Petty, pathetic partisan pandering
ByNovember 20, 2009
It’s no secret that I intensively dislike partisanship.
I think partisans, for the most part, are brain-dead lemmings incapable of independent thought. They are numb followers of failed political thinking, driven by a desire to let others with hidden agendas control their beliefs.
True citizenship requires independent thought and an ability to examine all sides of an issue — functions far beyond the capabilities of those who describe themselves as Republicans or Democrats and wear that partisan title as if it were some earned badge of honor.
It doesn’t require intellect to blindly follow the lunatic ravings of political leaders. All that is required is to unquestionably accept the dogma of political parties and use that dogma to excuse the criminal actions of those they follow.
Granted, there are some within the political party system that question the actions of their party and leaders but they are all too often a silent minority who now all too well that speaking out will lead to isolation and possibly banishment.
Republicans call those who question the extremism of their party “RINOs” (Republican in Name Only). Hardcore Democrats dismiss moderates who avoid their left-wing extremism as “Demonots” or other, less generous names.
Political parties from both sides of the fence require Nazi-like, lockstep adherence to a narrow set of beliefs. They pay lip service to the concept of a “big tent” to include others of differing beliefs but, in reality, the parties only want blind followers to the cause.
Visit partisan web sites on both sides of the political fence and you see what happens to those who display independent thought. Long, often vicious, threads call them traitors or unpatriotic or unworthy of support.
America has been in a long, downhill, slide for a long time now and the partisans can’t stop blaming the other side long enough to stop and realize that the blame belongs not in one party or the other but in the petty partisanship that divides this nation.
It’s the system, stupid, but partisans are too damn stupid to understand that.
11 Responses to Petty, pathetic partisan pandering
Sandra Price
November 20, 2009 at 10:49 am
Good Rant this mornin. Politics is one of the most difficult of all sciences found today. Many of us have researched the agendas and taken the time to register to vote for our agendas. Suddenly changes in both sides of the aisle made our affiliations not fit our desires and the complications grew out of control. It is much simpler to hang our problems on the previous Adminisration bringing in all their errors into the next choice of what is to follow.
Both parties are responsible for the loss of jobs and the lack of academics in our schools. I shudder when I hear the words “the mess we inherited” as both sides are equally correct.
Why are both sides shocked at what they inherited? I would think that both parties would be prepared to make the changes that were neglected in the past. It is bad enough when our congress does this year after year (sometimes the same people) but now the voters are pointing fingers instead of realizing they could have controlled these problems all along.
America has hundreds of think tanks who spend millions of dollars and many hours trying to wade through the crap that America made all by itself. The brightest of them all is RAND who celebrated years ago by putting out a calendar of their achievements. Whoops, June was overlooked.
The Think Tanks for the GOP have no idea how to fix a damn thing. They know how to destroy Liberals in general and The White House in particular.
Partisan America overlooks much of what they have allowed to fail and blame on the other side of the aisle. It is time for individuals to stand up and over the partisan mess. Doug has scored again!
John Q
November 20, 2009 at 11:44 am
“It’s the system, stupid, but partisans are too damn stupid to understand that.”
Yes, it’s the stupid system. No, the partisans understand it too well. Their only concern is to get elected again and again. Without the support of their party they won’t even make it to be a “candidate”. Since getting elected again is their 24/7, year-round job, what else do they care? The voters have no power what-so-ever to change it because by the time they cast their votes, the games are already over. You are allowed to pick the less of the two evils “nominated” by the parties. That’s all.
What can we do to change that? Not much until the system collapes under its own weight.
Sandra Price
November 20, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Recognizing the problem is half the battle to destroying it.
Carl Nemo
November 20, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Doug there isn’t any resolution to this seemingly terminal situation. It’s simply the way things have devolved in American politics and I suspect its been occurring to various degrees since the dawn of the Republic.
The most dangerous aspect of modern partisanship is that its simply a sideshow to distract the public since both parties have merged taking their orders from the same shadowy corporatist controllers.
In the back rooms and watering holes around D.C. they frequent its simply been another day in court no differently than when the prosecution and the defense tip a few at the end of the day although adversaries in the courtroom; both sides of this equation making a damn good living off the backs of American tax slaves. : |
*****
“The Autumn Leaders
Joust among the dying leaves
Their pleasure only” …haiku, Warren CHB member
*****
Carl Nemo **==
RichardKanePA
November 21, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Why is it in England and much of Western Europe that people have very partisan views but still get along?
Here most our tearing apart and smearing what they don’t like, rather than risking stating what they believe.
RichardKanePA
Carl Nemo
November 21, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Hi Richard,
I just posted a comment to your blog. Please check to see if you can read the two that I’ve made to date. My first followed Doug’s reply, then again this morning again explaining difficulties with your “comments” counter etc. Something isn’t quite right concerning your ability to both post and possibly read back your blog at least to yourself.
Carl Nemo **==
Sandra Price
November 21, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Carl, when I posted my new column this morning I had to wait forever for it to give me a preview. I had to try several times. It finally cleared but not before I hit me that I again might be banned…Ah, the brain of a guilty mind.
Sandy
Carl Nemo
November 21, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Ms. Price, I’ve noticed over a length of time that you are obsessed with possibly being banned or having been so. Surely Doug Thompson wouldn’t ban you after promoting you to site editorialist again at least not so soon and he’d surely do so with an email to you as to why since you are part of his staff of contributing writers.
Methinks you might enjoy being banned…no?!
Carl Nemo **==
griff
November 21, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Neither party bears any resemblence to their classical ideologies. In fact very early on the democrat and republican ideologies were so similar that they started out as one party.
But alas, they still are. Different rhetoric – same results. Therein lies the problem with partisanship. The people don’t control the party, the party controls the people.
“Were parties here divided merely by a greediness for office,…to take part with either would be unworthy of a reasonable and moral man.” – Thomas Jefferson
Sandra Price
November 21, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Carl, in the past 50 years I have been a very active part of the GOP. I didn’t like it when they changed the agenda and developed a desire for a one world order Empire.
I stated my opposition to this change and was almost immediately banned from 6 or 7 forums. I’m accustomed to working for a district or campaign headquarters in my area. I still get letters in the mail and on line to please return to the party. I cannot and will not.
Carl, I am an emotional person and my agenda has done me well in the GOP until recently. I’m not whining, hell, I couldn’t change if I wanted to. When I read that one of us has been banned, I feel it could have been any one of us. I feel as if we are establishing a verbal militia that will grow if we feed it well.
I’m not always aware of the laws here or elsewhere. I have controlled my words here but on other forums these same words are threatened with terrible names. Two bloggers here must understand my apprehension when I put any words to paper.
Thank you for caring.
Sandy
RichardKanePA
November 22, 2009 at 12:47 am
Huckabee condemned all the petty condemnation of Obama,
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mitchell-bard/its-too-early-to-celebrat_b_366631.html
If I remember correctly several people in early US history said “I don’t like what you said but defend your right to say it.
In the Cuban-American community, there was a petition against the death threats against Cuban entertainers who might attend a peace concert in Havana, and many very conservative emigres signed it.
The problem is not partisanship but all the dirt and smears, and that people no longer stand up for the rights and integrity of those they disagree with
RichardKanePA