An open letter to conservatives - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

daveuz · #1 03-28-2010, 05:44 PM

An open letter to conservatives

March 22, 2010, 3:16PM

Dear Conservative Americans,
The years have not been kind to you. I grew up in a profoundly Republican home, so I can remember when you wore a very different face than the one we see now. You've lost me and you've lost most of America. Because I believe having responsible choices is important to democracy, I'd like to give you some advice and an invitation.
First, the invitation: Come back to us.
Now the advice. You're going to have to come up with a platform that isn't built on a foundation of cowardice: fear of people with colors, religions, cultures and sex lives that differ from your own; fear of reform in banking, health care, energy; fantasy fears of America being transformed into an Islamic nation, into social/commun/fasc-ism, into a disarmed populace put in internment camps; and more. But you have work to do even before you take on that task.
Your party -- the GOP -- and the conservative end of the American political spectrum have become irresponsible and irrational. Worse, it's tolerating, promoting and celebrating prejudice and hatred. Let me provide some examples -- by no means an exhaustive list -- of where the Right as gotten itself stuck in a swamp of hypocrisy, hyperbole, historical inaccuracy and hatred....... CONT HERE :http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/a/m/americandad/2010/03/an-open-letter-to-conservative.php?ref=mp

MS Fowler · #2 03-28-2010, 05:50 PM

Talking Points, Indeed!

At least I know where I can find ALL the liberal/progressive view on anything.
Thanks

Seriously, as most partisan political rants, this one is chock full of over-generalizations, and half-truths. We will never come together if this is the standard.

daveuz · #3 03-28-2010, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

Talking Points, Indeed!

At least I know where I can find ALL the liberal/progressive view on anything.
Thanks

Seriously, as most partisan political rants, this one is chock full of over-generalizations, and half-truths. We will never come together if this is the standard.

Click on one of the links (they are in red) provided in the letter and show us the half truth.

compress ignite · #4 03-28-2010, 06:43 PM

With:
Wackos
Drunks
Republicans (Like arguing with a Rock...Empty Cranium can't receive Input)

Total waste of life-force and Oxygen.

retmil46 · #5 03-28-2010, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by compress ignite

With:
Wackos
Drunks
Republicans (Like arguing with a Rock...Empty Cranium can't receive Input)

Total waste of life-force and Oxygen.

Change that to "Wackos, Drunks, Card carrying straight ticket voting members of either party", and I might be in agreement.

But then listing "Wackos" would be rather redundant.

POS · #6 03-28-2010, 07:40 PM

As a whole, the Republicans aren't racists - we want to see people who stand up on their own two feet. We don't give a crap about skin color, religious background, sexual orientation, or anything else. We give a crap about who you are and how you act as an individual - we prefer responsible, intelligent people who can act decently in society. We don't believe in singling (sp?) out a group and saying - "this group gets special treatment and benefits." If we did that, then we'd be judging that group based on their race, religious background, or sexual orientation - a racist, judgemental act.

Your link is a cut and paste of someone else's words - do you not have the responsibility or the intelligence to ask the question in your own words? See what I mean? You'd have more credibility if you did, and I wouldn't have judged you so harshly based on your actions.

sfloriII · #7 03-28-2010, 08:58 PM

And I thought I'd seen every lousy attempt at humor....

Wodnek · #8 03-28-2010, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by POS

As a whole, the Republicans aren't racists - we want to see people who stand up on their own two feet. We don't give a crap about skin color, religious background, sexual orientation, or anything else. We give a crap about who you are and how you act as an individual - we prefer responsible, intelligent people who can act decently in society. We don't believe in singling (sp?) out a group and saying - "this group gets special treatment and benefits." If we did that, then we'd be judging that group based on their race, religious background, or sexual orientation - a racist, judgemental act.

Your link is a cut and paste of someone else's words - do you not have the responsibility or the intelligence to ask the question in your own words? See what I mean? You'd have more credibility if you did, and I wouldn't have judged you so harshly based on your actions.

Interesting, like any group, it is the vocal minority that forms outsiders opinion of the group.
We only hear the ones that flap their mouth, not the ones that go to work every day and don't get overly involved in politics. Every statement made in the open letter has a link to the person that stated it. Seems like many of us should be more politicaly involved and choose people to speak for us that really do share the same views. Otherwise we run the risk of being grouped with those we elect.

davidmash · #9 03-28-2010, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by POS

As a whole, the Republicans aren't racists - we want to see people who stand up on their own two feet. We don't give a crap about skin color, religious background, sexual orientation, or anything else. We give a crap about who you are and how you act as an individual - we prefer responsible, intelligent people who can act decently in society. We don't believe in singling (sp?) out a group and saying - "this group gets special treatment and benefits." If we did that, then we'd be judging that group based on their race, religious background, or sexual orientation - a racist, judgemental act.

Your link is a cut and paste of someone else's words - do you not have the responsibility or the intelligence to ask the question in your own words? See what I mean? You'd have more credibility if you did, and I wouldn't have judged you so harshly based on your actions.

Not going to comment on the other things as I think that applies to both parties but as for sexual orientation I'm calling BS. The right is far more interested in what people do in their home and who they choose to love as whom they are allowed to marry then the left.

kip Foss · #10 03-28-2010, 10:26 PM

POS and davidmash,

I don't know what Rep. party you guys were raised in but it is not the one in the news today or the party I was raise in. Even in this small S. Texas town where I live we are hip deep in Reps. and most of them freely use the n word, bad mouth gays, advocate the expulsion of aliens (unless they are mowing their lawn for $20), look at a national medical system as a communist plot, want only creationism taught in school, don't want any mention of minorities mentioned in school text books, want most of the classic books of literature taken out of the libraries, and even though many lost much of their stock wealth still don't want any kind of restrictions on the banks.

Between the tea baggers and Sarah Palin the reps. are so far out of touch with the main stream as to not even be in the race any longer.

Skid Row Joe · #11 03-28-2010, 10:31 PM

Well it would seem LWNJs have the time on their hands to listen to Rev. Wright motivational speech re-runs...LOL!

Skid Row Joe · #12 03-28-2010, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kip Foss

I don't know what Rep. party you guys were raised in but it is not the one in the news today or the party I was raise in. Even in this small S. Texas town where I live we are hip deep in Reps. and most of them freely use the n word, bad mouth gays, advocate the expulsion of aliens (unless they are mowing their lawn for $20), look at a national medical system as a communist plot, want only creationism taught in school, don't want any mention of minorities mentioned in school text books, want most of the classic books of literature taken out of the libraries, and even though many lost much of their stock wealth still don't want any kind of restrictions on the banks.

Between the tea baggers and Sarah Palin the reps. are so far out of touch with the main stream as to not even be in the race any longer.

You have some imagination there....

More holes in your story than swiss cheese.

#13 03-28-2010, 10:48 PM

Unfortunately, I think the label "conservative" has become meaningless in the last 20-40 years. At one point it represented small government, pro business, laissez faire economics. At some point the term was hyjacked by folks who had various popularist agendas. This included the traditional "Dixiecrats" who were opposed to social programs, various religious groups who adopted the term "social conservative," and an assortment of "single issue" voters who care about things like guns and military funding. Today it means nothing more than "anti-liberal."

The current conservative moverment is little more than catch-all for opposing anything that is percieved as liberal or progressive. At this point, they simply keep increasing the volume to attract as many disenfrachized people as possible. The current republican party does not know what to do with these folks, they don't want to lose the votes to some third party nut-ball, but they also don't want to lose their traditional base (affluent moderates) by being associated with crazies. The republicans need to figure out how to take control of their message and push these folks back to the margins.

WVOtoGO · #14 03-28-2010, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

You have some imagination there....

More holes in your story than swiss cheese.

If that’s the case...

Either Kip and I have nearly the same imagination, or they serve that same type of Swiss cheese up here as well.

I can’t tell you how many folks around here fit damn near all of that description to a tee.

And NO, it's not just how I see them. Around here most proudly proclaim it.
And this is from someone who really doesn't give a rats a—, or pay that close attention to where most people stand.

So long as it’s not in the middle of my runway.

WVOtoGO · #15 03-28-2010, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig

Unfortunately, I think the label "conservative" has become meaningless in the last 20-40 years. At one point it represented small government, pro business, laissez faire economics. At some point the term was hyjacked by folks who had various popularist agendas. This included the traditional "Dixiecrats" who were opposed to social programs, various religious groups who adopted the term "social conservative," and an assortment of "single issue" voters who care about things like guns and military funding. Today it means nothing more than "anti-liberal."

The current conservative moverment is little more than catch-all for opposing anything that is percieved as liberal or progressive. At this point, they simply keep increasing the volume to attract as many disenfrachized people as possible. The current republican party does not know what to do with these folks, they don't want to lose the votes to some third party nut-ball, but they also don't want to lose their traditional base (affluent moderates) by being associated with crazies. The republicans need to figure out how to take control of their message and push these folks back to the margins.

I'll second that.

And buy ya a beer !!