Originally Posted by
pbjosh
Unfated Pt 2:
I would consider myself Conservative leaning Libertarian. I supported Gary Johnson, I supported Glenn Johnson here for mayor here mostly because he puts economics first and comes from the Austrian School. I would support a JFK democrat, but they don't seem to exist anymore. Blue Dog democrats have gone, and they would be a welcome sight to many I think. If I had a single voting factor it is taxes and related economics, vs any social issue. I am socially ambivalent, and it isn't a voting issue for me. I like Bush because it was Tax Cuts for Everyone, but in the end I strongly disliked the budget increase under his presidency. Obama was no better, but neither were in control of the entitlement program, and those have ballooned far beyond the scope of the programs, and also without control either way by either president. I liked the Clinton/Gingrich budgets the best historically, along with the JFK and Reagan tax cuts. Hence why I would vote for a Blue Dog DNC member if they existed any more.
I would hardly say I am hyper-partisan. I am really fucking exhausted by the mindless 'everything is racist' crap and SJW bullshit that is all around right now. It is mindless and in the end, wrong. It is the 'what is wrong with our country right now!' in my opinion.
It is also factually incorrect. When a person repeats "Everyone who disagrees with me is [fascist, racist, xenowhateverist]" well.... I am not the hyper partisan one, nor am I hyper partisan by disagreeing, strongly, with the person is wrong. A lot of it comes down to the, lets say 'The Gordon View' - GOP is racist and Fascists. I hear it from a good portion of my long time liberal friends, he is not unique, only maybe in his level of asshat about the subject.
But this person is not conservative or even moderately liberal. We are talking the 8% we dealt with before in this discussion. Now, to me this is kinda like a guy trying to tell a pregnant woman how easy childbirth is. It is obvious he has no clue what he is talking about, yet seems to walk around as if he is the expert. Oh, they have some sort of belief they are. But really? Fascists? Have you no fucking clue what a Fascist really is? So when somebody starts talking about a political party they are not part of, as if they understand them, well.... I find myself trying to tell them that they are totally misjudging the other side. Now, a big part of that is because I am a contrarian. And a know-it-all. Most of us here are, lets be honest.
But mostly I reply and rail against it because it is wrong. I have people tell me almost daily "Liberals are idiots." I nod and smile and I say yes, but people are idiots. We have stupid on our side. I remind people because I remind myself this daily. As much as there is a Gordon View there is someone I know repeating the canard that The Left is Stupid. The problem is the flip is the 'Left thinks the Right is Evil'.
Now that is really the rub.
A lot of my friends are conservative. Conservatives are smart, kind, giving people who really want what is best for everyone. They don't want their culture, which is part the stereotype of 'America F yeah' and 'Everyone can succeed!' and Church and volunteering at school and baked pie, to be ruined. The vast, VAST majority are shirt off their back, lets go shooting, I will help you build your house type of people. These are GOOD people. Amazing, welcoming, loving. They also have Moral Values that, as I have linked to various times from *cough* approved websites *cough*, that those on the Left can not see. But good people. Damn good people through and through.
They are not Evil. A small part are misguided. I have almost daily discussions with one of my smartest friends about Q anon, and I have to tell him I really don't believe it. Same guy came up with a new way for Mitsubishi PID loops to work that their engineers want to buy from us, and we were able to find a solution for reprogramming Y-12 nobody else wants to touch. This guy is hella smart. Still believes Q. He would dive down an solve a problem partially because it is unsolvable. And give you the shirt off his back.
He is smart, talented, open minded, generous to a fault - and conservative. My boss is a smart guy, Vols fan, sharp and generous. Conservative, church going guy. Also has 2 adopted kids, one Asian, one black. In fact, a large portion of my conservative friends have adopted, and most adopted black kids.
I can repeat this story over a large sample of my friends. The smartest SI in this area, East Tennessee, is conservative, sharp as a whip, doesn't want illegal immigration. Also is married to a Korean woman, and adopted her kid. He just went down to their embassy to do it last year.
Small addition: My wife is conservative. Her single voting issue is abortion. She thinks pot should be legal, we have LBGT friends and will go to their weddings, her best friend is black/PR, she has tats and piercings, dated a black guy for 6 years, we serve at church as Captains. She votes the straight republican ticket.
Yeah, there is stupid. On both sides. But is either side evil? No. If you think that about the other half of america, whither left or right you are wrong. Most people are good, most people want you to be happy. Study after study shows this.
Portraying these people as motivated by race, sexism, xenophobia is incorrect. It is wrong. Grossly wrong. In fact, it shows such a level of ignorance of the Right that, when you remember the view of Sun Tzu about knowing your enemy, you would understand why they lost the election and also understand why they are at a loss as to why. They blame Russia, racist-ism, well, just ask Gordon. He can tell ya. He is also flat wrong.
The Left 8% doesn't know the Right at all.
Clueless.
So they fall back into stereotypes as to why, due to obvious ignorance.
Now, I like a decent online argument as much as the next guy. But I also strongly dislike calling people names like racist when they are not. It is a slur, and it comes from complete ignorance and judgement. Might as well just go around calling every one a sinner and condemning them to hell. There is no more truth, and no more moral or virtue difference between the Gordon Way and the Westboro way.
Both are bad. Both are wrong. We need to stop viewing those who disagree with us as Evil. Until then, I will defend the strong, good middle that the vast majority of people are here in America. As a group in the middle, moderate, we need to stop letting bullshit like Gordon spouts to ruin a great nation full of great people. It is a lie. And repeating it hurts every one.
Edit: Additionally - I KNOW conservatives. I am married to one. They are among my best friends and co-workers. They are my family. I understand them, and they are not evil. Or motivated by race. Or any of that. To say they are is plain false and ignorant. Somebody who doesn't understand the conservatives, who is ignorant, is the only person who could call them racist or [insert whichever slur is popular that day].