Ed Rendell calls this “a nation of wussies” after NFL game called due to snow
Ed Rendell tells it like it is. There is a deliberate wussification of America underway. How can we stop it?
Ed Rendell was one of Hillary Clinton’s top surrogates in the 2008 primary campaign, and worked incredibly hard for her. I got to go on pub crawls with Rendell, Chelsea Clinton, and other surrogates in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia as part of Hillary LGBTQ efforts…and Rendell was a laugh riot.
After HRC suspended her campaign, Rendell memorably got on a stage with Obama and made jokes about people drinking his Kool-Aid…as in, giving up all reason and becoming part of the hopeychangey, O-Ba-Ma…O-Ba-Ma…chanting crowd. ”Time to drink your Kool-Aid,” Rendell laughed, pantomiming drinking a giant glass while saying “glug, glug, glug” under his voice and putting his arms out like he’d become a zombie.
It was hilarious, and Obama just stared at him, incredulous that someone in his company was making fun of him, right at his side like that.
I don’t know what you may think of Rendell as a Governor, but as a character, he’s hilarious. He probably would not have been Hillary Clinton’s VP pick (that would have been either Evan Bayh or Ted Strickland, both of whom were enormously popular still back in 2008), but can you just imagine if this guy was Vice President?
He has that says-whatever-he-wants spirit that drives Joe Biden, but he’s much smarter than Biden, and actually knows what he’s talking about.
Republicans should be calling this “a nation of wussies” because in a lot of ways that’s sadly what it’s become. Where is that pioneer spirit, as Rendell rightly asks?
We need to rediscover that.
Part of the reason Sarah Palin’s Alaska is such a fun show for everyone to watch is that most of the people featured in it, including the Palins themselves, seem superhuman on such a regular basis…hunting, fishing, hiking, dragging large animals home to their freezers, battling things with enormous teeth and claws, surviving in brutal cold, etc.
That’s actually not SUPERhuman, but HUMAN…in that just a generation or two ago, before the rise of megacities and the emergence of suburbia, this is how the majority of the country lived. Eeking out an existence on a frontier, fending for themselves, not looking to a government to provide for them.
The Americans who formed the Greatest Generation that won WWII were not part of a nation of wussies…but sometime in the 70s, with the rise of the Left and the takeover of our education system, and its subsequent PC-nation mindset, that’s what we became.
It’s sad, but true.
How do we change things back in the years ahead?
*************************************************
NOTE: Here’s a great email someone sent in about Ed Rendell:
Dear HillBuzz,
I was born and raised in Philadelphia and currently live in a suburb of Philly. I’ve always liked Ed Rendell and agreed with him politically….until the past 2 years.Before Rendell was mayor of Philadelphia, he was a partner in a large law firm that our family lawyer was also partners in. When he became mayor of Philadelphia, he took on the unions. The city was bankrupt, city workers wanted raises, and Rendell told them in order to give them a raise, he would have to lay off workers to fund raises and gave them the option. Hard to believe with the current atmosphere of the Democratic party but Rendell brought fiscal responsibility back to the city and took it out of bankruptcy. Fiscally, he is moderate. While he agreed with the stimulus the Democrats pushed through, he also criticized it saying that while it would save jobs in PA, it wasn’t going to create enough private sector jobs.I voted for him both times for Governor. He’s not only a likeable guy, but he was more honest than most politicians and really did have the best interest of the state at heart.Ed Rendell was a Hillary supporter until the end. He is also a strong party line-toeing man. Before being Governor he was head of the DNC. IMO, Obama brought out the worst in him and many other Democratic politicians I used to respect.When asked why he supports Obamacare the only talking points he brings up are the few details in the bill that even the Republicans agreed on, such as pre-existing conditions, children’s coverage. I have a sneaking suspicion he really doesn’t like the law but is toeing the line in the name of the Democratic party and for possible political gain for either him or his wife (a federal judge). Some will criticize him for putting politics first, but as you most likely know, that’s the nature of politics and both party’s are guilty of it. It doesn’t make it right but it happens.He was always a good speaker and able to defend his position logically. But lately I think he’s becoming unhinged and maybe a tad tired of having to spin Obama’s failures. Unhinged people will say and do crazy things, like calling us wussies.Lifelong PA Resident
© 2010 – 2011, Kevin DuJan. All rights reserved.
Also Recommended:
- Gov Ed Rendell Gives Good, Free Advice To Gov Sarah Palin
- Charlie Rose has a conversation with Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania
- Call Governor Ed Rendell and tell him Hillary Clinton needs to be put into nomination at the Convention
- PA Governor Ed Rendell Tells It Like It Is
- Governor Ed Rendell Interview with Chris Matthews
Latest Buzz:
Help HillBuzz by Shopping Amazon
"Bee" Advised!
I look forward to your comments. Please follow these simple guidelines:
- Please do not complain about your comment not yet showing up
- Stay on topic of the article ("This is OT, but..." = bad!)
- I will STING if you troll, spam, bait, swear or attack someone
I'm going to do my part by slaughtering some lambs and a vicious duck-eating pig here in about an hour.
Outdoors. In the rain. While sick-ish.
Are you making this to have for New Year's, or is this just what's on the menu for Wednesday?
The lambs actually belong to my friends, and I think it's because we have a collective hankering for lamb. No New Year's plans as far as I know.
As for the pig, well, we want bacon, and also, my ducks are going to be spending next week at that farm and I'd prefer they not get their heads bitten off, so he's gotta die too.
Ed Rendell's right, we have become wussified. And if the liberals have anything to say about it, it will get worse.
But this decision by the NFL was all about $$$, I think. They may have hidden behind the "public safety" excuse, but that was probably secondary to the visions of lost revenues dancing in their heads.
They might not want to admit that we have enough sense to make our own decisions, but they had to know a lot of people would choose to stay at home in that kind of weather.
Unless you're a Cheesehead.
Cheeseheads would've been there. Shirtless.
Well maybe not shirtless, but wearing a blaze orange hunting coat with that wedge of cheese hat.
Although I don't agree with Rendall's politics, I like him personally! I've seen him at several public events over the years and he is lots of fun.
The cancellation of the football game to Tuesday night was all about money!
Can you explain how it was about money?
Were they afraid of losing concession sales because few people would show for the game?
Because tickets were already sold. I don't follow sports so don't see the money connection to the cancelation.
I think they used this more as a test run to see how many people would tune in to a Tuesday night football game. They've already included Thursday night games from time to time. It's too early for the ratings yet.
America (including me) loves and adores football and can't get enough of it.
Eagles fans would show up regardless of the time/day, etc. The NFL didn't want to have competition on Monday night against their regular Monday Night Football.
agree, lovespoundcake,
But I was looking
forward to seeing that
dog killer Vick, that O likes so much, struggle
to play in that storm.
Maybe they were concerned about getting sued if a fan hurt themselves?
Or they were worried about travelling to the game? I understand Rendell wasn't the best governor – how are Pennsylvania's roads and snow removal systems?
I agree. He is one of the few Democrats I would like to have a few beers with and/or watch an NFL game with
He was a barrel of laughs on pub crawls. Seriously. I have never had so much fun than on those Hillary events with him.
He is HILARIOUS. Loud, funny, gregarious.
Someone you wish was your dad or uncle.
Did you see the seat they had reserved for him at the game Tuesday? It was filled with snow, had a sign: http://www.saintseester.com/siteimages/nonwussies…
The fact that we have become a nation of wusses should be no surprise. As a result of the Industrial Revolution and proper application of Scientific Method, life has become increasingly soft for succeeding generations. Look how housing sizes relative to number of residents have increased since the early days of our country. Some old houses are big, but multiple generations plus servants lived in them; recently I ran across the statistic that the average size of a new house is 2200 square feet, up from 1500 a couple of decades earlier.
Most wage earners wouldn't dream of walking a couple of miles to and from work;their feet might fall off. Near a town not far from Phoenix, you can see old mines several miles out and halfway up small mountains. The miners walked from their homes to those mines and back every day.
People lived in Phoenix before air conditioning; their descendents keep their homes at 72 degrees even when it's 115 outside.
I don't propose going back to the "good old days." They weren't that good. However, I do believe one of the reasons behind the decline of our nation is wussiness. Wusses are afraid of getting hurt, so they won't offend anyone who might retaliate.
Last Feb, we had an 18-inch blizzard that had the whole town snowed in. My hubby works for TXDOT, and was called in at 2 am to go plow. Not being able to get out of the garage, he put on his snow boots, packed his gear and lunch in a backpack and headed off on foot. Took him 20 minutes to walk the mile and a half in blinding snow. He was the first one there and dug his plow out by hand, and then used it to dig out the other plows. By then, the full crew arrived. They stayed on the job, sleep in the cabs of plows or on cots at the station, for the next three days. No complaints, no demands for pity or respect, just a bunch of guys doing the jobs they are paid to do. I think this is still very true for the majority of American citizens.
We have turned very soft as a nation. Back in the late 70's when we were all going to die because of the "Global Cooling" that was going on. We had several winters in a row that were very cold and very snowy. Then Al Gore came along and warmed us all up and "Global Warming" started and we had some warm winters and we got use to it. Now that Mother Nature (and the Sun) have swung back to the frosty side, we can not handle it.
Since we had some warmer winters and less snow, several cities "forgot" how to handle snow and ice. They either did not keep up their equipment because of budget costs or in several places the environmentalists have made using salt on the roads a no-no. Without good planning, proper equipment and salt (or something similar), it is difficult to remove snow and ice.
I do not follow Pro or College sports. My opinion is that they are over-paid (pro) and over-glorified (pro & college) "thugs". If I want to watch that I can watch COPS anytime. If you want to watch sports, catch the local High School teams. Those are kids that are trying to win and have fun but they make mistakes (that is all apart of it) and are more enjoyable to watch.
Remember back in the day when the NFL (and college too) were played in the SNOW. If you see the old TV footage back in the 60s & 70s where they play and the snow is coming down hard and heavy – so bad they have to postpone the game to clear the snow off of the white markers so they know where they are at on the field. Those games were fun to watch – probably not play but that was the way it was. Now it is all indoors and climate controlled, boring.
It all adds up to us as a society not learning from previous experience (preparation and planning for snow removal. And is becoming soft and not wanting to get out when the weather is bad (I myself rather enjoy the warmth inside – but I do go out when needed and have no issues driving in snow and ice.
We as a nation better "grow a pair" if we are to survive.
They would not have had the Ice Bowl were it -15 degrees on Game Day. And all the damn domes. Heaven forbid that the Vikings had to play a game outside for the first time in 30 years.
Loved watching Minnesota's third string QB defeat Vick on his home turf. Grrrr ruff ruff!!
Wasn't that a hoot!
We were life-long Eagle fans, until
the dog killer Vick.
I put a curse on the team, it
remains as long as the dog killer plays.
But, our president took the time from his busy day … round of golf, game of HORSE … to call the Eagles owner to thank him for giving Vick a second chance. Wonder how many other business owners he's contacted to express his gratitude for their willingness to hire ex-cons?
I think a lot of the "wussification" of America is due to the millions of LAWYERS in America, and the threat of a lawsuit over every little thing. I think the teams were concerned about losing revenue from concessions because nobody would show up for the game, but I think they were also concerned because if fans DID come and then were injured in a car accident or something in transit to or from, they might file a lawsuit against the teams and the NFL for not canceling the game. The lawyer fees to defend against something like that would cost them a bundle, even if it was ultimately thrown out.
The other thing I don't understand is why Philadelphia seems to be incompetent to keep up with a mere foot of snow! I grew up in PA, and that kind of snowfall was not unusual. Life as we knew it did not stop just because it snowed!
Maybe the powers-that-be in PA need to take a look at THAT problem.
I do believe you are 100% correct on the lawyers – they have made it where people and companies are so afraid to do anything "dangerous". Between the lawyers and insurance companies all of the risks and "fun" is getting taken away.
I do not know about PA or Philadelphia first hand. But in several locations where they have had a couple of mild winters, the local governments have shrunk the budgets on snow removal. They did not use all of the allocated funds for a few years and in budget crisis times they cut those things and "pray" they do not need them. They let the equipment wear down and not replace it and they do not budget for over-time hours and things like that. I also think in several locations that they forget to have a plan in place – in case it happens. If it has been a few years since the last major snow storm then why worry about it? So when the time comes to need massive snow removal, they are unprepared and have no budgeted money for it.
Hello from Philly! Here in PA, if Rendell is referring to wussies, Fast Eddie has been and continues to be a prime enabler. You may like him, Kevin, but beware the consumate con artist, which is exactly what Fast Eddie is – from the constant "it's for the children" overspending to the bloated budgets (often used to reward his friends) over the last 8 years, this so-called "moderate" with his "common man" approach, has bankrupted the State with the help of an extremely compliant Legislature (taxpayer dollars for Arlen Specter library, when we are flat broke, unfunded pension liabilities, etc.) As for Mr. Ed, it takes one to know one. Good Riddance!!! We can't wait to see him go.
PhillyMom,
You have actual experience living under his leadership…I just know him as a character.
Sort of like how I find someone who lives in the neighborhood interesting, like listening to his stories at a bar, enjoy running into him at the grocery store, but I do not know what it is like to be married to him or to be his kid or niece or nephew or whatever and have to deal with him on a regular basis.
I 100% defer to you on that…but the man is sure as heck colorful and interesting you have to give him that.
K
Thank you for your most gracious response. I do admit that I get a bit cranky when referring to Fast Eddie (as he is known throughout the State). Yes, he is a "character," but has no Character. I thoroughly enjoy your site and visit often. Have a wonderful New Year.
I watched him in a number of instances talking about this and I felt like saying…then why do you support an agenda that proposes cradle to grave dependency to the gov't? Why don't you tell Obama and the Congress that they are part of the problem in regards to this country turning into a bunch of wusses? Don't get me wrong, on the surface I totally agreed with him, but he needs to put his actions where his rhetoric is.
And I also agree that Republicans should have been the ones coming out and saying this.
We have a theory that the wussification began with the welfare state. Most wussies are "victims" or "victims in waiting". I can't do that, I'm (fill in the blank with sick, disabled, black, a woman, poor, etc.). When the government, through handouts and welfare, legitimized a nation of victims, the wussification of America began. The more the government gives, the harder it is for the wussies to toughen up and grow a pair. When you cease feeling embarrassed about taking endless handouts, you start expecting/demanding more (see Pigford). We have to stop coddling people who are perfectly capable of getting off the couch and taking care of themselves. To borrow from The Santa Clause II, "Let the dewussification process begin!"
txautismmom2, agree wholeheartedly. However, wussification also gets a boost in our schools. Remember the old saying, "boys will be boys" … well not in American classrooms. The girlification of male children by liberal educators is shameful … a lesson in treachery.
Oh, cal. granny, don't get me started on the school system. The participation awards they hand out for just showing up are a joke. We are not allowed to "compete" as that will exclude those who are not as talented, devoted, ambitious, as the other kids. Everybody gets a ribbon, no matter what they did; everybody gets a smiley face sticker, no matter how bad the paper. Everybody gets praise for something during the day, even if it's for not eating the paste. I haven't taught full-time in 15 years, but when I do substitute, it's all I can do to not say what's really on my mind. "Suck it up, buttercup. The real world doesn't care about your feelings."
Hey, can we criticise the moral problems in the education system without chalking them up to allegedly feminine characteristics?
Girls and young women are just as harmed by a refusal to let them compete, and the tendency to coddle them.
Watch this and weep..this is what has happened in our schools.
http://youtu.be/KAoUjYKcamg
Oh good Lord, that is scary. The school sent my two autistic daughters to a psychiatrist because they were "unruly". After two unsuccessful attempts with powerful anti-psychotics, he prescribed Abilify. Hard to act out in frustration when you're drugged out of your gourd. One year and a 70-pound weight gain later, we found a doctor that prescribed a gluten-free, casein-free, organic diet. 50 pounds lost, no more Abilify and no more outbursts. I do believe we are poisoning our children.
Actually, the girls around here seem more focused, competitive and mentally tough than the boys. Chalk it up to feminism and Title IX. The boys, however, are admonished to "feel" and "relate" and "empathize" with the non-winner (there are no losers). It takes all the joy out of winning when you're forced to feel bad about it.
TX, you said what I meant but stated poorly. Thanks. Lisette, I'm not taking about coddling … I'm talking about blatant discriminatory treatment with girls receiving preferential advantages over their male classmates. With six grandkids in elementary school, it's a daily topic of conversation in my family.
I fully admit that I'm writing from an Irish perspective, but don't they get snow every winter in Pennsylvania?
It's what puzzles me about snow issues in places like NYC and Penn. How is snow unexpected, and don't they have systems in place from years of experience, even if the leadership is incompetent?
I fully agree with statements like this. Places that see snow every year should be able to deal with said snow every year. Even Chicago, which hasn't been seeing such crazy accumulation like the east coast, has some issues with snow sometimes. Though I'll forgive a lot of the east coast in situations like this blizzard they were under, which is kind of extreme even for them.
This is the same way I felt about the dome in Minnesota collapsing under the weight of the snow… uh, you live in Minnesota????? That's practically Canada in terms of getting cold and snow! Silly engineers.
Yes, we get snow in Pennsylvania, and sometimes plenty of it.
This particular storm was a nor'easter which carry with it, winds and unpredictable accummulations. Weather forecasters predict the storm but predicting accummulation is difficult. They rely on computer models to tract the line of the storm in the same way hurricanes are tracked. However, computers will disagree with each other. One model will say it will stay out at sea and other will show it skimming the coast, etc. By the slightest movement east or west of the storm can have a significant impact on how much snow we get. I live north of Philadelphia which got a foot of snow. 4 miles east of me only got around 6 inches and right across the river in New Jersey, they got 15 inches. The further east, the more they got.
Up until the day before, they kept saying Philly was only going to get a coating of snow. Then the storm shifted more west and the forecast changed.
He is a good man. Hannity loves the guy, and he is the sort of Democrat that goes on Fox News states his beliefs unlike over Democrats that complain that fox news is bias and doesn't show the other side but decline to go on.
I read that Rendell's on FOX so often of late because he's trying out for a correspondent position with the network a la Sarah Palin.
I happened to be watching Ed Rendell on Fox News in Philadelphia the night he called us wussies. He was completely unhinged, made no sense, and out of line. Some would even say insulting.
First, he was arguing with the chief meteorologist, John Bolaris, about how many inches of snow we got.
Then he said the fans in Montgomery County (West of the city) got very little snow. That's great for Mont Co. but the majority of season ticketholders don't come from that county alone. According to the NFL, 1/3 come from New Jersey, the state that got socked with 15-30 inches of snow.
Then he said fans could take the subway to the stadium. We have two subway lines. One is an elevated subway, which doesn't go near the stadium, the other one is underground which stops right at the stadium and runs through very bad neighborhoods from one end to the other. In addition, one would have to drive, in the snow and blizzard conditions, to get to the subway.
He then said they could take SEPTA busses to the stadium. SEPTA runs very well in the city, but not so well outside of it, so again, you have to drive to a bus stop in the snow.
The roads were so treacherous SEPTA busses were getting stuck everywhere and they stop all bus service around the time the game would have been played, leaving anyone who took the bus down, stranded.
Up here in Bucks County, some where disappointed, but no one was all that upset as they were more concerned about digging their cars out and shoveling snow.
devonmcbride
I am in Bucks County, too.
That was a nasty storm, worse
than the snow was the high
wind.
I was out in it for a while,
checking on the feral cats
that we feed.
They made it through okay.
Glad to hear the cats are ok.
I'm sorry, I'm going to have to disagree with Ed "Balls" Rendell and say nuts.
You're to go out into the teeth of the storm, at night and potentially risking life and limb – NBC said that 7" fell Sunday between 7PM and 1AM, which would have been in the middle of the game – for what, exactly?
Is it to save your family?
Is it to save your friends?
Is it to save a stranger in trouble?
No, it was an eff'n football game. A bit of entertainment. Nothing life & and death in that.
As my dear mother might say, please use your head for something other than a hat rack.
You are right! Ed need to understand that everyone who would have been working at the game that snowy night would not have been just the athelettes with multi-million dollar contracts. What about the concession stand workers and janitors etc. etc.. Should they risk their lives to come into work for a damm football game. Keep the roads clear for emergency workers, nurses, doctors women in labor and those in need of emergency mediacl care, that would be what a responsible governor tells his constituents.
Democrat Rendell looks for a way to describe the pathetic weakness of Americans, so he uses a misogynistic term.
And the media yawns. And giggles.
You can bet if he were a Republican that the media and the NOW would be spitting fire and calling for his resignation.
What's that called? oh yeah a double standard
I was at the game last night in the 200 level, which is the nose bleed section, and it was windy and freezing. I can't imagine how brutal it would have been in a snow storm with 30mph winds. It's easy for Ed Rendell to say people are wusses for not going to the game in a snow storm when he has a driver take him to and from the game and he sits inside in a box.
It should also be mentioned that Philadelphia declared a snow emergency as of 1pm Sunday which means that as the storm progressed only essential personel we allowed on the roads. Driving to and from an NFL game is not essential.
Wow. I am a life long resident of Philadelphia and voted for Ed Rendell twice as major and twice as governor of PA. I agree completely with everything that my fellow resident of suburban Philadelphia wrote in her letter to Hillbuz. Rendel has become a typical democrap opportunist. He has fought hard to bring gambling to Philadelphia while the people of Philadelphia hate the idea. Rendell is forever damaged by his submission to the will of Obama. In my oppinion, he and the Clintons should have burned down the party right their at the 2008 convention, over and done with, start the rebuilding. But instead they banked on Obama-the goose that laid the golden eggs' cult of personality. They were not smart enough to realize that Obama's star power would fade.
As for the Football game, well we are a nation of wussies, except for the Tea Party Patriots, but the game being cancelled had more to do with the fact that we are a litigious nation and as the stadium becomes a treaturous place during these snow storms, opportunists become ever more clumsey when walking to their seats.
I blame the liberals for our nations wussieness. All their crys for peace are really crys of surrender. They would never fight for anything of real value. And the never ending litigation comes from a population of entitled parasites, again created by liberal cowards. Ed Rendel is looking really old and hagard these days. I think he knows how very badley the democrats f**ked up with their false messiah.
Completely agree 100+
Fast Eddy's chickens are
coming home to roost!
Why do all my comments disappear?