Why They're Still So Angry (Bush's Sore Winners)

[Plaid Adder]

A friend of mine was telling a story a while back about a run-in on the road with a complete stranger who went out of his way to make a big production of harassing him for having a Kerry/Edwards sticker on his car. It was a fairly harmless incident, but left my friend with the question of why anyone on their side still wants to put in the time and effort harassing someone who supported a candidate who, after all, lost. Their guy won. They're gonna get everything they wanted (except perhaps SS privatization and John Bolton). Shouldn't they be happy? Why are they still so angry?

I have finally come up with a theory which I think explains the fact that Bush's 'victory' seems only to have made his supporters MORE angry and bitter, especially with those of us who opposed it:

For the real believers, BUsh wasn't just a candidate. His campaign spent a lot of time trying to create a magical aura around him--he's the magic rock that keeps terrorists away, his healing touch was able to magically get little Ashley over the trauma of 9/11, by 'staying the course' and showing resolve he will lead us to the promised land, etc. And of course according to this kind of magical thinking, once you restore the Anointed One to the throne, the kingdom is supposed to immediately become fruitful, prosperous, and peaceful.

Well, the Anointed One has been restored to the throne. And yet, things are worse than ever. How can this be? Could it be that Bush really ISN'T the Anointed One? No! Get thee behind me, blasphemer! If the King cannot heal his wounded land, it must be because the infidels are still sending out negative energy that is blocking his magic powers!

So, from their POV, since nothing can be the King's fault, everything that goes wrong during his reign is always going to be OUR fault. If only we would get on board and BELIEVE, it would all be completely different. Iraq would be paradise, the coffers would be overflowing, everyone who deserved prosperity would have it, and everyone who didn't would be in the dungeon wearing legirons (or exiled).

Ah well,

The Plaid Adder

[ClassWarrior]

1. Good analysis.

NGU.

[hector459]

35. No, they are angry because they KNOW they are wrong.

But they can't hate themselves so they hate us.

[chomskysright]

54. Freudian displacement: me thinks the lady doth protest too much....

[ReadTomPaine]

100. Projection, thy name is Republican.

It's their most common trait- even more common than greed, arrogance & sloth.

[annabanana]

2. There used to be a basic psychology textbook

called "Anxiety and Magic Thinking". I don't remember the author, but it was put out by International University Press back in the 70's.

I think this phenomenon was the subject. I'll bet this could do with a new release.

[Ripley]

3. Isn't there a word for that? Some kind of psychological problem.

I've noticed that too. They know the economy is broken and nothing the smirk does makes it better...on the contrary. So, they're starting to see he is a fraud, but they don't want to admit they were bamboozled. So they scape goat others (the media, Kerry, Clinton always, liberal Hollywood, etc.) to deflect their own complicit actions to get us where we are today.

[Village Idiot]

6. One word for this phenomena is called "divergence..."

Republicans cannot apply their own value system appropriately to the real world, so they invent a new and divergent "reality" to fit their value system...

Apparently this disorder is incredibly difficult to treat...

[passy]

117. Is mr. cuckoobananas a sufferer?

[realisticphish]

45. they're trying to deal with cognitive dissonance, for one

rather than admit that they were wrong, they claim that the liberals ar ruining everything

[tjwash]

49. It's called "cognitive dissonance", and "projection"

nt

[patricia92243]

4. I had never thought of it. Good point of view n/t

[JitterbugPerfume]

5. As usual

you got right to the real gist of the matter

Thank you

[DemonFighterLives]

7. It is more than just the damn terrible liberal infidels

As one poster noted, they are afraid to admit their stupididty, so must keep the W facade going.

Somehow they can watch everything be destroyed around them and still sing praises to dubby.

[Jesus Saves]

8. I think you're exactly right

They live in a propaganda fairyland, eventually the cognitive dissonance becomes to much for them.

On top of that, they know they're gonna lose on most the issues anyway.

[cybildisobedience]

9. there's another word to explain their anger:

MORE.

Whatever they have, it's never enough. They always want MORE. More money, more power, more control over our lives.
More adoration for their dear leader.
More revenge on their adversaries.
More war, more territory.

[zanne]

10. I agree with that word, cybildisobedience!

It's true; they never have enough. And if by chance they get all that they can, they have to invent a new enemy.

[chomskysright]

55. Christopher Lasch: historian: THE CULTURE OF NARCISSISM:

[Paul Dlugokencky]

85. I think you're on to it, anger and avarice are never satisfied

how dare we disagree with them, last year, this, or next? They should harness that energy and enlist, put their butts where their mouths are.



http://www.cafepress.com/kickindemocrats

[mark11727]

87. "Tombstone"

Wyatt Earp: What makes a man like Ringo, Doc? What makes him do the things he does?

Doc Holliday: A man like Ringo has got a great big hole, right in the middle of himself. And he can never kill enough, or steal enough, or inflict enough pain to ever fill it.

Wyatt Earp: What does he want?

Doc Holliday: Revenge.

Wyatt Earp: For what?

Doc Holliday: Bein' born.

[Virginian]

11. Doesn't this fit the definition of Cognitive Dissonance?

It seems almost to BE the definition.

Bush used a lot of Enthymematic Argumentation when pushing for the war. He would say 9/11 and in the next sentence say Saddam is a bad man. The mind of the sheeple would hear a connection that he hadn't made.

I wonder if, because he did not say specifically that Saddam had anything to do with 9/11, but let the brain of his followers link the two on their own..., if that made them believe there was a connection more so than if he had actually said it.

The Bush years have improved my vocabulary but not necessarily my grammar.

[Fire Walk With Me]

53. Anthemematic as well. The only thing Bush hasn't said is "Are you ready to

ROCK!" (makes devil sign with hand to screaming audience).

The Bush administration has been one gigantic guitar solo. Lots of "hero", not much else.

[Jacobin]

58. I think the technical clinical term is "Bonkers"

[mondo joe]

12. The problem is they are anti-plurality. They can't relax if they know

anyone is permitted to disagree on any point, no matter how minor.

This is one reason dems often don't know how to handle these freaks - sure, we want to win but we expect a plurality of opinions. They don't. They really are the Borg and if they win 96% of everything that 4% outstanding is all they can see.

[NEOBuckeye]

90. That's exactly why we need to establish a multi-party government.

One Party = Monopoly
Multi-Party = Market Diversity

What is true for the marketplace is also true in politics. Just as the people are never well served when a select few interests are allowed to dominate and control the market, no one except the dominant interests benefit when those interests control all branches and aspects of government.

Whenever we manage to take back our country, we need to ensure that a single party or interest group is never again able to take control of the goverment and run roughshod over everybody else. Forget the existing two-party "big tent" system. What we need is a 5 or 6 party proportional Parliamentary system that respects and accounts for the broad and vast diversity in this country.

The United States is a very diverse country -- too diverse for a small and select cabal of stubborn, insecure old weasels, thieves and charlatans to have the exclusive privilege to determine our destiny.

[Knight of Ni]

93. That's what's fueling the push for the "nuclear option".

That's their definition of "obstructionism" - not letting the Republicans get their way the full 100% of the time that they feel they are entitled to.

[stevedeshazer]

13. Sounds like your friend met my brother!

He's the prototypical Republican who is never to blame for his own problems. It's ALWAYS someone else's fault.

[Sydnie]

14. This is not unlike the Nixon defenders

We would do well to go back and look at the history of the Nixon defenders for a projection of the future of this administration.

Granted, there were more visible outward signs of the opposition then so they had many targets to attack, what with the large and frequent protests of the war and all. All they have to attack are those that supported a different candidate.

They are afraid that there is a hidden pin out here among the Kerry supporters that has their bubble of delusion written all over it. Be that the media, the bloggers, or even a person in that car with the other guys bumper sticker on it. The recent NC church doings are a beginning of the end for them.

They are trying to hold on to their bliss as long as they can. They must sense that it is all about to crash down around them though, thus the level of anger and aggression is increasing rather than decreasing.

There will not be enough atonement available when that pin meets its target though. That will be the real time to worry about physical safety for anyone that didn't support the lie.

[JHB]

15. I don't buy that...

...not for the real jerks.

They get off on the politics of Gengis Khan or (Ahhnuld as)Conan the Barbarian:

"What is victory?"

"Victory is to CRUSH your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of the vimmen."

You're not acting like a whipped cur with your tail between your legs, therefore you rob them of their victory (by those terms), and THAT pisses them off.

[Dogmudgeon]

16. Good analysis ... but limited in scope ... (read on)

And please, I don't mean that as a derogatory review. Your post delivered a clean and accurate blow. I just think that the wingers' motivations are deeper and wider, and have roots in a century-old worldview that developed as a reaction to what would become the modern world.

It's not just the magical aura of keeping the baddies away --- Bush is the neo-conservatives' and Religious Rightists' version of Charles Martel, whom they look toward to deliver a crushing blow to all enemies of Christendom. The first object of their hatred was the Jews; Unionists were also included off-and-on; then, briefly, the Suffragists; then it was Communists, for a long time; then the Hippies; and now, it's the whole faith of Islam, and the Jews have been "rehabilitated", just as long as they can be used to reinforce Rapture fantasies. The conservatives' devils -- really just the shadows on the cave wall, á là Plato's parable -- are of a lineage that goes back three-quarters of a century. Make that an even century if you count the publication of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as the founding event, at least in prewar Europe.

Bush speaks the language of decades of anxiety, frustration, and rage, in full and rustic voice -- the recent "boo-boo" he made in Latvia about Yalta, for instance.

(A necessary historical note: For the uninitiated, Yalta was where Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met to divvy up Europe after Adolph Hitler had been reduced to a dirty ashtray's contents and Hideki Tojo had run out of Japanese blood to spill for his own ambitions. Roosevelt was dying, and as a result, more easily conceeded Eastern Europe to the Soviet machine. In the 1940s and '50s, the radical rightists' cry was "Who lost Yalta?" but many historians doubt that a lucid Roosevelt would have done much better, since Churchill did most of the hard bargaining for the non-Soviet world.)

I think you nailed it on the behavior, and especially the magical thinking, but these goose-steppers have political neuroses that go back to the era of WWI. The Palmer Raids -- an early example of Commie-fighting -- were the first major push, during the early 1920s. And with few exceptions, it's gone downhill from there. The possibility that they may be able to dominate American politics and re-take European politics should chill the blood of everyone who values life, liberty, and sanity.

The Radical Right has made a perverse pact with their Devil, and each successive generation has renewed that pact, and extended it. Their Devil does not wear a thousand faces, but the dozen or so have been enough for American conservatives. These people now have the power -- and the Devil.

--p!

[TahitiNut]

17. Yes, it seems to be the "witch-hunt" gene.

We should not be surprised that, even with control of all three branches of the federal government and a majority of states, the foamy-mouthed zealots of the right show even greater appetites for ideological vigilantism, stonings, and dunkings. Every totalitarian regime in the history of mankind has elevated its rhetoric about the "enemies from without and within." The blood-lust of such Power has never been sated. Ever.

We are "informed" in grade school that the political dialectic in the U.S. has been about common goals but with differences in the route to those goals. At various times in our history, it has even seemed close to being true. For the last 20 years, the right-wing attendees at the masquerade ball have foregone their ill-fitting costumes and, fertilizing an increasingly unthinking weed-like orthodoxy at the grass roots, engage in back-stabbing within the charade of an embrace and poisonings while pretending to toast 'liberty.'

We are plunging ever-deeper into another "Dark Ages" of political interaction where the prevailing powers cannot suffer a truth-witch to live. We are seeing extensive criminality and corruption at the highest levels of religion, business, and government. We are seeing prideful ignorance surpassing pre-Enlightenment times. We are long past the demonization stage of the prelude to open warfare and are deep in the "kill all devils" trench warfare of an all-out assault on individual liberties and justice. At the same time, the political REMFs delude themselves into believing that peace prevails and these are but "fringe conditions" -- even as the "fringe" gets closer and closer.

[xxqqqzme]

74. political dark ages

indeed!

There was a replay this weekend on dish network uctv channel of the Robert Reich lecture @ UC Berkeley on the rapidly increasing disconnect between wealth, wages - concentration of wealth and the rest of us.
All of this behavior is connected 2 that 'haves & have more' mind set.

"...Robert Reich: How Unequal Can America Get Before We Snap?
Robert Reich, a visiting professor at the UC, Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy and former U.S. Secretary of Labor talks about the inequality of income, wealth and opportunity in the United States and asks his audience to speculate on what will happen if these trends continue."

Worth watching

http://www.uctv.tv/schedule/index.asp?Date=5/15/2005

[NewJeffCT]

great post

you're right about every generation they renew the pact & extend it... they also extend their power, it seems.

[chomskysright]

56. they're immediately noticed by their BULLYING.....like what took place...

for me, at the innauguration (bullied by young Repugs; had guy in Navy uniform kick my 'worst president ever' poster under the portapotty with him saying: you know you shouldn't leave trash lying around...and then this weekend walking around in the flea market in Atlanta, mostly appreciated, quietly so, but then 2 middle aged women who tried to bully me:

SHE SAID: 'THINGS MAY NOT BE PERFECT BUT IF JOHN KERRY WERE PRESIDENT WE'D BE IN A LOT WORSE SHAPE...I SAY, DID YOU HEAR ME ...

Fuck yes, I heard you: and I just kept on walking in my BUCK BUSH T-shirt.

[klebean]

65. more to this...

Look up Dominionism or Christian Reconstructists on religioustolerance.org, and/or
read this today from Ed Naha posted on the smirkingchimp.

Here's a direct link to his essay: http://mkanejeeves.com/

[Dogmudgeon]

82. Dominionism (Christofascism)

Oh, yes, I'm quite aware of the "Christian Reconstructionist" movement, Rousas J. Rushdoony, and Dr. Gary North, PhD, Y2k. In the late 1970s, I "encountered" a mimeographed journal called Christian Economics that chilled me to the bone. It was North's first foray into Dominionist activism.

Actually, I guess his real first foray into Dominionist activism came when he courted and married Rushdoony's daughter.

Most of this crap isn't really new. The newness is in the power they have been able to seize. That's terror in and of itself.

That's a good article, too -- thanks for the link.

--p!

[ananda]

18. projection

They're so angry because they're sick and disgusting inside and can't integrate the shadow-side of their personalities.. so they have to project it on others.

Sue

[AllegroRondo]

19. Double-Think

Orwell was right.

[Hamlette]

20. it's the same reason Christians feel threatened

the GOP is looking more and more like a religion every day. Bush is super human and can do no wrong. They bully others and set up a "everyone is out to get us" mentality to keep the faithful sending in the money and support.

Gotta have something to fear and something to worship. The GOP gives it all.

I don't think they will ever admit Bush is not all they thought he was. People believe in God or Bush because they want to, all evidence to the contrary. The GOP made gods out of Bush and Reagan. Why didn't they do the same with Bush I or Nixon or Eisenhower?

[underpants]

21. You all are all around it but just missed-It's about WINNING

and being a WINNER and being part of a WINNING TEAM.

I don't mean to degrade Sports Center but it is a SC type thing. See one of the underlying reasons so many people so drastically love Bush is because he is a WINNER to them. He WINS and they want to be on the side of a WINNER. After 9/11, especially, it wasn't just about being scared (which they don't want to admit -see "morals" in exit polls) it was about "joining the team for the big win".

What your friend experienced is the post script to the election. They not only rejoiced in WINNING but they also are now rejoicing in trouncing the competition, making sure they remind them (and themselves) repeatedly about how they WON.

Good analysis PA but this (I feel) completes what you posted. Being a WINNER (if they ever have been) is an easy sell to those who feel they have been under attack (angry white males and such) and no one calls them on jumping on the bandwagon because they are WINNERS! and not losers.

[chomskysright]

59. I think a path analysis research project of qualitative analysis might....

reveal that many of these issues are surfacing, just in the framework of the individual.

I might speculate that the matter of being the winner: I want to be on the winning team: is a more primitive emotion evidenced by people not particularly good at critical thinking (or just plain narcissists who want to win at all costs: I think much of the BUsh II adminis is made up of these types e.g., Bolton).

You move into cognitive dissonance as things are not going well: what to choose: OMG: dunno;

All embedded utilizing mechanisms which Freud described well and which Shakespeare picked up on long before than with such notions as 'me thinks the lady doth protest too much.'

[Lost-in-FL]

105. Scarry...

But that would explain also the reason why so many democrats voted for Shrub this time around.

[Pacifist Patriot]

22. Sadly, I saw something very similar the other day.

It happened between two cars ahead of me on a four lane road. I just sat there behind the wheel completely stunned that the Bush supporter had to make such an ass of himself when his candidate is sitting in the White House again and Kerry is back in the Senate.

I'm sorry but I can't bring myself to say that Bush won. That would imply the "official" results were accurate.

[glitch]

23. Perhaps they know their guy didn't really win. Even if that knowledge is

on an unconscious level they know their guy cheated, and is therefore still a loser. And so are they. So they continue to act like what they are, losers.

[sakabatou]

24. I would nominate this...

[kenny blankenship]

25. They're angry because liberals and minorities thwart what they really want

to do, which is to kill all the liberals and minorities.

They stay pissed off that way.

[NEOBuckeye]

92. So, suppose they manage to kill all of the liberals and minorities...

I bet you they still wouldn't be happy, and would only turn again on each other. For instance, they'd probably start attacking people with certain eye color, or for the shape of their noses. Their pain and suffering, after all, is always someone else's fault.

The hate that stems from that pain is like a raging, all-consuming fire. Even the one who carries it in his heart will eventually be destroyed by it.

[GreenPartyVoter]

26. I hate sore winners! Drives me crazy to hear them complain how

we liberals own all the media, or how the RW Christians are a persecuted lot.

[VOX]

27. The right wing remains under the illusion that it is under siege...

"Liberal media" this, "anti-Christian" that, "rampant homosexuality," "abortion on demand," "liberals hate America," "liberals hate God," etc., etc., etc.

RW propagandists (Rush, Hannity, et al) know this and keep their crowd whipped up into a constant state of mock outrage.

Wingnuts are so obsessed with looking for the "liberal under every bed" (formerly "Commie"), they conveniently overlook the fact that they control the media, all three branches of government, and most of big business.

[chomskysright]

62. & this fits in with the cranked fear mentality ......read more:

from my OPED piece to WA POST a moment ago (hope it prints):



Fear has always been the emotion motivating the Baptists. First, fear that if you're not saved, you'll die and go to hell; fear at the hands of Billy Graham and the inevitable 'Just as I am' song at the end of his Rasputin-eyed sermons; more fear created by the hell-fire-and-brimstone radio preachers , like Lester Roloff in Texas, a favorite of my grandmother's; (he had a 'girl's home' for those wayward girls); fear that if you keep that neckin' up in the back seat of your boyfriend's car you'll come to no good end; and then finally anticipated fear of what will you do when you are dying: will you revert to this fear-mongering thinking?

Its no mistake that George W. Bush, converted in just the nick of time by Billy Graham, has assisted in the creation of ratings for fear : terrorist rating levels for events created by the devilish Evil-Doers in the world.

[spiritsong13]

129. I often wonder

What these RW, supposedly "Christians", will say when they realize that Jesus Christ was the greatest liberal of all times. Will they insult Him and curse Him for being a liberal?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. Makes sense to me

Plus, the Republicanites cannot function without demonizing someone. If their hardcore devotees don't have someone to hate, they might stop and notice how the country is swirling in the toilet.

That's why Rush and company are so busy stirring up hatred against liberals.

[lancdem]

63. Victimization is central to their mindset

They control everything, yet they continue to blame the "liberal media" which is completely nonexistent.

[KansDem]

29. Perhaps "buyer's remorse?"

he's the magic rock...

Their "magic rock" turned out to be nothing more than a "pet rock."

[Lerkfish]

30. naw, its like when the first bush was elected, I was in an elevator...

going up to my apt. on the 24th floor. It was right after Bush I won the election, and one guy (whom I didn't know) turned to me and said how much he was worried about the election results. Wanting to be noncommittal, in a crowded elevator, the only thing I said was "well, it does concern me when the former head of the CIA becomes president".

At this point, a three-piece suiter in front of us, turned full around and yelled, all red-faced frothy and zell millerish : "You @#% democrats can all GO TO HELL! You should be THROWN OUT OF THE BUILDING!". The other guy and I just looked at each other, and the other guy goes "didn't your guy just win? what are you upset about?"

Later, that same three piece suiter (who lived two doors down from me) started stealing my newspaper every day. I knew it was him, so I put a nasty note INSIDE my paper. Then I get a call from management, seems this guy turned me into the property manager for the nasty note, and the manager was on the verge of asking me to clear out when I very calmly asked him; "Did the guy tell you where he GOT the note?". I then proceeded to tell him not only about the stolen papers, but of an incident where I heard fumbling outside my apt. door, looked out the peephole and saw the neighbor with some friends pantomiming taking a whizz on my door.

Funny thing, the manager turned all green and said: "I'm sorry to have bothered you, I'll talk to this individual". and within the week, the neighbor was sent packing.

However, all that to say this:

It is not enough for republicans to win, everyone else MUST DIE.

[CBHagman]

51. Good for you.

And what nerve that loser had -- stealing your paper and then complaining about YOU. Typical.

One thing I've noticed about Bush and DeLay is how vindictive the two of them are. I rather suspect that's true of Karl Rove. Of course being vindictive is polar opposite of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so I have no clue why their supposedly Christian supporters haven't noticed this yet. But I have hope...

[Lerkfish]

57. well, the real funny part is...

the neighbor was saying I was falsely accusing him of stealing his paper, because my note said some nasty things about people who steal papers, and if they wanted a subscription, I'd be glad to buy them one...
And the manager was all believing him until I told him the note was IN my paper, so how did he get it if he didn't steal it?

talk about a d'oh moment.

anyhow, I am believing that Bush and Delay are the opposite of christians, but they have fooled fundies because fundies are very easy to fool...since they're not supposed to question their religious leaders, all it takes is for the religious leaders to tell them to unwaveringly support the politicians....kind of reminds me of how you switch ownership of a dog...first, the orginal owner visits a lot with the new owner, so the dog gets comfortable, then he lets the knew owner throw a few sticks, then he finally hands the leash over to the new owner. Since the dog is BLINDLY loyal, they continue to serve the new owner like nothing ever happened. That is why there is so much mysterious quasi-messianic worship of the Bush-Christ. It didn't happen accidentally. The fundies didn't just wake up one day and say "gee, I think I'll start worshipping Bush".
It was an intentional process, where the Pat Robertsons and the Jerry Falwells and preachers on the local levels conditioned their flock over time to believe that taking control of govt. was their duty. Then, they started identifying "good" issues and "bad" issues for fundies to be concerned/frightened/outraged about. It helps to frame the opposite side as "evil".
Then, it was just a short step from there to making their congregation think supporting a particular candidate was God's will, because they support our pet issue.....over time, the issue evaporates until you have a personality cult about certain candidates. At this point, there doesn't have to be logic or even support of the core pet issues, now all that happens is the fundie leaders just point their dogs to Bush and he owns them.

at least, that's their plan. Whether it holds true over time, only time will tell. I personally think the neocons think they have a leash on a cocker spaniel, but its really a pit bull. Once the RW fundies realize they've been had...well, hell hath no fury.

[Lisa]

73. busted!

The note in the newspaper was awesome -- in fact, I'm going to swip it (the idea, not the paper!) if I ever encounter that kind of thing.

Thanks for making my day, Lerkfish!

[CBHagman]

88. I think people think what's familiar is right.

Let's face it: most of us are not brought up to question Mr. Rich White Guy who Runs Everything. Think about it. I'm old enough to remember when big business had a bad name, but I also lived in the South in an area where people took for granted that nepotism was allowable and that certain people had the power, and that was that. Oh, and guns were fine.

Anyway, I remember puzzling over the fact that some Christians I knew were pro-death penalty and pro-war. It really puzzled me, as it didn't fit in with the Gospel. But I think they were just comfortable with the so-called conventional wisdom and therefore took for granted the notion that it fit in with their world view and even their faith.

Going overseas, for me, felt like a loss of faith, even though nothing I heard actually CHALLENGED my belief in God. It was the shock of having to hear other opinions on American foreign policy and the like. And I was a moderate then. Can you imagine how a right-winger would have reacted?

Anyway, that's my theory. Who knows if it's on the mark or not?

[hobbit709]

75. Karl Rove

could give vindictive a bad name. Some friends of mine have dealt with him before he got bigtime and he was a total jerk then and he's gotten worse.

[Ian_rd]

77. Rove ...

I read "Bush's Brain" by Slater and Madsen. In it, one the MANY people in politics who have had their asses handed to them by Rove said something like:

"Rove won't just beat you in the election. After it's over, he will follow you home and burn your house down."

[chomskysright]

66. speaking psychologically, that's really interesting:EVERYONE ELSE MUST DIE

Its narcissism as in Narcisstic Personality disorder....no other explanation.

its pathology; its inability to perceive other person's mindset; its sociopathy which travels along with narcissism.

The really scary thing is HOW MUCH OF IT THERE IS.

Again, Lash's book, Culture of Narcissism would be a way interesting re-read these days.

[expatriate]

95. I've often thought of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

when observing Bush. Growing up with a parent who had this condition, I can say that all the signs are there. That "if you aren't with us, you're against us" line is absolutely typical of people who have this disorder. I heard it a lot as a kid. When Shrub said that, my blood ran cold.

[smoogatz]

31. Ideologues and true believers always need a scapegoat

Hitler had the Jews, of course. If not for the Jews (and the homosexuals, communists, trade unionists, gypsies, artists and intellectuals) the Fatherland would have been paradise on earth. The current crop of thought criminals are much the same--secular Jews, homosexuals, leftists of all stripes, artists and intellectuals (cultural elites and liberal professors) are still "the enemy."

[chomskysright]

68. Fascism outlined: see your country HERE:

The 14 Defining Characteristics Of Fascism

(per Dr. Lawrence Britt)
http://www.rense.com/general37/fascism.htm

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
4. Supremacy of the Military
5. Rampant Sexism
6. Controlled Mass Media
7. Obsession with National Security
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
9. Corporate Power is Protected
10. Labor Power is Suppressed
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
14. Fraudulent Elections

Added the Mussilini Quote:
"Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism as it is a merge of state and corporate power." -Benito Mussolini

[Serial Mom]

32. Very well articulated!

(as always)

I love reading your posts! They provoke so much thought and truth!

[Roland99]

33. They throw themselves & their faith out there & can't take being criticize

For the people of "faith", they look to it as a challenge to their faith. Remember that Rolling Stone article back during the election? The writer went "under cover" for the * campaign and ended up befriending many people who worked on the campaign and even staying in their homes.

He found they threw themselves into the "wedge issues" as they see it as a challenge to their faith. When they "win" an issue, they see it as acknowledgement that their faith is true and proper. If they should "lose" an issue, they just work harder and become more vocal until they do "win". If they continue to lose, they bitch and cry and moan that they are being persecuted for their faith.

Well, guess what morons?! You're being persecuted because you're IDIOTS! They have long since forgotten why they follow their faith. They started when they were children and were dragged along to church with mommy and daddy and didn't really understand what was going on but listened to the fairy tales and believed.

Mommy and Daddy never taught them other views as they, too, lacked the ability to question themselves. To do so, with the chance that their faith be revealed for the fraud that it is, would damage their selves too greatly and their self would die.

We are not dealing with rationally thinking human beings. They are on auto-pilot. They are the Yul Brynners of Westworld.

[FreedomAngel82]

34. That could be it

I could see that. I also think because we're not giving into them and we're fighting back. Even though they still control all of the government they're still not getting anything done and they're still not converting each and every one of us.

[Lisa]

36. Bush, the "Fissure King"

Great analysis, Plaidder -- the part about him being some kind of magical totem for his followers is very interesting. And your observation about how Bush's supporters completely refuse to believe that anything is going wrong, and simply shift the blame onto anybody else in the vicinity, sure has all the worst aspects of a religion about it. I'm sure that one could get a graduate anthropology thesis out of the "Bush as talisman" theme -- that is, if there are any scholars left in the social sciences and humanities, by the time Lynne Cheney et al. have their way with academia.

[chomskysright]

70. great phrase: is anyone else noticing how many 1000+ posters are on this?

[Lexingtonian]

37. quite true

The occultism involved is so clearly failing against reality that they're becoming afraid. They imagine that by increasing their intensity and expressions of willpower that the magic can be sustained. That's the psychology.

The politics is that the Believers are realizing that the country is slipping away, the hardline agenda is only losing supporters. They've lost all the Democrats now and the nonpartisan people have almost no benefit of the doubt for their Cause left. Indeed, Republicans are starting to feel doubt and estrangement and reason to walk away from the agenda too.

It's all slipping out of their grasp. And it frightens them, because they know that the failure will be just as absolute as the fervor was. Belief once lost is never truly recovered.

[Raksha]

60. This is a scary statement!

>>The occultism involved is so clearly failing against reality that they're becoming afraid. They imagine that by increasing their intensity and expressions of willpower that the magic can be sustained. That's the psychology.<<

History has shown us that when a culture begins to sense that their "magic" is failing and they attempt to prop it up with intensity, that intensity often takes the form of human sacrifice. There are examples of this in ancient Greece and also in the Bible.

Which is why *WE* are afraid!

[HEIL PRESIDENT GOD]

38. It's nice to think I'm ruining it for them

I think also that the authoritarian mentality postulates that, once people are beaten, they will submit. If Kerry had won, you can bet that some of these craven curs would be saying they supported him all along. They don't understand people not doing what they are told to do, not worshipping their boss or president as a god, or questioning the rule of the strong.

[chomskysright]

71. right: and so to return to our possible psycholog. model here:

authoritarian mentality, as fostered by upbringing and 'culture of narcissism', seeks out like-figures to keep this charade afloat and has terrible time with cognitive dissonance and utilizes repressiong/ projection/ ANYTHING to keep stuffing the hard reality back into its jack in the box nightmare housing.

[Eloriel]

39. I think your idea has some merit, but

I think there's more to it than that. I think that they only way they "win" in the first place (aside from their lies and the rigged voting machines, of course), is to whip up hatred, judmentalism, triumphalism, etc. That's the whole point of wedge issues to begin with: we're better than they are because we don't want no steenkeen' fill__in__the__blanks in our neighborhood/city/state/country.

And if you aren't listening to some of the rightwing radio now and then, you may have no idea of the level of hatred against "liberals" in general. It's also true in the churches -- we are literally immoral if not amoral to them (hmm, which is worse, I wonder?).

So, their "winning" means that they get to unleash even more of their hatred, jugmentalism, triumphalism, etc. on us. They NOW have full-out permission, the WON, which proves they really ARE superior to us.

[no_to_war_economy]

40. pixie dust wouldn't help this administration and its followers

[supernova]

41. I've started calling them Closet Monarchists

For the subset of the poplulation who can hear no criticism of the president, for whom no praise of him is too over the top, I've come to believe they want an king to worship, not a president.

So I call them Closet Monarchists.

So, we're on the same track, PA :toast: Good post, as usual.

[lies and propaganda]

42. sweet little Ashley...

shes all I cared about in this whole 911 mixup.

I would kiss the Plain Adder if it werent for the slimy tongue.

[SeattleGirl]

43. Let's suppose...

....that they somehow managed to get rid of all of "us", and the only ones left were "them." They might think that things would be perfect then, because all undesirables were gone. But they would be wrong. Because I don't think their anger would disappear with us. It seems to be so much a part of them, that it's ABOUT THEM, not us, and it would be there whether we are or not. And they would start turning on each other, striking out at anyone who was in the least bit "different" from them. We are accused, with some justification, of forming circular firing squads or eating our own, while the other side walks in lockstep, but I can almost guarantee you they would end up doing the same thing, because once the perceived outer threat is gone, if the anger remains, they would have to pick new targets, and the targets would be each other.

[RaleighNCDUer]

67. Too true.

If the religious right ever manages to silence/disenfranchise/eliminate all the liberal/non-christian/secular voices, you can be sure you will see them turn on the RW Jews, then the Catholics, then whoever, as they continually clean house.

[SeattleGirl]

80. Agree, but

I was referring more to when all the non-fundamentalist Christians are gone. If they think they will then live in utopia, they would be wrong, because they will always find something wrong with somebody, and when all the non-fundies are gone, they will look for people withing their own group and they WILL find those who don't fit and begin cutting them out and getting rid of them. The group will implode. Now, I don't really think it would get that far, in terms of getting rid of all of "us", but I sure do think that at this point, that's what the more extreme ones would like to see. Hmmmm....wonder if they would have no qualms about killing off their own family members if those members did not march in lockstep with them. Probably some of the whackier ones would (shudder!).

[DemsUnited]

44. Have thought about this phenomenon as well

The flip side is that, when the final straw breaks, true believers will turn on Bush with a ferocity that will be just as scary as blind adoration. That's what rabid dogs do.

[cyclezealot]

46. Nothing new in American history.

Our history is loaded with intolerance.. Our original colonists wanted to keep new immigration northern European.. and to think the Irish were not Northern European..Even without war we needed the Alien and Sedition act...
Press freedom was a struggle even with the First Amendment in the early republic...Editors were put on trial for sedition.It all started with the John Peter Zenger trial to 20 arrests under the Sedition act.
many Americans fear free speech. the current batch of free speech haters is nothing new. some do not adhere to the concept of 'the truth will set you free.' instead , I believe what I believe and you better believe it too. an old struggle between faith and truth seekers.

[kissmygrits]

64. They hate your "free speech" not their own

They parrot the repug party line as free speech. Spread vicious slander and lies about people and ideas that threaten them and call it free speech. If someone disagrees with their repug fascist philosophy, they are godless liars and feel this is not free speech and they can squash it. As an example of this, before the election last fall, Dick for brains Chaney came to Tallahassee. Traffic was stopped on one of the cross roads. I and several others were at the front of the line. We stood by the police line and shot birds at his motorcade and called him a coward and a thief. Another fellow stayed in his car and screamed at us that we should be arrested for disrespecting the VP. One of our cohorts went up to his car and told him to shut the fuck up, he had a son in Iraq who draft dodger and Dickhead put over there and these two morons are responsible for US and Iraq civilians death. HE also told this repug he served in Vietnam and then asked the repug if he served and if he had a child over in Iraq. This bonehead quickly rolled his window up and we heard no more from him.

[Ysolde]

81. Welcome to DU!

Hi! And Welcome Aboard! I love this place! It can be disheartening at times (all the bad things these bozos are doing), but it's so good to hear stories like yours and so many of the others and know that over half the country really is sane!

:hi:

[JRob]

47. K

[kainah]

48. more than a king, he's godly

Many of bush's supporters believe he was put into this position by none other than God. When they don't understand what he's doing, they don't worry about it because they recognize that they may not be enlightened enough to understand God's will, but bush is.

Thus, when we challenge them, we are challenging a mortal human being. We are challenging a godhead. And who challenges a godhead? Why Satan, of course. And, as we all know, Satan lies. So whatever we tell them is immediately dismissed as the lies of Satan.

And, yes, of course they are still angry at us. They are fighting Satan.

[Senator]

50. Everybody Knows the bushkid stole both elections -- even them.

Even with full Euphemedia blackout of such "taboo" subjects. People know. They just know.

They're not acting like winners because they simply are not winners. They are thieves. And this is exactly how caught thieves act.

They get angry. They deny. They rationalize some "higher purpose" or "self=defense."

But they know. Even if they choose not to believe, they know.

--

[understandinglife]

52. Living a lie 24/7 is not effective anger management. Knowing you ...

.... are supportive of the most diabolical lier and war criminal in American history, has got to be a bummer.

No wonder they're not happy. How would you feel if you were an ardent supporter of cockroach-in-chief BU$H:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3632200&mesg_id=3663604

Peace.


www.missionnotaccomplished.us

[kaitykaity]

61. Mike Malloy nailed this in his FReep night in Hitler's B'day.

He left the whole show open to the flying monkey right
lurkers, and they had nothing. They couldn't touch Mike.

About halfway through the program, Malloy went on a riff
about how these people are just as angry and frightened
and stressed out as we are, but they can't figure out why.

http://whiterosesociety.org.

Ben Burch has this show archived at White Rose. It's the
April 20 show, and the segment is at minute 110:00. It is
chilling.

[Ian_rd]

69. Excellent theory

In the same vein, I believe the anger is a symptom of their desperation. Now that the Far Right controls every sector of government and the economy, it's becoming rather difficult to blame things on Liberals.

We're right, deep down they know it, and they are REALLY pissed about it.

It's one of the stages of Republican Disillusionment:

1. Electoral victory.
- legitimate or not.

2. Denial.
- when everything goes to crap after their victory, they vote for Republicans with even MORE determination and willful ignorance than before.

3. Displaced Anger.
- We see it now.

4. Conversion?
- We'll see. Although, without an accountable voting system ala Diebold, Conversion could happen and we'd still have President "Sweat Transmits Aids" Frist.

[Robworld]

72. Even though Bush won, he's still a loser.

Almost every Bush Supporter I ever spoke to get very hostile when you either question or dare poke fun of their lord and master. Since most people who voted for Bush, vote on emotions (religion, abortion, freedom?, values, terror, etc etc), they discard all logic. They take the questioning or insulting of Bush as an attack upon themselves.

http://www.dumdumgoestothecircus.com /
Website updated today

[meow2u3]

122. Because Bush supporters vote on sheer emotion...

There ought to be a new interpretation of the 26th Amendment regarding the 18-year-old voting requirement: In order to vote, one must reach 18 years of age on or before Election Day of the same year, but the said citizen must not only become 18 chronologically, but also he or she must have reached an emotional age of 18. This will ensure that emotionally immature individuals who remain children despite their outwardly adult appearances, e.g., extreme conservatives, the followers of cult leaders, or followers of religious movements which demand blind faith, are not rewarded with the privileges of majority.
In other words, emotionally immature right-wing fundies shouldn't vote!

[geckosfeet]

76. They could be mad because now they know

a chimp suckered them. Mr. Cuckoobananas is enough to frustrate anyone.

In light of recent events, it is becoming clear that Mr. Cuckoobananas is not so much running the country as smiling and laughing like a 4 year old on a merry-go-round as Cheney and big business milk the country dry.

[MisterP]

78. conservatives and other carnal, venal people are never actually satisfied:

the more they receive, the more on top of that they demand. That's why I'm for the Moon Treaty: no acquisitive naked chimps privatizing solar system bodies. When it comes to resources, the venal can absolutely not live within their means; that's why it's a bad idea to give them power.

[hippiegranny]

79. once you have it all...

your next big problem is how to keep it. The very idea that there are at LEAST 50% of us completely unfazed and unswayed by them is completely unnerving. It's like pro sports - once you become number 1, it is a full time job just trying to stay there.

[Pepperbelly]

83. Their whole schtick is based on one thing and only one: outrage. nt

[ulysses]

97. yup.

Convince enough people that they're truly outraged at something you'll heroically oppose for them, and they're yours.

[Vinca]

84. Let's not go off half cocked here.

Everyone knows it's Clinton's fault.

[Deep N RedLand]

86. Every Playground Bully is a Conservative In-Training.

I remember the reaction of two former asshole co-workers after the election. For a whole week they both felt the need to constantly remind myself and a fellow progressive co-worker about the chimp's victory. This amounted to snide laughs, "victory" gestures and how great things would be now that the "great war-leader" defeated the "communist" Kerry. In short, it was the kind of response one would expect more of children on the playground than two grown men, who otherwise were honestly intelligent and half decent people in non-political matters.

Yet it seems like political discourse and a Bush victory reduces the Cons to immature thugs. I agree that it is mostly about winning and knowing they sided with the winner, regardless of it being good for the country or not. Relating to that, I also believe there's the factor of what Janeane Garofalo likes to call "political immaturity" independent of their IQ.

The Cons love of "manly" pursuits like war, insane sports dedication(surrogate war, collecting many guns and uber-patriotism also drives them them toward the Bushites who emphasis toughness (however false) over common sense so their behavior toward what they perceive as "weak" liberals is not surprising.

One of those co-workers admitted that he was having some "buyer's regret" after the new year when he saw shades of the next Bush term only making things worse, not better like he hoped. I think as time goes on, a lot more Rethugs will start to see we were right and they voted against their own interests.

As far as the hopeless rest go, as someone mentioned they will eventually turn on themselves as witnessed by the calling of removing any moderate Repub politician or judge who dares think for themselves and not echo the party line. Even without their hated of liberals, their Type-A personalty and bitterness over life in general will eventually cause them to destroy themselves.

[Kansas Wyatt]

89. Deep down, they did not want Shrub to win the election.

They know Shrub is bankrupting and destroying this country, but they could not bring themselves to see an undamaged Democrat win either.

The freepers were telling on themselves when they were laughing at how the Democrats were stuck with who they nominated to run for President and that they should have fielded a better candidate than Kerry. The Right Wing always attacks and accuses their opponent of exactly what they are guilty of themselves.

They really did hope that Kerry won the election, but they wanted to be able to burn Kerry at the stake and relentlessly attack him for what Shrub had screwed up. They are pissed at Kerry and his supporters for allegedly losing the 2004 Banana Republic of Murika Election, and not removing the spoiled retarded wannabe cowboy.

[hfojvt]

111. in some sense I think that is right

Some of us were less pro Kerry than we were ABB. Many of them were not pro Bush as much as they were ABD (anybody but a Democrat). I remember the polls right after the election where large majorities said they wanted Bush to do pretty much the opposite of what he promised to do. It was like they thought they could vote for a guy who said he would make permanent tax cuts for the wealthy and then somehow get him to not do that because they don't want it done.

Still, they have anger, but I do not think they are the hostile, threatening people. I think there is a core of maybe 2% or maybe 5% who are basically brown-shirts of the BFEE. They really believe that any lack of support of the fuehrer is treason. That liberals, even though they lost, are still a fifth column threatening to destroy America from within, even if that is not their intention. Plus they are in the Senate, filibustering perfectly good judges and John Bolton, and so on.

Truth to tell, I know how they feel. When I see a Bush/Cheney sticker or a "W04" or a "marriage = man + woman" sticker, I want to key the car its on. I want to scream at them "how can you be so venal and ignorant?" I might feel the same way about those stickers even if Kerry had won. Bush supporters just anger and sadden me.

[Joey Liberal]

91. Republicans are unhappy Bastards n/t

[Beacho]

94. They took something that doesn't belong to them

and they know it.

They know they hold the levers of power and don't deserve it. Like a sixteen year grabbing the parents keys and going out for a joy ride, knowing that the moment of truth will come, and payment will be due.

They squeak and honk with bitterness because of the fear that every theif has when they possess stolen property, namely getting caught.


methinks they doth protest too much

[Democraticthinker]

96. Me too

As someone with more than my fair share of Progressive stickers on my car, I too have experienced harrassment.

[mgmstl]

98. Same thing happened to me

I live in Florissant, MO. On the back of my vehicle I had a Throw The Son Of A Bush Out sticker on the back window. I came out of the grocery store here one day, and there was this old woman at the back window of my car, as I got closer much to my suprise and immediate anger, I saw her tearing my sticker off of the window. I limped to the car as quickly as I could (recovering from a knee replacement), and I asked her "what the FUCK did she presume to do by taking my bumper sticker off of the car?" She told me the election was over, and it was time that I got rid of the opposition to the President.
I backed her up against my car and literally read her the bill of rights along with cursing her out, and causing her to cry. Which was my object, I wanted her to feel fear, to feel how angry she had made me by trespassing on my right to my beliefs. I wanted her to know that all my family had done in fighting for freedom since the Revolution was in vain the minute she violated my space and my rights.
Her friend tried to calm me down. I was so angry, and why? I have asked myself why I became so angry at her?

Perhaps it was her stupidity, her belief in the infallibility of a President who has taken responsibility for nothing in his administration. Perhaps it was anger at 2 stolen elections,Katherine Harris, Kenneth Blackwell, and 9/11, Dick Cheney getting away with murder, and Halliburton raping us.... Perhaps it was the fact that I felt this was the last straw. I then realized perhaps we need more anger, more people rising up to say NO and protest, and at some point when the streets are full of protesters they will have to listen, but until that point these theocratic nazis have almost complete control over all 3 branches of government and we are going to have to work hard & to make sure that it NEVER happens again.

[Ysolde]

101. My husband

took our Kerry stickers off 2 days after the election. We live in Tulsa, OK -- home of concealed carry, red necks, KKK, etc. -- he didn't want our kids endangered because of the sticker. I wanted to keep it, but I understand where he was coming from. I wanted to keep protesting visibly but he doesn't feel "safe" doing it in our neighborhood, so I agreed. But, I totally understand your reaction. I would be angry if someone did that to me. We had many Kerry signs stolen before the election, but that was the extent of it.

[wtmusic]

108. Good for you

She should cry. She had no right to TOUCH your fucking car. Ask her what being in America and freedom of speech is about if you're not going to mean it.

Some may see it as going overboard; I don't. She'll think twice about taking someone else's sticker off, and she'll realize that we are SERIOUS about confronting what's going on in her lie of an administration...

[pursuivant]

114. I can understand, but . . .

I can't imagine how bullying a stupid old lady into tears made you or the causes you support seem more attractive.

I know how scary it is to be a long-haired liberal in redneck territory, but all that ignorant biddy is going to remember is how nasty "those libruls" were when she was just trying to "be patriotic." Hate breeds hate. We need to be more sophisticated than merely attacking the Repukes with their own weapons.

[Name removed]

118. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Senator]

125. mgmstl behaved perfectly

The real ignorance is continuing to show up with a knife to a gunfight.

And the response was not "in kind." The violent act of property damage was met with only words.

What she and her flag-humping friends practice is not patriotism. It is patrionics.

Her mindset that she (or her fuhrer) can determine what others can say and do is the essence of fascism. And they do literally believe in it (subconsciously); many will even admit it if you pose it to them without the charged terms.

Try it for yourself >>>

Fascism simply means a non-royal form of monarchism. A belief that a minority has the right to rule a majority. It matters little if it's a master race, a theocracy, a family dynasty, a ruling class, or the current DC/Euphemedia Analstocracy.

Put in these terms, you can ask them if it matters to them whether or not the people of Florida in 2000 and Ohio/Florida/etc in 2004 wanted the bushkid.

You might be surprised at the response.

--

[mgmstl]

127. Sorry Pursuivant, I acted correctly

Just an FYI I am not a long haired liberal, and this is a blue county in a red state, and it is a blue city that I live in. However, I
can not and will not sit by and let this old bat tell me that my right to my own freedom and my freedom of expression, and everything my family has fought for, is in vain.

As angry as I was she was damn lucky all I did was yell at her. Don't you see pursuivant, we are NEVER going to change anything by being the "nice guys". To let her get away with it, was as bad as Kerry letting Bush get away with his bullshit during the campaign. It will not happen to me. I refuse, regardless of the individual for my freedom to censured one iota, because she thinks I should support the President.

Sometime pursuivant you have to fight fire with fire, as the old saying goes. If I had let her get by with it, I would have regretted not doing anything, and now she will think twice before she pulls that kind of shit on anyone again. I for one hope Harry Reid shuts the Senate down, if the nuclear option passes, and the rest of the spinless DINO's better join and support him.

If you don't see that in their eyes, "WE" are the enemy, then you might as well rollover and play dead, because they won't stop until they have ALL of the power.

[pursuivant]

130. Obviously, you were there and I wasn't . . .

but it's been my experience browbeating anyone to tears just makes them hate you. To my regret, I've done things like that in the past, so I know that it just doesn't work.

If I had been in your shoes, and if I had been able to control my temper (no guarantees), I would have asked the old bat how vandalizing someone's car and interfering with their constitutional rights squared with "God-given 'Merkin values". Maybe that's what you did and she was so overwhelmed by guilt that she broke down. If so, good for you.

Until very recently, I lived in small islands of blue lodged in deepest redneck country (southern Indiana, central North Carolina, Nebraska) and I *am* a long-haired liberal. I've been exactly where you've been - spat on, yelled at, accused - by these nuts. But I also know that the people doing that stuff are (mostly) not monsters - they're just ignorant, not-very-bright people trying to cope with someone they've been taught to fear and demonize. Act like a demon and you get some bad ol' boy with a shotgun after you. Act like an angel and maybe you make converts.

Sure, there are people out there who really do deserve our rage, but they tend to hide behind pulpits, personal secretaries and bodyguards. If you can turn their followers against them, their fall will be all the harder. That's what I'm aiming for.

[MikeEllis77]

99. the 5-minute hate

The demagogues who do their thinking for them have to keep the hate going. How else can they stay in power without constantly building up anger and resentment?

[Name removed]

102. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pursuivant]

116. Is that an Ann Coulter quote?

I hate Repugs too, but I don't wish them dead - I wish them Democrat.

Not only would the change allow them to undo the evil that they did as Republicans, it saves the cost of burying them.

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

103. It's the backlash fantasy.

I've been reading Thomas Frank's "What the Mater With Kansas?" He tells us why they're still upset. It's all a part of the Great Backlash. You see, according to backlash mythology, the source of all the problems in the world is liberalism. "Liberal elites" use their unlimited power to control the lives of the masses. Despite the fact that liberals have no political power, and that Repubs control the whole government, liberal elites still run things.

Frank points out that working class conservatives eliminate economic issues from their equation, and thus focus only on all-important, but unwinnable cultural battles. They ignore the source of the cultural decay, and assume all elitism is liberalism, and any reference to the conservative elite is dismissed as liberal bias. It's not about wealth and privilege to them, rather it's about "authenticity."

Elites use and misuse sincere conservative concern about moral decline to further their goals. Cons get elected on social issues, and govern as laissez-faire fanatics. However, the economic element is removed, so the working class Cons focus their rage toward liberals.

Why are they pissed? In their backlash paranoia, no matter how many victories they win, their enemy is unbeatable. All their money, optimism, and hard work is useless. All of modern conservatism is based on the hatred of fear of liberalism. Why is Bush's approval rating down? Liberal bias. Why is Tom DeLay getting harassed? Liberal bias. Why is their crime? Liberals. Why is our education system so bad? Liberal teachers unions. Why is health care so expensive? Liberal trial lawyers. Activist judges, the ACLU, Hillary Clinton. George Soros, Michael Moore. All of these bogeymen are part of the backlash.

It absolves Conservatives of having to explain issues, or justify their failures. It is intellectually lazy. Yet, it has survived for over sixty years.

[Knight of Ni]

106. They complain about the middle class squeeze, but...

.....they keep voting for the people holding the vise.

[Singular73]

104. Im so sick of everyone being wrong about lower-middle class Americans

"Frank points out that working class conservatives eliminate economic issues from their equation, and thus focus only on all-important, but unwinnable cultural battles. "

He's wrong.

The American "dream", ie, the American "illusion" is that everyone thinks that they too will eventually become rich, and that they in fact make more than average money, compared to everyone else. Its a fucking pyramid scheme. You may as well be selling Kirby vaccuum cleaners lol.

Its really that simple. They believe the liberals are out to get their money, since they are so well off. Its fucking Brave New World.

People HONESTLY believe that. And its not just conservatives.

Polls indicate that people overestimate their fiscal position in life, and the poorer they are, the more they overestimate what % they are in.

[leftofthedial]

107. yep. plus one more reason

they know he didn't "win."

[rucky]

109. Because victory is not filling that void in their life...

like they thought it would.

they will always be angry until they get straight with themselves. each and every one of 'em.

[wtmusic]

110. You're giving them too much credit

It's just what happens to anal-retentive types when the widening chasm between objective reality and their manufactured one becomes undeniable. What is it they say again? First, there's denial...then, there's anger...

[pursuivant]

112. I disagree

There's no self-hatred about the RW types I've encountered - they project their hatred outward. What you're seeing is pure authoritarian personality - anything that they don't approve of and/or can't control is wrong and needs to be destroyed.

If they had capacity for introspection, they'd be democrats . . .

[Shallah Kali]

113. He isn't just a political leader he is a religion. Dissent is Blasphemy

They think he is like a modern holy roman emperor ruling by divine right. They might as well make gold busts for the troops to tote into battle as their standard.

[SammyBlue]

115. Plaid, you are so on fire

Decisive, cynical, intelligent and hard hitting.

I am reminded of a phrase "if the queen had balls, she'd be king."

"If we gave in and supported Boosh, things would be great." B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T!!!!

Thank you for pointing that out.

[GoBlue]

119. Another thought...

they enjoy hate.

[johnlal]

120. Mission not accomplished.

Face it-- most of Congress was put there for one reason and one reason alone. To criminalize abortion. They just haven't done it. They have a majority in Congress. They have had the Presidency for 16 out of the last 24 years. They have a majority on the Supreme Court. They have great numbers on the Federal Judiciary. They have a majority of State Governors. And the ONE THING they were expected to do, the one thing that matters to their electorate, they WON'T DO. And looking around, they don't have many people to blame it on. Now they are attacking Federal Judges, but that won't last long.

[MsAnthropy]

121. They process everything through their "victimhood"

so everything pisses them off. I just finished Thomas Frank's "What's the Matter with Kansas" and he explains them excellently. It's a great book--and funny, too!

[nolabels]

123. That long slow moving nightmare of a movie we are watching...........

It gets better later on in the show. It's unraveling very slowly, sort of like a long wake up. Kicking it up and kicking back :popcorn:

brainwashing & mind control techniques
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1788527

[LiberalPersona]

124. Yep

Putting it simply, they don't want to believe they're wrong, so they have to use the evil librul morans as a scapegoat.

I've seen Bush supporters starting to break down elsewhere and they're starting to get angry at their King, they're even whining about Bush "being a liberal, not a conservative." I think to believe that these people will ever admit that they are wrong is something that will never happen no matter how obvious it is.

[kissmygrits]

126. The Old "you can lead a horse to water"

I don't think they are that angry at Bush. Some of these Repugs still believe there are WMDs. Some believe Bush was tricked by the Evil Libs in the CIA etc. It is never Bu-shits fault. Blame it on the Libs, that's the ticket.

[geniph]

128. They're angry because they know the pendulum will swing back

and the Chimperor has not done any of the things they were assured he would do. He has not rid the country of the scourge of abortion, rampant homosexuality, uppity women and minorities, and rolled the clock back to the happy days of 1950s television advertisements, when everyone knew their place, and the world was perfect. All he's done is line the pockets of his rich bastard buddies. That's all he was ever going to do, but they were sold a bill of goods. They worked their hearts out for the BFEE on the idea that the BFEE would undo centuries of social progress, and all they've done is fuck themselves economically. The pendulum is due - perhaps overdue - to swing back to equilibrium, or perhaps (one hopes) to the left, and all their "causes" are left in the dust again.

They've been snookered, and they're angry. Nobody likes being played for a sucker, being used and lied to. They have to be angry at someone. We're handy, that's all.