Here we go again…
To my esteemed politically skewed colleague who took the time to sit and search on Google, “Democrats will ruin America” I highly recommend that you stop listening exclusively to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Alex Jones and the more extreme firebomb parrots on Fox News. The fear and hate coming from the far right is so intense lately that I think the increase of the Earth’s temperature might be caused by all hot air being spewed from the mouths of the extreme right-wing media outlets.
(… yeah… I know “global warming is a hoax” just like everything else in Republicanland…)
Here’s a rule for all of us – Right, Left and in between – to survive American politics without going crazy from all the hypocrisy and money-driven political media: if what’s being said is in any way part of a conspiracy theory, don’t believe it. If they keep saying, “I’m just asking the questions” , or “The American people need to get answers” then that means it’s purely political in nature with the goal of getting themselves onto the TV machine. Nothing gets a politician TV time like implying a scandal by asking questions with the implications built in.
True Patriots are fully functioning human beings who think for themselves. They READ. They inform themselves about policies from non-partisan groups, and the best of them actually read the policies. Whatever you do: don’t immediately believe what a talking head claims is true. Both sides of the media spin the stories to sell advertising to their target market, so think for yourself. Seek Truth. Don’t immediately accept only that which makes you feel fired up, because you don’t like how the other side looks, speaks, or worships.
Always remember: the people on the other side of the political aisle are just as free as you are. They have the exact same freedom to NOT have other peoples’ beliefs forced upon them; especially religions ones. The freedoms that are created by our country also create responsibilities between its citizens. So we must also always remember that the people on the other side of the political aisle will be held accountable for their actions — just like you. If they cause harm, they will be held to account. Just like you. (…so stop sending those ricin letters, and threatening to shoot it out with anyone who mentions gun laws y’all: you’re proving the point that universal background checks are a really, really good idea…)
This is also important if you believe that democrats are ruing America: right-wing media hosts aways shout THAT democrats will “destroy America,” but they never say HOW such a doomsday scenario will happen. On the rare occasion they do say how it will happen – it’s a conspiracy theory! Their reasoning is so far away from reality it might as well be a SciFi show. Merely saying democrats will ruin America on radio, TV (or a blog post) doesn’t make it true – especially when it’s coming from someone who is being paid to maintain a large audience by keeping them angry at a common enemy.
99% of conspiracies are made-up paranoid ruses – they’re not true (both democrats and republicans). Believe only facts: charts, graphs, consensus data (not singular rouge scientists), numbers, and history. Believe facts. Don’t believe “apparent connections” they love so much that have no proof. If the person yelling that the world will end because of democrats is paid to be on a cable news channel: don’t believe what they say. Assume they are shaping, and even making up whatever “data” they’re spewing. Then you do the research on your own… a lot of research… to find the truth. That INCLUDES reading and learning from people with whom you disagree… they might be correct on some issues. That’s the only way to stay sane when thinking about politics.
It’s time to live in the world of facts… for all political parties. To the extreme right-wing in particular: it’s time to get out of the republican bubble. There is a big, bright, not-so-scary world out here and you are welcome to join the rest of us in it. This whole “doomsday” world and “all democrats” are evil isn’t real.
[ … Side note: we had yet another example of this last week while president Obama was in Israel. While the major news networks were covering a ceremony in which the president of Israel, Shimon Peres, was presenting Obama with the Medal of Distinction (the highest honor a civilian can get from the Israeli government)… while that was happening… in the real world… Fox News was NOT covering it at all. Instead Fox was promoting a “special” show hosted by the famously intellectually challenged Sean Hannity… about how Obama will destroy Israel… and destroy America along with it, of course… and probably the moon while he’s at it. Fox News runs commercials about Obama destroying Israel at the very moment Israel is presenting him with the Medal of Distinction. When you live in a bubble you eventually suffocate, and that’s what’s happening to the extreme right who believe that “democrats will destroy America.” They believe that because they refuse to inform themselves otherwise; they would rather live outside of facts, rant that Obama will ruin the country, and be terrified change…]
Once again we’re stuck in Republicanland when it comes to a Favorite on POLITUSIC…. but it is a gift that just keeps on givin’
People who waste their time searching on the Internet for reasons why “democrats will ruin America” are not seeking unbiased, factually-based articles on the subject – they’re looking only for political rants that support their own biases: the republican bubble. They need to feel reassured; be told they are correct in their political hatred, and that it’s OK to hate and resist social change. These “end of America as we know it” searches tend happen because their political and social information bubbles have started to become thin, worn down… reality is starting to leak into their world… so they seek out the political opinions of the far right to reinforce the crazy, soapy, purification ooze that keeps their bubble in one piece.
Writing in response to people like that is an exercise in futility – but such is what POLITUSIC is about most days: preaching to the deaf and blind.
To the terrified masses in the republican bubble: No, democrats will not destroy America.
I know that for some twisted reason it makes you feel better about yourself to believe it, but it’s simply not true. If you do the research – real research – democrats are actually quite good for this country (rich and poor alike). In recent history whenever there’s a democrat in the White House the US deficit has gone DOWN, not up… it goes up when there is a Republican in the White House (look it up, it’s true). We had a budget surplus under President Clinton, and last time I checked he’s a fine democrat who most definitely didn’t ruin America. And yes, we still have a massive deficit now (thanks to all the wars and massive tax cuts), but it as gone down under Obama, not up.
You can chose to hate policies you do not understand. That’s your right. You can believe Michele Bachmann that Obamacare will kill women… heck, you can even be a down-right racist if you want too, because lord knows it IS a free country (no matter how much you want to invade women’s privacy and civil rights)… but if you keep adopting the demons of the far right radio and media outlets who exist for the sole purpose of selling products… you’re just making your life more difficult. People who actually believe democrats will ruin America, or Obama will bring the planet of the apes… you do not live in the same world as the rest of us. Yours is not not a better world, nor is it a righteous world… it’s a scared, spiteful, and petty world. It’s your choice, though. You can stay locked inside, or you can escape the paranoia… but if you want out, it all starts by accepting that change is the way of the universe. You cannot stop it.
Will democrats destroy America? The only way anything like that can happen will be because people like you end up taking action against the ghosts you’ve made democrats out to be. Political conflict doesn’t tend to happen because of actual people, it happens because of what others believe about those people, regardless of truth.
No… the apocalyptic America you feel is just around the corner will not be because of democrats… it will be because of what you believe about democrats. The information you’ve been fed and what you chose to eat; cooked up by Glenn Beck, Fox and Friends, and prepper bunker nightmares from uncomfortable cots and too much protein.
Democrats won’t kill America… people who love to hate democrats will kill America. Once again: you’re creating the monsters in your mind, and then fighting them with all you might… but you’re only fighting yourself – nightmares and boogeymen under your bed created by your own imagination.
