General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRepublicans are outmatched, outwitted and outclassed - Jennifer Rubin
Such speeches were miles from Republicans juvenile, screeching and irrational remarks. Republicans insulted and ridiculed their opponents, stomped and snorted; they deflected and twisted evidence. They glared, rolled their eyes, booed and (in the case of the minority whip) melodramatically tore up papers. All in all, it was a remarkable display of how far the partys collective intellect has deteriorated. Todays Republicans talk and act like thugs, trash the institution in which they serve and make no effort to engage on a rational basis with their opponents.
How did it come to this? Well, stewing in the nonsensical arguments and conspiracy theories gushing from Fox News, proudly adopting know-nothingism (e.g. climate change denial) and repudiating legitimate journalism and scholarly expertise come with a price. The mind atrophies; the ability to discern what is absurd from what is persuasive falters. Never encountering those who refuse to adopt your alternate reality means never having to exercise ones powers of analysis or learning anything beyond what Fox News hosts spoon-feed them.Certainly, part of their conduct is an act, as Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.), educated at Oxford, demonstrates when he puts on the mask and adopts the twang of a yokel. Part of the Republican routine also is an effort to conform to Trumps non-reality and never stray from his intellectual wasteland. But frankly, the Republican Party that amplifies voters confusion and sense of victimhood is not a magnet for rocket scientists, witty conversationalists or creative thinkers.
In short, the divide is vast and still widening between the parties. One appeals to college-educated voters who consume factual information and develop emotional intelligence as they navigate through diverse workplaces and school settings. The other party appeals to non-college-educated voters who claim the bully president as their own and consume hours upon hours of right-wing media, which panders to ignorance and prejudice, not to mention to amoral profiteers who have figured out how to monetize the right-wing nuttery. (More cynical operators trade on the supposed authenticity of those they would claim to be real Americans in exchange for judges and robber-baron economics.) Republican politicians and their base not only ape Trumps views but also imitate his unhinged demeanor, cruelty and preference for conspiracy theories.
When you compare the parties representatives side by side, one is struck not only by the remarkable lack of diversity on the Republican side but also by their obnoxious and thick-headed remarks blasted at full volume. There is no other way to say it: The Republican Party is an embarrassment.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/12/19/republican-outmatched-outwitted-outclassed/
genxlib
(5,524 posts)And spot on.
K&R
dalton99a
(81,472 posts)jayfish
(10,039 posts)Can we stop posting paywalled content on DU? Especially from WP and WSJ?
Wednesdays
(17,362 posts)than none at all.
However, if you're going to post it, please ALWAYS include a full summary!
wryter2000
(46,039 posts)I love her voice, but where was she all the years we were building to this? The know-nothing stuff started under Reagan. So did the robber baron economics.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)DFW
(54,369 posts)Specifically, at the end of "The Bridge On The River Kwai"
"What Have I Done?"
Lock him up.
(6,928 posts)Hermit-The-Prog
(33,337 posts)progressoid
(49,988 posts)They used to be part of our base too.
BigOleDummy
(2,270 posts)Somehow we've lost them almost completely, at least the non college educated whites. I'm just a high school graduate myself and roll my eyes in wonder at the hatred and yes, ignorance of so many of my peers. Is thinking REALLY that hard? Is trusting your eyes REALLY not a thing anymore? Yes, certainly Fox "news" plays a major part in this decline of intellect and critical thinking but
.. can that be all there is to it? Certainly again, racism plays a huge part, maybe even more so than we fear, but
. how have we come to this?
Even this high school educated BigOleDummy can see through the lies spewing from the rethugs
. even this high school educated BigOleDummy can see the insanity of our current economic inequality
. even this high school educated BigOleDummy can see the folly and self defeat that comes from racism in all its forms and manifestations.
Why are so many of our fellow Americans so scared? To me that is the base on which all of the above problems rest in my humble opinion. Why do so many CHOOSE to live in fear and hatred? Its easy to see the truth of things if you just look and think. Why has this become such a chore that way too many of us just flat out refuse to do it?
I'm scared for the future of my country for the first time in my almost 64 years of life. Indeed, what have we become?
rickyhall
(4,889 posts)I mean that's the only name I could think of for their behavior.
I sit with my mouth open amazed at the childishness of these people.
crickets
(25,969 posts)If only they were embarrassed enough to behave.