Obama Needs to Bring California Senate Leader Don Perata Into His Campaign as a Senior Strategist
[Posted by WLS]
Or maybe as a speechwriter. After all, with Obama’s oratorical skills, and Perata’s political saavy, how could arguments like this made by Perata yesterday not stir the heartstrings of a nation:
California Speaker Pro Tem Don Perata argues for a $10 billion tax hike by invoking the heroes of World War II.
“We’ve heard so much about the Greatest Generation. Tom Brokaw’s book has just unleashed all kinds of paeans to people who were just talking about how wonderful America is thanks to the sacrifices of men and women who died defending the flag, who died for the symbol of the American way of life. I can’t help but thinking that is it too much to ask in the memory of someone who died at Normandy to pay a nickel more for a latte. Is it too much to ask for someone who was killed at Pearl Harbor to take the wealth that they’ve been able to accumulate because of those who died in the Second World War and pay back now for what they were given so much then?”
See — the key trick is to convince people they should pay higher taxes to “honor” the sacrifices of those who fought for our freedom 67 years ago.
And don’t you worry yourself about what they want to spend it on.
H/T The Blog at the Weekly Standard.
— WLS
PS — I’m having trouble figuring out how to get my new IMac to cut and paste live links. Anyone know the solution?
Instead of making me sacrifice my hard earned money, how about sacrificing some of their socialist programs? I really don’t know how much longer I can live in California.
Michael M (25ccc4) — 7/10/2008 @ 9:37 amHere you go. You should have gotten rid of H/T. All hyperlinks need to start with http://
nk (a3a945) — 7/10/2008 @ 9:38 amAs a general matter, I think it’s wrong to conscript history’s heroes into the service of your pet cause, whatever that is. But to do it for tax policy trivializes the soldiers’ sacrifice in a way that nothing else can.
Vile.
Of course, if the money from the tax hike were to go to some memorial to the fallen, I could respect where this is coming from. Who knows, maybe that’s what the man was saying–it’s the only way we could “pay back,” as he put it. Anything else wouldn’t be “paying back.”
Alan (0cf397) — 7/10/2008 @ 9:40 amUsing guilt to change behavior? How very Democratic.
steve miller (0fb51f) — 7/10/2008 @ 9:43 am…is it too much to ask in the memory of someone who died at Normandy for state employees to take a 2% pay cut rather than raise taxes?
YES!
Perfect Sense (23c691) — 7/10/2008 @ 9:48 amDon Perata said: “Tom Brokaw’s book has just unleashed all kinds of paeans to people who were just talking about how wonderful America is thanks to the sacrifices of men and women who died defending the flag…”
I submit that to Perata, all California residents are “paeans,” if you know what I mean and I think you do.
L.N. Smithee (ecc5a5) — 7/10/2008 @ 9:49 amBTW – It’s not “Dom Perata,” it’s not “Dom Peralta,” it’s D-O-N_ P-E-R-A-T-A.
L.N. Smithee (ecc5a5) — 7/10/2008 @ 9:54 amI wonder what pay raises state employees received when the treasury was flush with tax receipts?
WLS (1cdbde) — 7/10/2008 @ 9:56 amPerata is just like everyother Democrat in the CA Legislature, Arrogant, stupid, and Socialist. They ALL should be sent to Zimbabwe with their staffs.
PCD (5c49b0) — 7/10/2008 @ 9:58 amThe comments section has a link function that pastes extra code that has to be removed to make the link work. Is that a bug or a feature (to confuse the trolls)?
Mike K (b9ce3e) — 7/10/2008 @ 10:05 amPCD writes,
The problem is that, while many are mendacious and manipulative, they are NOT stupid, damn it. If they were stupid, they wouldn’t be so successful at the thing they care about most-getting elected.
Ira (28a423) — 7/10/2008 @ 10:11 amIf they were merely stupid, they would be right more often, simply by the laws of chance.
Drumwaster (5ccf59) — 7/10/2008 @ 10:14 amSilly me, I thought so many of the veterans of the Greatest Generation fought to destroy regimes that held sway over every aspect of their subjects lives. I didn’t realize it was so our own government could increase its dominion over our lives. Guess I better pay more attention to the history books on my shelf.
XBradTC (b913d2) — 7/10/2008 @ 10:20 amIsn’t it “Don Perata”? (As others have already obliquely pointed out.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Perata
Mitch (890cbf) — 7/10/2008 @ 10:44 amWLS,
I fixed the link but I’m clueless on how to do it from a Mac.
DRJ (cfa65f) — 7/10/2008 @ 11:03 amIra,
They are stupid in that they know nothing more than tax, spend, and steal for themselves.
I will always remember this quote from a member of Art Torres’ family. “Art has never made this much money in his life, but he made more sense when he was drinking.”
PCD (5c49b0) — 7/10/2008 @ 11:05 amPeralta…typical leftist tripe. Putting his feet on the graves of heroes, so he can put his hands in the pockets of those they protected.
cfbleachers (4040c7) — 7/10/2008 @ 11:18 amThere are many ways to interprete and invoke history.
love2008 (1b037c) — 7/10/2008 @ 11:30 amHow can someone who was killed at Pearl Harbor been able to accumulate wealth?
kimsch (2ce939) — 7/10/2008 @ 11:59 amI think the word “for” in the phrase “too much to ask for someone who was killed” means “on behalf of”.
Such as “I’m doing this For The Children (TM)”…
Drumwaster (5ccf59) — 7/10/2008 @ 12:09 pmOf course, the answer to that question then becomes a resounding “NO!“
Drumwaster (5ccf59) — 7/10/2008 @ 12:11 pmWhy do so many sensationally bad ideas get advanced under the BD notion of doing it “for the children” ?
JD (75f5c3) — 7/10/2008 @ 12:30 pmBecause then they can claim that anyone who opposes the idea can be described as “hating children, not to mention puppies and kittens”.
It just sells better than “we need another raise”.
Drumwaster (5ccf59) — 7/10/2008 @ 12:36 pm…is it too much to ask in the memory of someone who died at Normandy for Democrats not to vote twice?
YES!
…is it too much to ask in the memory of someone who died at Normandy for Democrats to allow offshore drilling?
YES!
…is it too much to ask in the memory of someone who died at Normandy for Democrats to allow school vouchers?
YES!
…is it too much to ask in the memory of someone who died at Normandy for Democrats to let the Democrat Florida primary count?
YES!
Perfect Sense (23c691) — 7/10/2008 @ 12:48 pmYep, the usual horse manure to try to insulate themselves from criticism.
SPQR (26be8b) — 7/10/2008 @ 12:49 pmThere are still some WWII vets out there, let’s ask them what they think of this stirring preamble to fleecing their pockets.
Dmac (416471) — 7/10/2008 @ 1:35 pmSpeaker Pro Tem?
Maggot in perpetuity.
Icy Truth (2d1b3b) — 7/10/2008 @ 2:07 pmMy grandmother once said, if you live long enough, you’ll see [hear] everything. I’m beginning to believe her: http://theseedsof9-11.com
Peggy McGilligan (e731ec) — 7/10/2008 @ 2:37 pm^ Peggy, that site discredits the Clintons and has a lot of 9/11 hooey… are they still a threat to Obama? Is your post some sort of netroots pre-emptive strike ?
Vermont Neighbor (31ccb6) — 7/10/2008 @ 2:50 pmThis is funny
Defensive McCain Campaign Emails Out Youtube Clip of McCain Bashing Own Economic Adviser
And if you’re going to go after O’Bomba’s economic plan, you might as well do some research[PDF}
And McCain says Social Security as it was designed (paygo) is “an absolute disgrace?”
JAR (9c32c0) — 7/10/2008 @ 3:22 pmThere is a lot of good stuff here — Mac is in the column on the right:
http://www.jefflevy.com/lessons.aspx
Pat R. (9828c0) — 7/10/2008 @ 4:09 pmId have to agree that social security has a disgraceful design. From FDR onward, it’s been a pyramid scheme designed not to benefit retirees, but to take their savings ‘for the better good’. Made a lot more sense in the 30s than it does now.
Juan (4cdfb7) — 7/10/2008 @ 5:28 pmAs far as SS goes, it wasn’t until Carter that the Congress got to start using the SS trust fund as General Funds, replacing that money with an IOU…
Drumwaster (5ccf59) — 7/10/2008 @ 5:33 pmIts funny how when SS was first designed, benefits kicked in at age 65, and the life expectancy of the general population at that time was —-
65.
Worked fine when the beneficiaries were mostly dying before they could collect any significant sums.
Today, not so much.
WLS (68fd1f) — 7/10/2008 @ 5:42 pmStill- you could pay into the social security agency for 40+ years and then drop dead. You are thus entitled to a burial fund of $255. Unless you leave a widow or children before their adulthood, etc.
madmax333 (fcea5a) — 7/10/2008 @ 5:58 pmFunny how people seem to want to relive Carter all over again. The younger ones didn’t have Carter and some older ones just forget. The ss adjustment in 1980 was 14% on benefits. I knew people who had 14% mortgage rates. I think some short term rates were 18%. What do most banks pay now- under 2%? And still rape some consumers for credit card rates above 30%. Scumwads rake it in during good time and taxapayers will bail them out in down times for sure. I love how Lee Iacocca is the expert on financial dealings of govt. I thought he was the one whose beloved Chrysler got a gummint bailout? Did the oil patch get any aid in early 80s? I seem to recall Houston oil outfits hurting big time.
“California Speaker Pro Tem Don Perata”
tyree (139bd6) — 7/10/2008 @ 8:55 pmIs a class 1 jerk.
My father-in-law is 86 years old living on a fixed income. He does ok with his retirement income but he and the few remaining WWII veterans should be left alone. He went through the Depression and the Cold War in addition to WWII, and he deserves to keep what he has saved for his golden years. Here is a suggestion for the Class 1 Jerk Don Peralta. Make the additional taxes he wants to levy on Californians voluntary and he and his cronies can spend every dime that rolls in.
MadMaxx – read up on Iacocca before you open up on him. Chrysler received federal loan guarantees, not a handout of cash. The hardworking Americans who were Chrysler in those days paid the loans off in less than 10 years. No government money was harmed in the exchange.
It’s amazing how many people have opinions based on false information.
tyree (139bd6) — 7/10/2008 @ 9:00 pmYou say “toe-may-toe”, I say “taxpayer funded bailout of an industry that failed to keep pace with the changing times”.
Drumwaster (5ccf59) — 7/10/2008 @ 9:01 pmClass 1 Jerk California Speaker Pro Tem Don Perata is a “son of Immigrants” according to his biography. How much do you want to bet than no one in his family was serving in the Armed Forces of the United States at the time of WWII. I have a close friend who was in the Marines in those days. He saw nothing but combat until Tarawa. Then they put him in a training company, because almost all of his buddies were dead. Yeah, Class 1 Jerk Don Perata, Joe and his lovely bride of 60 years need a special tax.
tyree (139bd6) — 7/10/2008 @ 9:11 pmWhile holding down the “ctrl” key, click and hold on the link, then select “Copy link” from the contextual menu. The link text is now ready to paste.
porkopolitan (b3d276) — 7/10/2008 @ 9:54 pmporkopolitan — thank you very much.
WLS (02df99) — 7/10/2008 @ 11:21 pmIs this the same Don Perata who is under investigation by the FBI? The same Don Perata who has reportedly spent 2 million bucks in legal expenses?
Same guy alright.
Gary Fouse
fouse, gary c (42fe2b) — 7/11/2008 @ 7:08 pmfousesquawk