Gee, Our Old LaSalle Ran Great

What great fun it was to watch the portrayal of Archie Bunker and his ditsy, doting wife as complete idiots on our television screens thirty years ago. Oh, how they made us laugh, mostly at ourselves, because it was we who were being lampooned by All In The Family. For me, it was a fun, introspective examination of the mindset of many parents of that time, and being a very young man then, something at which to scoff. Let's face it, Archie Bunker was the favorite dolt of the not-yet-arrived lobby which has laid siege on Washington today. In short, that lobby is now ensconced firmly in what is considered mainstream political thought, and we on the right have all been successfully painted as the incarnation of Archie.

It was actually a brilliant strategy by Norman Lear and his writers, something at which I can marvel and applaud, simply for its tactical success, much the same as any field general can appreciate the chess-like move of his opponent despite the losses incurred as a result.

For anyone reading this from my perspective, it is crystal clear that liberal foes consider anyone on the right as either a lovable idiot or a dangerous knuckle-dragger, much in the mold of Carroll O'Conner's character. Interesting in this assessment, however, is the hypocrisy required to subscribe to such a belief because while the left prides itself on tolerance and diversity when convenient, such qualities are cavalierly tossed aside for the expedience of "winning an argument". Conservatives are figuratively herded, by liberals on discussion boards, onto cattle trains destined for camps designed for annihilation.

What perplexes me, though, is how anyone can accept the portrayal of George W. Bush as a moron, even after eight years of leadership, while cheering the already painfully evident lack of leadership qualities of Barack Obama. His cabinet choices have already proven their toxicity, his fiscal plans will soon prove disastrous, and his once-lauded oratorical skills are eroding faster than the shoreline of a tsunami-stricken Indonesian village.

What's funny to recall is that the son-in-law on the show, as portrayed by Rob Reiner, was affectionately nicknamed "meathead" by Bunker. And yet Lear chose to make the meathead the brains of the show, the alleged "deep thinker", an exercise that eluded the patriarch, Archie. Reiner, to this day, has seized that mantel as though theater mirrors reality. Still, the idea has become the stock and trade of liberals everywhere. Spouting the most ridiculous tripe, they react with sanctimonious amusement when questioned.

One line of the theme song from All In The Family, was this:

"Didn't need no welfare state".

The mantra was personal responsibility with a helping hand when needed, and usually that helping hand was from friends and family. Today, Obama announced $75 billion in federal money - money they don't have - to help people pay their mortgages. People who have managed to stay current with their financial obligations get diddly. And everyone is supposed to smile. Somehow, I fail to see how this will foster community spirit. And Obama is all about "community".

Once, we knew how to take care of ourselves. Those were the days.

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