I know we still have a few occasional lurking Republicans swimming around DU, searching for "dumb libruls", and in general just trying to make sense of the 180 that American politics has done to them. I wanted to write as short posting to the few of them that still have a bit of commons sense that has been sneaking into their trains of thought.
Few Republicans still capable of coming round, this is for you!
1. Obama's presidency is not your chance to "get even with us for what 'we did' to Bush and Cheney." If you take a look at Bush/Cheney's grocery list of illegal, profiteering, unethical and/or downright idiotic done in the name of our country you would probably argue on a few, agree on a couple, and feign ignorance on others.
Here's a couple:
http://www.bushcommission.org/?q=node/22 Now if Obama were even trying to compete with that he'd need some serious time. You know it. Hell, he just started. The best I've heard from Republicans is complaining about stimulus pork...and what is considered 'pork' is truly in the eye of the beholder for the small percentage of complaints I have heard. I took a look at it. Really, the definition of 'pork' is Senator Ted Steven's bridge to nowhere. Really, despite the fact it gives some workers money to build it...it serves no greater purpose once built.
Most of that Stimulus? Not really seeing the 'pork'. Barely seeing it.
Honestly, stop trying to treat Obama like the world treated Bush. I can't speak for everyone, but I wasn't being partisan when I pointed out Bush's failures, crimes, and miscellaneous fuck ups. He really was a fuck up. He couldn't even pull it off intelligently.
Obama may not be all he claimed to be in 3-4 years. For now I think you should give him the benefit of the doubt. I, personally, gave Bush the initial benefit of the doubt until he reached a point where he could no longer hold doubt in a rational mind: Iraq.
2. Seriously, due to Republican capitulation, Rush Limbaugh is your de facto leader. Rush Limbaugh.
The creepy guy who brags constantly about having a huge number of firearms (yet only 2 trigger fingers)and demands to be taken seriously to as an authority figure in any/every academic subject that works in your office been lock stepping with whatever Rush has said since 1984. You know "that guy". He's still single and has no kids. Woman avoid him like the plague. All he talks about are his taxes...incesantly. He has had to file for bankruptcy twice but considers himself an economic expert. You want to have a decision making process like "that guy"???
Rush never debates. He says some of the most vile shit once can say without getting dinged by the FCC. He is never questioned. He screens his calls to prevent debate. SERIOUSLY: HE NEVER DEBATES. And you want this guy, this shock jock who gets paid millions to tell imbeciles his opinion. When was the last time you saw him on any real talk show. THIS GUY NEVER DEBATES. That's warning sign enough to tell you to ignore the fuck head.
3. Do you have any solutions? Honestly, I am only hearing condemnations for any Democratic idea from Republicans. I never hear solutions aside from "cut taxes" on the wealthy. Well we cut taxes on the wealthy. It didn't work. We cut them and cut them some more. We cut them to the point where we should be swimming in jobs and success from all the trickle down goodness. Well, we're not. We weren't doing that BEFORE the sub-prime crisis.
Time to face facts. The trickle down thing? It doesn't work. Never did. At least not in the way it was supposed to.
Next solution? I personally, am for policies that actually create new industries domestically. Usually the first ones to tell me this can't be done are "patriotic" Republicans.
4. Would you can the more-"patriotic"-than-thou bullshit already? Sorry, not fooling anyone anymore. You can wear the flag. Put on a pin. I really don't care. You are not magically more "American" than the rest of us. Sorry. Not buying it. There is no document ever written nor conceived by the founding fathers that your philosophy (which did not even exist as it does in it's present form) was what they wanted.
You are not more "patriotic" than us. Now "nationalistic", oh yeah, you win the cookie there. Enjoy.
5. Socialism. Please look up the definition. Then look up "communism" Obama's pretty fucking far from the latter and not exactly close to any democratic version of the former. Spare us all your 1950 fantasies. We are not going to turn into some Stalinist society by any stretch of the imagination.
6. Economics. Please take a simple course at your local community college. Stop blaming Freddie and Fannie for Alan Greenspan's federal fuck up fiasco. If the regs were never lowered to allow sub-primes to come into existance...THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. Free market is great in theory but in reality SOME regulation is needed.
7. Religion: really, just keep it the fuck out of politics. It never works. No debating there. You just keep it the fuck out of politics. Sure the religious nuts are a voting block...but you have to appease them afterward. "Giving the Devil his due" is the phrase that comes to mind when I see appeasting those who paint themselves as the most "pious".
For those Republicans who can take some criticism and might actually wise up on things. Kudos to you. I'm no blowing smoke out of my ass. We've had a pretty solid "winning streak" here. Funny how a lot of what some of us predicted has come to be. You might want to take a bit more heed to what we have been saying. We're not as far "left" as some would say we are. According to global politics most of us are pretty centrist actually.
For the few idiots who want to continue to vote against their own self interests and refuse to accept the obvious. Blow me. You're lost forever.