We will never have the elite, smart people on our side.

[Gonad the Barbarian]

WASHINGTON, DC — Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum attacked the media and "smart people" for not being on the side of conservatives in a speech to the Values Voter Summit on Saturday.

"We will never have the media on our side, ever, in this country," Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, told the audience at the Omni Shoreham hotel. "We will never have the elite, smart people on our side."

http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/rick-santorum-says-smart-people-will-never-be-on

Well when you keep denying things like facts, logic, and science and substitute in your own realities would you really expect to? But at least you do lay out some unintentional truth from time to time.

 

[DrPizza]

"We will never have the elite, smart people on our side."

Yep, that 'bout sums it up, Rick.

To paraphrase: "The elite, smart people disagree with us."

 

[Smoblikat]

Son of a biscut, this guy is almost as bad as akin. Hes saying that all conservatards live up to the name, and only smart people vote democrat.

 

[MovingTarget]

Son of a biscut, this guy is almost as bad as akin. Hes saying that all conservatards live up to the name, and only smart people vote democrat.

Yep, and he was within a stone's throw of the GOP nomination. I can't say he's wrong in this instance though. The real intellectuals left the GOP a long time ago.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

/facepalm

 

[Phokus]

/facepalm

/facepalm because he let the cat out of the bag?

 

[Phokus]

Also, just a reminder, the GOP opposes teaching critical thinking skills:

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsme...oses_teaching_of_critical_thinking_skills.php

The GOP is dragging this nation down with their stupidity and elevation of ignorance as a virtue.

 

[Phokus]

"Having brain cells is elitist!" - Republicans

 

[Smoblikat]

Also, just a reminder, the GOP opposes teaching critical thinking skills:

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsme...oses_teaching_of_critical_thinking_skills.php

The GOP is dragging this nation down with their stupidity and elevation of ignorance as a virtue.

Also, just a reminder, the deomcrats oppose a stronger workfore on the basis of some people wont be promoted

http://www.adversity.net/newhavenfd/default.htm

The democrats are dragging this nation down with their sensitivity and psuedo-equality notions.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

What a monumentally stupid thing to say. If you're intelligent, the GOP won't be for you?

Surely he meant to slam "liberal colleges"... At least I hope that's what he meant.

 

[K1052]

I guess that's why Jan Brewer was there too.

 

[Geosurface]

I have always valued and admired intelligence, education, introspection and thoughtfulness above all else.

For many years I thought there was no such thing as "too introspective" and when George W. Bush talked about not being very introspective it made my already deep hatred for him that much deeper.

I also always hated the saying "the road to Hell is paved with good intentions" which I heard my very Catholic aunt say when I was very young. This irked me because I hated the idea that good intentions could lead to bad things. I didn't want to accept that. It actually bothered me a lot, even at a very young age, that people would say such a thing.

Just within the last half a year or so I've been undergoing somewhat of a transition in my political beliefs... even though I'm 32, and you might think that would be a point where you were fairly set in your ways.

I will never like republicans, or agree with their denial of science (evolution, global warming, their silly idea that people choose to be gay, etc) but I am starting to realize that there may be something to be said for a certain... clarity of thought, certitude, even if that certitude is not on the most firm footing.

I think the west has been paralyzed by too much introspection, we've lost our vigor and clarity of purpose and thought. So, in this sense maybe there can be such a thing as too much intelligence or knowledge. I instinctively reject that notion but... I wonder. I do wonder. Maybe the key is to pair intelligence and knowledge, with still having clarity and purpose and certitude. A difficult trick to pull off for many.

Likewise with good intentions, I now realize that they CAN in fact lead to horrible outcomes. The good intentions of bringing everyone into the melting pot of the US, trying to get along with everyone, be multicultural... I bought into this for 31 out of my 32 years. Now I am starting to think that some of the cultural forces at play in our world are too diametrically opposed, their history and starting point for thought too different from the western tradition... for a successful mixing to take place.

I believe there may be differences with the Islamic world, for instance, too fundamental for the result to be anything other than one civilization, or the other, ultimately falling.

I have to admit I admire the clarity of purpose and nationalistic solidarity the US had in, say, the earlier part of the 20th century, around WW2 most especially. Of course, I do understand a lot of this is rose-colored simplification of history. However, I don't think it can be denied that there was some truth to it.

 

[K1052]

I have always valued and admired intelligence, education, introspection and thoughtfulness above all else.

For many years I thought there was no such thing as "too introspective" and when George W. Bush talked about not being very introspective it made my already deep hatred for him that much deeper.

I also always hated the saying "the road to Hell is paved with good intentions" which I heard my very Catholic aunt say when I was very young. This irked me because I hated the idea that good intentions could lead to bad things. I didn't want to accept that. It actually bothered me a lot, even at a very young age, that people would say such a thing.

Just within the last half a year or so I've been undergoing somewhat of a transition in my political beliefs... even though I'm 32, and you might think that would be a point where you were fairly set in your ways.

I will never like republicans, or agree with their denial of science (evolution, global warming, their silly idea that people choose to be gay, etc) but I am starting to realize that there may be something to be said for a certain... clarity of thought, certitude, even if that certitude is not on the most firm footing.

I think the west has been paralyzed by too much introspection, we've lost our vigor and clarity of purpose and thought. So, in this sense maybe there can be such a thing as too much intelligence or knowledge. I instinctively reject that notion but... I wonder. I do wonder. Maybe the key is to pair intelligence and knowledge, with still having clarity and purpose and certitude. A difficult trick to pull off for many.

Likewise with good intentions, I now realize that they CAN in fact lead to horrible outcomes. The good intentions of bringing everyone into the melting pot of the US, trying to get along with everyone, be multicultural... I bought into this for 31 out of my 32 years. Now I am starting to think that some of the cultural forces at play in our world are too diametrically opposed, their history and starting point for thought too different from the western tradition... for a successful mixing to take place.

I believe there may be differences with the Islamic world, for instance, too fundamental for the result to be anything other than one civilization, or the other, ultimately falling.

I have to admit I admire the clarity of purpose and nationalistic solidarity the US had in, say, the earlier part of the 20th century, around WW2 most especially. Of course, I do understand a lot of this is rose-colored simplification of history. However, I don't think it can be denied that there was some truth to it.

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.

-Carl Sagan

 

[cybrsage]

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.

-Carl Sagan

Too bad libs refuse to listen to what Sagan said in that quote.

 

[K1052]

Too bad libs refuse to listen to what Sagan said in that quote.

Troll elsewhere.

 

[Geosurface]

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.

-Carl Sagan

Sagan is one of my personal heroes and I enjoyed all of his books. As well as his television programs.

I'm not talking about delusion, I'm talking about balls. Clarity of purpose and the ability to respond to threats.

Western civilization is the one that first took us to the Moon, and it is the one that future hope of space exploration and scientific advancement chiefly resides in now.

If there is a strain of thought/religion/ideology on this planet, with a billion plus adherents... a very large percentage of them who want to see western civilization fall, is that not a threat worth recognizing and standing up to?

But the problem is that the intellectuals and liberals who I formerly idolized, are not equipped to stand up to it. At least not alone.

Perhaps we must set aside our distaste for our own version of those people... because maybe, just maybe they are the only way to stand up to it.

It's like how they treat snake bites with antivenin which is derived from the snake's own venom. Or how we vaccinate with a watered down version of the disease in question, or prevent the spread of forest fires by setting fire to a calculated area.

Maybe the answer to these science-threatening, women's rights-threatening, civilization-threatening religious barbarians is to find common cause with our own, far more watered down equivalent of those types. It's a hard pill to swallow but I think it may be true.

I worry that, especially as the Millennium edges nearer, pseudoscience and superstition will seem year by year more tempting, the siren song of unreason more sonorous and attractive. Where have we heard it before? Whenever our ethnic or national prejudices are aroused, in times of scarcity, during challenges to national self-esteem or nerve, when we agonize about our diminished cosmic place and purpose, or when fanaticism is bubbling up around us-then, habits of thought familiar from ages past reach for the controls.
The candle flame gutters. Its little pool of light trembles. Darkness gathers. The demons begin to stir. [Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark]

I realize in this quote Sagan warns against ethnic and national prejudices, etc... and you would likely want to latch onto that to indight republicans for representing that. You'd have a point... but lack of "national self-esteem or nerve" can result from too much moral equivalence and multiculturalism which blinds us to the threats "when fanaticism is bubbling up around us" that fanaticism is Islam now, chiefly, it is the biggest threat to science, reason, etc. Our home grown fanatics are distasteful to me too, but say what you will about them... they at least have the clarity to stand up for their way of life.

 

[trenchfoot]

I have always valued and admired intelligence, education, introspection and thoughtfulness above all else.

For many years I thought there was no such thing as "too introspective" and when George W. Bush talked about not being very introspective it made my already deep hatred for him that much deeper.

I also always hated the saying "the road to Hell is paved with good intentions" which I heard my very Catholic aunt say when I was very young. This irked me because I hated the idea that good intentions could lead to bad things. I didn't want to accept that. It actually bothered me a lot, even at a very young age, that people would say such a thing.

Just within the last half a year or so I've been undergoing somewhat of a transition in my political beliefs... even though I'm 32, and you might think that would be a point where you were fairly set in your ways.

I will never like republicans, or agree with their denial of science (evolution, global warming, their silly idea that people choose to be gay, etc) but I am starting to realize that there may be something to be said for a certain... clarity of thought, certitude, even if that certitude is not on the most firm footing.

I think the west has been paralyzed by too much introspection, we've lost our vigor and clarity of purpose and thought. So, in this sense maybe there can be such a thing as too much intelligence or knowledge. I instinctively reject that notion but... I wonder. I do wonder. Maybe the key is to pair intelligence and knowledge, with still having clarity and purpose and certitude. A difficult trick to pull off for many.

Likewise with good intentions, I now realize that they CAN in fact lead to horrible outcomes. The good intentions of bringing everyone into the melting pot of the US, trying to get along with everyone, be multicultural... I bought into this for 31 out of my 32 years. Now I am starting to think that some of the cultural forces at play in our world are too diametrically opposed, their history and starting point for thought too different from the western tradition... for a successful mixing to take place.

I believe there may be differences with the Islamic world, for instance, too fundamental for the result to be anything other than one civilization, or the other, ultimately falling.

I have to admit I admire the clarity of purpose and nationalistic solidarity the US had in, say, the earlier part of the 20th century, around WW2 most especially. Of course, I do understand a lot of this is rose-colored simplification of history. However, I don't think it can be denied that there was some truth to it.

Then I suggest you look for answers from the folks who have the influence and power that makes things the way they are. They're the ones who know that money talks the loudest and sincerely believe the priviledged minority by default must rule over the peasant majority. That's why the're incessantly corrupting our politicians into their way of thinking. Your answers lie with them.

Your apparently right leaning commentary speaks to a time when our nation was united under an apparently just and common cause; something that Bush and Cheney tried to do but failed miserably at because their cause was not just and their cause was not common but alas, was only meant to enrich the lives of those very rich folks I suggested you seek answers from.

edit - And good luck with getting an honest answer from them.

 

[K1052]

Sagan is one of my personal heroes and I enjoyed all of his books. As well as his television programs.

I'm not talking about delusion, I'm talking about balls. Clarity of purpose and the ability to respond to threats.

Western civilization is the one that first took us to the Moon, and it is the one that future hope of space exploration and scientific advancement chiefly resides in now.

If there is a strain of thought/religion/ideology on this planet, with a billion plus adherents... a very large percentage of them who want to see western civilization fall, is that not a threat worth recognizing and standing up to?

But the problem is that the intellectuals and liberals who I formerly idolized, are not equipped to stand up to it. At least not alone.

Perhaps we must set aside our distaste for our own version of those people... because maybe, just maybe they are the only way to stand up to it.

It's like how they treat snake bites with antivenin which is derived from the snake's own venom. Or how we vaccinate with a watered down version of the disease in question, or prevent the spread of forest fires by setting fire to a calculated area.

Maybe the answer to these science-threatening, women's rights-threatening, civilization-threatening religious barbarians is to find common cause with our own, far more watered down equivalent of those types. It's a hard pill to swallow but I think it may be true.

You suggest that a "clarity of thought, certitude, even if that certitude is not on the most firm footing." is a desirable attribute. If you actually want to address reality then that warm blanket of self-delusion isn't going to serve you well.

I condone Muslim extremism no more so than I do Christian extremism. To state that the latter hasn't and still doesn't exist is intellectually dishonest. Even only a few decades ago we struggled mightily with one of it's most twisted forms, the KKK.

Edit: After reading a little more carefully I see that you actually suggest using Christan extremism to counter Muslim extremism. I cannot imagine anything more craven and cynical.

 

[Moonbeam]

Sagan is one of my personal heroes and I enjoyed all of his books. As well as his television programs.

I'm not talking about delusion, I'm talking about balls. Clarity of purpose and the ability to respond to threats.

Western civilization is the one that first took us to the Moon, and it is the one that future hope of space exploration and scientific advancement chiefly resides in now.

If there is a strain of thought/religion/ideology on this planet, with a billion plus adherents... a very large percentage of them who want to see western civilization fall, is that not a threat worth recognizing and standing up to?

But the problem is that the intellectuals and liberals who I formerly idolized, are not equipped to stand up to it. At least not alone.

Perhaps we must set aside our distaste for our own version of those people... because maybe, just maybe they are the only way to stand up to it.

It's like how they treat snake bites with antivenin which is derived from the snake's own venom. Or how we vaccinate with a watered down version of the disease in question, or prevent the spread of forest fires by setting fire to a calculated area.

Maybe the answer to these science-threatening, women's rights-threatening, civilization-threatening religious barbarians is to find common cause with our own, far more watered down equivalent of those types. It's a hard pill to swallow but I think it may be true.



I realize in this quote Sagan warns against ethnic and national prejudices, etc... and you would likely want to latch onto that to indight republicans for representing that. You'd have a point... but lack of "national self-esteem or nerve" can result from too much moral equivalence and multiculturalism which blinds us to the threats "when fanaticism is bubbling up around us" that fanaticism is Islam now, chiefly, it is the biggest threat to science, reason, etc. Our home grown fanatics are distasteful to me too, but say what you will about them... they at least have the clarity to stand up for their way of life.

I like your thinking. I think you have identified a real weakness in liberal thinking. I believe there IS a kind of moral clarity that is not fanaticism or delusion and that liberals compromising with conservatives on moral issues makes sense for most of the people. I am one of those odd liberals who has no doubt about the moral superiority of progressive thinking, but progressive thinking is what I define as progressive thinking. I am also clear about what is and isn't progressive. Just as one example of how I differ from liberals can be pointed to in my view of the importance of government in people's lives. I think it is important like liberals, I will tax to accomplish things unlike conservatives, but I demand that whatever program is put in place prove to be successful. The government can't just claim to help people, it has to demonstrate effectiveness to people so they will support it.

 

[glenn1]

"We will never have the elite, smart people on our side."

Yep, that 'bout sums it up, Rick.

To paraphrase: "The elite, smart people disagree with us."

http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/rick-santorum-says-smart-people-will-never-be-on

Well when you keep denying things like facts, logic, and science and substitute in your own realities would you really expect to? But at least you do lay out some unintentional truth from time to time.

Son of a biscut, this guy is almost as bad as akin. Hes saying that all conservatards live up to the name, and only smart people vote democrat.

Yep, and he was within a stone's throw of the GOP nomination. I can't say he's wrong in this instance though. The real intellectuals left the GOP a long time ago.

Yeah, because I don't suppose there's any possible way that calling them the "elite, smart people" could have been sarcastic. And based upon the remarks from those who fancy themselves among the "elite, smart people" here, Rick probably left off smug, pompous, and conceited as well.

 

[yllus]

Edit: After reading a little more carefully I see that you actually suggest using Christan extremism to counter Muslim extremism. I cannot imagine anything more craven and cynical.

What's the problem? I can't think of one instance that playing one set of crazies off another has backfired on the world.

 

[ericlp]

I have said this all along...

but, I blame religion for their idiocy. I guess that is nothing new...


Posted from Anandtech.com App for Android

 

[soulcougher73]

LOL...at least they are finally admitting they are not smart or elite.

 

[Emos]

"We will never have the elite, smart people on our side."

Yep, that 'bout sums it up, Rick.

To paraphrase: "The elite, smart people disagree with us."

Yeah it's crap like this that leaves me in dismay at the state of the Republican party these days.

 

[Jhhnn]

We will never have the elite, smart people on our side.

But some very smart "elite" people will continue to exploit you & your audience, Rick, and you'll continue to believe they're on your side. They actually hold you in lower regard than your political opponents, simply because you're sooo easily manipulated.