I cannot believe what we are up against

[brentspeak]

It is completely surreal that our country is being manipulated by a presidency that derives much of its power and influence by conducting smear campaign. I turn on the news, and issues of the day like the Iraq War and job security (you know, small things like those) are given a backseat to the latest rumor spread by the RW echo chamber.

Are we trapped in some Lewis Carroll nightmare? What has this nation come to?

[Beetwasher]

1. Not Lewis Carroll, Orwellian Is More Apt

And yes, we are trapped in an Orwellian nightmare...

[Generator]

17. The only thing that gets me through

is all the voices here that see through it all. The only thing worse than the nightmare is believing you are alone in it.

[democrat in Tallahassee]

2. I couldn't agree more: we are down the rabbit hole--it makes

me ill and most people don't even realize that they are being played for fools by people who are just laughing at them.
The Repugs think this is just all a joke on the people of this country--just so the greedy bastards can get more money while the rest of us go without jobs, health care, medicine and a thousand other things that should be routine in this country.
Until the media gets off the payroll though, what can you do? THe internet will someday make the media obsolete, but we aren't there yet.

[jackstraw45]

3. A FUTURE administration will no DOUBT appoint officials who will BUST up

the corrupt, power-wielding CORPORATE MEDIA.

TOO big, TOO corrupt, TOO DISHONEST...The US Corporate MEDIA.

[LastRobot]

12. down the rabbit hole

do we take the red pill or the blue pill?

[tabasco]

4. The $64,000 question .....

Do the American people have the common sense and decency to see through and reject the lies of the corporate cabal? Or must the rich get so rich, and the poor so poor, that revolution results?

[brentspeak]

7. That's what worries me

I'm staggered by the gullibility and just plain stupidity of so much of the American public. A child could see through the falseness of Bush, but a good chunk of this nation is willingly allowing itself to be brainwashed. It's like the undeniable upheaval of the American social fabric (lost jobs, lost job security, the deterioration of the middle class and even the family farm) has created a communal psychological crisis, enough so that ordinary people who once would have quickly dismissed people like Bush are now urgently embracing him.

[Guaranteed]

20. You know, Scarborough's doing this "Rome didn't fall in a day" thing...

but, you know, Nazi Germany wasn't created in a day, either.

I'd write him and tell him that, but I've already written him tonight.

[wakfs]

5. There is a simple explanation

Most Americans are stupid.

Also, I firmly believe that there's a defective streak in our national character, a flaw that encourages Americans to get all macho and not think things through. It's a "Yeah let's kick ass!" mentality that can, by the way, also be seen in our national obsession with sports.

Plus, people generally believe what they see on TV. If they see Bush on TV talking macho about "the enemy" (very clever manipulation), this awakens that national macho flaw in our character.

[donkeyotay]

10. yes, millions are too busy watching sports

to notice they're watching it from the sports bar of the Titanic.

What a waste. Bread and circuses. They'll wake up too late to find they no longer have either.

[Arugula Latte]

15. Yep.

We're like ancient Rome, distracted by spectacle. And, like Rome, if we don't change course, we will fall at the height of our power.

[friesianrider]

13. This is why so many Americans like Bush...

Because most Americans like things that remind them of, well...them. Most Americans are idiots, therefore they identify with and like Bush.

I have a proven theory about Republicans and Bush lovers: they're either:

1. Stupid
2. Evil
3. Both

And by stupid I mean dumb as in just plain ol' incompetant, but also dumb as in "well Bush SAYS...". As if Bush is going to come out and say he doesn't give a flying foopah about the unemployed.

Evil Republicans are the people with alterior motives - like Christian zealots, corporate pigs, etc. They could care less about the unemployed or the number of soldiers killed; they only give a shit whether or not the 10 Commandments are displayed in every public building in the country. Or, they only care about being assisted in shipping jobs overseas and still getting a tax break for it.

Both is a rare breed, but one that does show up occasionally. This combination is the most troubling, as a good example would be a Christian Coalition member who fails to see the importance of not alienating the rest of the world when we're fighting a GLOBAL war on terrorism.

It is really sad. It's no wonder the United States is falling so far behind the other developed countries in the world. If the American people are stupid enough to elect the Chimp to 4 more years, we'll deserve exactly what we get.

[wakfs]

16. I posted elsewhere....

....a friend of mine, nice gal, hard worker, good mom, etc., says she doesn't like Kerry because she thinks he's "creepy."

I kid you not.

This is what we're up against. Stupid people lack the intellectual skills to truly analyze the presidential race and the future of this country, so they rely on their "gut instincts."

[actinide92]

18. Americans Stoopid?! - probably not.

Have not met a dumb American yet. Sure there must be some, but they don't appear to be anymore common than here.

Americans seem more patriotic, have more national self-belief, than the rest of the world. With a problem that needs solving America wants to confront the issue, the rest of the west sees confrontation as a last resort.

Oh - Americans appear to believe in EVIL - which does appear kinda stoopid to the rest of the world. Maybe the high church going rate, maybe Hollywood (save the world in 90 min), maybe the patriotism are to blame but America wants some EVIL to oppose.

[Bonhomme Richard]

6. We are not fighting republicans..............

The republican party died years ago. We are now fighting the Fascist that have replaced the republican party and their minions who have been placed in all levels of government and media. They intend on staying in power. Simple and scary as that.

[Cocoa]

8. think of the Clinton impeachment

talk about surreal, sometimes I wonder if that actually happened. Is it even possible?

[friesianrider]

14. But think...

Despite the witchhunt that went on with Clinton's impeachment, he left office with what...a 65%+ approval rating after 8 years? Bush hasn't had numbers that high since 9/11 ;) Sometimes the American people are smart enough to see through BS, but most of the time....not.

[BillZBubb]

9. It's the Stockholm syndrome.

Americans have fallen in love with the very people that are holding them hostage. They are being led down the Highway to Hell, but are happily and ignorantly going along.

[Gregorian]

11. Native Americans; Witch trials; Communism fears;

The drug war; The patriot act.

This is not new.

Edit- And sadly, it won't end with this administration.

Here, let me post my latest photoshop...

[rullery]

19. Our educational system has been dumbed down over the years

so that everyone gets to pass on to the next grade. Some high school graduates are unable to read their own diplomas! A few years back I was looking through an American history book currently in use in our schools. I was shocked to see very little coverage of the American Revolution or the Civil War; but several pages devoted to pop stars, and a lengthy section devoted to Marilyn Monroe!

Schools no longer teach Civics it seems, so we should not be too surprised to find that our citizens have little understanding of how our government works, and little incentive even to vote. It was only a matter of time before someone like Karl Rove came along to exploit this weakness.

Mind you I am an old guy of 68, so I speak from that perspective. These are my thoughts, and thanks for reading my rant.

[AmerDem]

21. It's truly crazy stuff

I don't think anyone in their right mind could have imagined an administration literally trying to take away our way of life for one based on Hitlers. Sad, for them though, they have NO idea the people they have to confront head on to try and pull it off.

I'm waiting!