Who Hijacked Our Country

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

America: “The Crookedest Place on Earth”

That’s the verdict from Gore Vidal. I’ve never read any of his books, but I’ve always liked his interviews and quotations.

He says he was optimistic when Obama got elected, but quickly became disappointed.

“He's incompetent. He will be defeated for re-election. It’s a pity because he’s the first intellectual president we’ve had in many years, but he can’t hack it. He’s not up to it. He’s overwhelmed.”

A year ago Vidal told an interviewer that the United States was “rotting away.” He said America has:

“…no intellectual class” and is “rotting away at a funereal pace. We’ll have a military dictatorship fairly soon, on the basis that nobody else can hold everything together. Obama would have been better off focusing on educating the American people. His problem is being over-educated. He doesn’t realize how dim-witted and ignorant his audience is.”

In his newest interview, he said:

“Anybody who tries to hang on to America's coat-tails is going to find himself up to his eyeballs in, well, deceit and corruption. This is the crookedest place on earth — and I never thought I would go that far.”

Regarding Republicans, he said:

“They just dislike everyone. They couldn't come out and say ‘We don't want a black president’ — we've finally got past that roadblock. So what they did was set out to slaughter the opposition party, the Democrats.”

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13 Comments:

Anonymous S.W. Anderson said...

Yeah, well, doomsayers are dime a dozen anymore. I'm all for constructive criticism, and I'm not the least bit shy about pointing out this country's problems and the people behind them.

What I don't care for is haughty, dismissive put downs from people who don't bother to offer better ideas and solutions.

October 12, 2010 at 9:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've heard him on interviews many times and once met him in College. He comes off as an elitist-nose-up-the-air-snob that doesn't like anybody or anything!

Erik

October 13, 2010 at 12:21 AM  
Blogger MRMacrum said...

I'm with SW. Holding everyone in contempt and making worthless contributions to the national debate when one with his juice could do better does nothing to help.

I have never liked Gore Vidal the person. Hell of an author, but what a poster boy for exactly the kind of left wing elitist the Right whines about.

Contrary to his opinion of Obama, I still think the man was and still is the best choice we had in 08. Am I disappointed in Obama? Yes, on some levels I am. But given the complete cluster ....well the mess he inherited, I would say he is holding it together better than your average pol would. The man is not incompetent, but I am beginning to question his intestinal fortitude.

October 13, 2010 at 3:31 AM  
Anonymous kate said...

I wholeheartedly agree with S.W. Anderson, well said.

October 13, 2010 at 3:55 AM  
Anonymous Screamin' Mimi said...

Gore Vidal's time kind of came and went, and I think these comments had a lot of "sour grapes" in them. What a shame, because Vidal had a fine intellect and wrote some good stuff way back when. However, there's a time for everything, and when your time is over, leave the stage already!

October 13, 2010 at 10:56 AM  
Blogger Cirze said...

You should read his books, Tom.

I guarantee you will be impressed.

I've read most of them and can vouch for their intellectual honesty.

S

October 13, 2010 at 1:45 PM  
Blogger Tom Harper said...

OK, the votes are in. It's true, Vidal should have had some constructive advice along with his blunt diagnosis.

Suzan: I probably should check out some of his books. My book-reading has gone all to hell since I started blogging.

October 13, 2010 at 4:19 PM  
Blogger Demeur said...

There in lies the problem, intellectual honesty. Not since Buckley was alive has their been objective debate.

Now go out and kick a puppy it's what all the republicans are doing.

October 13, 2010 at 4:30 PM  
Blogger Tom Harper said...

Demeur: Republicans don't kick puppies; they burn them (i.e. not putting out a fire unless the homeowner has paid his protection money to the fire department).

October 13, 2010 at 6:05 PM  
Blogger Lew Scannon said...

I used to own Dreaming War and found it to be interesting and spot on. I think that there is a lot of corruption in this country, at every level, but that's capitalism!

October 13, 2010 at 6:21 PM  
Blogger Tom Harper said...

Lew: I haven't heard of the book, but he has this country dialed.

October 13, 2010 at 7:20 PM  
Blogger Dave Dubya said...

Perhaps Vidal is a bit pompous, but he's still right. The US talks about peace, democracy and justice, but all evidence of behavior is to the contrary. We start wars, torture, imprison without evidence, sell elections to the highest bidder, then lobby the politicians with even more corrupting money.

I ask, what country is more crooked? Somalia? At least they are not the hypocrites we are. How about Iran and North Korea? They are chump change small timers compared to the Wall Street crooks here.

Yes, Obama is better than having a Republican in the White House. And an embezzeler is a better neighbor than a child molester.

October 14, 2010 at 4:29 PM  
Blogger Tom Harper said...

Dave: As blunt and nose-in-the-air as Vidal is, I have to agree with his diagnosis. Sometime back in the '70s I saw an interview where he said that any candidate who has even the remotest chance of getting elected to a federal office is already completely bought and paid for by the Powers That Be. At the time I thought that was an outrageous statement, but now I think he was right.

October 14, 2010 at 11:29 PM  

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