San Francisco Gate columnist Jon Carroll writes his thoughts on dealing with Republicans even though he admits he doesn’t know any. Hilarity ensues. I thought about fisking it but really it’s just so perfect on its own. And by perfect I mean absolutely stupid and ridiculous.
A friend of mine and I were having a leisurely conversation, mostly about back pain and magic, over lunch. He got quiet for a second, and then said: “May I ask you something seriously?”
“But of course.”
“How do you deal with Republicans? I don’t mean the reasonable Republicans we dealt with in our youth; I mean the new breed of know-nothing, reality-is-a-liberal-construct Republicans. How do you control your anger?”
“Well, in conversation, I guess I mostly avoid it. Besides, I don’t know a lot of Republicans. This probably says something about my isolated little Bay Area friendship circles, but I don’t, at least the kind you mean. I know fiscal-conservative Republicans, and I know a lot of libertarians, but Republicans of the kind you mean: I just don’t know any.”
“I see them online.”
“Well, if you’re going to go there, then of course you’ll see them. They dominate the news.”
“No, I mean Facebook. I have some friends, and I just have to challenge them on some of the articles they link to. And ultimately they say, ‘Well, it’s just a matter of opinion,’ and no, it isn’t. What you’re going to have on your pizza is a matter of opinion. Global warming is not one of those things we get to vote on. Creationism is not an issue appropriate for democracy.”…
We have know-nothings elected by know-nothings. It has always been true that some politicians are dumber than stumps, handsome and well-groomed faces of one political machine or another. But now we have ill-groomed ideologues who have had their brains tuned to the same channel all their lives.
Or they pretend. That’s always struck me as a possibility. We’re not dealing with stupidity as much as pandering. Maybe these are crafty folks with a fool-the-rubes agenda. The rubes seem to be catching on, with all this union-busting stuff and the tax giveaways, but also maybe not. Pandering remains a part of daily life because it works.
And then there’s the Obama is a socialist/Obama is a Kenyan/Obama has a secret army stuff, all of it coming from the mouths of our elected representatives or those who want to be. Donald Trump, for heaven’s sake. If it were ratcheted just two squares to the left, it would be one of the great satirical moments in modern politics. But no, he’s a birther. And his “Apprentice” show has been getting better ratings since he started sort-of running. How many bozos are on this bus?
But it’s all about Obama. Whatever he’s for, they’re against. See some racism in there? I do, and I disagree with Obama vigorously on both Libya and the decision to let Guantanamo stay open and hold military trials there. The president and I have a true “difference of opinion,” which is not the same as one person telling lies and the other saying, “Wait, those are lies.”…
I’m not saying that Democrats aren’t capable of equally reactionary stands, but the current situation is different in both scale and depth of ignorance. No one up there seems to want to have a role in running the country, merely in maintaining their ideological purity. It’s seriously brainless, which is why I don’t engage. It makes me too nuts, which is like surrendering to the enemy.
How do you talk to those people? How do you avoid the smoke coming out of your ears? It ain’t easy.
Uhm. Maybe if the San Francisco Gate is considering running a piece on talking to Republicans, maybe they could find someone else next time. Maybe someone sane. Or maybe someone who actually knows a Republican outside of their fevered nightmares. Just a thought.
And just so you know, this guy isn’t alone. This is how the left views the non-left. You’re either stupid or faking stupid. Amazing that newspaper circulation keeps dropping, huh? Wonder why.
April 8, 2011 at 10:33 am
This guy may not be 'alone', but he *is* a minority. He's a spoiled, pampered, latte-sipping, pseudo-intellectual wuss that has no relevance outside his little Bay area. Amongst people who have chosen to love others besides themselves or have only the people they love (i.e. married people generous to lifeor those from Third World Countries) or people who have actually followed the truth where it led (e.g. Michael Behe, Ben Stein, et al.), this man's opinions mean *squat.*
This non-centenarian standing in judgement of institutions with a vision of millenia doesn't even provoke a laugh, merely a snort…and…and this rant confirms I've had too much coffee this morning. 😛
Pax tecum!
April 8, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Wow.
April 8, 2011 at 3:33 pm
These Kool-aid drinkers are so doped out by propaganda that they see us with green tinted glasses – as servants of corporate America. It takes patience to slowly explain and expose them to the truth. ( I have Lefty contacts who listen to my views because of a prior personal connection e.g. former students. )
April 8, 2011 at 4:05 pm
This is why the GOP will win in 2012. We living in fly over country are very aware of the contempt this smug little moron has for us. He thinks we are stupid and should be biddable by our betters. Obama mirrors their arrogance and ignorance.
April 8, 2011 at 5:40 pm
AMEN TO ALL OF THE ABOVE. I kept thinking as I read: "This man has no soul, only his opinion and he will not let it go because then he will have nothing"
April 9, 2011 at 1:07 am
the fiscal conservatives, and the libertarians – those he knows, and can sorta understand. Which leaves … the social conservatives. They're the scary ones.
April 9, 2011 at 9:15 am
Anonymous said "… the social conservatives. They're the scary ones. "
That's right. I & the millions of other God-fearing, Life-defending, Constitution-loving, Gun-owning "rubes" are his worst nightmare.
Bwahahaha!!!
April 10, 2011 at 5:28 am
I only wish what the Jacobitess said was true.
I live circa Seattle, and I can assure you that he speaks the language of population here. They'd not only find him relevant, they'd trust him to babysit their children. The ones who have any. Definitely could walk their dogs, though.
April 10, 2011 at 5:47 pm
It's amazing to me how blind to the truth these people are. Has this person not read the comments being made by his party regarding the new budget proposal by Paul Ryan? They are not only distorting the truth, but some of them are outright lying about what's in it. Look at Nancy Pelosi, who said six million seniors are going to lose their meals, because of this bill. Only 2.6 seniors even GET meals each year. And, there is NO indication whatsoever that the AOA is going to lose any funding for meals for seniors. It was a bold faced lie. How do you not see through these people??? It's because they choose not to.
April 11, 2011 at 1:46 am
You can't make this stuff up! As someone who has been in academia for most of my life, I can say that this is precisely the kind of liberal lunacy I've come to expect from my overly-biased colleagues (and even some students). This guy doesn't even try to hide it though!