I'm having a tough time understanding HOW 45%++ Still want Bushit?

[serryjw]

We have worked 230 years to get to this point in our countries development. How can so many want to go backwards? When we invaded Iraq, We changed 230 years of history with a pre-emptive strike. People I have spoken to are perfectly happy with the NEED for the Patriots ACT and don't care that it infringes on their civil liberties. So many are perfectly happy building discrimination into the Constitution with FMA that will effect 40 million Americans. 10's of Millions are happy to VOTE against THEIR best interests and believe that Bushit will protect their SS, medicare and are better for job, economy, healthcare and taxes.


IF we lose next week we have lost alot more than an election....I just don't get it.

[steve2470]

1. I have trouble understanding this too, any takers anyone ?

[cosmicvortex20]

21. Its easy to get a skewed perspective if you spend to much time here.

This board is VERY left of center - FAR more then the average in the US. I think if you keep your perspective nailed down to places that agree with you all the time, then naturally your not going to understand the other side.

I deal with Republicans daily and a lot of them are good people, they simple choose a different perspective. I dont agree with them and I can leave it at that.

I think its very dangerous to demonize your enemies... after all, I see our government could very easily do the same thing to the arab population if they wanted to - labeling them all evil terrorists. Misunderstanding other people is a very easy thing to do in fact. I think hatred of others generally comes about when you dont understand where their coming from.

[steve2470]

33. you are so right....

this board is very left of center, and the libertarians, etc. are usually decent people (except, perhaps, Neal Boortz). I have 100% respect for those who are "intellectually honest" and fair in their opinions. Unfortunately, most of what I hear and see is somewhat ignorant and/or misinformed. Boortz, at least, gets part of it right.

[Atlant]

36. Here's how I see it...

Approximately 30-33% of the voters are Fundamentalists. They will
vote for the Republican *NO MATTER WHAT* because their preachers
tell them that's what God wants.

Approximately 2% of the electorate are the top 1% economically.
They will vote for the Republican because the Republicans are
actually benefiting them.

That only leaves about 10 to 13% to be accounted for. So let's throw
those folks into several grab-bags, many of which cross over into
other groups but probably still each contribute a few new members
each:

• A lot of people are stupid. They believe they will
  win the lottery and become rich, and they don't
  want to pay taxes on their future wealth.
  
  
• A lot of people are racists.
  
  
• A lot of people are gung-ho on killing foreign brown
  and yellow people.
  
  
• A lot of people are pro-military
  
  
• A lot of people like guns
  
  
• A lot of people hate gays
  
  
• A lot of people hate uppity women
  
  
• A lot of people hate uppity intellectuals
  
  
• A lot of people hate Northerners and West-coasters

It's pretty easy to find Bush's 45% of proud Murkin voters!

Atlant

[AlinPA]

2. The average IQ is 100.

[NMDemDist2]

5. and most Repubs are below the mean IQ

80-100 points

[cosmicvortex20]

24. Do you have the reference for that?

I wanna bust on some republican co-worked tomorrow.

[steve2470]

34. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-Revised, or WAIS-R)

go to

http://www.wilderdom.com/personality/intelligenceWAISWISC.html

for a decent explanation

[Kurt Remarque]

3. the masses are asses, as they say

[onebigbadwulf]

4. Here's a list of people who should vote for Bush

1. the wealthy and everyone in their families
2. those who work with lockheed, haliburton, etc and everyone in their families
3. all the pro-lifers
4. all the anti-gayers
5. all the doctors
6. all the racists
7. all the people who like war
8. everyone in the NRA or everyone who likes guns

That's a pretty decent chunk of America if you ask me.

[Maiden England]

10. This Doctor would like to remind you that some of us....

are highly educated and NOT morans who are driven by self serving interest. I would change a bed pan before I'd vote for that self serving ignoramous, and as a Doctor, hell would have to freeze over before I'd change a bed pan ;-)

[Mike L]

13. I love guns and I'd never vote for *

I know that guns will never be banned in America.

[Greylyn58]

20. As Someone Who ...

is studying to become a member of the Healthcare profession, I happen to know that not all doctors feel that way or agree with the crazy Bushies.

There are enough intelligent members of this profession that will vote for Kerry. Just as there are some Republicans that have come out for him also.

Unfortunately there will be some Dems that will vote for Bush. God only knows why. However, in the end I truly believe Kerry is going to win because I feel there are enough ticked off people to vote his butt out of office.

:think:

[ProudDad]

6. If you only watched Network news (if that)

and Fox News, didn't read a book or a paper, lived in a suburban community that's scared to shit of minorities, the poor and "liberals", still believe that Saddam was behind 9/11 (still a majority), don't really give a shit about any other race or country, don't know shit about any other race or country...

In addition, you've heard nothing but the evils of "big government", "social programs" for "the blacks" with quotas to take away your job (whether it's ever happened or not), that taxes are evil and you shouldn't have to pay them and been pounded with the evil empire and now the evil terrorists and told that your problems are caused by "THEM Liberals" for the last 30 years...

You might land on bush too...


It's called a woefully uninformed electorate...

[Mechatanketra]

26. Not uninformed -- anti-informed.

The problem isn't that people don't know the truth. It's that a lot of these people start out by assuming the good will and virtue of the Republican party (whether because their parents were GOP, their preacher told them, or just that they vaguely remember Lincoln and Teddy were Republicans and good presidents); armed with this as an axiom, then they selectively judge information by it.

Hence, it's virtually impossible to convince a big chunk of the populace that the Republicans are screwing them over, because any scrap of information that would force them to abandon the belief in GOP goodwill is judged false because it is inconsistent with the belief in GOP goodwill.

See the Program on International Policy Attitudes report for more details; it shows that essentially, Bush supporters support Bush because they think he's liberal. They may not know that's the word to use, but they favor left-leaning positions (at least, looking out for labor and the environment) and assume/believe that Bush also supports those positions. When a majority of a given crowd thinks Bush is for the Kyoto Treaty, for Bob's sake -- which he nixed all by his lonesome, no help from Congress or acting through Cabinet officers -- you know you're dealing with some severe self-inflicted schizophrenia.

[RebelYell]

7. I don't get it either

I was at a business function this evening, the topic of politics happened to come up.

One guy said, "Everything was Clinton's fault. The economy, 9/11, the war in Iraq, everything." He's not a stupid man. MBA.

Why do people refuse to see the truth? Any shrinks out there care to give an opinion?

[steve2470]

12. projection and displacement are good defenses...

for people too weak and lazy to perceive the harshest realities.

[serryjw]

16. Yes, Yes I know it was all because of Clinton's BJ.....

I wish I had a $1 for every time I have heard this.

[Hoping4Change]

19. You might want a read the first 2 chapters of "Anti-Intellectualism

in Ameria" by Richard Hofstadder a Pulitzer Prize winning historian. It was written in the 60s but you wouldn't be faulted if you thought it was written in response to this administration and its base.

[LibDemAlways]

37. Anti-intellectualism is real.

My late father-in-law could not bring himself to congratulate my husband when he graduated from college because he resented people with college educations, thought they were a bunch of smart asses. His own son. Go figure.

[Mike L]

8. Chimp believes what he's saying (he's a moron) and Rove is good at

manipulating the ignorant masses. No one ever lost an election by underestimating the intelligence of the masses.

[serryjw]

18. So they future of this country depends on........

whether americans REALLY are believing this propaganda or not.....We will know in less than 2 weeks

[Glenda]

23. Yes, to be vigilant about seeing W's lies...

takes effort and knowledge about what is really going on. Or at least the ability to think logically. ANd also to have an attention span longer than 2 seconds. It also helps to be paying attention.

How many Americans have those qualities?

G

[serryjw]

25. On a good day.........

30%

[dave502d]

9. Don't know.

I drive by houses and you can tell they don't make $20,000 a year
and they got a Bush Sign in yard.

[Mike L]

11. That describes most of the state of South Carolina.

[wanpete]

15. definitely the case in georgia as well

sadly, the people who should be voting for Kerry because of the hope he provides, proudly display a BC sign. I think it is a mindset. They think that voting BC makes them better than the "folks that support Kerry". They have to know in their hearts that they are shooting themselves in the foot by supporting this administration. It's all about the image. :shrug:

[Mike L]

17. Trust me, they DON'T know.

"They have to know in their hearts that they are shooting themselves in the foot by supporting this administration."

The Repub convention was aimed at those types. It reminded me of a WWWE match.

[tom_paine]

14. Whatever you want to call it, it is a variant of the same unthinking

fanaticism that worked in the Nazis, the Soviets, the Crusaders (it is so Bushevik-style ironic that the Crusaders unthinkingly killed hundreds of thousands of Christiant Copts in the Balkans on their way to the Holy Land simply because the Copts dressed like Ay-rabs.

And doesn't that just sound like the Freepers?

Whatever the phenomena that spawn unquietsioning Fuhrer Worhship, that is what the Busheviks are under.

Of course, let us not forget the might Media Structure of Goebbels v2.0 the Mighty Wurlitzer and Lie Laundry, and all that includes.

[leftofthedial]

22. the power of religion

the power of racism

the power of fear

the power of greed

the power of ignorance

and tribes of primates

[LZ1234]

27. I have been thinking the same thing everyday. I honestly don't

get it. I'm appalled at the ignorance in this country and the refusal for some people to look at the facts. Someone referred me to the phrase "cognitive dissonance" which I looked up and it did explain some things.

[serryjw]

32. LZ that is the problem

we deal in fact, they deal in emotion.........emotion usually wins,

[TexasChick]

28. Two simple words: "tax cuts"! Say this and they will come flocking to

you like flies to a moon-pie!!! One freeptardian lady was saying she was backing Bush because she wants her tax cuts. Said let everything else just work itself out! I kid you not! These people are true dolts!! :dunce:



Jennifer

[LZ1234]

29. The media should take great blame too. It's disgraceful the way

things are reported and taken out of context to favor the Republican agenda. We all know Sinclair Broadcasting intended to use public TV for showing a partisan film but isn't that what the so-called "news" stations do all the time like Fox, CNN, etc? Most if not all are owned by Repubs and they're doing the same thing Sinclair wanted to do, everyday.

[graywarrior]

30. It's hard werk thinkin' fer yerself

Some folks would rather be sheep, if you get my drift.

[LZ1234]

31. I have a very good friend who's Republican. We just agreed the

other day to have political discussions, friendly ones, until the election. So we set aside this weekend to have our first discussion. I was shocked when she told me she never watched one debate because her mind was already made up. She relies on all her information through the Christian Broadscasting Network and the Christian radio stations. I told her she's been hearing one voice and asked her how she could make an informed decision without hearing the argument for the other side. What would we say if our judicial system worked that way where the judge only agreed to hear one person's argument? She agreed to watch one of the debates I taped. I've sent her a few e-mails with some pretty good links. This is the mindset we are dealing with - people who don't want to think for themselves, who don't want to research anything and quite frankly don't have much common sense.

[Atlant]

39. They have faith.

> This is the mindset we are dealing with - people who don't want to
> think for themselves, who don't want to research anything and quite
> frankly don't have much common sense.

They have faith. And given that, they not only don't need anything
else, but they don't *WANT* anything else!

People with faith are anathema to modern civic discourse.

Here's a good read:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0393035158/qid=1098461455/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/102-6429596-5997718?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Atlant

[wiggs]

35. People love to belong to a group

I believe that, deep down, many people get something from an "us vs them" situation. When people join an ideology and spend time together running down those who aren't in the group, a bond or identity is created.

Rabid republicans (I have experience here, close up viewing within my family) love to identify with themselves and list those who aren't in the group...polarization. America vs the rest of the world is the biggest one, but it is also right vs wrong, good vs evil, republican vs democrat, straight vs gay, etc. They feed on these supposed conflicts. They identify strongly with THEIR GROUP.

Rabid republicans (maybe 30% of voters) won't give up their beloved membership....the quality of their leader doesn't really matter....it's the idea of the membership that keeps them going and empowers them.

As many at DU have said, Cheney could eat a small child on TV and Bush could show up drunk to a press conference and they would still poll at 30%.

[democrat_patriot]

38. When your bombarded daily by Faux, CNN, MSNBC and others

it's hard to think different.

I don't watch the news. (OK very rarely). When I do it's ALL RNC talking points.

Let me set it up for you:

Shrubya says: ...not concerned about Osama, terror war can't be won..No casualties in Iraq war....

Nary a ripple.

Kerry/THK: Mary cheney is a lesbian. Kerry shoots a goose. Laura job thing.

IT"S all over the place!! That's news! I looked last night - those stories were EVRYWHERE!!

* get's 20-30 minutes of his 'speeches', Kerry gets 20-30 seconds.


That is why. Sheeple watch television. They let the 'pundits' decide for them.

[greekspeak]

40. It is the critical thinking, stupid

Not calling you stupid, just reusing an old chestnut. It may sound simplistic, but people do not want to think. Americans are busy people. They work more hours than most of the rest of the so called "first world." They go to church. They watch sports. They take their kids to piano lessons. They nurse sick kids. They shop till they drop. Who has time to think, other than those of us who think for a living, or were taught to think and do so instinctually? It is easier to do what the TV and radio say. If they say the Patriot Act is a-okay, you just go with it. If they say Shrub is the greatest man since Jesus walked the earth, you just go with it. If they say John Kerry is a flip-flop liberal, you go with it. Loosing a few civil rights? Probably won't affect most suburban soccer moms and weekend deck project dads. They will probably never know it is in place. It doesn't affect me, so who cares? I have not the time to think about it. Add to this apathetic bunch of default Shrub people religious nuts and blue-bloods and you pretty quickly get to about 45%. IT ALL COMES DOWN TO AMERICA'S FAILURE TO TEACH PEOPLE TO THINK CRITICALLY!!!!