Why are conservatives so condecending and elitist?

[Puppycow]

TeaBagCon: Tom Tancredo Suggests Reinstating 'Literacy Tests' for Voters

The opening-night speaker at first ever National Tea Party Convention ripped into President Obama, Sen. John McCain and “the cult of multiculturalism,” asserting that Obama was elected because “we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote in this country.”
. . .
‘People who could not even spell the word vote or say it in English put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House whose name is Barack Hussein Obama.’

 

[Michael Redman]

Those comments are not elitist, they're racist. Suggest testing on world geography (distinguish Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan on a map...), and see how fast their "elitism" evaporates.

But, sure, let's have a civics test:

1) How many of your parents must be US citizens at the time of your birth for you to be eligible to be President?

2) Is the Federal Income Tax unconstitutional?



ETA: I don't think it is fair to characterize Tancredo's comments as "conservative".

 

[TriskettheKid]

Those comments are not elitist, they're racist. Suggest testing on world geography (distinguish Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan on a map...), and see how fast their "elitism" evaporates.

But, sure, let's have a civics test:

1) How many of your parents must be US citizens at the time of your birth for you to be eligible to be President?

2) Is the Federal Income Tax unconstitutional?



ETA: I don't think it is fair to characterize Tancredo's comments as "conservative".

Heh.

Neither, and no.

Might as well make a different civics test. Something like, "Who wrote the Federalist Papers?", or maybe something easy, like "Who were the first 5 presidents?"

 

[Brainster]

Tancredo's a dope.

 

[Thunder]

I think some Conservatives get off accusing ALL Democrats and Liberals of being patronizing, condescending, and high & mighty.

That way, they can disregard all of our ideas and achievements.

 

[dudalb]

On the other hand, some Liberals deny that any Liberals are condescending, patronizing, and high and mighty.
If I were a conservative, I would love this attitude to continue, since it guarantees that Liberals would continue to deny that they have a major image problem, would not solve the problem, and continue to lose elections...as in Mass a couple of weeks ago..because of it.

 

[Whiplash]

That way, they can disregard all of our ideas and achievements.

*snicker* I'm sorry, but that's just pure gold.

 

[joobz]

On the other hand, some Liberals deny that any Liberals are condescending, patronizing, and high and mighty.
If I were a conservative, I would love this attitude to continue, since it guarantees that Liberals would continue to deny that they have a major image problem, would not solve the problem, and continue to lose elections...as in Mass a couple of weeks ago..because of it.

Yup.

 

[fullflavormenthol]

I once had the president of my college's student Republicans tell me that the Constitution has only had two amendments to it, and proceeded to make buzzer noises everytime I tried to explain how he was wrong. On that flat out worship Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn.

The point is a civics test would simply backfire on them. The one thing I have noticed in my short yet meaningful life is that those people who score high on civics tests tend not to be those who vote the partyline predictably.

 

[Thunder]

On the other hand, some Liberals deny that any Liberals are condescending, patronizing, and high and mighty.

don't you mean that some liberals deny that some liberals are condescending, patronizing, and high & mighty?

you wouldn't want to make a broad generalizations about all Liberals.....now would you?

 

[Corsair 115]

The opening-night speaker at first ever National Tea Party Convention ripped into President Obama, Sen. John McCain and “the cult of multiculturalism,” asserting that Obama was elected because “we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote in this country.”
. . .
‘People who could not even spell the word vote or say it in English put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House whose name is Barack Hussein Obama.’

Heh, this was skewered on The Daily Show the other night where, after giving Mr. Tancredo's remarks, they then proceeded to show images of placards from Tea Party marches containing some rather obvious spelling errors.

 

[CORed]

Those comments are not elitist, they're racist. Suggest testing on world geography (distinguish Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan on a map...), and see how fast their "elitism" evaporates.

But, sure, let's have a civics test:

1) How many of your parents must be US citizens at the time of your birth for you to be eligible to be President?

None, if you were born in the US. One or both (maybe) if not.

2) Is the Federal Income Tax unconstitutional?

Not any more. The sixteenth amendment specifically allows it.

ETA: I don't think it is fair to characterize Tancredo's comments as "conservative".

Not unless if "conservative" is defined as a synonym for "bat-guano crazy".

I'm from Colorado, and that clown used to represent my state (not my district, fortunately) in Congress.

 

[dudalb]

don't you mean that some liberals deny that some liberals are condescending, patronizing, and high & mighty?

you wouldn't want to make a broad generalizations about all Liberals.....now would you?

Just stating facts. Just like some conservatives deny that the religious right is often intolerent and bigoted.

 

[gnome]

I don't necessarily think that this is suggested with nefarious intent--it might indeed be better if only people with at least a rudimentary understanding of civics and basic literacy could vote.

The problem is it's all too easy to use any test as a tool to exclude targeted demographics.

 

[Quinn]

‘People who could not even spell the word vote or say it in English put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House whose name is Barack Hussein Obama.’

Would this proposed literacy test contain a section on dangling modifiers?

 

[Michael Redman]

I don't necessarily think that this is suggested with nefarious intent--it might indeed be better if only people with at least a rudimentary understanding of civics and basic literacy could vote.

Even stupid people have the right to participate in their own governance.

Which, I think we can all agree, explains a lot.

 

[Sporanox]

Even stupid people have the right to participate in their own governance.

Which, I think we can all agree, explains a lot.

Ahahahahaha...

 

[elbe]

NNot any more. The sixteenth amendment specifically allows it.

It wasn't illegal before the 16th amendment, which just specifies that the tax income doesn't have to be distributed evenly amongst the states.

 

[FarmallMTA]

I think some Conservatives get off accusing ALL Democrats and Liberals of being patronizing, condescending, and high & mighty.

That way, they can disregard all of our ideas and achievements.

Hoo, boy. that's a good one. Achievements like... the Vietnam War and the Killing Fields of Cambodia afterwards? Destruction of the black family through Great Society programs? The Carter years? The shoddy economic policies of the Obama crowd? Nancy Pelosi's ravings? Harry Reid and his "light skinned black with no negro dialect" crack about Obama?

I'm waiting to see just what it is you take credit for.

 

[Thunder]

I'm waiting to see just what it is you take credit for.

Civil Rights for African-Americans.

Abortion rights for women.

saving the American economy from a 2nd Great Depression.

reversing the US debt clock.

reforming welfare.

putting a man on the Moon. 2 of em'.

reforming America's immigration policies, to allow in folks who weren't just British, Irish, German, and Scandinavian.

Led America through WW2.

..any more folks?