The right has continued it's relevance not through good ideas and sound policies, but through polishing an image of itself as America loving, commie Muslim hating patriots. It has made obstructionism and Nancy Reagan's "Just say no" it's mission statement. Straight, from the heart answers are big no no's for them.
In my city these is a republican alderman who I can't remember ever giving a straight answer on anything. He has made saying "I have concerns" his catch phrase. It's won him two elections. In my area republican is the voter's default setting. "They're for low taxes, more guns, God and less government. Aren't they?"
How do you sway people who think in these terms? They believe if you're a Democrat then you're a baby killer. And these people are easily worked up into believing ridiculous accusations enough to vote against whomever they're made against.
They voted against John Kerry because he was an "egghead, elitist Ivy Leaguer." Unlike Bush who was an average Ivy Leaguer we'd drink beer with.
This may sound sneaky and unpatriotic but I'm thinking instead of busting our asses trying to reach these people through facts, logic and a history of republican hypocrisies, maybe we should either try appealing to them through meaningless rhetoric as the republicans do. Or even better, convince them their votes won't matter anyway. Far easier to appeal to apathy and laziness then actually make the closed minded think and act.
The more I think about it, this looks like the best strategy. Convince the closed minded to stay home on election day. Tell them that's how they can send their message. Not that they know what their message is.
Truth 101 - "Or even better, convince them their votes won't matter anyway."
ReplyDeleteProbably the easiest argument to make, and the one closest to the truth. Once these voters realize there are powerful interest groups in Washington that rig the system against them, perhaps these voters might have a change of heart. Yet, I still doubt this would have any impact. You can't change lemmings.
I think they know that deep down Octo. But the greater evil to them is a bogeyman that will come and take their guns and abort their babies in the middle of the night.
ReplyDeleteI wish this were just snark but it's true.
"a bogeyman that will come and take their guns and abort their babies "
ReplyDeleteAnd take God off the money where he belongs and desecrate the flag and elect a non-Christian as president. . .
I think God as President would be a riot. He'd do a good job no doubt. But listening to the righties do their best to vilify Him would be a hoot.
ReplyDeleteOf course that's how he could get the religious zealots on board with a tax increase. Just call it a tithe.
Since progressives/leftists/Democrats can't march so closely in lockstep due to our burning desire to be individuals, I think the best thing we can do is simply embrace our fellow human beings.
ReplyDeleteAttend every ethnic festival possible, attend parades and events in support of womens' rights, right of choice and gay rights. Go out of our ways to lend a hand and a voice to the persecuted and oppressed. We can all choose how, where and what but the beauty of it is we will all be joined in common causes without the rigidity of organization!
You're talking about identity politics and framing and these are irrational, emotion-driven narratives so I don't think you can reach these people in any rational way. Anyone who is so drunk on the Kool Aid that they REALLY voted for Bush because John Kerry windsurfs ... well, come on. That's just stupid.
ReplyDeleteThere will always be 25% of the voting populace who are hyper-partisans. Once they were called "the moral majority" then they were called "loyal Bushies" now we know them as "Tea Partiers" and soon they will rebrand themselves as "Constitutional conservatives." But make no mistake, these are the exact same people, just with different labels.
You don't try to "reach" those people, they are unreachable, their minds were made up long ago and they are cemented in place. Any attempt to "reach" these people leads to things like Blue Dog Democrats and DINOs and Republican-Lite and every other form of pandering.
What you DO is you articulate your positions as best you can, keep coming up with fresh solutions to the problems the nation faces, communicate those ideas through all means possible, and try to reach the three-quarters of the American public who are not batshit insane.
Oh, Rockync...you are such an idealist!
ReplyDeleteThe right has captured the concept of "individualism" and "personal freedom" and they have done so with presidents who were rugged brush chopping, horse riding, ranch owning macho men...
They have also defined "government" as the threat to individual liberty.
The reality is that Liberals are much more protective of an individuals rights but yet we never define who or what threatens individual rights and individual freedoms...
"Government" thus becomes a concept of Liberalism and Liberals....
So, we become what the masses fear...
No matter how hard you try to be nice, no matter how much crap you prove in regards to how the conservatives grow government and impinge our freedoms....there will always be an excuse (in Reagan's case it was the Liberal Congress and in the case of GWB it was the fact that he was actually a liberal).
We really, really, really need to take back the concept of Liberal and define it ourselves....
I wish I know how to reclaim it. Switching to "progressive" didn't work and within minutes the enemy had redefined Progressive as Communist. Most Americans wouldn't want to do without the freedom liberals have won for them, but they don't know where it came from. I read today that most college students have never heard of Czechoslovakia and how many can even remember Clinton? Even those who weren't born yesterday might as well have been. If schools can't educate them, how can we?
ReplyDeleteI agree with SoBe that you can't reach them. You can't reach dementia either, you can't reach stupid and I don't think you can reach evil or greed.
The best you can do is to sway the mediocre, the confused, the not so well informed -- and of course with Fox in the picture, it might be easier to reach the Martians.
Educate, inform, and use the example of the Constitution, that we are upholding rights.
ReplyDeleteWith each generation, a little bigotry dies. It takes time. Parents have to stop passing down bad thinking. Bigotry is as entrenched as religous beliefs. The law is a good guide to changing, or at least curbing abuses.
I hope that idealism has a place in all of this, that somehow justice, truth, and mercy will win out. I like Rocky's idealism,but I confess that I tend to be more and more pessimistic. There are so many who have made ignorance a desireable goal. Hate and fear are the progeny of ignorance, and they are running amok among us.
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