Reply #3: Trick more bees with false tolerance than disdain?

[neoblues]

Not that I disagree in theory with much you've said, but there are a few things that strike me.

First, if only it were so simple as not ridiculing them. They aren't listening to anything we say, not rational arguments, statements of the truth, efforts to communicate OR our insults.

Then, there's the fact that it was not through 'no fault of their own' thay they were fooled. Worse, nearly all of them, to some very significant degree, remain "fooled". Actually, it's not 'fooled', it's 'agreement'. Irrational agreement, but deliberate, if increasingly whiny, agreement. Few have changed their opinions of anything and even those who have, aren't very likely to side with us (whether we send them buckets of honey or not).

And, sure, we'd all be happy to "bring them into the fold". Alas, there's no known way to do so. They've been spectacularly resistant to rational argument, promises and every other imaginable approach. It's as though they are fundamentally broken and beyond any known means of repair.

Of course it's more important to regain the system of checks and balances than to enjoy any satisfaction at their expense. Alas, not pointing out to them with an "I told you so" isn't going to magically swing their votes over to us. Indeed, if anything, they'll just be wondering and laughing at us for not using our advantage against them. They don't think like we do... and in many ways, they don't even think like we think they think. Go figure.

As for saying anything, just to get their vote... Well, that's fundamentally antithetical to most Democrats for being dishonest. Worse, it wouldn't work. Being literally masters of consuming (and their leaders--producing) lies, they'd see right through us. Besides, why buy the recently modified, artificially flavored (or slightly flawed) version of "conservative", still titled "Democrat", candidate when they can even more easily have and keep their original, documented Republican "conservative". So, it'd be a terribly weak ploy.

Can we do it by ourselves without the Republican vote? Actually, we can, at least in theory. I still stand puzzled why we cannot get more Democrats to the polls. As the pain brought by the Republicans grows, this option will certainly grow. It may not work yet, but then again... given the likely electoral fraud we're going to experience (whether it's apparent or not, detectable or not, avoidable or not), there may be nothing we can do, with or without Republicans (unless we can get a large majority of them to come out publicly in favor of the Democrat in advance of the election; so as to make the margins so large that if fraud is perpetrated, even Republicans will see and admit it)(alas, the chances of that are probably less than zero--even if that's statistically impossible). Still, you're mostly right--we won't beat them by ourselves this time around.

Another thing. Nothing we say is going to convince them that if we achieve a win in either house, that we won't be trying hard to pursue impeachment or other investigations to their disadvantage. The truth may well be that our rather weak elected leadership may indeed be serious if they offer to claim they won't pursue such things (sadly, it'd be just like them to do nothing--especially if they've promised to do nothing). Regardless, Republicans aren't known for trusting Democrats (despite the general truth that Democrats are mostly honorable and vastly more honorable than Republicans). They just won't trust us and therefore we can expect them, from their top elected leaders to the republi-Joe on the street, to desperately oppose and seek to sabotage us.

If anything, they would be the ones to pretend to accept our kindness or pretend to have an 'awakening' and promise to support Democrats--to lull us into complacency (and, with us, it doesn't take much), only to vote Republican at the last minute.

I wish you were right; I wish you were onto something; I wish you had an explicit plan that would capture the votes of some percentage of Republicans. Alas, I'm just not convinced (dspite your well written proposition).