Republicans, rabies, and the debate.

Last night’s CNN/ YouTube republican debate was probably the most entertaining performance that the democrats could hope for. Several things stood out. The most obvious was that Rudy G. was distracted by yesterday’s report about his abuse of funds as mayor, in order to carry on an affair. In the next few days, this report may get more attention than Rudy’s feeble attempts to deliver zingers at target Romney. I suspect this newest scandal will not play well with republicans across America.

The debate also featured some battles of half-wits, and that the second best part of the show. Old Fred, who seemed to sleep through much of the debate, did deliver a few meaningless lines that won the hearts of all twelve of his supporters in the audience. John McCain continued to put his campaign to sleep. It struck me as part of an American tragedy to hear him give one good answer – on torture – but he has been willing to humiliate himself to such a degree in order to become president, that it has become impossible to justify the respect he once demanded.

The best part of the debate was, without question, the questions from several of the citizens which indicated the republican party represents the unstable extremist strains of our society. Tell us about your gun collection? All we need to know is: do you believe every word of the Good Book literally? Will you wrap yourself in the flag of racism?

The questions were so strange that they allowed Ron Paul to appear rational for 45 seconds in a row. They also proved that if a younger Bob Dole had rabies, his name would be Tom Tancredo. It is difficult to imagine a weaker group of republicans for a presidential primary.

The only candidate who came across as capable of using logic and reasoning was Mike Huckabee. But, although he is gaining in support from the republican base, he is unlikely to gain the nomination. The republican machine does not base it’s decisions on qualities such as logic or reasoning, as the presidency of George W. Bush makes clear. Huckabee might become the choice for vice president, although the machine will hesitate to grant him that much power.

That leaves them with the man who learned two things in his youth: first, from watching the movie The Graduate, he became convinced that there was a future in plastics; and second, from his father’s experience, he learned that the threat of being brain-washed could be reduced by displaying no evidence of any gray matter. Plastic, black and white thinking defines Mitt Romney.

Thus, this morning, though every guest on Mourning Joe says that Huckabee won the debate hands down, the machine candidate is going to be the special guest.

It must have been difficult to be a loyal republican last night. And it has to be worse to think about it this morning, while they read the paper or watch the tv. But the republican machine will not be bothered by rational thought, logic, or reasoning. The machine will be focused on selling a plastic product, and they will rely upon their base’s willingness to be cogs in the machine.

they actually have an area in the brain that is diminished/smaller than liberals that involves important reasoning

http://librocrat.blogspot.com/2007/10/conservatives-and-liberals-have.html

http://www.freeliberal.com/archives/002976.html



http://www.star-telegram.com/245/story/308857.html

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=+Conservatives+brains+different&btnG=Search

tested lower than Dems/liberals?

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0748,barrett,78478,6.html
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Nice summary

http://milwaukee.indymedia.org/en/2007/10/208476.shtml

http://londonontario.indymedia.org/newswire/display/1498/index.php

and his drug dealer best buddy with mafia ties:rofl:

made me nervous. Anytime someone mentioned killing people, intolerance, or exclusion, the audience erupted like they were at a Stones concert. The people on the stage are playing their parts, the people in the audience are people we have to deal with everyday in the bank, the mall, and the office. It was a frightening display of the the basest motivations of human emotions, and the audience lapped it up.

As for Huckabee, I've always thought he was the dark horse. His country parson demeanor goes a lot further into the psyche of the fundies than the Brownback hardline did.

Overall, the one thing last night showed me was that I'm proud to be a Democrat, no matter how dysfunctional our side seems at times.

Anyone who by this point cannot see (or WILL not see, for personal happiness reasons) the deep psychological similarities between Nazi and Bushie Followers, not to mention the Arch-Criminals who put their weak minds in mental harness to further their personal goals of power and arch-criminality, needs to have their fucking head examined.

From deep strategic similarities to the glib and complete similarity of a people wildly cheering monstrously evil ideas (murder, absolutism, eliminationism) on cue, it is more obvious by the minute.

Want to read the research? Two decades of it? My first link below was a book written by a Canadian psychology professor who is one of leading lights in his field, which is the study of the psychology of totalitarian leaders and followers.

There is no doubt nor question, neither from our own observances nor the two decades of research, that this is happening.

It SHOULD make you nervous, because what it means at bottom is that America is now nearly fully and finally programmed to the mental attitudes of the 1930s German who brought Hitler into power.

15% who will staff the camps (just talk to any virulent Hannitist, and the Nazi verbosity is barely concealed, except instead of Juden we are Liberals, which is a non-racial term providing plausible deniability to the Kinder and gentler Nazis)

15-25% who will tacitly approve but will still try to cling to their Bushie Doublethink of being Old-style American while the ovens (or whatever it will be exactly, no one can tell until it happens) burn bright

50-60% of Americans who will put their heads down, just go along to get along, not ask any questions, and try to keep their lives going on peacefully as long as possible.

(this is not possible when facing totalitarian murderers like the Bushies, you'd think people would have learned that by now)

5-10% who will speak out and resist. It's the camps or something equally as hideous for us.

A good idea of what the Kinder and Gentler nazis have in store for us is the kinder and gentler vision of American-style totalitarianism as practiced in Sinclair Lewis' "It Can't Happen Here."

God, I hope I am wrong, but after watching the Nazi Roars of Guttural Barbarism and Savagery last night, can you really say you think I am wrong?

You just saw a tiny piece of a much larger puzzle. But it was an "in your face" piece, like watching the SA beat the shit out of a Liberal before your eyes.

I don't know what to do about it but the first step is to take the blinders off and look unblinkingly at what we face. Because how can we find a solution when we refuse to accept the true depths of the problem.

every chance I get. Have yet to receive much of a reply. It should be required reading for any one joining this board. The futility of arguing with these people is demonstrated with amazing clarity.

Here's the test:

Write down a -4 if you very strongly disagree with the statement.
Write down a -3 if you strongly disagree with the statement.
Write down a -2 if you moderately disagree with the statement.
Write down a -1 if you slightly disagree with the statement.
Write down a +1 if you slightly agree with the statement.
Write down a +2 if you moderately agree with the statement.
Write down a +3 if you strongly agree with the statement.
Write down a +4 if you very strongly agree with the statement.


1. The established authorities generally turn out to be right about things, while the radicals
and protestors are usually just “loud mouths” showing off their ignorance.
___ 2. Women should have to promise to obey their husbands when they get married.
___ 3. Our country desperately needs a mighty leader who will do what has to be done to destroy
the radical new ways and sinfulness that are ruining us.
___ 4. Gays and lesbians are just as healthy and moral as anybody else.
___ 5. It is always better to trust the judgment of the proper authorities in government and
religion than to listen to the noisy rabble-rousers in our society who are trying to create
doubt in people’s minds
___ 6. Atheists and others who have rebelled against the established religions are no doubt every
bit as good and virtuous as those who attend church regularly.
___ 7. The only way our country can get through the crisis ahead is to get back to our traditional
values, put some tough leaders in power, and silence the troublemakers spreading bad ideas.
8. There is absolutely nothing wrong with nudist camps.
___ 9. Our country needs free thinkers who have the courage to defy traditional ways, even if this
upsets many people.
___ 10. Our country will be destroyed someday if we do not smash the perversions eating away at
our moral fiber and traditional beliefs.
___ 11. Everyone should have their own lifestyle, religious beliefs, and sexual preferences, even if
it makes them different from everyone else.
___ 12. The “old-fashioned ways” and the “old-fashioned values” still show the best way to live.
___ 13. You have to admire those who challenged the law and the majority’s view by protesting
for women’s abortion rights, for animal rights, or to abolish school prayer.
___ 14. What our country really needs is a strong, determined leader who will crush evil, and take
us back to our true path.
___ 15. Some of the best people in our country are those who are challenging our government,
criticizing religion, and ignoring the “normal way things are supposed to be done.”
___ 16. God’s laws about abortion, pornography and marriage must be strictly followed before it is
too late, and those who break them must be strongly punished.
___ 17. There are many radical, immoral people in our country today, who are trying to ruin it for
their own godless purposes, whom the authorities should put out of action.
___ 18. A “woman’s place” should be wherever she wants to be. The days when women are
submissive to their husbands and social conventions belong strictly in the past.
___ 19. Our country will be great if we honor the ways of our forefathers, do what the authorities
tell us to do, and get rid of the “rotten apples” who are ruining everything.
___ 20. There is no “ONE right way” to live life; everybody has to create their own way.
___ 21. Homosexuals and feminists should be praised for being brave enough to defy “traditional
family values.
___ 22. This country would work a lot better if certain groups of troublemakers would just shut up
and accept their group’s traditional place in society.Done them all, as best you could? Then let’s score your answers, and get an idea of
whether you’re cut out to be an authoritarian follower. First, you can skip your
answers to the first two statements. They don’t count. I put those items on the test to
give people some experience with the -4 to +4 response system. They’re just “warmups.”

Start therefore with No. 3.
If you wrote down a “-4” that’s scored as a 1.
If you wrote down a “-3" that’s scored as a 2.
If you wrote down a “-2" that’s scored as a 3.
If you wrote down a “-1" that’s scored as a 4.
If you wrote down a “0" or left the item unanswered, that’s scored as a 5.
If you wrote down a “+1" that’s scored as a 6.
If you wrote down a “+2" that’s scored as a 7.
If you wrote down a “+3" that’s scored as an 8.
If you wrote down a “+4" that’s scored as a 9.

Your answers to Items 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 19 and 22 are scored the same way.
Now we’ll do the rest of your answers, starting with No. 4.
If you wrote down a “-4" that’s scored as a 9.
If you wrote down a “-3" that’s scored as an 8.
If you wrote down a “-2" that’s scored as a 7.
If you wrote down a “-1" that’s scored as a 6.
If you wrote down a “0" or left the item unanswered, that’s scored as a 5.
If you wrote down a “+1" that’s scored as a 4.
If you wrote down a “+2" that’s scored as a 3.
If you wrote down a “+3" that’s scored as a 2.
If you wrote down a “+4" that’s scored as a 1.

Thanks for the thoughtful response.

The visual I had in my head through it all was this:

of last night's debate. I found the whole thing bizarre and disturbing-questions and answers alike.

The new GOP

Bye bye Miss American Pie.

Thanks H2OMan. Off to the greatest wi' ya yet again.

edited for typo

no other way to account for people supporting candidates like those on stage last night.

As I didn't see it, it's good to know I didn't miss anything beyond my expectations. I did see the clip of McCain this morning and thought it was so good on the torture issue but I still cannot remove from my mind the image of him hugging *.

Wouldn't it be something if the ultimate Corporate candidate of Romney faced off against the ultimate anti-Corporate candidate John Edwards?

Bush family hedges its bets for 2008
By Alexander Bolton
March 26, 2007


Much of Jeb’s inner circle has picked Romney. The list includes Sally Bradshaw, who served as Gov. Bush’s campaign manager in 1994 and 1998 and as his first gubernatorial chief of staff; Ann Herberger, who was the governor’s campaign finance director; and Mandy Fletcher, who recently headed Bush’s think tank, Foundation for Florida’s Future, and worked on his reelection. In addition, Alan Philp, Bush’s former policy director, is coordinating policy and issues for Romney.

Jeb Bush’s former lieutenant governor Toni Jennings, Al Cardenas, who served as Florida GOP chairman under Jeb, David Griffin, who headed Jeb’s second -term transition office and was the Florida Lottery Secretary, Sherri McVay, executive director of Jeb’s statewide advocacy council, and Kristy Campbell, the former governor’s press secretary, are all playing roles in Romney’s campaign.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/bush-family--hedges-bets-2007-03-26.html


This has not been photo-shopped.

it really was pahetic in a comical sort of way.

loved your part about Romney
'Plastic, black and white thinking defines Mitt Romney'

:rofl:

what an empty suit that guy is.