A President’s Day Riposte (and Repost) February 20, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Fun & Games, Mindfulness, People, Politics.Tags: Adolf Hitler, Franklin D. Roosevelt, People, Politics, Winston Churchill
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It’s time to elect a new world leader, and only your vote counts. Here are the facts about the three candidates.
Who would you vote for?
Candidate A:
Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologist. He’s had two mistresses. He chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.
Candidate B:
He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.
Candidate C:
He’s a decorated war hero, a vegetarian, doesn’t smoke, drinks only an occasional beer, and never cheated on his wife.
Which of these candidates would be your choice?
Do you have enough information to make a decision? Is there anything else you want to know?
Outward appearances can be deceiving. There’s more to people, especially consummate politicians, than meets the eye.
So, are you ready to meet the Candidates?
Here they are . . .
Candidate A:
Franklin D. Roosevelt ~ A 1999 survey by C-SPAN found that by a wide margin academic historians consider Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Roosevelt the three greatest presidents, consistent with other surveys.
Roosevelt is the sixth most admired person from the 20th century by US citizens, according to Gallup.
[Source: Wikipedia]
Candidate B:
Winston Churchill ~ A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, writer and artist.
To date, he is the only British prime minister to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature, and the first person to be recognised as an honorary citizen of the United States.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 “for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values”
[Source: Wikipedia]
Candidate C:
Adolph Hitler ~ Hitler, the Nazi Party and the results of Nazism are typically regarded as gravely immoral.
Historians, philosophers, and politicians have often applied the word evil in both a secular and a religious sense.
Historical and cultural portrayals of Hitler in the west are overwhelmingly condemnatory.
The display of swastikas or other Nazi symbols is prohibited in Germany and Austria. Holocaust denial is also prohibited in both countries.
[Source: Wikipedia]
Moral of the story: You can’t judge a book by its cover.
And, now, for the Riposte: Winston Churchill was famous for his skill with a riposte. When his friend Lady Astor said that, if he were her husband, she’d poison his tea, Churchill responded, “If you were my wife, I’d drink it!”
Related posts: Bye, Bye Babeu (Life in the Boomer Lane) * Heaven (Or A Reasonable Facsimile)
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Inspiration: e-mail from unknown author provided background “facts” for each of the 3 candidates. The facts are “true” to the best of my knowledge.
This time around looks like I’ll be writing in Ralph Nader. Again.
I believe I’ll vote for SCROOGE . . . the changed man, not the money counting miser.
Oh my gosh that is so clever Nancy… and actually really scary, all things considered.
Politicians these days are adept at creating images via spin. When one of these “holier than thou” types gets caught with their pants down (“in flagrante delicto”), their “fans” and “supporters” get upset. Not just because of the egregious nature of the behavior (which is rather par for the course these days) . . . but because they’ve been DUPED and the pristine image in their mind has been sullied and soiled.
These are always interesting.
Aren’t they? Something for us to keep in mind as we approach the voting booth.
I remember this little quiz thingy… deciding which politician to vote for is always a difficult matter and there are so many different sides of a person…
People are NOT transparent. Sometimes those of “pure heart” have “bad habits” . . . while “evil doers” appear to be well-behaved.
Really great comparison Nancy and lets us know how we might bypass a great leader.
Easy to do . . . even in these days of “full disclosure” via internet and other media sources of information. It is difficult to discern the truth at times.
It is one more confirmation of the fiat that says we should never rely on only ONE SOURCE of information on anyone or anything. It can be tempting to listen to one source that tells you what you want to hear about a person or thing. It’s harder to make your own determination based on multiple sources and using some good sense and discernment.
Great post, and point well taken!
Most people are wearing masks and hiding behind them. We need to be observant for when they let the mask slip.
Never trust someone who seems to have no fun
I agree! A sense of humor is paramount to me. Anyone just thumping on a Bible while spouting the “party line” will NEVER get my vote.
i distrust most politicians
You is smart, Sidey.
Good point. The one who looked the best on paper turned out to have the blackest heart. We have to dig deeper, and I try, but it is so hard to find unbiased information about candidates. I get tired of hearing the rhetoric about how bad the competition is while they have nothing to say about what they will do or truly believe.
A friend of mine has written in General Colin Powell in the last few elections. I always thought it would be funny if a write-in candidate ‘won’ the Presidency.
Here’s a novel idea . . . instead of running “smear campaigns” to sling mud at the other candidates . . . maybe candidates could actually discuss the issues?
Hmm . . . sounds so simplistic, but it just might work.
I think you’re onto something there, Nancy! My idea is for each candidate to state what they plan to do and their own merits, instead of campaigning against another candidate. There is far too much mud being slung, and most of it is either untrue, grossly distorted, or out of context. So much so, that even the true things have to be discounted right along with the rest of the c—-!
We should require them to prepare POSITION PAPERS . . . written statements sharing their thoughts on the major issues of the day.
And don’t let anyone register to run without completing the assignment.
We should judge people not by how “righteous” they live their lives, but by the action the take toward/against others.
comment edited
I deleted your first comment and edited this one, savorthemomentnow.
I don’t mind the occasional short quote from the bible, but I’m not interested in turning this into a religious blog . . . with all the attendant hypocrisy that comes with that.
I’m sorry you felt it was religious just because I was quoting from the Bible. For those who might want to know what I was referring to it was Mark 7:1-22. This passage speaks exactly of what the topics today is about. It’s not what we put with inside our bodies or do to our bodies that defile us, but what comes out of our bodies (mouth, heart, mind) that does.
I find it ironic that you don’t see “quoting from the bible” as religious.
I received your reply, savorthemomentnow. Since your opinion of me and your defense of the bible is not relevant to this post, I deleted it.
For further information on the policies of SLTW, please see:
http://nrhatch.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/the-debating-game/
Hope reading that post will clarify the editorial guidelines on SLTW for you. Thanks for stopping by.
For example, how many politicians (and others) go to church on Sunday to show how devout they are and then indulge in the worst form of greed the rest of the week?
I actually saw that email a few years back and was shocked and appalled at the description of the three of them and how misleading they were. I’m not so naive now, but it was good to have my memory refreshed.
I think it says in the Bible somewhere, “By their works ye shall know them.” That pretty much does it for me.
The article Renee wrote on Babeu is right on target ~ a “conservative Republican” by day . . . an “immigrant lover” by night.
I recognize this one, Nancy! I think you shared this with me after my ‘Big Three’ post… fascinating, isn’t it?!
I did share it with you!
I was looking for something else this morning and stumbled up this. It seemed like a suitable President’s Day post.
Nancy, this post is BRILLIANT. Clicking the share button now.
Perfect for President’s Day, eh?
Classic, Nancy, just classic. So clever. I laughed out loud.
Adolf for president, then?
Actually, I’d like to vote for Winston Churchill . . . he cracks me up with his wit and witticisms.
I think most presidents have been a mix of A, B and C… Churchill was quite a witty guy. He definitely would have been a fun guy to meet at a dinner party.
I think so too . . . but I wouldn’t want to pick up his bar tab at the end of the evening.
Gulp- I was expecting something of this nature, but those three??
If you design a “sheet”, Nancy, make one for the campaign manager, party manager and the candidate’s work mates.
Excellent idea, Amy. Let’s get their actual thoughts on actual issues that will have an actual impact on the REAL WORLD.
Yeah, it never ceases to amaze many… I love it because it goes to show… You never know!
Exactly! We miss as much as we capture when tying to discern the “who” behind the mask.
Just shows to go you! I knew that about Churchill and Hitler, but not Roosevelt. Fascinating stuff.
I just pulled a few fun facts on each from Wiki ~ powerful leaders . . . for good and evil.
Very interesting information. A quart of whiskey a day? No wonder Churchill slept so late!
I can’t imagine drinking 32 ounces of whiskey a day ~ YOWSA. And yet his liver and kidneys made it to the “finish line.”
I thought B, definitely not C so wasn’t too far off the mark
B sounds like someone who would end up “sleeping it off” in a gutter most nights. Of course, his political career probably caused the drinking to increase. Lot of pressure with all that power.
Who knew??
Makes me wonder who would have won the election if they had campaigned against each other.
Great post, Nancy! The history books we learned our history lessons from were definitely severely edited. So many of the most famous and revered leaders have secret lives (some not so secret)…but after all, they are just people.
Unfortunately, it is usually the most bizarre and at least slightly insane ones who are willing and eager to grab the sceptor of leadership…what normal person would want to age three years for every one in office. 
You’re right, Vivian . . . our history books painted the world in black and white ~ the good guys vs. the bad guys.
One egregious example:
Columbus = brave explorer supported by Crown and Church
Native Americans = savages who needed Christ in their lives
The history books brainwashed the masses into believing that the conquerers subjugated the natives “for their own good.”
And, yes, most of today’s leaders are at least slightly insane ~ maybe it’s the result of in breeding?