Buerkle: Queen of Manipulation

Blueskygirl attended the Republican Community Forum last evening in Manlius. 

The claque of now-familiar Buerkle supporters sat together. They chattered and gossiped and hugged hellos in anticipation.

Outside before the event and maintaining a presence throughout the meeting were several hardy souls protesting Buerkle's Medicare sellout with signs and silence.

The queen herself missed the beginning of the meeting, the Pledge of Allegiance and introductions, arriving 20 minutes late, unapologetic.

Lateness is a virtue for a manipulator as tension builds for the faithful. Buerkle is a commanding presence. She's here!

The meeting had been interesting right up to the point that Buerkle took over. Town, county and state elected officials reported on the conditions in their respective domains. Mostly these segments were informative, hopeful and honest. It would be a lie for Blueskygirl to say she is a new fan of Don Miller, yet he seemed believable, if shallow, on his take on his role in Albany.

Then, as soon as it became Ann Marie Buerkle's turn, the forum turned into a partisan circus. The tone changed; the important work of local, county, and even state office holders became insignificant.

And Buerkle didn't bother to thank the local officials for their long hours, successes and dedication.

Buerkle, saying nothing, said everything the claque wanted to hear. The now-familiar refrains and buzzwords set them cheering like eighth graders.

That Buerkle allows a public forum to break down, particularly as she continues to claim she wants to find common ground, is unseemly. For her dissenters, the atmosphere becomes intimidating and unpleasant. Blueskygirl knows it is a lie that Buerkle wants to find common ground.

Blueskygirl is fascinated by Buerkle's demeanor. 

She plays her roles to the hilt: wise woman and martyr.

She is the wise woman we sent to Washington, bringing her worldly experience to help our great nation out of its sad situation. 

She is a martyr for the cause of "national security" and "freedom", and "certainty" for small business owners. She holds herself out as a common person with a heart of gold, putting her all behind businesses and corporations so that wealth can trickle down to the masses. (We saw how well that worked during Reagan.) (Never mind that she has two houses and her personal wealth is in the millions.)

She wears a perennially sad expression that plays into her martyrdom. She pleads and begs people to understand that she FEELS. She is TRYING to help. Woe is she. The truth hurts and she is just a messenger with a bleak message. Don't blame her.

Buerkle is a topnotch manipulator. She lies, she distorts, she rouses the crowd around patriotism. Confronted with the presence of the top local AARP officer, right after she asserted that AARP supports her positions, she quickly asked all the veterans in the room to stand so we could applaud their sacrifice [it's the manipulation of emotions, not the real and deeply appreciated sacrifices of veterans, to which we would wish to draw attention here]. Blueskygirl watched in amazement as Buerkle's claque bought it. Boy, did they!

Blueskygirl is giving up going to these meetings. They leave her feeling she is witnessing some of the worst in people, and really, what is the point of self-immolation?

pantaloni in fiamme!

Editorial: Tea Party as Symptom

I do not believe that the Tea Party is responsible for the mass violence in Arizona yesterday, not intentionally and certainly not directly. I will be very surprised if it is found to be otherwise.


Throughout the rise of the Tea Party phenomena, I've thought of it as a symptom rather than a cause.


The Tea Party seems to attract disaffected people who have lost faith, if they ever understood it or had it, in the democratic process.


Basic to our system of government is the fact that sometimes one party loses, and sometimes the other one does.


Meanwhile, sometimes a third and even a fourth party, rises and adds to the conversation, often bringing ideas and other options, and that expands the possibility of solutions to tough problems. It is a healthy way to govern.


I think most Tea Party-identified people are appalled by the act of violence in Arizona yesterday. I do not think they are bad people who would wish a violent death upon anyone.


I do think they are people frustrated by feelings of powerlessness in a gigantic country where many decisions are made at the top that do not reflect what they feel are in their best interests. OK, I get that and, believe me, I felt it mightily while George Bush was president. I try to understand.


At the same time, there are political figures who have and who will continue to try to manipulate people who identify with the Tea Party to benefit their own agendas.


I think of Sheriff Palin, swearin' and stampin' her feet, and posting a map of the US with Democrats to be defeated in the 2010 round of elections located with rifle crosshairs. This is inflammatory, and it is manipulative. It is easy to name dozens of other politicians who also play that game with ordinary peoples' emotions.


There is a growing, though still small, lack of common decency, boosted by media that rip at it like sharks. There is a refusal by the Republicans in Washington to accept the democratic process as enough of a safeguard for our country's and our citizen's futures, often stepping far outside what is acceptable behavior.


These Republicans proudly say that they will not, under any circumstances, work at governing cooperatively and collaboratively. They are undermining the basic tenets of a democratic system. It is that behavior that I deplore. Our country and our people deserve far better.