Think progress
Extremist conservatives, whch are most conservatives, run on fear, lies and intimidation.They fear of all kinds of things and are ripe for Republicans and those who try to manipulate them to use them as forces of intmidation by exploiting their fear and ignorance for their own political ends.Like Berlin in 1939.
As was apparent during the town hall meetings and the tea party protests, the most recent of which was the anti-healthcare reform protest in Washington, it is always the people who talk loudest, make the biggest noise, and are the most aggressive who are the most ignorant.
They show off guns at town hall meetings, carry Hitler signs and swastikas and talk big (as long as they are in a crowd) because, too afraid to look at their own failures and inadequacies, and the failures they supported, and dissatsified with their own lives, they look for scapegoats. They think of themselves as the true Americans and its their values that are the true American values. Which of course is not only untrue, it's the opposite that's true.
Their attitudes, behavior and tactics are more closely related to fascism than anything American. Remember,it was the chairman of the New Hampshire Republican party a few years ago, who went to prison for jamming the phone lines of Democratic party volunteers offering rides to the polls on election day. This man and his party,and the Republicans who worked for him. in order to win an election any way possible, trashed the memory of every soldier ever killed in battle since what they were trying to stop is what each gave his or her life for.
But like fascists always do, extremist conservatives wrap themselves in the flag and the constitution, half of which most of them would junk if they could and claim their great love and respect for the troops. Except they have no love for the things the troops risk their lives to defend.
John Boehner, addressing the tea party crowd in Washington last week tried to wrap himself in the constitution and got tangled up in it when he quoted from the Declaration of Independence thinking it was the preamble to the constitution. Proving for all to see that the Republican minority leader didnt know what was in either document. Which was okay because neither did the crowd he was speaking to.
The writer Sinclair Lewis wrote in 1935 that if fascism ever came to America it would come "wrapped in the flag and carrying the Bible". Samuel Johnson said that "patriotism was the last refuge of a scoundrel." One look at the tea party conservatives and town hall mobs and the congressional Republicans who embrace and exploit them and you can see what Lewis and Johnson were talking about. The fascism disguised as patriotism is everywhere.
Extremist conservatives think of themselves as the great arbiters of what everyone should do and believe. And yet most of them are the people who are most ignorant when it comes to understanding the issues and the facts.
They think its their values everyone should adhere to, yet few of them are content to just live their values which obviously arent making them happy. Instead they have to try and force them down everyone else's throat to in order to validate them. There is no arguing that the values, held, expressed and implemented by a conservative president and a conservative congress did more damage to the United States in eight years than the Soviet Union could do in 50. And we are still dealing with it.
Conservatives claim to stand on principles but when these principles were violated for 8 years by George W. Bush they said nothing. Because what they are really all about is politics and power.Which is something else that makes them Ugly Americans.
They showed their patriotic support and respect of those who served in the military by trashing Max Clelland, a Viet Nam veteran who left both his legs and an arm in Viet Nam. The fact that Clelland made such a sacrifice in the service of his country, then had the intestinal fortitude to pull himself together and get himself elected a United States senator from Georgia meant nothing to the troop loving conservatives. Clelland was their enemy because he was a Democrat. Which meant old Max had to be taken down. So during his re-election campaign for the senate they accused him of being unpatriotic, siding with terrorists and ran commercials showing his picture side by side with Bin Laden.
During the Georgia senate campaign Ann Coulter said that Clelland was no hero and that losing both legs and an arm in Viet Nam didn't mean much because the grenade that went off in his hand could have happened in Fort Benning. back in the States. Of course now these conservatives honor the fallen soldiers killed at Fort Hood, Texas as everyone else does -- as fallen heros. Probably because, unlike Clelland ,they werent running for anything as the opposition party.
Rush Limbaugh, one of the Ugly Americans, in a Fox interview the other day said that Democrats supported the defeat of the United States in Iraq .He didnt have anything to back it up of course. Because he couldnt. But its another page out of the neo fascist handbook -- tell the big lie and and paint anything that opposes the conservative point of view as being anti-American. They;ve been playing that game for a long time.
What Democrats actually did oppose, was the stupefying incompetence of Bush and his Republican administration and the blatant lies that Bush and Cheney used to take the country to war. They lied and of that there is no doubt. That conservatives never cared that they lied is also beyond any doubt.
Iraq brought out the Ugly American in most conservatives. They burned Dixie Chicks CDs because the band opposed the Iraq war, and it was something reminiscent of Nazi book burnings. .Clear Channel dropped Nightline from their list of TV stations for having the nerve to show the names each night of the Americans killed in Iraq the previous day. To the Ugly Americans anyone who opposed the invasion was unpatriotic. And anyone who told the truth about it was someone they wanted to silence.
Healthcare reform has brought the Ugly Americans out in force and their intentions are the same.
What these conservatives opposing healthcare reform are protesting is not what they want for themselves, but what they want to keep other people from having. That's why the public option riles them so much. It's clear to anyone with an IQ in double digits that the public option is for those who want it and those who don't can keep what they have. But that's not good enough for the Ugly Americans. Its not enough that they dont want it, they dont want you to have it.So out came the Hitler signs and swastikas in a display of what psychologists call projection.
Their opposition which they claim is that it will add to the deficit is another lie. The CBO score said the public option would reduce the deficit not add to it. And besides, conservatives didnt have a word to say when Bush exploded the deficit by going to war without paying for it and passing the cost on to the next generation, an act conservatives claim is reprehensibe; Except when a conservative does it. .
Conservatives are always trying to tell us about all the evil things proposed by the Democrats and liberals and what it will lead to. What's it led to in the past was every inch of progress made since the country was founded. Including the founding itself.
It was the liberals that opened fire on the British on Bunker Hill while the conservatives, called Tories at the time, went nuts telling them they were crazy and would get them all killed. It was the liberals that decided on revolution and it was the conservatives that wanted to make nice with King George. The liberals said they had a better idea.
There was an article here a few days ago that talked about the heroism of Kimberly Munley and how if conservatives had had their way 20 years ago she wouldn't have even been allowed to be a police officer since they opposed equal opportunity for women in the work place and said there were some jobs women just couldnt do. Like be police officers. If you want to see just how mindless conservatives are, go to the article and read the comments.
Judging by the signs we see at tea party rallies and town halls, these conservatives have a lot more in common with Berlin, 1939 than Philadelphia, 1776. One tea party conservative held up a sign at that said "spay and neuter liberals". Josef Mengele couldn't have said it better.
Thomas Jefferson referred to the United States at its founding as a "liberal democracy". Not a "conservative" democracy. Liberal. It was liberal ideas, not conservative ideas, that were applied to the country's founding. And liberal ideas have moved it forward ever since, something extremeconservatives find galling and have been trying to end. for decades Thankfully with no success.
Imagine what would have happened to the tea party conservative with the " spay and neuter liberals'" sign had he held it up in Philadelphia in 1776. We know what would have happened to him. After he tried to outrun them. And got caught..
Comments
OH no, it's all those darn Republicans fault.
To whoever wrote this, pull your head out of your rear end. As a nation, WE need to stop pointing fingers and fix the problem. This is everyones fault. Both sides just vote the party line and we have some obnoxious health care bill in now. The thing is 4 reams of paper a copy, which divides out to about $2 billion a word, and we want people to vote on it within 24 hours of it being published, are you kidding me? What's the rush, take your time and do it right, bills are too easy to pass. Do you know how hard it is to undo a law?
If we want to talk about Berlin 1939, here's the facts. Germany was in a massive depression, and some sweet talking politician came along with promises of hope and change for the future. Honestly it's not those darn Republicans, whom you believe are ruinging the world, we need to worry about.
The conservatives are not the ones forcing their views on others. The only strong arming being done is from the proponents of the bill.
I would hope the author of this article actually research the word fascism. Its roots and origin before calling a real conservative such! Fascism is the merging of the corporation and the state. (Dumbass). And your right about the g.o.p. to a degree. Once you realize we have a one party system masquarading as a two party system you may want to join us extremists.(you know..the ones that want a constitutional republic). By the way , how much of my life and liberty is the superstate entitled to? How much money are they willing to print...or( counterfeit) out of thin air to buy us off. Germany went into hyperinflationary depression after ww1. Funny thing is we aren't doing it for a war, were doin it for plastic toasters and ipods. Keep on researching fascism... then write a new article. Well check your progress.
Moussilini...if that helps
"Their attitudes, behavior and tactics are more closely related to fascism than anything American." Intersting point of view. I had the impression they (the "extremist conservatives") were a little upset that their elected government seems determined to spend their money, and their children's money, AND their grandchildren's money on a government agenda to, first, control everything in existance, and then destroy and socialize the former constitutional republic known as America. They think the out of control politicians, like Nancy Pelosi,Michael Bloomberg, and Barack Obama are the players who more deserve the title you apply to the people, who are suppposed to be sovreign in this present country. Yeah, I think you've got it a little backwards. In fact, I'm pretty sure you've got it way backwards. No, you've DEFINITELY got it ALL backwards-- you hate spewing evil minded anti freedom, anti American, absolutely and positively brain dead, lying liberal!
Conservatives gave us the worst president in American history - but throw tantrums over Obama.
Bush hais from a family of Nazi collaborators. He set up concentration camps, codified torture, massive surveillance and lied us into a genocidal war - but Obama is a "fascist."
"Wingnut" doesn't cut it. Conservatives are insane.
Next we have this loon writing articles fed to him by said admin. Why do we love the guy, what has he done for a) you, b) foreign relations and finally c) the American people. Yes, I did order those that way on purpose because those priorities are ranked that way and given to left wing puppets like yourselves. It’s not your fault, you honestly believe the way you do, but then again, that’s because you listen to the Clinton News Network aka CNN and MSNBC, and would never be caught dead listening to another viewpoint or even unbiased coverage. My case in point is the Ft Hood thing, while there was coverage about the incident and ties of Hasan to terrorism. CNN is worried he might be paralyzed and never going to walk again…police brutality, are you kidding me. What about the 19 people that are never going to breathe again. Sorry comment went long, starts below.
conservatives may have given the nation a largely unpopular president. But at least George Bush had a backbone. Obozo is bowing to the monarch of Japan, our nation fought over 200 years ago so we wouldn't have to. His presidential motorcade contains no less than 71 vehicles. Obummer has done nothing in office but give promises of...you guessed it, hope and change. So far, his admin has made no decisions of consequence, he did hold a beer summit, and his promises of a transparent government, well he wasn’t serious about that, because he knows best for the American people. What about the recent terrorist attack on our own turf. Well we can’t talk about that because we went to the same mosque, so let’s sweep it under the rug and say that some people really get stressed out
conservatives may have given the nation a largely unpopular president. But at least George Bush had a backbone. Obozo is bowing to the monarch of Japan, our nation fought over 200 years ago so we wouldn't have to. His presidential motorcade contains no less than 71 vehicles. Obummer has done nothing in office but give promises of...you guessed it, hope and change. So far, his admin has made no decisions of consequence, he did hold a beer summit, and his promises of a transparent government, well he wasn’t serious about that, because he knows best for the American people. What about the recent terrorist attack on our own turf. Well we can’t talk about that because we went to the same mosque, so let’s sweep it under the rug and say that some people really get stressed out
I do not understand the ugly america by kanghari.net
Uh, Marc....liberal white "men" (like you) are woman-like. I have never met one who's butt I couldn't bounce from one end of the block to the other. Wow! I'm talking "big" and don't even have a gun. And, for the record, most black and hispanic men are NOT liberals. They vote democrat for the handouts.
If liberals love their country so much, why are they always trying to change it? (Another female quality). Conservatives love America the way it is, time-tested, with some progressive tweaks along the way. Liberals love a country that doesn't even exist, and cannot exist, because of the human nature they so often fail to understand. They're lousy poker players, too.
About those townhall/tea parties......how much property damage did they cause? How many cars did they set on fire? How many public buildings did they take over and occupy? How many were arrested?
Or is that YOUR side of the political spectrum?
Idiot.
Whenever this retired marine hears a liberal mouth about how much they "respect the troops" I laugh out loud. Authors like Rubin are the same clowns who called us baby-killers 40 years ago during the Viet Nam era. The only reason they don't do so now is because its not politically correct anymore....and the swing voters would bury them come election time.
You need to be beaten with a stick. You are so wrong and deserve to be cast out to Cuba. The more I hear from you leftist the more I can't wait for Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck to win high political office - Palin / Beck 2012!
Interesting article Mr. Rubin. A foaming at the mouth barrage of opinion, allegation, and assumption. I found it amusing they way you artfully utilized the "I know you are but what am I" mentality in your so-called 'arguments', You will be that much more surprised when this freight train hits you. After which I can only assume you'll be relieved to find out you were wrong.
Go ahead, keep thinking about us patriots, us believers in small unobtrusive government, freedom and liberty, as racist bigoted fascists who yearn for control over others. Keep it up. You're only blindsiding yourself and maybe feeding the faith of a few fellow ignorant, acerbic liberals.
You are such a lowlife scum. I know that's considered abusive and incorrect, but in your case, the glove just fits. When I read your puke, I almost, ALMOST stop believing in the First Amendment.
yeah ur skin color
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