Monday, April 20, 2009

Why go to a KU professor for an opinion?

Why do KU professors pretend to know anything?

The Topeka Capital-Journal has an article up debating the impact of the TEA party rallies. I myself am not sure what the long term impact will be.
However I can say a few things with certainty.

First of all, I actually went to a TEA party, unlike probably the two college professors interviewed in the Cap-Journal article. Second, I can say with certainty you don't get 1,500 people to show up on a Wednesday evening by giving out a couple of books.

Allan Ciglar, professor of political science at The University of Kansas, has doubts about the real impact of the rallies.

“It looked to me to be very well orchestrated,” he said. Prizes were being given out at some events, tending to cloud the question of why the people were there.

Two books. That's the prize that was given out in Topeka that apparently "clouded" why everyone was there. I think the only thing that's cloudy is Ciglar's mind.

Ciglar continued:

“I don’t think in the near future taxes are going to be a big issue with most people,” he said. “You don’t get a tax revolt until you have a tax increase.”

And Ciglar noted most lower to middle income Americans won’t see any federal tax increases any time soon. Later, if taxes need to be increased to begin paying down the national debt, that would be the time for protests.

You keep thinking that Ciglar. Just like I want Democrats to keep thinking the TEA parties are a Republican fabrication and will have no impact. And I want you to keep saying it in public.

I don't know what the long term impact of the TEA parties will be. But I do know that continually degrading those who came out and the thousands more that couldn't because of work or other reasons are only going to get madder and more involved the more big spenders say what they're doing doesn't matter.

The only clue Ciglar had was Democrat talking points. The majority of those I spoke to at both parties I attended were there because they were tired of the spending. They know more debt isn't the answer. And all but three of them were either registered Democrats or independents.

So keep talking. Democrats like Ciglar are one of the best motivators for grassroots organizers!

4 comments:

Jason said...

the nasty anti intellectualism from the right is so, so tiresome.

farmerjoe said...

Saying two books given away clouded the reason 1,500 people showed up is asinine and, in sum, not an intelligent argument or thought at all.

How very elitist to decide only the left or college professors are intellectual.

Jason said...

How on earth do you know he was just talking about the rally in Topeka? Why make that leap?

so you weren't attacking him because he was a know-it-all liberal college professor from KU? Or do I not understand "Why do KU professors pretend to know anything?"

farmerjoe said...

Ahh, the first line. I should have known that was the problem you had rather than everything else I wrote.

I'll apologize. No I know some very capable KU professors. What that guys name, Ware is it? He's quite brilliant.

I don't know if the tea parties will do anything or not, I've already said that, but if he wanted to discredit them at least come up with a reasonable, thoughtful argument. Thousands of people turning up for prizes is just stupid.