I Was a Conservative Coward

[Tom Joad]

I was a Republican right up until march of 2000, and I like to read articles like this written by people who have also had similar Epiphanys. This one is pretty good.

http://www.alternet.org/election-2014/i-was-conservative-coward-how-midterms-evoked-my-shameful-past-buying-fox-news-spin?paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark

When I was a conservative, I fretted about people and issues from faraway places that had zero actual impact on my daily life. The terror was both illogical and very real. The feelings were so intense that they left no room for me to consider the motivations and opinions of other people, which is the defining characteristic of modern conservative politics.

There is one political party most dedicated to creating and exploiting irrational fear in Americans. Sure, the left does it too (and they should not), but only the conservative ideology is defined by it. They have their own marketing arms in Fox News and talk radio that dish out a daily dose of abject terror expressly to drive emotional people to vote against their own interests. The first two casualties of fear are always perspective and reason.

Let’s look at these latest two issues with just the smallest amount of logic. Ebola is a serious health issue, sure, but numbers show how little it impacts America. There has only been one death and a handful of cases in this country. For perspective: 87 Americans on an “average day” are killed by gun violence and more than 30,000 a year are killed in car accidents. I’d like to say conservative media has been the only culprit, but you can’t flip on a station without a dose of needless fear-mongering. It’s a strong statement, but I would argue this is the worst display of journalistic malpractice since the flawed run-up to the second Iraq War. ISIS is another issue frightening Americans, yet no one inside America has been killed by this primitive band of outlaws. In this country, you have a better chance of dying from a slip in the tub than being killed by a terrorist. ISIS is a serious foreign policy challenge, but they don’t have a navy, air force or even a rowboat with which they could reach the U.S. The obsession over these issues is childish and stupid, yet they are driving America’s political conversation at the expense of real challenges and problems.

continue (http://www.alternet.org/election-2014/i-was-conservative-coward-how-midterms-evoked-my-shameful-past-buying-fox-news-spin?paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark)

[bobabode]

Dinna fash yourself unduly laddybuck. 'Tis better to come to wisdom and knowledge late than ne'er at all.

[Dondilion]

Ebola with its space suits was a real gift to these hustlers.

[BlueStreak]

Does anyone remember the anthrax scare and when it was recommended that people hide in their bathrooms and seal them up air tight with plastic film and duct tape? Stay inside for 4 days?

I knew people, conservatives all, who ran out and stocked up on plastic sheeting and duct tape........until the imbeciles realized that they would die anyways----suffocate without AIR.

I also know a man, who is still a proud conservative, who took the entire week of November 7th, 2008 off to hole himself and his family up inside their home.......because he was convinced that once Obama won the election, "....the niggers are just gonna run hog wild." (No, no racism to be found here.)

Answer me this; Remember those days and the reaction from righties all over the internet? The totally unhinged shrieking of death camps and Black Panthers and UN invasions, etc., etc., etc...............

Do you hear anything that even comes close to a comparison of that coming from anyone on the left today?

Today is Veterans Day. I am getting a kick out of all the conservatives in my life who never served, but have accused me of being a "liberal pussy" or something of the like, thanking me for my service.

The urge to tell these chickenshit losers to go fuck themselves is indescribable.

Dave

[icenine]

I often wonder why conservatives love paying for my Tricare but do not want to cover themselves, or the people who vote for them. I wonder if all those people in Kentucky will blame Obama if Scalia and those other assholes take their healthcare from them?

[Rajoo]

I was a Republican right up until march of 2000, and I like to read articles like this written by people who have also had similar Epiphanys. This one is pretty good.

http://www.alternet.org/election-2014/i-was-conservative-coward-how-midterms-evoked-my-shameful-past-buying-fox-news-spin?paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark



continue (http://www.alternet.org/election-2014/i-was-conservative-coward-how-midterms-evoked-my-shameful-past-buying-fox-news-spin?paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark)

Thank you for a good read TJ. Very well written article.

http://jbmediacollective.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/media-spoonfeeding-cartoon.jpg

[Pio1980]

Does anyone remember the anthrax scare and when it was recommended that people hide in their bathrooms and seal them up air tight with plastic film and duct tape? Stay inside for 4 days?

I knew people, conservatives all, who ran out and stocked up on plastic sheeting and duct tape........until the imbeciles realized that they would die anyways----suffocate without AIR.

I also know a man, who is still a proud conservative, who took the entire week of November 7th, 2008 off to hole himself and his family up inside their home.......because he was convinced that once Obama won the election, "....the niggers are just gonna run hog wild." (No, no racism to be found here.)

Answer me this; Remember those days and the reaction from righties all over the internet? The totally unhinged shrieking of death camps and Black Panthers and UN invasions, etc., etc., etc...............

Do you hear anything that even comes close to a comparison of that coming from anyone on the left today?

Today is Veterans Day. I am getting a kick out of all the conservatives in my life who never served, but have accused me of being a "liberal pussy" or something of the like, thanking me for my service.

The urge to tell these chickenshit losers to go fuck themselves is indescribable.

Dave

You left out the gun and ammo buying Jubilee frenzy with Clinton and Obama's elections. Another reason this gun owner loathes the NRA. and GOA.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

[Ike Bana]

'Jever notice how deafening the silence from the right-wingjobs hereabouts is when something like this shows up on the forum? And when you do hear anything in response it's typically..."Not me! I'm no Hannity/Coulter fan. I never listen to Limbaugh!" Yeh...sure, the same lame-ass talking points spewed hourly by these gasbags just simultaneously developed right there in your pea-brained skull independent-like.:rolleyes:

[piece-itpete]

I know 3 people that listen to Rush. 2 are Democrats, the other a former neighbor (who is very much a Rush person).

Which gasbags do you get your pea brained talking points from?

Pete

[Ike Bana]

I know 3 people that listen to Rush. 2 are Democrats, the other a former neighbor (who is very much a Rush person).

Which gasbags do you get your pea brained talking points from?

Pete

Richard Feynman and Upton Sinclair.

[BlueStreak]

I know 3 people that listen to Rush. 2 are Democrats, the other a former neighbor (who is very much a Rush person).

Which gasbags do you get your pea brained talking points from?

Pete

Oh, so Rush is a lefty now?

Is this after "information" is passed through the GOP "MiniTruth"? (With a nod to Orwell.)

Dave

[BlueStreak]

Richard Feynman and Upton Sinclair.

Good ones. I get mine from George Orwell, who warned us of a media that could change reality instantly, at the behest of a powerful political party.

Pete,

Now, all of the sudden, Ebola is nothing to worry about when, prior to last Tuesday, we we're all going to die and the president had let it in? (Deliberately, in the minds of some.)

Prior to last week a DOW over 17k and climbing was artificial and a sign of impending doom and now it's a "sigh of relief"? (As I heard one right wing talking head call it.)

Just a couple of things we can add to the sizable and ever growing list of absurdities wingnuts are eager to believe that are either contrary to what they believed just days ago, that happened the opposite of the way they believe or never really happened at all.

I was told a few days ago that; "There weren't never no terrorist attacks when Reagan was in office. They wouldn't have dared!"..................

Really?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/target/etc/cron.html

Anybody else have some favorites they'd like to share?

Dave

[Ike Bana]

Good ones. I get mine from George Orwell, who warned us of a media that could change reality instantly, at the behest of a powerful political party.

Pete,

Now, all of the sudden, Ebola is nothing to worry about when, prior to last Tuesday, we we're all going to die and the president had let it in? (Deliberately, in the minds of some.)

Prior to last week a DOW over 17k and climbing was artificial and a sign of impending doom and now it's a "sigh of relief"? (As I heard one right wing talking head call it.)

Just a couple of things we can add to the sizable and ever growing list of absurdities wingnuts are eager to believe that are either contrary to what they believed just days ago, that happened the opposite of the way they believe or never really happened at all.

I was told a few days ago that; "There weren't never no terrorist attacks when Reagan was in office. They wouldn't have dared!"..................

Really?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/target/etc/cron.html

Anybody else have some favorites they'd like to share?

Dave

All the Ebola ever was in this country was fodder for Obama derangement syndrome. All you ever heard from his obsessive-compulsive opposition was, "But...but...bbbbbuuuuuutttttt...the military is quarantining anybody who ever thought about going to Africa...and these doctors are just walking into the country?????WTF????????????"

Like the rest of the country should model it's behavior by how the United States Military does it's business.:rolleyes:

[BlueStreak]

All the Ebola ever was in this country was fodder for Obama derangement syndrome. All you ever heard from his obsessive-compulsive opposition was, "But...but...bbbbbuuuuuutttttt...the military is quarantining anybody who ever thought about going to Africa...and these doctors are just walking into the country?????WTF????????????"

Like the rest of the country should model it's behavior by how the United States Military does it's business.:rolleyes:

Yes, everyone knows how efficient and low cost the military is.

Besides, I've met wing nuts who've suggested that. Of course you and I both know what that really is. Just ponder what sort of government is usually led by men in military uniforms? :rolleyes:

2416

2417

2418

They tend to be very patriotic and believe deeply in "exceptionalism" as well.

Dave

[donquixote99]

Oh, so Rush is a lefty now?

Is this after "information" is passed through the GOP "MiniTruth"? (With a nod to Orwell.)

Dave

A big percentage of Rush's audience has always been liberals who get hooked on the stimulation of outrage. And a good part of his shtick is aimed at keeping them tuning in.

[ZeroJunk]

I'm sort of in the middle on the Ebola . It is true that that a handful of cases is nothing to panic about, unless you are one of them of course. There is no cure other than transfusions from somebody who survived and once it reaches a certain point it gets exponential. I think it would be good to keep it out.

And, any of those Islamic militant groups will detonate a nuclear device in the U.S. any time they can get well enough funded and organized to pull it off.
If it happened tomorrow I can't say that I would be totally surprised.

I don't think we will be able to just leave them alone for generations.

[Rajoo]

A big percentage of Rush's audience has always been liberals who get hooked on the stimulation of outrage. And a good part of his shtick is aimed at keeping them tuning in.

Ditto. :D
I used to listen to Limbaugh during my morning commute during the Clinton presidency and found his rants very entertaining. An absolute lunatic.

[piece-itpete]

My one friend, a retired lady, is a Dem and listens, she thinks he's funny too :)

I get tired of it real quick.

Pete

[Ike Bana]

My one friend, a retired lady, is a Dem and listens, she thinks he's funny too :)

Yeh...he's funny alright. Funny as cancer.