Forest, meet trees ...

[cantdog]

I've always thought it was more the effect of politics than the cause. I do believe that the majority of people start in politics out of an honest desire to serve. I think that desire gets warped in many to a desire to win, is all. And I'm sure many justify that to themselves by telling themselves that they can't serve unless they win, but it does seem as though many politicians reach a point where they're more concerned with self-preservation than the people they're representing. I didn't used to be so jaded, but somewhere along the line I've lost faith in those who represent me.

I wish it were just the desire to win. The power of a giant corp is not limited to providing money, writing laws, and begging for support.

As Joe points out in the torture threads, negative reinforcement is effective. These guys know where you live. If it's important to them, it's very important.

 

[Amy Sweet]

Whoa there, Joe. Don't put words in my mouth. I don't recall saying that Republicans only stand for horrible things, simply that I hate much of what they stand for. There is a difference, albeit a slim one. I should point out that by "they" I am also referring to the current Neo-con party leadership and not the basic principles that the party used to stand for until recently.

I do stand by my judgement of the recent campaigns of Republicans. Keep in mind, I'm speaking only of the national campaigns and of some of the local ones here. (There are Democrats that do the same, but the GOP is much, much better at it. Dems fail miserably when they try to fight dirty.) I am sure there are plenty of party members that don't run dirty campaigns and don't lie about themselves or their opponents. In the current climate, though, I doubt those politicians will make it far in the party.

My boyfriend- a Republican- says "who do you want running the country- those who cheat and get away with it, or those who cheat and get caught."

 

[Amy Sweet]

You are just a bigot for saying that.

Don't mind me, I'm in a mood.

I'm devouring Keillor's "Homegrown Democrat" one flavorful tidbit at a sitting, like a starving person presented with a plate of prime rib and trying not to eat it all at once, because I'm unaccustomed to any food richer than lawn clippings.

Keillor defines the differences between Democrats and modern-day Republicans with a straightforward, unapologetic honesty that is making me forget why I wanted to give up.

"Despite our shortcomings, there has always been a river of compassion that runs through America. Democrats are still in the river....Liberalism is the politics of kindness...We believe in the social compact that says, if one of us is suffering and in need, the others will lend him a hand."

We can't fight as dirty as they do on a consistent basis, because we are not selfish by nature. Our rich guys vote against tax breaks for themselves because they know the money is desperately needed elsewhere. That's something people either get, or they don't. If they don't, they vote Republican.

We're the party of Paul Wellstone. We've been trying too hard not to be. It's time to tell moderates to screw themselves, stop pretending that John Kerry is a liberal, and remind America that without liberals, most of whom remain Democrats by default, there would still be separate restrooms for "Negros," and factories would still be allowed to lock their employees in and refuse them bathroom breaks, and our air and water would be poisonous, and there would be no public education, much less school lunches for kids who might otherwise not eat that day.

God help Republicans if they lived in the country they would have made without a liberal influence. What a mean, concrete-covered world it would be. Legally rascist, proudly sexist, a nation of plantation owners and cowering servants. As Keillor points out, a lot of people were able to survive the Depression and make something of themselves only because the New Deal gave them a chance. "It helped people get back on their feet and have a chance; some of them became successful and now vote to deny to others what they willingly accepted for themselves."

I'd say "they's like it that way" but then I'd be a bigot too.