This is the Republican's most powerful weapon

[Cyrano]

The Republican propaganda machine.

For the past three or four decades, the Republican propaganda machine has established how the country, and tens of millions of uninformed Americans, view Democrats.

Hilary was demonized from the moment she set foot in the White House in 1992. The GOP machine spent 24 years attacking her and turning her into "A horrible witch/bitch who must be hated." That's why she lost. And, yes, Russia, gerrymandering, and "lost votes" helped, but it wouldn't have worked without that built-in hatred.Those who hate her can't tell you why they hate her. But they just know they hate her.

Obama was demonized by the "birtherism" bullshit. He's the only president to ever have to present his birth certificate, and then it was called a fake. Forcing the president of the United States to show his birth certificate? I'd say that's a pretty powerful propaganda steam roller.

And at this very moment, Robert Mueller is in their cross hairs and they're trying to turn him into a horrible, lying, piece of shit before he appears to testify in front of congress. And who knows? They may succeed.

The majority of Americans really don't pay much attention to politics until it's pretty close to an election. But they hear the background noise, the rumors, the lies, and they just aren't informed enough to know they're being manipulated.

The Democratic Party has had its collective head up it's ass for those past three or four decades. They've let the Republicans control the story line, the images, the views, the way people think. And now we are on the edge of American fascists running everything because the Dems, we, didn't counter them, attack them, stop them.

Until the Democratic Party as a whole recognizes that they're up against a ruthless, lying, dug-in enemy who intends to win at any cost, nothing will change.

The Republican Party has declared war on the Constitution, and therefore, America. So what are we going to do about it? And when are we going to do it?

My biggest fear is that it may be too late.

[Arkansas Granny]

1. The media is a complicit component of the propaganda machine.

With rare exceptions, they report the talking points from Republican lawmakers and pundits without calling them out as lies.

[Cyrano]

2. The media calls them out all the time. But,

Last edited Mon Jul 1, 2019, 07:34 PM - Edit history (1)

most people don't buy reputable newspapers. They buy the shit that's displayed at the checkout counter in supermarkets.

The NY Times, the Washington Post, and many other newspapers around the country have time and again attacked White House bullshit. It doesn't matter. Newspapers are old news. Today's world view is controlled by Twitter, Facebook, etc. Anyone can post anything and who knows how many tens of thousands (millions?) believe it.

Reality has become whatever people read on laptops, i phones, and ... well, take your pick.

What we still call the Main Stream Media is becoming more and more meaningless. We're living in an online world in which anyone can say anything and it becomes "reality."

I truly believe that when George Orwell wrote "1984," he had somehow gotten a peek at the future.

Don't blame "the media." Blame the collective ignorance of too much of the American public.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

14. don't ignore tv

The FCC and FTC have been used effectively, under GOPer de-regulation spasms, to aid consolidation of media conglomerates. Much of what people receive as "news" is under the control of a handful of corporations and those are not prone to advocating less economic inequality.

[Karadeniz]

3. Right on!

[Cyrano]

4. Thanks. I too often get the feeling that I'm talking to myself.

[Wounded Bear]

5. K & R...for truth...nt

[Duppers]

6. K & R

[Perseus]

7. We must ask ourselves, what is going on with Pelosi?

Why is she refusing to impeach? That would be the worst propaganda, although based on the truth, against the GOP crooks and the buffoon, so why is she refusing to impeach?

[Cyrano]

8. Tough call

McConnell will block conviction in the senate.

The big question is, will a TELEVISED House impeachment reach those who don't "get it?"

Impeachment will only work if a vast majority of people get a look at reality. Nancy Pelosi doesn't believe they will. That's why she's blocking it. And perhaps she's right.

It was an early 20th century journalist (H.L. Mencken) who said, "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people." I agree with him. Most people will vote to fuck themselves if the peddler running for office convinces them that it's in their own interest to fuck themselves.

Actually, we just saw that happen in 2016. People cast their votes for an orange creature who told them he wouldn't fuck them, and then fucked them.

Hard to argue with Nancy. She understands that very few pay attention to reality until a few weeks before election. Which means she's cynical about voters ability to "get it." And so am I.

Impeachment is a gamble. Nancy has laid her bet down. History will judge that bet.

She understands that America is teetering on the edge of fascism and she's trying to "save" us by suffering until the 2020 election.

Is she right? What do you think?

[maddiemom]

13. To loosely paraphrase George Carlin:

If there's an "average I.Q., then HALF of America is below average in I.Q.

[JudyM]

9. YES YES YES! We need better PR, and to wrest back control of our election infrastructure.

I have been saying this for years. We need to get TOUGH as nails.

[study war no more]

10. Don't forget John Kerry

He was swiftboated and they believed every lie.

[Cyrano]

11. Yep. There's a long list that I didn't include in the OP

And my guess is, that list would include any Democrat who ever ran for anything, anywhere, for the past three or four decades in America.

The Republican Party wants to ensure that they "win" every election, everywhere. Their goal has nothing to do with democracy. They want absolute rule. Period.

And sadly, those who vote for them just don't get it and never will. They are delivering themselves to servitude in a world that is becoming a nightmare out of the dark ages.

[demigoddess]

12. you really nailed it! Especially, the propaganda and anti-Hillary campaign.

I noticed that in the 90s. Rush limbaugh said, "no democrat should be elected to anything, not even dogcatcher". That has been their goal ever since.

[OldBaldy1701E]

15. Actually, I think it is stupidity...

Because I have never seen anyone so happy to be so unaware and unwilling to become aware of reality as a conservative/trumper. They will buy into anything as long as one of their right-wing demigods fits it into their 'conservative' beliefs (and to hell with reality). Unfortunately, I have also discovered another thing. I was recently around some rich folks and they wanted to desperately to convince everyone that they were liberal and progressive, and yet once they started talking, it was obvious that they were just trying to play some game. Their every position was completely rethug, yet they could not see this if someone pointed it out. (Or, they would get all sulky and stop trying to talk for a few minutes.) It was quite the eye opener. So, don't just think that the big, old loudmouth with the dirty farm hat and the 'MAGA' shirt is the problem here, there is a lot of suspension of belief going on in our society and the basis of it is not just those who overtly live the right's ideology, but those who practice it while trying to say they are against it.