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Is the radical right dumbing down the GOP?

HoverBoarder said:
I just don't get why such a head-in-the-sand mentality would be so popular when we have serious problems to deal with.
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Because the people who caused the problems have control over most of the media and would be required to make sacrifices to correct the problem. Their kind don't do sacrifice. They demand it of the middle and lower classes.
 
Complexity said:
Is it even possible to dumb down the GOP?
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Well you have to agree that at some point in the history of the GOP, they have had some valid ideas.

The fact that they are a lot less interested in that now is definitely dumbing them down.
 
Awesome post! And right up my alley....
I'm 47 years old. I voted for Ronald Reagan, as it was my first opportunity to flex my muscles as a registered voter...oh yeah, and I was raised by a Neo-Con-Super-Republican father...and there you have it! HOWEVER...as I grew, raised a family of my own, experienced real life, and saw the world through different eyes...well, let's just say if you doubt evolution...all you need to do is see where my thinking has gone! 180*!
The GOP has lost its MIND, plain and simple. Or have they??? As you'll recall, back in the 80s began the "Christian Coalition" which is THE vehicle through which Ronald Reagan propelled himself into the Oval Office. Without them, never would have happened. Pre 1980s, if you were a "Jesus Freak"...well you were rightly described, a FREAK. It wasn't 'cool' back then to be an overt, in-your-face Christian...well it sure as hell is now....thanks to the work of the well organized Christian Coalition, which sprouted off into several other uber-Christian organizations...Focus on the Family, and many others. So is the GOP out of their mind, or simply revamping the magic that happened 30 years ago? I believe it's the latter.
Those who are living with the tendencies to attach themselves to such groups as huge mega churches and large well organized politically active Christian organizations are "part of a very elite club" (who doesn't want that, right?) they're "members of a multi-million member strong church" (therefore, they can't be crazy, right?) All this makes one feel pretty friggin' special and elite!!! Well, couple that with being in the "in crowd" fighting the evils of abortion, same gender loving marriage, and drugs, supporting war after war after war showing the world that we can still flex our muscles as a country!!! Hell, that's a WINNING COMBINATION when it comes to shoring up your base as a Republican politician. What they need to do, however is watch their Left Flank. Oh sure, they'll nail down the 40% of 'believers in their causes' as will the 40% on the Left.
It's that squirrely 20% that's left that makes or breaks elections.
I'm here to tell you, it's my prediction that the Republicans have over-played their 'crazy hand' in this election. Those 20% aren't all stupid (chose my words carefully there) and they can see that abortion and gay/lesbian issues don't really amount to much when many of their voters can't make their house payment this month and haven't been able to for the last 6 months. Nope, they're not going to take the bait this time. There's too much else at stake here!!!
In closing...my evolution has made me realize that being a good human matters a hell of alot more to me than any candidate, cause, or national frenzy-o-the-moment. So the GOP and all their cronies can keep on doing what they're doing...I'll keep pushing back any way that I can.
Peace Patty :)
 
HoverBoarder said:
Well you have to agree that at some point in the history of the GOP, they have had some valid ideas.

The fact that they are a lot less interested in that now is definitely dumbing them down.
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Yes, although few and far between. Until the past few years, I was cheered by remembering that a stopped clock is accurate twice a day.

Watching what has been happening in this country, with the republicans becoming dumber than turkeys in the rain, Obama striving mightily to become even more evil than Bush, and all of them thieves and thugs, I have lost all hope.

The majority of this country deserves to have Bachmann or Obama as president; the rest of us deserve far better than any of the candidates who have been put up for election for generations. What a pity the voting majority insist on screwing things up for everyone.
 
HoverBoarder said:
She doesn't have any actual solutions to any problems though; she just gives ways that people can blame them on other things so they don't have to think about the hard task of actually dealing with them.

I just don't get why such a head-in-the-sand mentality would be so popular when we have serious problems to deal with.
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One word: ideology.
 
MattusMaximus said:
Bachmann has a lot of support from GOP primary voters (read: Tea Party types), but not much else.

I challenge you to show me otherwise.
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If you want evidence either way, wait. It's still early in the campaign. The only thing we know at this point is she's running.

As I've said, I'm not voting for her. The more I read of her, the less I trust her.
 
HoverBoarder said:
She doesn't have any actual solutions to any problems though; she just gives ways that people can blame them on other things so they don't have to think about the hard task of actually dealing with them.

I just don't get why such a head-in-the-sand mentality would be so popular when we have serious problems to deal with.
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There´s always the more sinister way of using a scapegoat... promise your sheeple that, if only you got rid of those evil ones who are to blame for everything, things will be fine again.

Just get rid of illegal immigrants, and there are going to be jobs for everyone.

Just get rid of secular liberal scum, and society will be moral and God-fearing again.

Just get rid of Muslims, and the threat of terrorism will be over.

Just get rid of Jews, and nobody is going to stab the army in the back again and rob them of their victory.

No, wait... one of those was from another guy with a similar approach to gaining popularity...
 
MattusMaximus said:
Bachmann has a lot of support from GOP primary voters (read: Tea Party types), but not much else.

I challenge you to show me otherwise.
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Well no argument there. I think there are a lot of people who would like to support Bachman, but they can't get past her crazy side to give her support.
 
HoverBoarder said:
Well you have to agree that at some point in the history of the GOP, they have had some valid ideas.
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NO I have to disagree with this, The ONLY reason that their ideas SEEMED right through the 19th and 20th century is mostly luck, bigotry and geography.

The whole republican meme of the bootstrap self made man crap only works if you ignore the blatant bigotry which allowed these men to make their fortunes on slaves and Indians through the 17-19th centuries. And a matter of geography which allowed this country to go totally unscathed through WW 1 and WW 2.

The reason that the US has been successful for the second half of the 20th century had nothing to do with republican ideas, but rather that the rest of the industrial world was destroyed and pretty much None competitive for the first 50 years.

The us has been living in this bubble which allowed these people to brainwash the mostly uneducated about how great their ideas are at the expense of those same people.


Only now that that bubble has burst is the curtain crumbling.
 
leftysergeant said:
If you have no special-needs children, your school is going to perform astronomicly better than the schools that do try to educate the difficult kids.
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By the way, when it comes to people with special needs, in New York, the nine large state run facilities for special people spend two and half time more money per patient than smaller private run group homes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/nyregion/boys-death-highlights-crisis-in-homes-for-disabled.html
And the private group homes also seem to have less patient abuse, like this Jonathan Carey case. Since special needs group homes are better run that state facilites, I don't see why it would be any different for special needs students.
 
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Magyar said:
NO I have to disagree with this, The ONLY reason that their ideas SEEMED right through the 19th and 20th century is mostly luck, bigotry and geography.

...
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Emancipation was a great idea, actually.

It all went downhill from there.

The thing started going off the rails when they decided to not to summarily hang all Confederate soldiers.
 
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