PLEASE remember: It's not Democrats or Republicans who are responsible for this crisis

[Indenturedebtor]

There is a lot of screaming, chest beating, hair pulling ruckus going on right now over who is ultimately responsible for this decline that we've experienced over the last 30 years. In truth there have been a lot of steps needed to take an Empire down, and in truth the Democrats have been complicit with that.

HOWEVER, it is the Republican approach to government that is the true enemy of the people. Deregulation, outsourcing, trickle-down, etc etc are what really brought us here. So what if some Democratic congresscritters bought in to the Republican approach to economic policy? At that point they became Economic-Republicans.

So until the Republicans figures out that a bottom-up, well managed economy is the responsible adult way to handle this aspect of governing, they don't need to hold any public office. Blame individual Dems all you want, but you're really blaming them for acting like Republicans.

So please, for the sake of all of us and for your children's children - No More Republicans Ever.

----------

I wrote this to my brother who is leaning Dem for the first time ever but has been an old school Republican forever. I think that the idea that... well you all know what the pukes are trying to do here. In my opinion our Dem leadership needs to stand up and denounce the whole Republican economic package!

[ColbertWatcher]

1. The GOP are responsible for this mess.

It is their policies and ideology that have eroded social programs and safety nets that have protected our economy from their policies since the Great Depression.

[Indenturedebtor]

3. I agree, but I don't think we need to target their party so much as their ideology

Unfortunately we have had, and still have, a lot of Dems who vote and speak like Republics when it comes to the economy and national security.

It is the ideology that is at fault, and when the discussion is about how the ideology is to blame: we win. Either the pukes start voting like Liberals or they lose. The gotcha game is great but we need to win hearts and minds in our own neighborhoods, and right now pretty much everyone agrees that deregulation trickledown is crap.

[ColbertWatcher]

4. The Party is the machine behind the ideology.

It's not the think tanks, or the pundits, but the operatives hiding from view.

The GOP machine runs the whole operation, including forming and selling the ideology.

[Indenturedebtor]

5. I agree but the finer points are lost on the ignorant

And we have some house cleaning to do anyways, but that's besides the point. I think that focusing on the ideology is an easier and truer line of attack.

It is much easier to convince someone to change their ideas than their emotions... you can't really argue against emotions. Right now people are angry about the economic crisis and everyone agrees that deregulation is a root cause of the issue, but their identities are caught up in one party or another. Most do not fully explore/understand what their parties stand for, but they "feel" that their party is righteous. I believe that encouraging that anger against deregulation, and then rightly pointing out that while some Dems have bought into that: Dereg and Trickle Down are really Republican values, and those values/ideas are garbage.

So the line of reasoning of course is that ANY politician that supports Dereg and lowering taxes for the Rich needs to be voted out and shouted down. Right now the Republicans support that more, but any Dem that supports such nonsense needs to be thrown out as well.

The partisan politics of this whole meltdown won't lead to long lasting change in my opinion. We really need to change the national mentality that brought us here... and that includes replacing "moderate" Dems with Progressives.

[ColbertWatcher]

6. I think the ideology is more abstract than the party.

In the long run focusing on the ideology is ideal.

Once the name of GOP is associated with authoritarianism, to the point where authoritarianism is indistinguishable from the GOP, then the ideology can be identified by low information voters.

Step one: GOP have a bad ideology.

Step two: reduce the number of people voting and running as GOP

Step three: end the ideology.

[Indenturedebtor]

8. I agree with you aside from one tactical issue

With the economic meltdown people have evidence right in front of their faces as to where the ideology leads. Right now though many are getting caught up with blaming one party or another, and sadly many Dems have given them ammunition to do so.

Just as with the "dishonesty discussion" in the presidential campaign, any one small misstep by a Dem is conflated to be equal to 1,000 missteps by Republicans. Further, people have been trained to wrap themselves in their Party's colors, so when you attack their party they stop listening.

The Republican Ideology right now though is indefensible! So I think that we should focus on attacking them where they are weakest!

[ColbertWatcher]

9. "when you attack their party they stop listening" I disagree.

The GOP distort what Islam is all about and what their own religions is supposed to be about.

Yet, they have their followers trained to hate anyone who belongs to "that group." So much so, that they will go out and beat someone who has dark skin, or who wears a head wrap.

The followers are simplistic enough that association with a group is enough to get them turned around against the group.

Get them to associate the group with the bad ideology first, then go after the ideology.

[RainDog]

2. not to mention the religious intrusion

[ColbertWatcher]

7. HEY! Give us a warnin' will ya!?

:rofl:

[Two Americas]

10. hating the Republican party

If enough people start hating the Republican party, the wealthy and powerful few will just move their money and support to a different party. They don't need the Republican party, they just use it to advance their agenda.

There is no "ideology" of the Republican party to hate, either. The so-called ideology is just a sales and marketing campaign to dishonestly advance the real agenda, which is the protection of the wealthy and powerful few, and the transfer of as much wealth and power into their hands as is possible.

[Indenturedebtor]

11. I agree with the end, but as I did in my OP would like to propose a different means

"There is no "ideology" of the Republican party to hate, either. The so-called ideology is just a sales and marketing campaign to dishonestly advance the real agenda, which is the protection of the wealthy and powerful few, and the transfer of as much wealth and power into their hands as is possible."

EXACTLY!

And that is what we have to expose! We have an opportunity here!

Look, they've spent decades builing up arguments/talking points as to why people should vote puke. Why give them that support by arguing against the Republican Party as a whole? Why not instead attack the core ideology?

And frankly Dems that support Repuke trickle down, CEOs first bullshit need to be fired immediately as well.