Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Anal Animus among Crotchety Conservatives


This was a tweet by a well known conservative media figure very similar to one they sent to me many weeks back.  (They deleted the one sent to me to cover their tracks but it turns out this is common with them. In fact Googling their Twitter handle and this obscenity yielded over 8,000 results.) 

Here is another sent to me recently, suggesting that the Christian man who served our country in the military is "un-American" :


The names have been changed to protect the innocent.  AND the guilty.  I'm not out to trash anyone in particular, and if you recognize yourself in these tweets - trust me, I am not your enemy.  At the risk of becoming PolitiJim the Preacher, I think it is long overdue for this dialogue.

What is the matter with us, conservatives?  

Aren't we supposed to be the people of logic, reason and hope?

AngryConservative Of course, you are free to say any damn thing you want. In any way you want.  If you want to tell me to “go to hell” (I won’t) or “screw you” (please send me your picture first), you have every right and I’ll fight for your right to do so.  But if you love this country, are tired of liberals calling us “racists” and worst – could we finally just grow up?  Please? Doesn’t the opposition see us as this guy (to the right) already?

Even filtering out the trolls and pretenders, our timelines are filled with unsubstantiated wrath, outbursts and hate FROM FELLOW CONSERVATIVES.  Is this who we really want to be?  Or more importantly, is this who we think OTHERS will want to be if they get to know us?  Or become one of us?

I'm not going to print every tweet or reference every blog here, but these are some expressions I've received over the past week from other conservatives:
  • Herman Cain is a financial idiot
  • Herman Cain still praises TARP
  • Rick Perry is RINO and a stooge of Soros affiliates
  • Michele Bachmann is an idiot
  • Dick Morris is paid by Michele Bachmann and gives her all the answers to speak before going on camera
  • I don't know what the (fill in a policy position) plan is for (fill in candidate's name here) but I support the person over policy.
What is especially ironic about the last one is that one of the people who sent me this idea was anti-Palin and complained our Palinistas were mindless worshipers of her personality.  Talk about intellectual dishonesty. ALL of these statements are blatantly false.  What is worse is that those who HONESTLY are looking for information from YOU  - (followers on Twitter, readers of your blog, random seekers of information and potential trolling converts) - are getting absolutely what we despise in the liberals.  Namely, blatant lies to substantiate a point of view - rather than truth to form one. I am not totally satisfied yet with any of these candidates.  I especially don't like Romney and Huntsman.  But I'm not going to be INACCURATE and MISLEADING about their record to fit my bias.  And frankly, I'm embarrassed by many of you who throw out charges just because you read one blog and received 2 tweets telling you something was a "fact."  Yes, it is work to do research. Yes, there is a lot of information to sort through.  But it's your job.  This is YOUR country and the government works for YOU.  If you DON'T do your own digging, or your own homework – YOU area a bad manager.  And boss.  And if you do not question your OWN bias - you will inevitably be embarrassed later - but you will be responsible for leading someone else astray.  (That means you Erick Erickson).  Whoops.  No names.  I forgot.
Quickly - here is why these above charges are wrong:

Cain = financial idiot An ‘idiot’ he is not.  An undergrad degree in mathematics and a Masters in Computer Science, as well as serving as head of the KS Fed Reserve isn’t an idiot. A Harvard degree doesn’t make you a good President (as we now know), but if you’ve seen the HillaryCare debate he had against Clinton, you might want to rethink who the idiot is.
Cain likes TARP He does NOT agree with how TARP was executed & would not support it as it was implemented.
Perry = RINO and “un-American” If a man who is pro-Israel, pro-Life, pro-2nd Amendment, no state income tax defender and a former Captain in the Air Force is a RINO, then Ronald Reagan wasn’t qualified to be a “conservative.”  He has holes – but let’s respect his good stances, like Ron Paul being Pro-Life.
Michele Bachmann is an idiot and Dick Morris gives her answers off camera. A women with two law degrees (including one from William & Mary) who won as a conservative in Minnesota and founded the Tea Party Caucus isn’t a lightweight. Hell, being a mom of five and foster mom to 23 while being a wife and professional is truly spectacular.  She is the only person who understands and pushes (so far) the critical distinction of getting ‘waivers’ for ObamaCare versus actually repealing it and Frank-Dodd.  Don’t forget Tea Partiers – she was a lone voice for us when the rest of the RINOs were figuring out how to get rid of us.  Regarding the Morris thing, it is rumor like this that should ban you from Lipton products for life.  Dick Morris ALWAYS discloses his conflicts as a professional and I diligently searched for ONE corroborating evidence of Dick Morris puppetry without even a rumor.  It is egregious that a conservative would pull an Alinsky.  Or a Lewinsky.  Either one.

I will be posting the BEST and WORST of each of the major candidates this weekend.  Be sure to subscribe to my blog by
RSS, email or Blogger. Of course I already grade the candidates in Part 3 of How to Pick A GOP Candidate on general issues of ELECTABILITY, POLICY and GOVERNING. 

The reason the country is a mess – is because WE THE PEOPLE let it get this way.  Just as Christians abdicated “government” issues from the 30’s to the 60’s because it wasn’t “holy” – and thus their views were not a part of public discourse; we can’t avoid the responsibility we have to do this right.  So here goes.  You may think with the "other side" pooping on police cars are standards don't need to be so high.  But (fortunately) that isn't indicative of all of them either.  So. What Reagan’s 11th Commandment REALLY means:

POLTIJIM’s PROHIBITIONS & PERORATIONS


Buy a Brain: To those who assume whatever your candidate decides is fine and you don’t need to read the fine print of their policy:  Really?  You want George Bush 3?  Didn’t we all believe him when he said he wanted smaller government?  RINO-crap!  You have to find out WHAT your candidate believes.  Not just for your own sake, but so you can intellectually lead the rest of us to understand pro’s and cons.  Even Jesus said to “believe” because of what he could do – not just what He said.  Don’t insult yourself or the rest of us by asking us to do more for your horse in the race.  Or elephant.

Get Out of the Sandbox: If you don’t like what someone says, why unfollow them?  Or worse, Didn’t you yell at Obama for the hypocrisy on civility, too?  I learned a long time ago, you can not influence someone if you don’t have access to them.  It’s why most Liberals stay stupid.  They only listen to MSNBC.  I understand needing to cancel your subscription to Time or Newsweek. But as much as I detest the way Erick Erickson has handled 2 Republican women (subject for my NEXT blog by the way) – I’m not unsubscribing to Redstate because they DO get a lot of things right.  Believe it or not, I also subscribe to People for the American Way, the NRDC and listen to PBS (unless I’ve just eaten) – so I can hear their arguments.  Palin was right about competition.  People become weaker without it.  And we need to have no fear of answering our critics or what they may say, because we may soon have to do the same TO the candidate we support.  A favorite gimmick we have (as do our candidates) is to make a valid problem of the other candidate seem like it’s genetic defect akin to Typhoid Mary. Don’t you really however, respect and listen to those who put things in perspective?  An anti-Cain person today admitted they aren’t holding TARP against him.  I’m going to listen MORE to what that person says about Perry – because my respect for them has increased.  So those of you that over-emphasize the cleanliness of your candidate’s outhouse might want to use a little balance before SCREAMING about the dog poop in the other candidate’s mansion.

Shut Your Pie Hole: Yeah, it’s corny but God did give you 2 hears and 1 mouth – so at least make an attempt to try and figure out not only WHAT your fellow anti-Obama conservatives are saying, BUT WHY!  Just today a wonderful follower said she didn’t like Cain’s 9-9-9 plan because the National Sales Tax would be regressive.  Honestly, I haven’t really studied VAT since Jack Kemp proposed it to encourage savings back in the 80’s.  Rather than spout something off to her, I got excited that I could either a) validate my assumptions about it (that it might be good) – or b) warn us all about it it turns out to be dangerous or worse.  I’m not going to agree with it just because I like Cain or disagree with it because I like Perry.  And will you people please validate those who disagree with you?  It ain’t so hard.  Even if you HATE Perry, you will keep doors open to convince them of your love for Santorum or Bachmann in the future, if you just admit you like the fact Perry wasn’t afraid to have a prayer rally or appreciated his military service, you will maintain access. And if you have “negative” information – please use facts.  I have been bombarded over this whole “Perry is being controlled by the Bilderberg society” thing.  You know what?  There is ZERO evidence for it. I didn’t just believe or not believe it.  If you look at the list of attendees, there are many people who are ‘salt of the earth’ types who attend as there are Soros-types.  I’m not saying there aren’t bad people who want to control other people through power. Or that some of them aren’t there or involved with the B people.  You only have to look at your local school board or Kiwanis Club to see that.  But if you are gong to call someone “evil” have facts.  I call Bill Clinton “evil” because of the testimony that he raped at least two women and used many more.  That isn’t emotion – it is using fact.  I don’t think there is any proof that ANY of our candidates (including Huntsman or Paul) are remotely evil or have an intent to do harm.  Words mean something.  The more you use them without evidence, the less impact they will have the next time you speak.

8-feelings-Vert Feelings.  Nothing more than Feelings:  I tweeted this week that watching the OCCUPY WALLSTREET tweeters trying engage us conservatives on Twitter with logic and their minds, was like watching my little boy when he was a baby discover his penis for the first time.  Those of you whose entire argument rests on “emotion” do nothing for your argument or your candidate.  I had a very good Twitter friend tell me he didn’t support Palin in large part due to the lack of intellectual arguments by her supporters!  And it’s true!  “Palin Good, you bad” not only will lose you a primary debate – it won’t make any inroads with independents who need to be won.  And wait until we want to change Social Security or dismantle the Department of Education.  “DO IT BECAUSE I SAID SO” is for our kids until they can think.  (And if you’re still doing that by the time they CAN think – you will loose their respect.)  It’s no different here.  Rick Perry and I sold books and bibles door to in college. We learned all “sales” is equal parts LOGIC and EMOTION.  Only logic, they’ll never have the excitement to step out and buy.  Only emotion and they’ll forget why they bought it 10 minutes later and return it.  Use both please.

Be Honorable: Here is the crazy thing.  It wasn’t any better at the founding of our country.  if you read JOHN ADAMS or 1776 by David Mccullough, it was actually much worse.  (Frankly, I read those and other books wondering how in heavens name we made it past the first three administrations).  But honestly, would you rather listen to and follow a Gary Cooper/John Wayne type, or a Woody Harrelson type character?  THIS is how people will see your ideas – through you.  There are timeless truths.  HOW we speak to one another (in civility and fact) will not only make us stronger together – but WILL win out over the petty voices of vice.  Consider these two quotes CAREFULLY from our Founder:
Human passions unbridled by morality and religion...would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net.” ― John Adams
“Wisdom and knowledge, as well as virtue, diffused generally among the body of the people being necessary for the preservation of their rights and liberties; … it shall be the duty of legislators and magistrates in all future periods of this commonwealth to cherish the interests of literature and the sciences, and all seminaries of them, …to countenance and inculcate the principles of humanity and general benevolence, public and private charity, industry and frugality, honesty and punctuality in their dealings, sincerity, good humor, and all social affections, and generous sentiments among the people. ” ― John Adams, Constitutional Documents of the United States of America
(Emphasis mine).
So don’t take this from PolitiJim, Take it from one of the three major architects of our Constitution that HOW we deal with one other is directly proportionate to our patriotism. These weren’t just “hunches” or casual beliefs of his. He CAME to these truths by the study of people and nations throughout history. And if you don’t agree with me, (apologies to Greg Gutfeld) you’re racist, ignorant, homophobic, trogledyte with your head up your ass. (And of course I mean the symbol of the Democrat party.)

3 comments:

You have a rare insight.

This piece again is spot on. I remain gobsmacked by the way you gently pull your readers back into focus.

I have the same observations as you, however I do not think I could have posed the situations or the correct response has honestly as you have.

You just lay it all out there.

Thanks for keeping it real.

I love your 'stuff' have yet to read anything you have written that was not just spot on target.

Proud to be your friend.

Great blog. You hit the nail on the head. Thank You!! I agree with Melody, you have unique insight.

This election is already out of control. I too also weary of the infighting and the careless, thoughtless words, rude arguments without factual basis and knee jerk (lol feelings) political analysis.(it changes day to day) by fellow Conservatives and Republicans. The debate among us should be civil. I thought we were trying to save the Republic together. Go figure.

Color me disappointed. On so many levels.

great article again Jim. I found myself engaging in subtle insults when I first began blogging such as "moron, idiot" etc. But it's still demeaning and derogatory. As I read other comments like that I realized I didn't like it and didn't want to go down that road. So regardless of who I am talking to and their views, I try to be respectful when debating my viewpoint. Unfortunately you are right in that many conservatives are not doing so. Time for a wake up call.

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