Not a Positive Word

As of Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Usually, I just roll my eyes at Dusty Rhodes’ propaganda and name-calling offerings.

His latest column, however, is so far off the mark that further comment seems appropriate. Mr. Rhodes’ attempt to paint the Obama Campaign slogan, “Forward,” as positive is absurd!

“Forward” is not a good or bad word. It is a neutral word, only taking on meaning when used with something like an objective. It is no more meaningful than “Hope” or “Change” as a political slogan. These words only take on value when used with an end-point or result. But, this is not about the relative quality of campaign slogans.

The negative reaction to the Obama campaign slogan is due to the attempt to repeat 2008. Then, people could apply “Hope and Change” to the empty page that Barack Obama represented. They could apply their own objectives. He is no longer an empty page. Unfortunately for him, he now has a record, and we can more easily see his objectives.

His page contains many images: first, the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression, due to adherence to failed Keynesian deficit spending and attempted wealth redistribution; second, the largest increases in national debt, to be paid by our descendents, incurred in his first three years in office; third, significantly increased government involvement in private business, e.g., autos and health care; fourth, divisive and demagogic leadership, attacking institutions and industries and pitting classes against each other; and fifth, increases in federal bureaucracy and regulation usually at the expense of individual liberty.

Use of slogans is a propaganda technique. Mr. Rhodes’ is attempting to paint the “Forward” slogan as positive. That is typical Obama campaign slight-of-hand tactics: Get ’em to look at the slogan and not their results and objectives.

Nice try, Dusty.

Philip Starr

Whispering Pines

More like this story

The_AnonymusProfit 1 year ago

Amen Rev.

geoffcutler 1 year ago

That's quite a letter.

MikeNC 1 year ago

Slogans won't be getting it this time around. I see Romney talking positive and seems sincere about taking us in that positive direction. I see Obama talking negative and attempting to rile us all up against each other and still continues to blame Bush and others for all our troubles. Not gonna work. People are fed up with the direction we have been heading....Mike

BigE 1 year ago

Mike- Be honest dude. Romney has been nothing but negative. On top of that he has spread lies, misleading information, and total inaccuracies. Ask Newt and Rick! You want to vote Republican, vote for Romney but let's not rewrite history. "Sincere"? Really? You might be the only person on earth to use Romney and sincere in the same sentence. Vote Republican, I'm good with that. It is your right! Let's just stick with the facts. BTW, since we are keeping it real, the "direction we have been heading" is meant as a negative, I'm sure. We went in the wrong direction well before January 2009. By all indicators we are heading in the right direction now-- corporate profits, corporate balance sheets, investment growth, employment (albeit slowly), ending wars, etc.

Bentpan 1 year ago

NAILED IT Mr. Starr, hell of a letter, thank you

MikeNC 1 year ago

Great Letter ! President Obama can't run on his record, he has to run away FROM his record. Diane

Courseaire 1 year ago

The way the deficit is growing, it should be "Charge!"

MikeNC 1 year ago

BigE...That is honest. The negative struggle during the Republican primaries were the same as during any negative banter during past Democratic primaries. That's behind all of us now. Newt and Rick are now supporting Romney. I heard that Newt is going to start stumping for Romney, but haven't seen it yet. And when you say...."By all indicators we are heading in the right direction now"....That is a joke. How about being honest dude. If Obama and all his adminstation's record of what has transpired for over three years now is on track with you; then place your vote for them. But let's try to stick with the facts and not rewrite history.....Mike

clarabelle 1 year ago

too funny - all the far right praising this .......... now who would have guessed......HAHA

OldSpook 1 year ago

And you still think Obama is the chosen one?

Bflat 1 year ago

@DR _Some people just don't ...shall we say...comprehend or every try to understand.

Bflat 1 year ago

..."or ever ...." ( correction.)

skylinefirepest 1 year ago

Obama's record so far is worse than Jimmy Carter's...and it seems to me that I remember the great Obama saying that he didn't DESERVE to be re-elected if he didn't turn the economy around. So let's see...we've got record unemployment, government investing OUR money in failed green industry, businesses not hiring because of government interference, regulations, etc. We've got EPA and a bunch of other letter entities acting as if they owned the industries they think they can regulate, we've got a healthcare fiasco that had to be passed in the dark of night along a single party vote ( without even being read, people!! ) , we've got a government out of control trying to remake the United States from the best country on the face of the earth to a third world failure, we've lost our credit rating, we're borrowing FORTY percent of what we spend mostly from countries that really would like to see us fail, we've got an illegal alien problem that the Democrats love, we've got a president that thinks the war on terror is over, ( asked any Muslim extremists lately?? ) , we've got an administration that thinks we have to apologize to every dictator that hates us....and you think this is heading in the right direction????? And on top of all that we've got a head of the Moore County Democrat party that is ashamed of his country and his state??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????

fugitiveguy 1 year ago

I hope in the campaign the national debt is center stage. Obama lambasted GWB for it, he vowed to cut it in half when in fact he will have increased it by half by the end of his term. Gas prices may come down, the economy may improve but the debt will still remain like an anchor chain around our necks and for generations to come. I know many on the left unwittingly or wittingly poo poo the debt but sadly a massive chunk of Americans have no clue of its significance. I am afraid by the time they come to some realization of its dangers, they may have already given this charlatan another term.