Political Observation . . .

[MonstaThrilla]

Originally posted by: Crimson
You guys just can't get over that people are conservative by choice can you? The only explanation that makes sense to you is brainwashing..

That's not it at all. Way to oversimplify things said by those you don't politically agree with, AGAIN.

If you read the OP, his point was there always seems to be a consistent set of talking points of the day for those who consider themselves conservative. This has nothing to do with the merits of conservatism or the fact that people choose the ideology.

 

[daveshel]

You guys just can't get over that people are conservative by choice can you? The only explanation that makes sense to you is brainwashing..

That is exactly right: I cannot for the life of me understand how thinking people can rally around positions that I find abjectly unsupportable. That is my opinion. But this is a thread about the same-sounding posts here, not about the viability of conservative positions.

 

[DeeKnow]

damn CaptnKirk... how the hell did you figure that out?

now you've blown my cover, I don't suppose they'll be remitting any more funds to my Swiss bank accounts to bash Bush and Co...

oh well - it was good while it lasted....

 

[Jhhnn]

You're not paying attention, Crimson-

You guys just can't get over that people are conservative by choice can you? The only explanation that makes sense to you is brainwashing..

Which isn't what I said, at all. Of course it's by choice, even if that choice is the product of some extremely shrewd manipulation of existing cultural, ethical and intellectual weaknesses, formulated and tested in the bowels of various conservative thinktanks and groups like Norquist's weekly meetings.

It's not so much brainwashing as it is exploitation of gut level emotional response as applied to mass marketing of political thought, and the establishment of a very strong belief pattern having only tenuous connections to reality. It's not about thinking, but rather about believing, two entirely different things. It's televangelism, applied to politics...

Republicans have long represented themselves as the champions of smaller govt. Having arrived in control, and instituting an explosion in govt that makes tax and spend liberals blanche, people still believe that Republicans will institute smaller govt, sometime RSN...



Having represented themselves as the defenders of the Constitution and Freedom, the Conservative Bush Admin attempts to discard due process in the WoT, and are staunchly defended for their actions...

The Admin attempts to stack the courts and various scientific boards with fundie zealots, theocrats, partisan hacks, and the followers don't even get nervous...

While touting secrecy as necessary for national security, members of the President's inner cirlce reveal the name of a CIA operative, and the Prez never demands that they owe up to it, indeed, he covertly covers their backs... And the followers say maybe it's not a crime....

They represent themselves as fiscal conservatives, then create huge and unnecessary deficits and corresponding debt while their followers placidly accept the excuses...

But some folks received small tax "rebates" and tax "cuts" , even though it amounts to receiving a tiny fee to act as cosigner on a huge loan, so now they keep quiet, hoping that the loan will never come due, having become semi-unwitting accomplices, paid participants in the looting of future generations resources... so that those very few who have the most and need tax "relief" the least can receive huge and very real taxcuts...

And there's the necessarily ever-shifting array of "reasons" for the invasion of Iraq, each new one fervently embraced by the faithful, even as the last is revealed as totally unfounded...

And that's just a start. People choose to become so-called conservatives because it's easy, because they're being played the way Pete Townsend played the guitar, and because he makes the guitar feel good while he's doing it... until the end of the show...

 

[CaptnKirk]

It amazes me as to what passes for 'Conservatism' by todays political standards.

What so many dismiss as being a Conservative Republican viewpoint is in reality an
extreme right agenda masqurading as conservatism, while being actually radical.



There is no room for Moderates - they are mocked and ridicules as not being 'Patriotic'.
A wrap themselves in the Flag denial of fact to anything that isn't within the boundries of
the New ! Improved ! GOP - Now with the Miracle Ingredient 'God is on Our Side'.

The distortion of Liberal to take on being 'Left' as a polar contrast to being 'Right' and the
applicition of being on the 'Left' now makes those who are not 'Right' as 'Commie Pinkos'.

It used to be that the aisle down the middle of Congress was just a seating position for
convenience of location of Party affiliation when it came to structure of Government,
but that has taken a corrosive identification as those who seek to press extreme agendas
on the majority of the citizenry are using their position of collective minority to sidtort and
twist the meaning of things as a cover for their weakness, and to instill a sinister appearance
on those who collectively oppose their narrow philosophy.

Do you really think that Kerry, or Daschle, or Waxman, or Hillary really are working to
collectively overthrow the Government and instill foriegn doctrine in our nation ?
Do you think that they could do as much damage to our government as the Religeous
Right actually has done from a well co-ordinated base support of Republican Agenda
which was presented to appease them and only them under the Bush Administration ?

Funny thing is - I'm a Republican Moderate, but whoever these 'New Republicans' are
with their Neocon actions have made me a bitter opponent of the mentality that took
over the core of the party. I'll guarantee that they don't present mainstream America.

 

[Jhhnn]

Indeed, Cap'tKirk. Extremism is best defined a a state where all of your political opponents lie in one direction on the spectrum, which fits the current republican leadership all too well.

They intend not just smaller govt, but to cripple the power of the government, now, and into the forseeable future, to permanently alter the balance of power between the middle class, the wealthy, and their corporate interests. The vehicle of that destruction is public debt, much as has been done in Brazil, Argentina, and other debtor nations...

So long as their supporters allow them to say one thing and do another, the path to ruin is wide open, and they're leading us down it, full speed ahead.

 

[CaptnKirk]

And does not that deliberate crippling of our way for life by the Government
to itself - in fact endanger the people and the actual safety of our country ?

Kruchev said in the 60's "We will bury you"

Looks like Bushes Administration are taking on that task for him.