The Difference between Republicans and Democrats
Posted by Tony Mitchell under Republican Party, Democratic Party, Ethics, Law, Courts & Judges, Culture, Libertarian Party, 2008 Presidential Candidates, Politics at 6:40 am.For the past few months, I have been trying to find a joke that describes the differences between Democrats and Republicans. There are several parts to this joke comparing the attitudes and behaviors of such individuals. The punch line for the last comparison points out that the difference between Democrats and Republicans is why there are so few Republicans and so many Democrats. But now matter how I phrase the search, I can’t seem to find the joke.
It’s not that I haven’t found jokes with that title; it is just that most of these jokes are very sarcastic (not to say that the one I am looking for isn’t) but there are limits to sarcasm and some of these jokes go beyond the boundaries of good taste.
In the meantime, I could not help but note that John McCain’s presidential campaign recently used the songs “Running On Empty” by Jackson Browne and “Still the One” by John Hall (when he was with the group Orleans). I don’t know Jackson Browne’s political affiliation but John Hall happens to be a member of Congress and a Democrat. And the problem with this particular example is that George Bush used the same song in his presidential campaign in 2004.
Jackson Browne has sued the McCain campaign for failing to ask his permission to use the song; the McCain campaign has filed a motion asking that the suit be dismissed because the ad was covered under “fair-use standards.”
Republicans believe in business and the individual but they fail to respect one of the basic aspects of private enterprise, the copy-right. No matter what one’s political beliefs may be, it seems to me that if you state that you are for the individual and then you take that individual’s property (be it real property or intellectual property), you are doing what you complain the other person does.
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Cross-posted to Thoughts From The Heart On The Left
November 27th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
“if you state that you are for the individual and then you take that individual’s property”
Wow. So much ammo in this statement.
November 28th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Well, fire away.
If the McCain campaign and the Bush campaign used material by Congressman Hall without his permission, isn’t that taking someone’s property?
I realize that there are several possible comebacks that you come up with but the fact of the matter is that in the last two Presidential campaigns, the Republican candidates used the intellectual property of individuals without even the courtesy of requesting permission. And, as I noted in the piece, the McCain campaign is trying to justify the use of the Jackson Browne song by citing fair-use arguments.
As Woody Guthrie pointed out (Pretty Boy Floyd),
Yes, as through this world I’ve wandered
I’ve seen lots of funny men;
Some will rob you with a six-gun,
And some with a fountain pen.
And as through your life you travel,
Yes, as through your life you roam,
You won’t never see an outlaw
Drive a family from their home.
Fire away
December 1st, 2008 at 11:52 am
Sorry it took me so long to get back.
It seems you’ve already convicted McCain of infringement. I’m really not that familiar with copyright laws. If they really thought it was “fair use,” we could at least give them the benefit of the doubt for making an honest mistake.
So why is this so big a deal for you? A Republican may have violated someone’s property rights; Democrats don’t believe in property rights.
“You won’t never see an outlaw/ Drive a family from their home.”
Nope, that takes a Democrat, typically.