One theory I have about the success of conservatives.

[neuvocat]

I know this may sound somewhat like a broken record but I wanted to start a topic on this anyway.

How is it that the republicans have been able to go so far in spreading their ideology and making gains in politics? Its pretty simple actually: they are unfettered by morals or restraint. They do not respect others who are not of their race, creed, or color and no longer care what about reaching consensus. Bush's "My way or the highway" attitude summarizes that perfectly. Bush is after all a psychopath and he certainly is no exception in the current GOP.

Liberals and moderate democrats are on the other hand generally known to give pause and try to think matters through before acting on anything that may take place. This doesn't mean that they are indecisive or timid at all but rather, they will consider principles and their applications in modern society long before the frenzied GOP will.

However the conservatives' greatest strength is also their greatest weakness in politics. Brute force and bullying yield to ignorance and the lack of understanding how events and people can influence them. They don't understand that at some point people stand up to bullies and they don't understand that the people that they try to bully are often stronger than they are.

Of course they don't have to be stronger than the bully or necessarily bigger than him to give him a beating. Iraq reminds me a lot of a 1st grader in school that a 6th grader starts to pick on. The 6th grader starts a fight and the first grader is of course taking a beating. But in this case, the 1st grader didn't finish fighting and by then everyone knows that that 6th grader isn't so tough and strong after all. Not only that but everyone knows by then that the 1st grader knows how to fight better too.

The GOP will soon learn its lesson I think very shortly if it wants to survive. It got to where its at now with ruthlessness and trash talking, but the true qualities of leadership rest within restraint within principle and the cognitive abilities to consider the needs of others.

[DenverDem]

1. They are demagogues who appeal to bigotry, hate and fear.

Weak people buy into their mind control.

[fdr_hst_fan]

3. In a nutshell,

that's how Hitler did it, and Shrub and Co are only taking pages from his book.

[Blue Wally]

19. Give credit where credit is due.........

After the 1964 Republican meltdown, they have worked diligently at the grassroots level to elect state legislators (to affect congressional reapportionment). They also instituted a very, very effective direct mail campaign that brought in lots and lots of $50 and $100 contributions (in 2000, despite the myths, the Republicans got far more money in small lots than we did). They "earned" the Reagan Revolution and the 1994 takeover of Congress.

In the meantime, we have been aggressively voting people off the island as not "ideologically pure" enough for the Democratic Party. We have to "earn back" the power.

[Woody Guthrie]

2. I agree about ....

liberals thinking things through more carefully. I've also noticed that republicans are good at picking divisive topics and trying to scare people with them.
For instance, telling miners, who belong to a union, that the Dems will take away their right to bear arms! Another favorite is scaring people with unecessary taxation.
When you don't have anything positive to talk about politically, start making gay marriage a topic to divide people. How this is threatening and divisive to some people, I have no clue.

[newyawker99]

14. Hi Woody Guthrie!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[RUSTY SHACKLEFORD]

4. Don't agree with much of what you wrote.

Sorry, but do you really believe that the Republican party has been able to advance their agendas as far as they have because Republicans are morally bankrupted and racist? That's too broad a brush my friend. It's like saying the reason a disproportionate number of blacks are in prison is because black people are inherent criminals in nature. This of course is an absurd premise.

I believe the reasons Republicans have been able to advance their agendas so far have much to do with conservative ideologies such as lower taxation, opposition to abortion, a desire to adhere to the Constitution and Bill of Rights (such as the 2nd ammendment), and many more things that appeal to a large number of Americans.

Unfortunately, the Republican party is currently controlled by Neocons, who take advatage of naive conservatives through deception and prevarication. George Bush is one such demonstrated neocon.

Just the same as there is something in all of us that, on occasion, moves us toward liberal values of fair play, honesty, concern for ones fellow man, etc. there are times when we are moved towards selfish conservative values such as greed, survival, personal gain etc.

It's the duality of man at work.

[Homer12]

8. Sorry, but I don't agree with you

"I believe the reasons Republicans have been able to advance their agendas so far have much to do with conservative ideologies such as lower taxation, opposition to abortion, a desire to adhere to the Constitution and Bill of Rights (such as the 2nd ammendment), and many more things that appeal to a large number of Americans."

They must have become ethical and moral hypocrites over night to support Bush, becuase much of the list of things they supposedly support above as I quote above, they have whored themselves out in order to support their King Bushco.

[RUSTY SHACKLEFORD]

9. Oh, we're not in disagreement there.

You're right about that. These are the neocons at work. Neocons are the same animal as the Nazi, fascist, Bolsheviks etc. only with a different face.

There is such a thing as responsible conservatism though. You just won't see many, if any at all, speaking for the Republican party these days.

[pdmike]

15. The Big Lie

"Unfortunately, the Republican party is currently controlled by Neocons, who take advatage of naive conservatives through deception and prevarication. George Bush is one such demonstrated neocon.

Just the same as there is something in all of us that, on occasion, moves us toward liberal values of fair play, honesty, concern for ones fellow man, etc. there are times when we are moved towards selfish conservative values such as greed, survival, personal gain etc."


I agree. Take a look at "Lie Down For America - How the Republican Party Sows Ruin on the Great Plains" by Thomas Frank. This article appeared in the April, 2004 edition of Harper's Magazine.

Just read that article. It'll tell you. It'll tell you of how the Republican party has lied to a huge segment of our population, convincing them that their only hope for salvation from the "elite liberals" who "run the country" is to join with the GOP to "take back America."

So long as "basic values" are waved in their face, "just plain folks" will flock to the call of the Republican party and blindly vote them in again and again, seemingly unaware of the vast difference between what is promised by the Republicans prior to the election and what is actually delivered once they are in office.

pdmike

[RUSTY SHACKLEFORD]

16. Thanks for the article.

Very interesting prose. So we're in agreement as to what the fundamental problem is here. The next logical question might be, "What should progressives be doing to counterbalance these vapid neocons?"

I think the answer may be found in level-headed debate, honesty, and faith in what you believe. Continue making waves in one's own little puddle and people will take notice.

[PA Democrat]

17. But why are the traditional Republicans

not fighting to take their party back? Instead they have blindly and obediently supported Bush and the neo-cons. Are they really just "naive"? Sorry I don't buy it.

[RUSTY SHACKLEFORD]

23. Well, it's easier said than done.

Personally, partisan politics has lost its appeal for me. I pledge no loyalty or obedience to to the dogmas of any political party. Right is right, and wrong is wrong. If your party's candidate's violate the party creed, then hit them where it counts -- in the voting booth. Let other party members know how you feel. Maybe it will make a difference, maybe not. But what more can one do?

[Homer12]

5. This is their over-riding principle

The only real power in this country is that which they do not have to share with others that disagree with them.

It is a end-justifies-the-means philosiphy.

Power at any cost, this is what they live by.

[seabeyond]

6. fundie friend wants to see 9/11 but doesnt want to pay for it

you dont i say, and why. well i dont feel great about moore. so i say, in all your morality you are going to be dishonest, like the other freepers i am hearing. tell me how that works. how can you sit in judgement of all as you giggle about theft.

dont worry about it i tell her, i will pay, i dont mind moore getting the money and in all my evil liberalness, i will be honest. and i want you to go to the movie anyway

she was surprised others had suggested not paying to get into moore. told her yup, seems to be a pattern of behavior

how am i countering this conservative roll. boldly and without fear i am calling them on their "christianity" in all aspects of their life. as they are doing with others.

i am a good girl i am, wink..........i can throw the first stone, bah ha ha ha ha

[whistle]

7. Success is in the eye of the beholder I think....

...conservatism (n) 1. The inclination, especially in politics, to maintain the existing or traditional order. 2. A political philosophy or attitude emphasizing respect for traditional institutions, distrust of government activism, and opposition to sudden change in the established order. 3. principles of the conservative party in UK and Canada. 4. Caution or moderation, as in behavior or outlook. source: The American Heritage Dictionary, 2002

That really doesn't sound anything like what has been happening under Bush or with the republican party in this country. The GOP and the right wing may be a lot closer to this definition from the same source:

"A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating a system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism."

That's the definition of fascism and if we have four more years of George W Bush, that is where we will certainly be in this country.

[RUSTY SHACKLEFORD]

10. You have hit the nail on the head.

As an ex-Republican, recently disaffiliated, I could not agree with you more.

[LeftHander]

21. welcome to DU rusty...

Nice to have you here....

It is the wild west of political analysis here...

:)

[RUSTY SHACKLEFORD]

22. Thanks for the welcome.

This place is a lot of fun!

[Rabrrrrrr]

12. Bingo.

The bastards aren't conservatives. They ARE fascists.

And unlike the stoopid freepers who call US fascists (and stooooopidly equate fascism with communism and liberalism), we know how to use the terms correctly.

ToiletBrain, and his cabal, are indeed fascists.

[truth2power]

11. They appeal to the primitive brain. n/t

[FloridaPat]

13. The repubs had plans and goals and a common platform. The

Democrats didn't have any of that and basically still don't. The Democrats have been basically mum the last 25 years watching in awe as the repubs do one ugly thing after another. The Democrats just react. Now the world is a disaster and we need a lot more from them then reactions to the worst people to ever get in the White House.

As the old saying goes, if you don't have a plan and goals to get there, you never will.

[Blue Wally]

24. Look at our themes........

1. For thirty years we ran against Herbert Hoover.

2. Then we ran against goldwater (casue he would start a war in Vietnam or Europe).

3. Then we ran against Watergate.


We need to sit down and develop a comprehensive "Contrat With America" showing where we stand and what we will enact if placed back in office. We need to do something other than run against George Bush.

[LeftHander]

18. Don't forget the media....The dumber TV gets...

The more powerful the Neocons get.

Remember our generation (later boomers) was the first to grow up with TV since early childhood. Mix in a little born again fundementalism and the stew is rip for eating by figures who know how to manipulate large populations for profit.

We have had a steady diet of crap rammed into our brains for 45 years. That is if we continued to watch.

I would bet if a study was done comparing conservative middle class to the liberal middle class you will find a greater number of hours per week watching TV and a higher percentage of active evangelical christians.

I hear it everyday. The crap that my coworkers watch on TV is astounding. They even have to TIVO it. Because they can't get enough!

Over the past 50 years a large segment of our population has been modified to fit the screen and has been editied for content.

The result is narrow, unthoughtful, callous, selfish people who cannot focus long enough to grasp complex ideas like politics, foreign policy, global economy and terrorism. Talk about global warming the the chinese economy and like a cow, mouths drop open and eyes glaze over and get watery.

Micheal Moore's movie is a perfect example of what he calls our TV nation. To reach these folks he condenced complex ideas into sound bites easilty digested in one sitting. His humourous vinettes punctuated the points and refresehed the TV brain to move into the next section. Micheal Moore used the same tactics the Neocons used. The difference was he did'nt have the opportunity to do it over years. And his stage is the documentary movie. He did it brilliantly. That is why he is so dangerous to the Neocons. He and many here at DU have long recognized the damage caused by the media, republicans and greed.

The Republicans have warped over time and now with a small ultra conservative group in all power seats in Washington we are experiencing the results of a "30 second commercial" society.
The conservatives really are a natural result of a civilization that is reaching it's zenith. If the country can peel themselves away from another episode of American Idol or Simple Life then beating back the neocon takeover might have a chance.

Step back to the years before TV and post civil war and you will find a progressive thread that ran through America. It shaped policy and created the most influential nation on earth. Now that the Neocons have managed to labeled "liberal and progressive" thought as unamerican and dangerous they have effectivly created a homogenous media state designed to reduce dissent and increase profit.

No wonder liberals feel disconnected and disorganized. We shun the very fabric of our society.

If more of America stopped watching stupid crap TV, read more, participated in the political process locally, the Neocons would go away.

Does anyone here see that happening?

(edited for clarity and grammar)

( great thread...stepping back and looking at the big picture is very needed...frequently)

[Killarney]

20. It's the media... radio, tv, etc. They own it.

And they lie. If most Republicans knew the Republicans' real agenda, they would leave the party in droves.

[Astarho]

25. They offer easy answers

Not that they do anything with them.

Why do terrorists attack us?
-They hate our freedom.

Where is all my tax money going?
-Welfare queens

Why are there so many people poor?
-Because they're lazy

How do we solve the economic problems here?
-Tax cuts (well, they do impliment that one)

Nice little soundbites they can repeat ad nauseum. As opposed to us. You can't explain our short-sighted foreign policy or the economic intricacies of this country in ten seconds.

[ProfessorGAC]

26. That Is The Correct Answer

They have intentionally targeted the least and dimmest, the underinformed, and the one issue thinkers, and developed soundbite political speech to appeal to those who can't think beyond one issue, their own wallet, or for whom fear is an overarching emotion.

They have energized an electoral base who vote against their own interests while being too blind to see they're voting against the same self-interest. Because so many are the least and dimmest, the hyperconservatives have fooled them, continue to do so, and until we get a new energizing force on the other side, we will continue to be involved in hand-to-hand political battle.
The Professor

[BillZBubb]

27. I think you've come very close to the heart of the matter.

American conservatism, at heart, is a very simple philosophy. There is no deep thinking required, it's just problem; cause; solution. It doesn't matter if the supposed cause is merely a small symptom of a bigger problem. And the cause always gets people in a base, visceral way. Facts and data are irrelevant if not "elitist". Finally, it doesn't matter if the proposed solution will only make matters worse as long as it is plausible.

The key is resonance. For example: Problem: Bad guys have ICBMs. Cause: They're evil and hate us for our freedoms. Solution: Build a missle defense system that will "protect us" no matter what it costs (and no matter that it really won't work). If you don't do much thinking, you can buy into the cause and solution rather easily. Who can be against protecting ourselves? It's all so simple.