Any political science majors here? Apparently, I know nothing because I wasn't one. Economics, too.

[bbernardini]

This was posted on my Facebook page, in a thread about the SC GOP "gorilla" comment. Apparently, if you haven't studied political science, you have no idea what you're talking about, and you have to be a Republican.

"Brian, what do you think of socialism? Considering that's what the Democratic Party is all about.

The results of the Great Society and every Democratic-sponsored program since we have been alive ought to be considered racist because they have kept a sizeable portion of black America in poverty and demoralized. Democrats control all of our major cities, and are the people living in them upwardly mobile.

People like Barack Obama, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton need to keep black Americans down to get their votes. The mentality they sponsor in the black community is one of defeatism, demoralization and dependency.... Read More

Conservatism stands for the opposite: self-determination, personal responsibility and not blaming others for problems

I could never be a Democrat because the Democratic Party in my opinion stands for Nihilism, Narcissism and Misery.

If Barack Obama's "Hope" means leaving my life decisions with regard to my health and economic freedom to some bureaucrat, then I can leave it.

Brian, socialism, communism, fascism are more or less the same thing. They are like the differnces between Lutherans, Calvinists or Baptists.

You never studied political science, so what do you know?"

My immature response:

"I know you're starting to sound like a really obnoxious douchebag."

[rockymountaindem]

1. Poli sci minor here, current poli sci PhD student

Any questions? :)

[bbernardini]

4. Want me to friend you on Facebook so you can take him to school, as it were?

You might not be able to do much, though, since he knows everything. :)

[rockymountaindem]

9. I prefer to remain anonymous

However you could start by asking him to quote to you the dictionary definition of socialism and then defend his assertions in light of that. It's a good jumping-off point.

[Kaleva]

25. A good idea

Ask him to back up his statement "Brian, what do you think of socialism? Considering that's what the Democratic Party is all about." with evidence along with links from respected sources. Never accept a statement of his such as what I quoted without a challenge and never play defense. Always be on the offense.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

2. You phrased your response incorrectly .....

That part about "starting to sound like" was unnecessary, I believe...............

[OmahaBlueDog]

3. I grew up around DC: I studied Poli Sci at Cal

I learned far more about the practice of politics reading the WaPo every day than anything I learned in a classroom.

If your friend thinks "socialism, communism, fascism " are the same thing, he should ask his school to send money back.

[bbernardini]

5. You want to join in the argument, too?

:)

[OmahaBlueDog]

16. I'm going to go out on a limb here. Your friend has read Ayn Rand and thinks it is the answer ....

...to all of life's questions. Am I getting warm here?

[bbernardini]

20. Turns out you were right. See my post below about the guy getting called out on his sources. nt

[malaise]

6. That simple n/t

[marmar]

7. Poly Sci minor here....but my concentration was Public Administration.

n/t

[Dramarama]

8. So if the programs are

detrimental to blacks, why wouldn't it be to Whites, Hispanics, Asians etc who are on the programs?

Not a Pol. Sci major though.

[jefferson_dem]

10. Anyone who thinks "socialism, communism, fascism are more or less the same thing"

has zero business lecturing anyone about things political. In fact, communism and fascism have been mortal enemies (ideologically speaking) for 75 years or so. All have acknowledged that ... until the past few months when Obama-haters have found it in their interest to clump all ooga booga sounding political labels together and/or use them all inter-changeably depending on whichever term they can think of first. Leaving aside my personal differences with such nutjobs, this amounts to the sorry dumbing down of American political discourse.

Yes, i've dabbled in political science... :)

[Orsino]

23. +1

Frequently, Internet trolls are nice enough to supply their own rebuttals.

[Toucano]

11. His college should demand their degree back.

"...socialism, communism, fascism are more or less the same thing. They are like the differnces between Lutherans, Calvinists or Baptists," is patently false and demonstrates that he didn't learn a thing.

[bbernardini]

12. It seems we don't know anything about economics, either:

"You don't know a thing about economics.

The collapse of the economy was precipitated by low-income housing loans initiated by the Democrats under Jimmy Carter and expanded under Clinton. They became rife for disaster after Robert Rubin and Alan Greenspan authorized the risky investment strategies such as bundling mortgages during the Clinton years.

I wasn't a fan of the Bush administration. He did a lot of stuff I disagreed with. But he tried averting collapse of the economy by introducing regulations in 2003 and 2004 that would have put the brakes on Fannie and Freddie, but the Dems filibustered it.

The Democrats only have the same failed solutions that got us into this problem. Keynesianism never worked, and it got us into the economic mess we were in during the 1970s.

The solution that worked under John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and somewhat during the middle years of the Bush administration were the tax cuts. Since 1980, the US GDP has grown from around $2T to around $14T."

[deaniac21]

13. Political science is an easy field of study. They are probably

dumb enough to think they are smart.

[SharonAnn]

15. In my day, Poli Sci wasn't considered a "real" major. Top students didn't take it.

[deaniac21]

21. Nothing has changed. All you can do is get a law degree afterwards.

It is akin to basket weaving.

[DatManFromNawlins]

27. I know a Poly Sci grad from Cornell

He works for a high school dropout.

[mmonk]

14. I have a BS degree in Liberal Studies with concentrations in economics

and political science. The Republican who posted that is full of shit. Tell them I said so. ;-)

[bbernardini]

17. Oooh...Mr. Political Science Major got called out:

"And John, your articles, the Bulletin one, a former right wing newspaper in philly that's now out of business as of June 2nd. And the other, an article by Yaron Brook, president of the Ayn Rand Institute. Um, ok, so you aren't showing any bias at all, none what-so-ever in your support for your statements. Ok, that makes it easy to listen to you."

[Libertyfirst]

18. Ph.D. in Government here. While it may not be the most difficult

major around, it does contain a body of knowledge. The guy who posted that message to you has not been contaminated by by any contact with that knowledge. (I have not been contaminated by knowledge of physics.)

To utilize the scientific terms of my discipline: "He is full of shit."

By-the-way, my wife majored in English and was one of the best elected officials our state has ever had. This is America, no degree is required to think, talk about, or participate in politics. I know many people who understand politics better than many political science professors, who can be quite removed from reality. I have known a lot of them because I was one.

[KG]

19. sounds like a typical deeply insecure white man in america.

[johnaries]

22. Obviously he's never studied History. nt

[bbernardini]

24. He got told off AGAIN for his statement about my not knowing anything because I wasn't...

...a poli sci major.

[applegrove]

26. They always role play that they are somehow "experts" cause people will cow=tow to that.

Just because they said fascism and socialism are the same thing proves they never studied political science. Fascists are always right wing.

[armyowalgreens]

28. Current poli-sci/philosophy undergrad student checking in...

I'm a socialist.

Tell that asshat he doesn't know what he's talking about. It doesn't take a poli-sci graduate to know that.