been a warning.

There followed a rehash of Obama's "bitter" words, of the Rev. Wright, of Bosnia and - proving there is no standard whatsoever when it comes to modern national political debate - a discussion of American flag lapel pins.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080417_John_Baer__We_re_still_on_the_lapel_thing__Seriously_.html

[Mz Pip]

1. Hillary

didn't wear a flag pin. Where's the outrage????

[bushmeister0]

2. Lapel flags have always been a big thing in Philly.

During the Adam's administration, when he was still living in Philly, partisans of he and Jefferson used to identify their poltical leanings by wearing cockades on their lapels. Adam's thugs wore black cockades and Jefferson's red, white and blue, for the colors of the French flag.

Gettign caught in the streest of Philly wearing red, white and blue could get you a thourough thrashing by Adam's "patriots."

From a reveiw of American Aurora, a book on the era by Richard Rosenfeld ( a must read for DUers, I'd say)

"The people who were for the federalists and Adams, in their hats they wore a cockade. A cockade is an ornament, a rosette, worn on a hat as a badge . . .And all the men, the elites at the time, Hamilton right there in lower Manhattan, went around with a hat that either had a black cockade for the federalists and aristocratic control, or a red, white, and blue cockade for Jefferson and defenders of representational democracy. The word cockade comes from the Old French cocky."

http://www.populistamerica.com/elites_and_the_hopi_elders

[TankLV]

3. so now we're all REQUIRED to wear "flag pins" now?

when did we become just like NAZI Germany or N. Korea or the old Soviet Union?

THAT should disturb everyone - but it won't...