It’s easy to be conservative.

[David Alexander]

I have decided that one of the reasons why people vote Republican is because it’s easy to be conservative. Let me explain why.

Conservatives believe in about three things, maybe four. But when you get down to it, they really believe in one big principle, which is the subtext of everything else they profess to believe in.

What is that principle?

They want the rich to get richer at the expense of everyone else.

Why are they, for example, so monomaniacal about tort reform? Because lawsuits are just about the only thing that is capable of keeping large corporations in line. No lawsuits, no threat. No threat, and the rich can get richer – at the expense of everyone else.

Why do they want to make the tax cuts permanent? Because they want to make it difficult, if not impossible for those tax cuts to ever be rolled back – so the rich can get richer at the expense of everyone else.

The question is not why Republicans do this, but why do people continue to vote for these people? Why vote for people who want to do nothing but slash taxes on the wealthiest people and raise taxes on the middle class (who are paying a higher percentage of their income in taxes now than they did when Bill Clinton was president)? Why are they willing to, in effect, underwrite the wealthy are their own expense?

Easy. No one wants the rich to pay more in taxes because everyone thinks they’re going to win the lottery. And when they’re rolling in money, they’re not going to want to pay taxes on their winnings.

So you don’t really have to think to be a conservative, because your thinking has been done for you. All you have to do is spout some pre-packaged clichés about big government and liberal elitists, or perhaps even less than that – all you have to do is say “ditto.”

And as easy as it is to be conservative, it’s hard to be socialist – and for this the socialists are partly to blame.

Ever since Ronald Reagan became president, progressives and socialists have been defining themselves by what they’re against, not what they’re for. They still do that today. Why? Mostly because it’s easy – especially in Washington, which is a town where playing defense is a lot easier than playing offense.

But progressives and socialists have to define themselves and their beliefs if they’re going to succeed. It’s not enough to say that the other side is wrong – you have to state in terms that ordinary people can understand what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it. I think that’s going to be a big test of socialists and progressives in the years to come, to define and explain their beliefs in such a way as to be able to get them across to the country. Because when progressives and socialists articulate their beliefs, and do it persuasively, they tend to win. And we need to win in 2008 – because we can’t afford to have these people in power much longer.

[Bill]

Why are they willing to, in effect, underwrite the wealthy are their own expense?


Actually, I think the primary cause is the control of the hypnotic media by the corporations and the rich families that own them.

However, in some ways, causes are irrelevant, because there is no practical way to change the causitive conditions.

And, needless to say, the reds footsoldiers would never agree with your analysis, which also makes it largely irrelevant.

---

I think your conclusion is interesting, altho it raises a difficult point.

The reds won power in the past by being "against" things. It is far easier to appeal to people's hates than to their loves.

You seem to be saying that progressives should emphasize loves, instead of hates.

Doesn't that fly against the evidence of the past success of the red methods?

[bigfootzx]

Both parties exhibit the same ideologies, saying only Reps are like this is like saying the moon is not full of craters.

Plenty of money hunger liberals saying they are all for the people while plotting to make millions off taxpayers. Do you think Hillary Clinton is for real?? She is a neo lib with a socialist agenda that might include you but she and her supporters are gonna get a bigger piece of that American Pie than they are willing to admit, as will other liberals.

Both sides are mirror images of one another. Wait till the Reps lose the majority power in the legislature, they will switch hit. Many issues the Dems are against now, the Reps will be against them once they become the minority power. NSA Bill 4 Telecom immunity, Social Security, healthcare, taxes....... the list will grow and the Reps will make the Dems look greedy too. Why because corporations pay big bucks to have it their way. You can't get elected or re-elected without kiss ass and taking their money.

Watch the Reps appeal to what Americans hate most. What will the hate the most, exactly what Bill said, whatever the media feed them most!!!

[Moby]

Read the PNAC white papers. Listen to people like Frank Luntz.

http://www.luntz.com/
We are the only market research firm in America that truly specializes in language. Whether using surveys, traditional focus groups, or Instant Response dial sessions, we find the exact words and phrases that make a real difference.

Our language is effective in both the political sphere and the corporate world. We help our clients speak in the language of their target audience – whether they are constituents or consumers. By treating communication as a two-way street, by listening before we speak, our messages have a proven record of success in both the political and corporate arenas.

The GOP is a Neuro-Linguistic Programming Machine. How many times do people simply repeat what they're told, word for word without ever thinking about it? From the White House, to Fox News, to all GOP politicians to Rush and Glen, everyone uses the exact words. The exact phrases over and over again until they say thing like, "Hillary has a socialist agenda".

It's easier to be Republican today then it was 25 years ago. Today all you need it a problem and the words that were given to you and those words are being blasted at you 24/7.

The administration and Fox have spent a lot of money on coming up with exact words to use and those words are used to create an emotional responce.

PROGRAMMING!

[disrupter]

greed & rape are simple primitive instincts.
Easy for the pinhead minds of so-called 'conservatives'.

Too bad the ONLY thing conservatives conserve is their own wicked animal impulses. What is funny is they dress them up with the notion of calling their sadistic, violent, raping instincts 'morality'.

Democracy is communal decision making,
that it got falsely associated with capitalism is absurd.

Socialism has a bigger picture to account for rather than primitive selfish instincts.
It is inherently more thoughtful, but less streamlined.

In light of how rape-capitalism is plunging this globe into oblivion & humanity into extinction it is time we used a broader, more stable, more sustainable modeling for our economics, society & government.

Socialist Agenda: 'Our collective selfish interests outweigh our personal selfish interests.'
Anyone who is not willing to pony up to that is just grist for the mill.

Without a Collective awareness we WILL perish.

Socialism or Death.

Make your choice, it's not too complicated.

[asroc]

i'm fairly liberal and i find myself disagreeing with almost everything in this thread, and finding the majority of it to be empty rhetoric

[Independent Harry]

The initial post sounds like someone that just doesn't like the fact that life isn't fair. Some people are rich, most people are poor. Thats the way life is right now. If you can find a socialist system that keeps people competitive, go ahead, but until then, this is the way it is.

I want to be rich someday, but not at the expense of others. You get wealthy by providing a neede service ot the marketplace. Which means people buy it. Beacuse they want or need it. That's hwo people get wealthy, not at the expense of everyone else. Are there wealthy people that take advantage of others. Yes, but I don't believe it is this incredible epidemic like the author states.

It's so stupid, because conservative and liberal are the same party these days. They both want huge bloated government, one just believes continous debt and war is the answer. The other believes that continuous transferance of wealth is the answer.

[kres24GT]

i'm fairly liberal and i find myself disagreeing with almost everything in this thread, and finding the majority of it to be empty rhetoric


The fact he uses Republicans and conservatives interchangeably makes it pretty much useless reading.

[disrupter]

kudos, kres,

a very concise accurate assessment.

a false label not allowed to hide the truth.

[kres24GT]

kudos, kres,

a very concise accurate assessment.

a false label not allowed to hide the truth.


It just shows it partisan nonsense. Conservatives, real conservatives, have nothing to do with the Republican parties. The Republican party is neoconservatives.

[bigfootzx]

Read the PNAC white papers. Listen to people like Frank Luntz.

http://www.luntz.com/


The GOP is a Neuro-Linguistic Programming Machine. How many times do people simply repeat what they're told, word for word without ever thinking about it? From the White House, to Fox News, to all GOP politicians to Rush and Glen, everyone uses the exact words. The exact phrases over and over again until they say thing like, "Hillary has a socialist agenda". The dem media have their own private little group research the people and they find the right words to sell the story just as the Luntz group does for Fox News.

It's easier to be Republican today then it was 25 years ago. Today all you need it a problem and the words that were given to you and those words are being blasted at you 24/7.

The administration and Fox have spent a lot of money on coming up with exact words to use and those words are used to create an emotional responce.

PROGRAMMING!

Take a closer look at CBS, ABC and especially NBC news, they also use Neuro-Linguistic language to manipulate the public into thinking that the media are selling the right questions and the right answers to the public. Sometimes they may have the right answers or even the right guests on air, but they also bring on the "ringers" selling the snake oil solution rigged in favor of the corporate money machine.

At times the Dem groups make an argument for war, just not when the reps have the majority power in the legislature. But both groups use the power of words to sell the story even if they do not have all the facts. The mortgage scandal is a prime example, both sides of the media were selling the same story and anyone who disagreed was tared and feather on the nightly news.
Now we know the bubble theory group were right, I knew it 1999.

I will always be an independant because both sides are willing to sell the people down the river and lie thier asses off to convince the public that the other side is the bad side. We can blame Reps for a lot of failures but clearly lifting the Glass-Segal Act opened pandora's box. Anyone who says there was no mortgage crisis in 1998 has not done their homework. Sallie Mae and Freddie Mac were giving Congressional testimoney in the 90's and the Dems did nothing to contain the bubble. All talk zero follow thru!!

This post is wishey washey at best, placing all the blame on one party is never going to cut through to the root of the problems in govt. today. Both parties are constantly changing the way they operate. Both parties are constantly screwing up our world in favor of their corporate buddies who and they only have one agenda. We do not live in a true democracy.

[disrupter]

People tend to believe what they want to believe.
They listen to views that support & reinforce existing beliefs.

It is the emotional appeal that draws people to ignorant & often false beliefs.

We are largely emotional junkies, not cerebralites.

What would be best is if we could intellectually find the likely best course and then get the full power of our emotions behind that.

Usually it is the emotions that lead arguments/positions/opinions & not the intellect.

Face it, we are not an intellectual or intelligent species.
That is why we get so emotional about being an 'intelligent' species.
Intellect doesn't bring empowerment, it brings [potential] form [informedness] to action.

We have to try to tame the beast of emotional empowerment in servitude of the clean, honest, structurally sound intellect.

The stupid, empowered emotions don't realize it is in the best interest of their longevity.

It is probably a bit like belling the cat.
great idea, very difficult to do.

[Moby]

Take a closer look at CBS, ABC and especially NBC news, they also use Neuro-Linguistic language to manipulate the public into thinking that the media are selling the right questions and the right answers to the public.
Exactly. That's called marketing. As you said, to make people think that they have the right ideas. It's been happening all through history.

The Neoconservative media is different. They're using NLP and spending tax payer dollars to make people believe a particular party line. While that's happened in the past it's usually been 28 pages of news, 2 pages of commentary. Now it's 24 hours commentary.

You make a very good point above. The others use marketing techniques to make more money. The Neoconservative media uses it for political gain.

[bigfootzx]

Exactly. That's called marketing. As you said, to make people think that they have the right ideas. It's been happening all through history.

The Neoconservative media is different. They're using NLP and spending tax payer dollars to make people believe a particular party line. While that's happened in the past it's usually been 28 pages of news, 2 pages of commentary. Now it's 24 hours commentary.

You make a very good point above. The others use marketing techniques to make more money. The Neoconservative media uses it for political gain.

The liberal media operate in a similar fashion, while in recent years the libs did not use NLP as a crutch for war, but they did when Clinton was president. Both sides do it for certain causes, Clinton wanted the Glass Stegal act lifted and they used the media to sell the story yet they had no idea what wall street had planned. Both sides gain political power when the media choose sides. Libs are pushing the war agenda and mortgage crisis, they only need to use a soft sell approach because its obvious where the fault lies. If libs cry foul over energy manipulation, the public will feed on such news.

I'm trying to find NLP firms that NBC, ABC and CBS use, they may or may not allow their logos to be advertised. The neocons don't mind people knowing as they are upfront about opinionated commentators lying on the air. Sit back and listen to Katie Couric or Brian Jennings, they all use it to catch out attention and keep us interested. The commercial ads are full of teaser lines too.

[disrupter]

They aren't the liberal media,
that is a lot of NeoConservative clap-trap.

They are what they have ALWAYS been,
the commercial, sensationalist media,
with a few [& now a VERY few] responsible, informing sources of information.

Remember Hearst's Yellow Journalism that help spin us into war?
if not, read a little history.
Now the press allows itself to be spun by the Whitehouse criminal team into a war of their choosing.

Liberal media?
try lazy, corporate shill media,
basically worthless to thinking adults.

[bigfootzx]

That's debateable, the liberal media may be to blame for the uprise of neocon media outlets like fox news, rupert merdoch gave the neocons a forum to air thier clap trap news in competition to the lib news. With some stories we have to go online to neutral media sources just to confirm stories. In the past I've heard Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw say they are liberal on the air and conservative in their private lives, so does that mean they were acting or playing the role their bosses paid them for? Liberal on the air and conservativ ein life is true of a lot or people, some have no choice due to low pay.

The shills are paid to think and respond to their masters, their masters are controlled by advertising dollars, so the influential dollars dictate what may or may not be presented on the air. Or at least that's the case up until the story can no longer be ignored.