Comments on: What Does The GOP Stand To Gain? http://celestiniosity.com/2010/03/28/what-does-the-gop-stand-to-gain/ politics, philosophy, and mischief Mon, 28 Nov 2011 02:27:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: celestina http://celestiniosity.com/2010/03/28/what-does-the-gop-stand-to-gain/comment-page-1/#comment-1466 celestina Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:19:08 +0000 http://celestiniosity.com/?p=235#comment-1466 Well, I don't know if it's strategy or just another example of the Dems taking the wrong tack (time will tell), but here's what appears to be their response: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/89465-rnc-declines-to-sign-civility-statement-with-dnc In a nutshell, they drafted a "Civility Truce" which seems to have essentially said that folks shouldn't use or encourage violence to reach political ends. The Republicans refused to sign it. Running with my argument, then, I suppose they were afraid that signing a truce would make them appear weak. After all, who signs a truce when they're winning? On the other hand, refusing the sign is sure to be brought up if some loon decides to take a pop shot. Well, I don’t know if it’s strategy or just another example of the Dems taking the wrong tack (time will tell), but here’s what appears to be their response:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/89465-rnc-declines-to-sign-civility-statement-with-dnc

In a nutshell, they drafted a “Civility Truce” which seems to have essentially said that folks shouldn’t use or encourage violence to reach political ends. The Republicans refused to sign it.

Running with my argument, then, I suppose they were afraid that signing a truce would make them appear weak. After all, who signs a truce when they’re winning?

On the other hand, refusing the sign is sure to be brought up if some loon decides to take a pop shot.

]]> By: Martin http://celestiniosity.com/2010/03/28/what-does-the-gop-stand-to-gain/comment-page-1/#comment-1465 Martin Sun, 28 Mar 2010 22:02:16 +0000 http://celestiniosity.com/?p=235#comment-1465 What is the Republican base thinking? "Thinking" is too strong a word (that should be a joke but this is all about emotion not reason) -- they're reacting to a shift in the social fabric of the nation, one that's left them behind. The country has moved on from the greed-and-sell-the-farm 80's, with that decade's attempt to relive the white-picket-fence pre-enlightenment 1950's on money borrowed from China. Well, it's *finally* moved on, despite Bush Jr's revisit of the cold war in the form of the GWOT. [NB more accurately it's ready to move on. Whether it does so probably depends on how strong a grip the reactionary media has on the zeitgeist.] That Republican heartland is, as best I can work out, the dispossessed. Those who lost their jobs when Reagan and Bush and Bush sold them out. Those who don't accept that their parents and grandparents narrow, triumphalist and frankly bigoted view of the world hasn't made sense since 1920 and almost certainly didn't make sense then either. But like fundamentalists the world over, they cling to their ideology because it makes them feel special and pure and right -- and angry about it. That's why anger is the key to the teabaggers. Anger based on entitlement based on years of propaganda which stroked their feelings of moral and cultural superiority. That's how you get people to vote against their own interests. What the GOP can't figure out, now things have come to this pass, is how to maintain the con trick which brought Joe the Plumber on-side but without turning away every voter with a brain. I think how well they succeed is going to depend on how many voters have brains. This is very much what you've said above. The Democrat's side of the equation is fascinating, though, and I have no ideas. I hope you're right about the strategizing and it's not just that they're paralyzed by lobbyists and age. What is the Republican base thinking? “Thinking” is too strong a word (that should be a joke but this is all about emotion not reason) — they’re reacting to a shift in the social fabric of the nation, one that’s left them behind. The country has moved on from the greed-and-sell-the-farm 80′s, with that decade’s attempt to relive the white-picket-fence pre-enlightenment 1950′s on money borrowed from China. Well, it’s *finally* moved on, despite Bush Jr’s revisit of the cold war in the form of the GWOT. [NB more accurately it's ready to move on. Whether it does so probably depends on how strong a grip the reactionary media has on the zeitgeist.]

That Republican heartland is, as best I can work out, the dispossessed. Those who lost their jobs when Reagan and Bush and Bush sold them out. Those who don’t accept that their parents and grandparents narrow, triumphalist and frankly bigoted view of the world hasn’t made sense since 1920 and almost certainly didn’t make sense then either. But like fundamentalists the world over, they cling to their ideology because it makes them feel special and pure and right — and angry about it.

That’s why anger is the key to the teabaggers. Anger based on entitlement based on years of propaganda which stroked their feelings of moral and cultural superiority. That’s how you get people to vote against their own interests. What the GOP can’t figure out, now things have come to this pass, is how to maintain the con trick which brought Joe the Plumber on-side but without turning away every voter with a brain.

I think how well they succeed is going to depend on how many voters have brains.

This is very much what you’ve said above. The Democrat’s side of the equation is fascinating, though, and I have no ideas. I hope you’re right about the strategizing and it’s not just that they’re paralyzed by lobbyists and age.

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