wearing sandals to a brawl

[DeadElephant_ORG]

by their footwear shall ye know them.

Conservatism is an approach to life in which one’s security
is maintained through dominance. Conservatives fetishize
dominance in every form: of parents over children, men over women,
whites over non-whites, our nation over other nations,
humans over animals, over wilderness, over the earth.

Consider the iconic footwear of the conservative: cowboy boots – otherwise known as “shit kickers”.







Cowboy boots were specifically invented for “giving the spurs”
to horses and for “punching cattle”.

In contrast, Liberalism is an approach to life in which
one’s security is maintained through peaceful coexistence.
Liberals believe in strength through peace, and preach
“conflict resolution”, cooperation, and bipartisanship.

The iconic footwear of the liberal is the sandal.





Relaxation is the raison d'etre of the sandal. Sandals are
designed for inaction, for passivity. We wear them when
we want to “kick back” and be “mellow”.

A conflict between boot-wearers and sandal-wearers is like a conflict
between wolves and bunnies – more of a massacre than a fight.



(Note the predator’s narrow set eyes, for focusing on the attack,
and the prey’s eyes on the sides of its head, so it can watch the attack arrive.
Looking over my shoulder just now, my 11-year-old joked that
the bunny looks like a “demi-cat”.)



Republicans today do not acknowledge our nation's duly-elected President.
They scream that he’s not even a citizen, much less our President.
They’re outraged that he would dare speak to our children in school,
although Reagan and Bush-senior both did so. And they don’t even accord him
the courtesy due any President, to address Congress
without being heckled and hollered at.

Do not mistake this for mere criticism, however harsh, nor outrage, however intense.
By their actions, today’s Republicans have broken the most essential covenant
of any democracy: the consent of every citizen to be governed in accordance with elections.

Remember Al Gore, after the last appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected,
gracefully conceded the Presidency to George Bush. Despite election fraud.
And a margin of just 600 votes.

Democrats don’t GET IT. Politically speaking, this is a fight to the death.

And we wore sandals to the brawl.


_______________________________________________________________

Loads of new slogans at DeadElephant.ORG, including:

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[Clio the Leo]

1. But EGAD do we have to wear THOSE sandals?

Can't peace-lovers still be stylish?

I'ma wear these........



And of course the President has his....



... you will notice, no socks with the shakas. He's a Renaissance liberal. ;)

[Jennicut]

2. Socks with sandals are NOT a good look for anyone.

[Captain Hilts]

5. Don't tell Katharine Hepburn that...

[ensho]

7. here in the sub tropics on a cool winter's day socks are a comfort with

sandals. don't matter how it looks.

[revhunter]

20. Sandals vs. Boots to a Brawl

What I want to know is what is it about frumpiness that is Democratic? Must I wear Birkenstock's and socks with Land's End dockers and a teeshirt with writing on it to be PC? Do I have to join the Republican Party to wear cute shoes and a nice dress?

As a shoe slut, myself, I like cowboy boots with tight jeans on men, especially in the winter. But, as a woman, I favor wearing stilettos to to any potential brawl (although not if you might have to run). They look elegant and lady-like, as well as hot. And, should the occasion arrive, they can do real damage.

[Joe Bacon]

3. Please tell me that first photo was photoshopped!

The Presidential seal on custom boots for Ex-President Asshole?

[Captain Hilts]

4. That bootmaker makes them for all the presidents. GWB actually wore them.

Bubba might have, once.

[Beacool]

17. They were given to him as a gift.

;)

[DeadElephant_ORG]

18. Did Obama get a pair, and did he ever wear them?

Does the boot-maker make them for every president? Only republican presidents?

[Beacool]

26. I don't know if he has been given a pair.

:shrug:

[mainer]

6. Let's not forget that Rome conquered the world in sandals

and they wore them with socks, too. Sometimes socks of outrageous colors. I learned that while visiting the great museum of Vindolanda, on Hadrian's wall.

[ensho]

9. interesting - thanks

nt

[Hekate]

10. Excellent point, that. The Roman legions were not fluffy bunnies. nt

[LaydeeBug]

12. It also fell wearing sandals too. It's time to toughen up on those asshole repigs. nt

[invictus]

8. K&R

[boppers]

11. Yeah, sandals are worn by wimps like these:

True fact: the spartans used to braid and decorate their hair before battle. Xerxes thought they would be easy to defeat because of the reports that they were doing such "girly" things as playing with their hair.


edit:typo

[BillDU]

13. Footwear

Democrats don’t GET IT. Politically speaking, this is a fight to the death.


And your worried about footwear?

Goodbye.

[FreedomFlower]

14. Pussyfooting

I think footwear was a metaphor for the Dem approach to political battles. We've been "Pussyfooting" when we should be kickin some shit.

[BillDU]

15. Maybe I just don't know

I think the President is intelligently solidifying his power base first.
Like an eagle eying a better time.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

16. I hold the same hope regarding the President's strategy, but

Democrats, liberals, progressives as a whole are still playing a soft game, and still waiting for our conservative brethren to respond in kind.

[damonm]

19. The repigs are TOAST.

And all we need to do to make sure they stay that way is to STAND and DELIVER.
We DELIVER on health care;
we DELIVER on finance reform;
we DELIVER on energy policy;
we DELIVER on restoring our standing in the world.

We do these things, the GOP is toast - and they know this. Even Newt Gingrich said that "if the Democrats succeed on Health Care Reform, we're finished." THIS is why the attacks are so vicious - they know they're fighting for their political lives.

[JuniperLea]

21. Socks with sandals is a pet peeve of mine...

As a native Californian, maybe I have a different view of this, but... ew... really gross.

And I don't care what famous person has done it, they are wrong, wrong, wrongo... :)

[Cha]

22. I don't like them, either..whole

point of a sandal..to free up your feet!B-)

[Mimosa]

23. I don't judge by footwear in general but flipflops belong on beach & boardwalks

Cowboy boots are fine if they're unpretentious good ones.I'm thinking James Dean (as Jett Rink) in Giant before he struck oil!

I hate Birkenstocks and can't wear them because of my aristocratic high arches.;-)

My fave sandal brand: Pikolinos, but only the ones made in Spain.

How's this for a liberal wearing boots?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkEpfLH52A0/SN5d43CtZII/AAAAAAAADWE/l9R5Q8TO5XE/s400/Paul+Newman-white+jeans.bmp

OR:

[skygazer]

24. Wow, what a stretch

"Cowboy boots were specifically invented for “giving the spurs” to horses and for “punching cattle”."

No, cowboy boots were designed to protect a cowboy's feet and ankles from brush and to keep his foot from slipping through the stirrup if he was thrown by his horse. Sandals have been worn for centuries, not for leisure - that's a pretty new thing - but as a comfortable protection for the feet that still kept them from getting hot in warm climates.

Also, not all democrats wear sandals. I hate the things.

[NoSheep]

25. Party Pooper

:rofl:

[lumberjack_jeff]

27. Sandals. Heh.

I don't think so.

[DonCoquixote]

28. There is one thing you overlook

Yes, our Republican enemies have one advantage, since they are a lot more alike then we are, they have the ability to wear a regulation combat boot, train while wearing these boots, and fight in them.

Now, let me say this once, twice ad infinitum. NO I DO NOT WANT TO BECOME MORE LIKE THEM! I like the fact that we disagree and have have DISCUSSIONS about what we want and how to get it. Of course, here lies the problem, we are so hateful of the idea of discussions that we will flat out refuse to put on any shoe, much less a boot! It's not that we wear sandals to the fight, it's that we spend so much time arguing about what to wear and throwing shoes at each other (in the Iraqi reporter sense) that the GOP knows they have the fight half won by the time they get there!

Now, all sides of the Democrats are responsible.

1)We have the "Blue Dogs/DLC" here dislike the left as much as the right, namely because while they do not think the Right wing is smart enough to hurt them (itself a dangerous flaw exploited many times), they do think the far left is. Sadly, they do tend to have many of the same fears as their GOP friends do. They get scared of all those immigrants, they think Israel gets a bum rap, etc. If you point out that they are acting like the GOP, they say "but I am NOT a bigot!: and also that they can somehow control the damage and harness the energy. Theses folks want to wear penny loafers, or whatever goes with a pantsuit.

2)We have the farther left, aka the "Dean/Kucinich in 2012!" crowd. They are the soul of the party, to be sure, but, they have one weakness. Many times, they get arrogant, and when asked how they actually plan to get things DONE, they hurl insults, and accuse you of being a sellout/scumbag. They get angry when you tell them that they have to actually sell ideas to John and Jane Q Public, and that no, these ideas are not so "Obvious" that they still need to explain them. Single Payer is an example, because when the Blue Dog say something like "well, even Germany and France are not single payer!" out comes the rotten tomatoes. They want to wear Sneakers no matter what or where!

3)We have the far left, aka "Nader 2012!" These folks in some ways are noble, because unlike everyone else, they are honest about being leftist. They just think a stronger does is needed. However, to an even worse degree than group 2, they have NO concerns about practical concerns, and indeed are enamored of many ideas of Marxism. These folks will tell you that Stalin and Mao were never real Marxists, but in the same breath scream "property is theft" and wonder why middle class people who have already had much taken from them get scared. These folks want to wear sandals because they anticipate the end of modern civilization, and want to be prepared for the golden age where everybody is back living off organic farming, despite the fact that many would starve if that was tried.

Now, ALL of these factions have some good points, and all of them have some bad ones. NONE of these camps have so many right answers that they can cop the self-righteous attitude they all do. We do not want them all agreeing, because each has a PART of the solution. The GOP only has to destroy, indeed, at this stage, that is ALL it can do, so they can cajole everyone into lacing boots.

What we need is to realize that as much as we disagree with our fellow leftists, even our worst enemies among them have more in common with us than any GOP "friend." It is not a mater of adopting a single shoe to wear, it is a matter of making sure we stop stepping on each other's feet. Some people will need to wear bad ass doc martens, for some good old fashioned street fights. Some people, ninja shoes, to sneak into places that would not normally let a leftist near them. Some do need sneakers, for all the walking, some need loafers, to look sharp when the occasion needs suits. The point is, we need to stop throwing shoes at each other, walk together, and yes, realize that the other fellow does have a point.

an example: The DLC person may says "We are not ready for single payer!" The Dean crowd says "If we do not get at least a serious public option, we are screwed!" and finally the Nader type says "I can help you get a strong public option, but we need to keep single payer alive, especially since one the idiot masses try socialism, they will like it!"

[FreedomFlower]

29. Well said

Yes, we need to stop throwing shoes at each other.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

31. wow. That rant deserves reposting as a top-level original post. Thanks for noticing

that the footwear was only a metaphor. And thanks for your thoughtful response.

[Uncle Joe]

30. It isn't boots or sandals that make the man or the fight. I don't know whether Bush

was wearing boots in these photos when he was too afraid to help a drowning American City?

On the other hand Al Gore has always wore boots, including when the last two photos were made as he helped rescue approximately 270 trapped American patients, doctors and nurses; after their hospital had been surrounded by water and alligators, by flying them to safety on his own dime in spite of general resistance to rescue by the Bush government, with the exception of the transportation secretary; Norm Mineta.

Furthermore, Al Gore contested that election longer than any candidate for President in United States History; he was fighting when virtually no one was fighting on his behalf. The Republicans controlled the Florida State Legislature, both houses of Congress, and the corporate media; which had been demonizing Al Gore as being a serial liar for the better part of two years prior to the selection of 2000. After the Supreme Court ruled, the bell had rung and there was nothing to be gained by continually fighting and everything to lose.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

32. some folks get hung-up by metaphors. This post is about ATTITUDES - not shoes.