A Lost Civilization

[smoothoperator]

Yeah, she sounds just like James Carville in 2004, when he told the Democrats to quit whining and fix what's broken. Funny how that works.

There may be a difference. We listened to Carville, and fixed it.

Jim

Carville was smarter, funnier, and prettier than this author.

[Abraham]

Jim,

You're a true believer, I get it.

That said, do you really believe Greece is the country we should model ourselves after?

France?

Cuba?

How many failing countries have to crash before true believers finally recognize that socialism (and it's variants) simply doesn't, in the long run, work?

[VMI77]

Yes, I thought it was funny. But I have a great deal of difficulty trying to find a sense of humor in this group other than when either a "good shoot" is proclaimed, or when an LEO is reported by a member to not know what the Constitution says.

Since it has now been invited, I will tell those who know who they are that I could be no more satisfied than when I read the advice here and elsewhere as to how the right wing is going to turn things around. So long as the Republican party refuses to recognize what happened, look to the new electorate, and only whines and cries, blaming the wrong things for their loss of the last two general elections, I can be certain that they will lose the next one.

Anyone read what Newt Gingrich, not the most liberal politician in the world, said lately: 2016 is Hillary's if she wants it. She has not yet said she wants it, but she sure has been making noises I enjoy hearing. Give her a little rest and who knows what might happen. Anyone read the latest polls of both Democrats and Republicans who are registered to vote? Yours truly has not seen poll numbers like that since Eisenhower's -- for someone who, just like Ike, has not even declared herself to be a candidate. One of my greatest regrets was for supporting Obama rather than Hillary in 2008. I thought, and was led to believe, that he was a true progressive.

I will not be surprised, but will be pleased, for the reasons mentioned above, when comments here downplay the reliability of a properly conducted poll of registered voters. I thought it was hilariously funny, too, when Ann Coulter suggested recently that Republicans wake up and realize that they lost the election.

It will be no secret that I prefer Dowd to Coulter, but now I must credit Ann with having a bit of intelligence. Again, I remain satisfied if Republicans ignore her advice.

So long as the right wing gets all its "news" from the Fox News propaganda machine, which clearly made a huge contribution to Obama's victory, I still remain satisfied.

That is the good news. The bad news is that the result of Republican blindness, unreality and self-delusion could lead us nearer having a one-party government. That could become tyranny overnight.

Have at it! But for goodness sakes, can you come up with something new other than foolishness like secession, revolution, or treason? As long as you take your long black guns out into the woods and play cowboys and Indians I will, once again, remain satisfied.

Jim

Progressives are not only evil doers that want to exterminate their ideological enemies and wipe them off the planet, but self-deluded sociopaths and narcissists who want to impose their will on those they consider intellectually inferior --about 99% of the human race. They live in a world of delusion sustained by the imposition of extremist dogma to control language, and hence, thought, and emotion laden imagery designed to stimulate the basest of human impulses, making their "useful idiots" easier to exploit and control. They are religious fundamentalists who have replaced the God of the Bible with unquestioning worship and adulation of the State as God. They deserve the fate they desire for those who oppose their evil ambitions.

I'm just trying to find the sense of humor here of course, breaking out from my humorless libertarianism, so I thought I'd post something funny, and given the great tolerance and expansive sense of humor progressives are known for, I'm sure that any progressives reading my remarks will also find them funny --which isn't to say that these remarks are any less descriptive or less accurate than the very funny remarks of Ms. Dowd and her followers.

[57Coastie]

The right wing does not like to be laughed at. They retrench and dig their hole deeper. The whole world is laughing. Dig away.

Jim

[VMI77]

A humorous read, with a lot of truth in it. Before you shout this is off-topic, get down to the penultimate paragraph.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/09/opini ... neral&_r=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Jim

Humorous? Really? I'm curious what you think makes it even worth reading? Between the article and the comments, it's an endless tirade about how all Republicans are: stupid, greedy, hate women, hate minorities, evil, dark (versus the "light" shed by Democrats), reptilian, deluded, selfish, ruthless, unAmerican extremists, barbaric, decadent, racist, Nazis, unenlightened, retrogressive evil lying white people who should be "wiped from the earth." And the vast majority of commenters share this hatred and intolerance (every descriptor used here came from either the article or was repeated in the comment section). What's funny about that?

There's nothing funny about it. It is beyond comprehension that these people believe themselves to be thinkers, and it is terrifying that they vote. We truly are at the "bread and circuses" phase in the decline of the Founders' immaculate vision. It only required a virtuous people to sustain us. The left, by having co-opted the educational system, information media, and entertainment, have completely and successfully marginalized virtue, and with that will come the end of the experiment begun in 1776.

There is one single remaining tactic available to us, and that is for all conservative/libertarians in Congress to vote "present" on all bills EXCEPT anything affecting the 2nd Amendment. Make that the single flagpole around which ALL conservatives can unite. During the debates on the floor, let republicans speak out against the bills brought forth by democrats, but when it comes time to vote... vote "present." Let the democrats OWN every. single. blow. that will fall on the American taxpayer AND the American parasite alike. Let them own it. Let things get SO bad, and SO painful, that when people complain, conservatives will be able to legitimately say, "I TOLD you so, but you wouldn't listen."

The only way to make a witch like Maureen Dowd shut up is to let her keep spewing her black-hearted crap until the barnyard product hits the oscillating ventilation device. At that point, people will willingly stop reading her editorial vomit, and with any luck at all, the NYT will finally give up the ghost. I wonder if Rupert Murdoch will still be around to buy it when that happens? It would be poetic justice if he wound up being her boss and had the chance to fire her himself.

While I agree the tactic you suggest is excellent, the problem is that the Republicans don't have the integrity, the will, or the courage to pull it off. If any of those three characteristics were widely available among Republican Congressmen, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in today. Even if they were merely a bunch of opportunists, crooks, and liars --but with a little courage-- we wouldn't be in the mess we're in today. And I think I may be optimistic, because if a handful of conservative/libertarian Congressmen did try to do what you suggest, the Democrats and their Presstitutes would make the campaign against Zimmerman look like a love affair, and their fellow Republicans would turn on them like a pack of wild dogs.

[VMI77]

The right wing does not like to be laughed at. They retrench and dig their hole deeper. The whole world is laughing. Dig away.

Jim

Really --that suggests you know someone or some group that likes being laughed at? Do tell. I'm getting up there in years and I've never met anyone of any race, creed, color, religious group, or political affiliation that likes to be laughed at. Even professional comedians who like people laughing at their jokes don't care for people laughing at them personally. If you think wacky insults and smug ridicule will strengthen the progressive "movement," snark away. However, I don't think the effect you'll produce will turn out to be the one you wanted. None of us are going to discard our principles because the left is laughing. And what I've seen from those who believe in The Republic is sort of a grim and reluctant acceptance that the left does not plan to extend their self-proclaimed "tolerance" in our direction --as well illustrated by the remarks of Ms. Dowd and her followers, and well, you. Since you're not going to "tolerate" us, and we're not going to simply disappear or become irrelevant, your apparent intentions only can only strengthen our resolve.

[Abraham]

Jim,

Please summarize your ideal world for Citizen Joe Everyman.

Would it be, free for the asking: Healthcare, housing, food, what?

Those willing to work mandatorily placed in a union?

I'm just batting around a few ideas. How far off base am I?

Thanks

[JALLEN]

It is my hypothesis that the old Democrat party died when it was shanghai'd by the doper dirtball hippies in the McGovern-McCarthy (Gene, not Joe) era, and hooked up with the Communist Party USA, which had been so infiltrated by the FBI that they couldn't even hold a picnic. Nobody would admit to being a Commie back then, very high negatives as the saying goes, so they made an alliance with the doper dirtball hippies, and here we are, the Fondas, Kerrys, Clintons, plus the Chicago crowd, Ayres, Daley's, Alinsky's, and that ilk:

The Communists formerly known as Democrats.

It is more or less inevitable, in a democracy where the only thing that matters is the number of votes.

Most people are stupid, sad to say. Worse, even smart people sometimes value security over all else. They don't give a flip for freedom, liberty, opportunity, etc. or at least not enough to override their insecurities.

These people will vote for whoever is going to assure them, protect them, from harm, from want, from the vicissitudes of life, illness, infirmity, the effects of irresponsibility, the ill effects of their own stupid decisions. These people are neither driven by, nor susceptible to persuasion with, success stories. None are going to found a Microsoft, or build a business. They want a place to live, a way to pay the rent, or pay their mortgage, convenience, help getting the old lady in a rest home, free school for the kids (I did not use the term education on purpose!), a safe abortion for little Susie if it comes to that. Politicians who promise the most of that get those votes. These are not necessarily the lazy lay-abouts, but the people who will work at a job all their working lives if they can. They don't care about being Vice President of the company, or even a manager. What they care about is security.... the job will be there next week, next month, next year.

My first f-i-l was like this. He was a machinist at the bomber factories here. Most of the time there was work, sometimes there wasn't. He was not bedeviled by ambition, or burdened with a lot of education. He kept his lawn mowed, his house payments made, the beer cooler in the den filled, his car running, and not much else. He bowled in a league with others from the bomber factory. He snuck in a trip to Vegas every few years. As long as I knew him and my m-i-l, I never saw a book in their house, or knew him to read one, or even aspire to do so. He was a law-abiding citizen, but had no aspirations to better himself, to see his daughters better themselves beyond the narrow confines of his experience. If there was work, and he could pay the bills, that was as happy a life as he could wish for or imagine. I don't know how he voted but I have to think it was however the Machinist Brotherhood wanted him to. He wouldn't vote for an avowed communist, likely, but these guys know better than that and seldom announce themselves as such.

It's been 100 years since the Russian Revolution. The Commies have been busily working away, a little here, a gain there, an occasional stumble now and then, a setback, but they are committed, in ways the typical citizen is not. "We will bury you!" Khrushchev boldly announced, and we all thought he meant militarily, when the Cold War turned hot while we hunkered down under our pitiful wooden school desks. That's not what he meant.

[OldCurlyWolf]

Yeah, she sounds just like James Carville in 2004, when he told the Democrats to quit whining and fix what's broken. Funny how that works.

There may be a difference. We listened to Carville, and fixed it.

Jim

Carville was smarter, funnier, and prettier than this author.

She must be really ugly if Carville is prettier.

[Happily Ever After]

They laugh as they take our money. There's a word for people like that.

[The Annoyed Man]

The bad news is that the result of Republican blindness, unreality and self-delusion could lead us nearer having a one-party government. That could become tyranny overnight.

Oh please, you're not fooling even the dimmest democrat with that kind of 'logic.' What you're suggesting is that, if republicans don't become more like democrats, then we'll be in danger of a one-party government? You're serious? The fact is that if republicans DO become more like democrats we WILL have one party government. Two party systems only works when there is enough contrast between the two parties for voters to have an actual choice for one or another candidate/party/platform which best represents their world view.

But you knew that, and you weren't really interested in going beyond the level of snark, which was A) the reason you posted the blasted article in the first place, knowing it would be inflammatory; and B) because that is what democrats do.

[baldeagle]

The bad news is that the result of Republican blindness, unreality and self-delusion could lead us nearer having a one-party government. That could become tyranny overnight.

Oh please, you're not fooling even the dimmest democrat with that kind of 'logic.' What you're suggesting is that, if republicans don't become more like democrats, then we'll be in danger of a one-party government? You're serious? The fact is that if republicans DO become more like democrats we WILL have one party government. Two party systems only works when there is enough contrast between the two parties for voters to have an actual choice for one or another candidate/party/platform which best represents their world view.

But you knew that, and you weren't really interested in going beyond the level of snark, which was A) the reason you posted the blasted article in the first place, knowing it would be inflammatory; and B) because that is what democrats do.

We haven't had two party government in some time. The only difference between Republicans and Democrats is who they enrich and how fast they intend to destroy the country. Neither party gives a tinker's hoot about freedom, America or you, me or anyone but themselves. Yes, there are some notable exceptions, but not many. America has been doomed for a long time. It's a credit to our founding fathers that it's taken this long to destroy it.

[Abraham]

The party in power is cyclical.

Don't despair, Democrats will eventually lose.

And then, win. And then lose.

So it goes...

You just have to gut it out until the electorate is so fed up with their loopy ideas they come around...until next time.

And, I'm sure in the past when Democrats had the reins in their teeth conservatives thought it was the end.

It isn't.

There's hope.

Michigan has just been dealt a once-unthinkable defeat to organized labor - A right to work law passed just this past Tuesday.

The Democrats don't completely own this country.

[rwg3]

In my life experience, I find we are governed best when we are governed least. I don't really care which party holds the white house or congress as long as the other party holds the other. We as a nation still manage to come together enough to respond to truly national emergencies and threats and the rest of the time the see-saw of the political process tends to even out over time. I try not to let the rantings of extremists on either side taint my understanding of the issues, but I do at least read them on the chance that there are some nuggets of information in the rant.

True leaders find a way to work with the other party for the benefit of the country when the chips are down. Everything else is just pandering to constituencies.

[recaffeination]

But you knew that, and you weren't really interested in going beyond the level of snark, which was A) the reason you posted the blasted article in the first place, knowing it would be inflammatory; and B) because that is what democrats do.

Other than the democrat part, that sounds like a definition for Internet troll.