Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity on top as Kennedy era fades for Irish Americans
Posted on Monday, September 20, 2010 at 01:59 PM
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Time was that Irish America was defined by the Kennedys and Tip O'Neill , the Berrigan brothers, Jimmy Breslin and other flaming liberals as the right would have it.
Now the big names are Mike Pence, Christine O'Donnell, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity. With the retirement of Senator Chris Dodd, the last East Coast liberal senator has left politics.
Ironically it was another Irish American, Ronald Reagan who brought about the transformation.
O'Reilly and the others, worship at the church of Reagan.
In another era it might have been John F.Kennedy who inspired them to get into the political and media business. Not any more
Congressman Mike Pence who spent a year working in Ireland, won a straw poll at the weekend from a Christian values group as their favorite for president.
He too is a true Reagan believer .
Meanwhile with the death of Ted Kennedy, the retirement of Dodd and the passing of the Tip O'Neill era, it is much harder to identify Irish American leaders on the center left.
Ronald Reagan and John F.Kennedy are the two poles of American politics these days.
All leaders since have been in their shadow and pay homage to their impact on them.
At the moment it seems clear that the Reagan legacy is in the ascendant. The Irish voices in the media are those of O'Reilly and Hannity
It shows how much times have changed. Irish American leaders in the media and politics now lean right.
It seems the Reagan legacy continues.
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IrishAndProud | Sep 27, 2010, 03:37 AM EDT
And I repeat, Dennis, ethnic cleansing (which Israel is NOT practicing towards the Arabs) is PRECISELY what you want done to the Jews, on their own ancient land, nonetheless (with as usual, no where else to suggest 'putting' them afterward -- unless of course you mean DEAD). How about YOU practice what you preach, and get off the Native Americans' land?
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IrishAndProud | Sep 27, 2010, 03:34 AM EDT
And to quote Ronald Reagan (who this whole article was a bit more about): "There you go again" with the 'Israeli lobby.' Certainly they have one of the biggest lobbying orgazations in the USA -- which, last I checked, there is nothing wrong with, particularly since they merely reflect a majority of the U.S. populace, which like me backs Israel's existence on that land to the hilt. Why SHOULDN'T they harness that sentiment through lobbying, in the face of wobbly-kneed and hostile (re: 'progressive') politicians? They can't afford NOT to, as under attack as they constantly are. (Incidentally, the AARP, a domestic, liberal-leaning group, is larger than the Israeli's biggest lobbying group, AIPAC).
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IrishAndProud | Sep 27, 2010, 03:29 AM EDT
Dennis, what Arabs are being 'starved' by Israel, and where? Surely you don't mean Gaza, with its new, glimmering shopping mall, spas, swimming pools and hotels (not to mention Iranian rockets, out the wazoo, ready to be fired at Israel, first chance). What Arabs are being 'harrassed' by Israel, and where? Raining rockets down on an Israeli town for months on end, with sudden death a continuous possibility...and making near-continual threats about wiping Israel off the map...now THAT is harassment.
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DennisQ | Sep 25, 2010, 10:50 PM EDT
I'm an American citizen and I fix computers for a living.
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Monsoonman | Sep 25, 2010, 11:16 AM EDT
Just curious Dennis: What is your nationality and how do you support yourself?
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DennisQ | Sep 24, 2010, 11:36 PM EDT
Maybe we don't agree on the meaning of the term "ethnic cleansing," IrishAndProud. Israeli policy seems calculated to push the Arabs out of Israel altogether. It's not enough that areas designated for Arabs have been shrinking, but there's also an effort to starve, harass and even kill the ones remaining. I'd call that ethnic cleansing; there's nothing "false" or "silly" about such a charge.
Over time we see the Jews taking over traditional Arab lands, replacing them with bantustans, the word the Afrikaaners used to describe the walled-in territories to which Blacks were relegated in the days of apartheid. Our three billion dollars goes to support a social structure in Israel that we opposed in South Africa; indeed, we led a boycott against South Africa.
Why was the relief flotilla necessary this past summer? It's because the Israelis are starving the Palestinians, denying them food and medicine, trying to get them to leave. We should not be supporting Israel at all, much less giving that country a lavish subsidy of $3 billion a year.
American politicians are afraid to pull the plug on Israel because they fear the Israel Lobby. I would frankly like to see a lobby for Ireland with the ability to inspire fear the way the Jews can. Very good arguments can be made to support Ireland at only 10% of the amount given to Israel. And the money wouldn't go to promote apartheid as does the money given to Israel. It would go for good things like schools, hospitals and old age pensions. Not for dropping bombs on the helpless people of Gaza.
Over time we see the Jews taking over traditional Arab lands, replacing them with bantustans, the word the Afrikaaners used to describe the walled-in territories to which Blacks were relegated in the days of apartheid. Our three billion dollars goes to support a social structure in Israel that we opposed in South Africa; indeed, we led a boycott against South Africa.
Why was the relief flotilla necessary this past summer? It's because the Israelis are starving the Palestinians, denying them food and medicine, trying to get them to leave. We should not be supporting Israel at all, much less giving that country a lavish subsidy of $3 billion a year.
American politicians are afraid to pull the plug on Israel because they fear the Israel Lobby. I would frankly like to see a lobby for Ireland with the ability to inspire fear the way the Jews can. Very good arguments can be made to support Ireland at only 10% of the amount given to Israel. And the money wouldn't go to promote apartheid as does the money given to Israel. It would go for good things like schools, hospitals and old age pensions. Not for dropping bombs on the helpless people of Gaza.
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IrishAndProud | Sep 24, 2010, 07:20 PM EDT
Dennis, no one said we 'owe' money to 'the Jews,' (interesting that you worded it that way instead of simply saying 'to Israel'). The USA CHOOSES to give them that money, and the majority of Americans support this. As for Israel 'being able to make it' on its own after 60 years since its RE-establishment on its own ancient land, you could make the exact same argument about ANY other nation, Dennis -- including Ireland, which you just got done saying would be a better place to spend money on, instead of Israel. Why can't IRELAND cut it, after so many eons on THAT land (although now you seem to be saying the $$ would be better spent in the U.S. itself, and neither on Ireland OR Israel). Yeah, in this Obama 'recovery' things are pretty tight and gloomy, particularly for his dejected and disillusioned former followers -- but that doesn't mean the USA should just cease funding our strategic ally on the far end of the Mediterranean, completely surrounded by enemies including one who's vowed to 'wipe it off the map.' It cannot just suddenly cease, because Obama's mucking things up here at home so much. If you simply dislike Israel (hence the false and silly charges of 'ethnic cleansing' -- which is precisely what YOU want to do with the Jews on their own land) and want it to go away, then why don't you just say so openly, run for office on it, and work your way up the power ladder until you can implement it? I can't say how receptive the voters would be to it, however...
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snuffey | Sep 24, 2010, 01:59 PM EDT
Remember right is RIGHT, left is WRONG!
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semperfidelis | Sep 24, 2010, 10:50 AM EDT
Thank God
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Monsoonman | Sep 24, 2010, 10:47 AM EDT
How about a great spin piece from our lefty columnists on two of our famed Irish American political puppet masters, rahm emmanuel and david axelrod. They both are resigning from our famous Irish American president O'Bamas administration. Could we get some "inside information" from our resident "political savant"? Is it because they want to spend more time with their families?...Or is it because they need to shred evidence 24/7?
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DennisQ | Sep 24, 2010, 02:33 AM EDT
Three billion dollars would not go to waste if we kept it here rather than give it away. If you're going to argue that the Irish have no claim to American tax money, I hope you're not implying that Americans have no claim to it either.
The point is that we don't owe money to the Jews. If they can't make a go of it after sixty years, it's time they made some compromises. But so long as they have us backing them up, they want the whole thing and the Arabs can go scratch themselves. It's not fair, and we would not allow it if it were any other nation.
We can't avoid asking what's so special about these people that they get three billion dollars off the top of our tax receipts, and our own people do without. I've never heard a straightforward answer to that question, and I don't think that you've answered it either.
When you say that the American people identify with and support Israel, I don't know who you are speaking for - yourself? I don't identify with Israel; in fact I'm repelled by the way that country treats its Arab minority. And my "support" for Israel is involuntary. It's a decision made by politicians who are afraid of the Israel lobby.
Ah well, we'll just throw money away because we've got lots of it. I can be as sporting as the next guy. If you're giving away three billion dollars to Israel for reasons other than America's interests, why not cut the amount by a tenth? Give the Jews $2.7 billion, and give the Irish $300 million. To the extent that the Irish would not use the money to buy weapons for ethnic cleansing, it would be a far more moral use of our aid money.
The point is that we don't owe money to the Jews. If they can't make a go of it after sixty years, it's time they made some compromises. But so long as they have us backing them up, they want the whole thing and the Arabs can go scratch themselves. It's not fair, and we would not allow it if it were any other nation.
We can't avoid asking what's so special about these people that they get three billion dollars off the top of our tax receipts, and our own people do without. I've never heard a straightforward answer to that question, and I don't think that you've answered it either.
When you say that the American people identify with and support Israel, I don't know who you are speaking for - yourself? I don't identify with Israel; in fact I'm repelled by the way that country treats its Arab minority. And my "support" for Israel is involuntary. It's a decision made by politicians who are afraid of the Israel lobby.
Ah well, we'll just throw money away because we've got lots of it. I can be as sporting as the next guy. If you're giving away three billion dollars to Israel for reasons other than America's interests, why not cut the amount by a tenth? Give the Jews $2.7 billion, and give the Irish $300 million. To the extent that the Irish would not use the money to buy weapons for ethnic cleansing, it would be a far more moral use of our aid money.
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IrishAndProud | Sep 24, 2010, 12:10 AM EDT
Dennis, the USA's support for Israel goes just a wee bit deeper than 'not caring' about the Irish. I know that amongst we Irish that's an oh-so-popular sentiment to fan (we just loooove doing it and reaaally get into it...we've made such good victims of ourselves, after all, and have incorporated 'victimhood' so centrally into what's popularly considered an 'authentic' Irish identity), but you really need to snap out of it. The USA feels differently about Israel than ANY other nation -- not just Ireland -- and it clearly isn't because of our national ancestry, either (since Jews are less than 2% of the U.S. population, and DROPPING, btw). The American people, by and large, simply (and clearly) identify with and support Israel, and recognize its historic, religious, and strategic significance, which is and has been inarguably greater than any other people or nation on this earth, especially considering how few of them there really are, in relation to all the rest of us (and there's been no shortage of effort to destroy them, either), and further we recognize its legitimate existence on its own ancient land, and the benefit to any nation which backs them (considering Who ultimately backs THEM)...and we are glad to be their ally. Israel's relationship with the USA is unique and incomparable to ANY other nation; Ireland is not being singled out, here. It's just a bit deeper, than that, and it's both overly simplistic and inaccurate to suggest that money going to Israel is somehow diverting what otherwise would be a juicy, socialist handout to Ireland's poor. LOTS of other countries could make the same 'claim', as well.
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McNamara31 | Sep 23, 2010, 08:03 PM EDT
What do the likes of Hannity and O'Reilly and Fox News, who are nothing but an arm of the GOP, have to offer America or Irish Americans. They couldn't attack the Dem's on facts, so they had to take the low road to feed the nation a steady diet of smear, division and inferred paranoia about regime change. They have recently, brazenly supported candidates who won't debate and use Fox as a source to raise contributions while they don't have the caliber or intelligence to fairly debate other candidates. The facts remain, this country was bleeding 8 million jobs during the end of the Bush term and his policies of deregulation have forced the middle class into dire straits. The GOP continues to blow smoke of how they have to take their country back...Too what...To the people whose mismanagement brought us to the brink of financial destruction? And BTW, thanks to the “old Irish style” Dem’s, starting today, your college student can stay on your healthcare policy till age 26, your child with a pre existing conditions will no longer be denied health insurance, and your insurance company can no longer “drop you” if you become ill with cancer a hit your lifetime cap.
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maloney | Sep 23, 2010, 07:57 PM EDT
kell...you are a good man
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