I'm stupid.

[ezgoingrl]

I took the bait and started "arguing" with a RWNJ on Facebook. Oh, I knew better but I did it anyway and I gave it a rather righteous rant, if I do say so myself:

HCR isn't going to be some sort of apocalypse that the country will never recover from or that is going to ruin healthcare. It's not a government takeover and reconciliation is being used for EXACTLY what reconciliation was meant to be used for. Seriously, I put up with a hell of alot more DIRE legislation from the Republicans. It's time to stop whining now.

If I seem frustrated, it's because I am. I'm so sick of the Obama is a socialist, communist, marxist, facist, nazi, muslim, atheist, anit-christ who wants to eat your babies meme. Hyperbole is the only argument left, well there are the outright lies, too. Reconciliation has been used for much bigger things and things with a heck of a lot less bipartisan support than HCR.

All of the sudden you guys have grown a fiscal conscience when you stood by and let Bush start wars that we've gone into debt to fight. It's ok to kill the brown people, but not help Americans go to the doctor? Really? I find that stunningly tragic. THAT makes me wonder about the future of the country not an attempt at healthcare reform THAT regardless of what you want to say MOST Americans are for and most Americans want more reform than they're getting.

So get some facts, real fact, not blog entries, not crap from Fox News and debate the issue. And if you can't, maybe you should do what I did during the Bush years and keep your comments to people who think the way you do, write, call and email your Congress-people and then contribute to candidates you believe in but the constant grating of name-calling and "It's the end of the world!" lamenting does not advance your cause.

It makes people who would otherwise be willing to listen to the debate shut it out completely and adopt the attitude that I have right now which is "You lost, get over it." And having had that nugget of advice shoved down my throat for 8 years, I am not very proud to admit that's how I'm feeling these days.

Yeah, I said it and now it's the proverbial ****storm and even though I've loaded up on links and facts in the past, it doesn't matter, I'm being called names and all of my sources are inherently "liberal" no matter where its from, but that's expected.

Is it worth the fight? Does it ever do any good? Does anyone ever listen? Do Repubs (for the most part) ever counter with anything but insults, hyperbole and strawman arguments? Do you engage in any political arguments online? If you don't what's your method of just letting it go because I think I need a good one.

Ezgoingrl

[gateley]

1. I've no doubt you presented irrefutable facts to back up your stance, but I don't

think they'll ever hear, because they don't want to.

I'm interested in good methods for letting go, too -- it's tough to do.

[ezgoingrl]

3. I tried to be very conscious of my sources, rejecting

sources that I know are good, but would be questionable to the garden variety Repub and it didn't matter.

I guess that's my answer, it doesn't matter how nice or how valid the facts are, it will not make a difference. So unless I just want to end up frustrated and perplexed, I just need to shut my face.

[BeFree]

2. Tactic

Use their own words turned against them. They make it easy. You do have to carefully read their crap, so that's a bummer, but you can shut them up when you do.

Go get 'em, girl.

[ezgoingrl]

4. LOL

Thanks!

[BeFree]

12. Like this: EXAMPLE

"LOL" ?!?!?! What kind of a reply is that? This is a serious matter and you LOL?

"Thanks" Well you wouldn't be saying "thanks" if you knew how stupid your defense of bush looked to everyone else here.

[MindandSoul]

5. Yes, it is worth fighting! And I thank you for it!

I live in a upper middle class 99.8% white in South Carolina. I am totally surrounded by narrow minded Republicans and tea baggers!
And yet, I am standing strong against all the propaganda that is being spewed all around me. No, I am not "looking" for fights or arguments. . .but when I receive propaganda through my e-mail . . .I do some research and send my findings back to those neighbors who have sent me that propaganda!

They don't like it. . .they think I'm weird. . .but I am (otherwise) nice and helpful with everyone, I am mildly social, I can spend hours with them without mentionning politics.. .but when THEY do. . .I stand my ground and provide back up data to show that what they hear from Fox News or Rush Limbaugh is most likely LIES and at best HALF TRUTHS. Yes, I feel isolated sometime, but it is worth it. . .I feel that if I want to keep my integrity, I have no choice but to stand for what I believe!

I have also been tagged negatively on another blogging website (TVALLY), and have received MANY hate mails and insulting mails and posts. . .but I stand my ground.

Thank you for standing YOUR ground! Too many of us are silent in the face of large, vocal crowds, and it makes it harder to reach our vision and our goals. . . please don't give up. I won't!

[ezgoingrl]

9. I'm not going to give up, just need to learn not to get pissed

or so frustrated. I live in Oklahoma and I'm not sure I could hit another Democrat, let alone liberal with a surface to air missile if I had one.

[ProgressOnTheMove]

6. You did great defending reconciliation (especially with the Judd clip) and the parliamentarian is

vital right now. Even if you felt you didn't make any inroads they only use names when they lost the argument and they must lose this argument, especially defending the parliamentarian. Don't feel a cause is lost if they start hurling names it means they lost.

[Mike 03]

7. I feel your frustrastion more than I can articulate. It is virtually impossible to

clarify these issues for people who refuse to believe the facts.

Rec.

And Thank You for trying. Every effort helps.

[Mike 03]

8. Oh, and you are obviously not stupid, but I hope you know that already. NT

[ezgoingrl]

10. I feel like I took the bait and let myself down,

if that makes sense. I feel like I should be able to let it go because I've been down this road before and it looks exactly the same this time! LOL

[Mike 03]

11. I do the same thing. I just get passionate and caught up. You sound like a very

passionate person, so I understand, but I don't think you have anything to apologize for. You have the courage of your convictions.

[ezgoingrl]

13. Thanks, Mike.

I got wrapped up. I'm much calmer now. They just get on my last damn nerve! Ack!

[tblue37]

14. I don't argue with 'em. They are not worth my serenity. nt

[nutsnberries]

15. I'm right there with you -

I do the same and wonder the same.
I spend hours that I don't have -losing sleep to make a well thought-out rational response. It's very hard to say whether it's ever worth the effort but I can't stand letting misinformation go unchallenged.

ezgoingrl - my instinct tells me it's the right thing to do, just make sure you shake it off when you walk away from it. don't let it gnaw at you. i know, it's hard! :hug: