The Four Types Of Republicans

[Flailey]

1) Those who are actually served by Republican tax cuts: Individuals who make over $350,000 a year and/or have net worths of over $5 million. Almost nobody falls into this category, although many pretend to.

2) Uneducated fundamentalist Christians who vote based on abortion, stem-cell-research, gay weddings, hatred of "hippies" that has been stewing for 30 years, or other "social" issues. These are the people too ignorant to understand how they are being fleeced by Republican policies and are losing money and career prospects. This is the bulk of the Republican "base" in society at large.

3) People who mis-identify with the wealthy. These are people who think they "will someday be rich" even though the will not, and feel a "natural" alliance with what they imagine to be Republicanism. They are a product of the same sort of crack-brained wishful thinking that fuels Amway, Herbalife, "Rich Dad Poor Dad", and other MLM-style scams designed to pray on them. These are the people likely to have compulsive spending habits and rack up large amounts of debt in their pursuit of nouveau-riche trinkets and flashy lifestyles. Since they believe in "the power of positive thinking" and that "all you need to do to be a winner is believe and act like you are a winner," Republicanism fits in perfectly with their general ethos. By being a Republican they can identify with "the rich" even though they are not and never will be rich.

4) People with psychological problems involving senses of powerlessness, worthlessness, or failure. They are life's losers, often unemployed, depressed, or stuck in dead-end service/sales jobs. Their identification with the Republican party is primarily based on an attempt to assuage their sense of failure by joining something "powerful," although they will mask their pathology even from themselves, sometimes with elaborate logic. For them, the Republican party is the "daddy party," while they see the Democrats as the soft, effeminate "mommy party," which allows them to feel more masculine and muscular. These people often have a highly active fantasy life (sometimes fueled by substance abuse) involving scenarios of revenge and superhero-like omnipotence. They often fetishize militarism, which they identify with Republicanism -- although they themselves have usually not served in the armed forces. This group may even realize that the Republican party screws them economically, but view their irrational loyalty as a sign of "strength of character" or "resolve." Perhaps abused as children or taunted by bullies in school, they also have a strong streak of self-loathing and hidden masochism underneath their petty sadism, which allows them to support a party that exploits them. Also known as freepers.

[smirkymonkey]

1. Great Job, Flailey!

Welcome to DU! :toast:

:hi:

[ClintonTyree]

2. In my opinion.........................

they can all be boiled down to one category. Diseased Scum.

After reading about some of their actions recently that's the only conclusion I can come to. Diseased Scum.

[Flailey]

5. Sun-Tzu Says

Know your enemy.

[KayLaw]

3. I know more

For example, my father. He is what the Republican party used to be. He's retired from the military. He was born to a poor family and had to put himself through community college. He entered the Air Force as an officer and retired as a " Light Bird " and a pilot.

He decided on real estate as a second career and rolled with all the real estate punches. He went from salesman to manager to broker. When interest rates went sky high, he bought rental properties. There's more, but I'll say he's 84 and still putting together deals and handling rentals.

He's a self-made millionaire but not at all greedy. He donates lots of money to groups who want to send the children of poor migrant workers to school.

He truly believes in the Republican party and what it claims are its ideals and goals. If we were all like him, who would need a government to tax us to pay for our brothers' needs? People like my dad would love to give and I think most Americans are that way.

My two b-i-l's are that way, too. One is a doctor, the other a blue-collar worker, and if you needed it, they would give you the shirts off their backs.

I adore and respect these guys, but I'm afraid they've been fooled by these new " conservatives.". They assume we're all like they are - decent, sane, trustworthy good guys who don't need some government official to tell them how to act and how to give.

We've reversed roles, somehow, and I'm the dour realist and they're the dreamy-eyed suckers.

[Flailey]

6. those are the classic tom frank types

Those are the people who have been sold out by their party, essentially anachronisms. Eisenhower repubs.

They just don't realize that the repubs train has left that station and now is actively working to support the leisure class in a way even they wouldn't have dared 30 years ago.

[KayLaw]

9. God

That's so sad, isn't it? Also, doesn't that describe most-if not all - today's Republicans? No? If not, how can this have happened to a once-proud party?

[brisker]

15. Perhaps gentler words would help...

You use terms like "hatred", "crack-brained", "with psychological problems", "losers", "self-loathing", and so on.

You're not gonna win many converts with that language. Rather, you'll simply make a potential loyal Democrat respond with the same language directed at you. Remember, the folks on Free Republic likely use similar terms to describe you, and I don't see you rushing to their side.

With such language, instead of winning one for the Democrat side, you simply entrench a Republican even further. I'm sure that's not your intent.

[Flailey]

22. do try to keep up

Last I checked this was posted on dem underground, which last i checked was "the choir" as it were.

[brisker]

25. Sorry, just thought you might consider something...

...that your invective is simply a reversal of what the folks on Free Republic doubtless say.

Perhaps a different approach would work better - that's all I'm saying. If you just wanted to rant, then say so and I'll keep my thoughts to myself.

[Flailey]

27. unclear on the concept

Nah I think it's insightful. No reason a rant can't be insightful.

If I were booked on Larry King I'd say the president has a serious problem with the truth, rather than "The president is entirely full of shit"

But it's the content not the phrasing...

[gollygee]

16. I love the phrase "leisure class" (m)

it would be great to see that enter the US mainstream everyday vocabulary.

[leesa]

10. Yada, yada, yada....they swallowed the BS that conservatives are

smarter financially yet the opposite is true historically. They succeeded because they are hard workers. Has not a damn thing to do with Republicanism. They succeeded because they were relatievely LUCKY and life didn't cut them to the quick as much as it has others.

If everyone were like them no government would be needed.

Utter bullshit!

[KayLaw]

11. Excuse me

These are nice, normal guys and this is the way I've interpreted what they've said . Maybe I used the wrong words to express what I think they're saying to me, but I sure don't think it's not bullshit, and I think your comment is pretty rude. As the mother of a child who has autism and lots of needs, my child's needs have cut the whole family to the quick and we fully understand luck.

If you think I'm saying government isn't needed, you're wrong. I simply believe they don't think it's needed because they think - wrongly - that all of us have motivations similar to theirs.

Have a nice day.

[RivetJoint]

14. What does luck have to do with it?

Seems that in her father's case, he "made it" through hard work.

[Flailey]

31. you reminded me of this classic

http://tvnewslies.org/html/day_in_the_life_of_joe_middle-.html

[mark11727]

4. That's an EASY one....!

War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death....!

The Bobble tells me so.

[the Kelly Gang]

7. I think you got it right

[Tsiyu]

8. Very nice psychoanalysis there, Flaily

Helps to sort them out, because each requires a different technique to reach. Repukes know that: Change the message to suit the audience. We need to learn it.

[BrotherBuzz]

12. Possibly a fifth type

The purple-haired widow of a republican husband that died thirty years ago. Hubby was the thinker, the bread-winner, the decision maker. She went along with him then, and continues to vote republican party of yesterday because...life is just fine.

Purple-haired women love republican slates that tell them how to vote, and are very good about voting. My observations tell me there are a lot of these women, too.

[Flailey]

13. I suppose

But it's not particularly trenchant to talk about people who vote strictly based on old party affiliation and won't change.

[leftofthedial]

17. yup

the bushgang are screwing all but a couple thousand Murkans, yet half of "us" support them

dysfunctional, ignorant, stupid fucking country

[mrboba1]

18. As a network marketer, I take great offense to your #3.

Network marketing is not a scam, even though there are scam operations. We don't look to scam people out of their money, we look for people who want to make some money - but also who want to work. How much money is up to them.
I get pretty sick of people who discount all network marketing because of a bad experience (or story from someone else) or lazy work ethos.

I don't want fancy trinkets or fancy lifestyles, I want to never work for another person ever again. And this is doing that.

That's Republicanism? I don't think so...

[Flailey]

21. hey if it's working for you

Then don't let me stop you.

I think it's fair to call MLM schemes scams, because the vast majority have as their purpose the recruitment of new "employees" rather than new customers, but the bulk of their money from the payments of these "employees." If you don't fit that description carry on...

And it seems to me that people who fall for one kind of financial scam might fall for another one in politics...

[drdigi420]

19. I think you left out racists/bigots as a type

A lot of people that are Republicans are so because they fear and/or hate black and gay people and see the Democrats as the party of "niggers and queers".

The homophobia may be related to #2 in your list, but I think that racism, or at least, the Republicans acceptance and support of it, drives a lot of people to vote against their own environmental and economic interests by voting Republican.

[hadrons]

20. Spite voters are big Repukes too

The niche is disappointed people, mostly men. Andrew Kohut, the highly regarded pollster for Times-Mirror, has described "the typical Limbaugh listener" as a "white male, suburbanite, conservative better-than-average job but not really a great job. Frustrated with the system, with the way the world of Washington works. Frustrated by cultural change. Maybe threatened by women."

Somebody, in short, who is not as rich, powerful or famous as he thinks he should be, and who wants to blame outside forces. The talk-show hosts help. They blame cultural (but rarely economic) elites and the government for the world's ills and regularly reinforce the listener's sense of being scorned and ridiculed.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/templates/misc/printstory.jsp?slug=chi%2D0303010270mar02§ion=%2Fnews%2Fshowcase

Here's my favorite:

(1) the rich and sophisticated, those who manipulate the less sophisticated, use others, guide corporate America and ensure the income goes straight into their pockets, are willing to risk environmental disaster, more terrorism, world instability, and even risk to the survival of the human race if their profits are big enough, and don't worry about the suckers they take advantage of as their Social Darwinism tells them suckers should be outwitted and left at the bottom; and

(2) the suckers, the joe sixpacks and religious righties and other unsophisticated simpletons, those who believe the lies and allow themselves to be manipulated, who are willing to believe that giving their rich neighbor a tax cut that will inevitably raise their own taxes later will in the end benefit them, who listen to Limbaugh and other talk radio, read the Washington Times (owned by a corporation under the control of the anti-American Rev. Moon), believe the nonsense on Fox News, and gullibly swallow all the Bush administration propaganda, who keep on believing and keep on getting the shaft.

[Flailey]

23. agree for the most part

Though you could argue that the bigots are included in #2 and #4 -- seeing as how most bigotry stems either from religious extremism or feelings of insecurity and self-delusion.

[Romulus]

24. that's a good post

To test this, just listen to one of Limbaugh's shows -

You will hear him specifically pander to each of these four types during the course of the show,
and also specifically pander to the other-poster-mentioned fifth type: racist.

[UdoKier]

26. Welcome to DU!

Not often you see something so dead-on from a new poster.

Looking forward to seeing more great posts!

[Flailey]

30. Thanks, but actually I'm already an internet celebrity

World famous in many parts of cyberspace.

[AmandaRuth]

28. There is truth in what you have written, thank you -

and garrison keillor says there are many more types of republicans -- I count 18 -- ;)

>
> The party of Lincoln and Liberty was
> transmogrified into the party of
> hairy-backed swamp developers and corporate
> shills, faith-based
> economists, fundamentalist bullies with Bibles,
> Christians of
> convenience, freelance racists, misanthropic
> frat boys, shrieking
> midgets of AM radio, tax cheats, nihilists in
> golf pants, brownshirts
> in pinstripes, sweatshop tycoons, hacks,
> fakirs, aggressive dorks,
> Lamborghini libertarians, people who believe
> Neil Armstrong's
> moonwalk was filmed in Roswell, New Mexico,
> little honkers out to
> diminish the rest of us, Newt's evil spawn and
> their Etch-A-Sketch
> president, a dull and rigid man suspicious of
> the free flow of
> information and of secular institutions, whose
> philosophy is a jumble
> of badly sutured body parts trying to walk.
> Republicans: The No.1
> reason the rest of the world thinks we're deaf,
> dumb and dangerous.
;) :evilgrin: :evilgrin: ;)

[Toucano]

29. Good points.

Thanks.

[greekspeak]

32. You forgot #5

5) People that punch the Republican button at the poll because dad did, and granddad, and great grandad, and back until the Pukes were the more progressive party. A sad subset of this category are women who "defer to their men" and vote as their husbands from categories 1-4 order them to vote. Of all classifications here, this is the most disturbing. They just punch a button without any thought as to what they are doing. My boyfriend worked with another gay man of category 5, who had no idea how homophobic the republican party has become. He just voted republican because he was trained to.

[donheld]

33. yes i've met some of these idiots too

they make me crazy..(er):wtf: :mad: :crazy: :silly: :spank: :shrug: :bounce:

[Cats Against Frist]

34. You forgot the "ideologue"

The right-wing "philosopher" types, which would include the neocons, hard right theocratic scholars, the "David Pipes" of the academic communities, the Ayn Rand/Friedman devotees and self-styled pseudo-intellectual "libertarians."

MANY of these people grow up to be GOP congresspeople.