Why do they have to be such sarcastic, bitter assholes?

[JTG of the PRB]

Just after I left work this afternoon, I was greeted with a sight that made me laugh and cringe at the same time. It was one of the simplest things you could imagine – a bumper sticker. And yet, despite its simplicity, it conveyed a message so filled with bitterness, so packed with stubbornness, so unbelievably negative that it could not go unanswered:



So how’s that “hope” and “change” working out for you?

Could somebody explain to me the reasoning behind this little gem, brought to you by rightwingswag.com? Have these right-wingers already become so bitter, so hardened, so jaded that they feel the only way of making their voices heard is by mocking abstract concepts like “hope” and “change?”

I don’t know the woman who was driving the car that had this bumper sticker carefully placed on the right side of the rear windshield, and I’m sure I never will. I’m positive it won’t be a great loss, since she decided that her crusade against the twin demons of “hope” and “change” was important enough to spend $5.99 (plus shipping) to get said bumper sticker from the aforementioned website. I simply can’t fathom actually spending money to display to the world my disapproval of “hope” and “change.”

Incidentally, don’t spend too much time poking through the products there. The “Limbaugh/Hannity in 2012” merchandise nearly made me hurl.

Maybe I just don’t understand the mindset of the sarcastic, bitter conservative asshole these days. Do they hate change for the sake of change? Do they die a little inside every time they hear the word “hope?” Does Obama’s voice give them a sort of logic seizure, during which they can only shake and vibrate madly while cursing “hope” and “change” until their throats are raw?

I can understand being afraid of change. Conservatives had it good in this country for the last eight years – sitting fat and happy while Bush Co. drove the country into the ground, spent our nation’s reputation haphazardly, sent thousands of our bravest men and women in uniform to die thousands of miles away from their homes and their families in unjustified war, plunged us deeper and deeper into debt, made their capitalist cronies happy by loosening restrictions on all sorts of things, ignoring the warning signs that screamed that an economic crisis was imminent, allowed the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer AND sicker, and permitted terrorists to kill nearly 3000 American citizens on American soil. With all that going on, what conservative WOULDN’T be shedding bitter tears of sadness once Bush Co. was swept out of office?

Granted, Obama hasn’t fixed every problem in the country yet. He’s been in office for, what, almost eight months, and the economy still isn’t fixed, global warming still isn’t slowing down, and we still don’t have universal healthcare? Maybe those conservatives have a point – Obama DID promise to fix all those things within his first week on the job and to once again make America the land of milk and honey.

What’s that you say? Obama DIDN’T promise all those things would happen within days of taking office? Well, now I really AM confused, because the only reason that somebody could become so afraid of “change” and so bitter towards “hope” would be if they just didn’t understand anything at all! That certainly couldn’t be the case! I REFUSE to accept that explanation!

I suppose I’ll never understand the hard-core conservative mind. How could somebody lose hope and fear change in such a short amount of time? How could anybody become so bitter and cynical to the way of the world that they actually long for the status quo and the continued downward spiral we were on? Why don’t these people understand that “change” doesn’t happen over night, and that “hope” is all we can possibly have for the future?

So you know what? My “hope” is doing just fine, thank you. I can see the “change” around me, and I’m excited that I finally live in a country where the President is a thoughtful man who has decided to use his intelligence, his passion, and his heart to the best of his ability and put them towards making not only our country better, but towards making our entire WORLD better.

I just hope that people like the woman I saw today will change their minds. Failing that, I hope they will all just go away.

[Deep13]

1. "Pretty well, thanks." nt

[Hello_Kitty]

2. They live in deathly fear of losing their pathetic little privilege

White, male, straight, middle class, and any combinations of it they get to feel better than the "other" and a more inclusive society threatens that.

[Seeking Serenity]

3. We did our share of mocking for eight years

It is in the nature of things.

[DCKit]

11. Our mocking was based on facts and logic, not nationalism, prejudice, opinion and fear. n/t

[Seeking Serenity]

16. Oh, c'mon.

Bumper stickers equating Bush with Nazism was based on facts and logic?

Let's just drop it.

[DCKit]

19. If I'd seen one of those, I'd have tried to patiently explain the difference...

between Nazis and Fascists to the owner. Unlike our current crop of brownshirts, most Dems and liberals will listen to a logical argument/explanation.

The tactics may be similar (and Kkkarl borrowed heavily from the Nazi propaganda playbook), but the ideology is completely different.

[proteus_lives]

25. +1

[Zoeisright]

24. +1

[ThatsMyBarack]

4. "It still beats the alternative!"

[Warpy]

5. They're not going to change their minds or go away

and the best we can hope for is that enough people get sick of all the negativity that they're pushed out to the fringes until we're all long dead and buried.

These are the people the founders warned us about, and why they were less than sanguine about the long term hopes for the Republic.

[liberalmuse]

6. That's one of the sillier ones.

My 'Hope' and 'Change' would be working out a lot better if certain people would stop being so paranoid, shut the fuck up and get their fat, white asses the hell out of the way.

[JVS]

7. It's their nature

[mullard12ax7]

8. If the U.S. decided to hold a few war criminals accountable, that would filter down

to holding regular citizens responsible in every aspect of life in America. Until then, we all are expected to eat shit as 2nd-class citizens.

[oligarhy]

9. Works great for me, too bad you guys are such losers

that would probably shut him up.

[ddeclue]

10. I think it's a legitimate question.. we aren't really getting what we wanted

where's my HR676?

why am I being forced to settle for the crappy HR3200 that is a giant kiss with tongue for the insurance companies and a bend over and take it for the rest of us?

[emulatorloo]

12. They believe in nothing, they ridicule everything n/t

[ZombieHorde]

13. I have seen many anti-Bush bumper stickers, I don't see why some anti-Obama bumper stickers

should be worthy of note, unless they are blatantly racist or bizarre. The bumper sticker in your OP seems fairly tame.

[lysosome]

14. Hell, I'm a bitter sarcastic asshole. Who wouldn't be after the last 8 years?!

Just don't be calling me a republican!!!!!!!!1111oneone one

[peacebird]

15. saw that in Cville a couple weeks ago. Old white guy in car with engine running in parking lot

of grocery store - window open. So as I walked by I waved, pointed to his bumper, smiled broadly and said "The Change of administrations has given me Hope - and it's been just great, thanks for asking!"

Funny thing was several other folks noticed the exchange and all gave big grins and thumbs up. Poor widdle mister grumpy....

[backwoodsbob]

17. do you read DU?

the right doesn't have a patent on assholish stuff

[kestrel91316]

18. It's working out well enough, thank you. I am seeing the changes

I wanted, and for the first time in 8 years I have great hope for my future.

[Winterblues]

20. Certainly better for me than for them..

I "Hope" they "Change" but know they never will. America is the lessor for them I am afraid.

[Minimus]

21. I would so have to leave a post it note on her window with my answer

"Thanks for asking - That hope and change is working out for me just fine."

[johnnie]

22. They have been using that line since a week after the inauguration

Once again, they needed to blow their wads so fast they couldn't even wait a month into the term to bring that shit out. That what kills me about those people, they are so fucking obvious at being idiots that they think no one will notice.

[hfojvt]

23. You are taking it too literal

the person is not against hope or change, they are trying to make the point that the person promising so much hope and change has not delivered all that much. They probably thought it was phony to start with, just like we thought the whole 'maverick' thing was b.s. I think 'change' is kind of a dumb slogan. I want people to specify what is gonna be changed, not just say they are gonna change things. I am certainly not in favor of every kind of change.

What I often see happen is that somebody will propose to pave paradise and put up a parking lot and when you try to oppose their plan they accuse you of 'being afraid of change'. They are against the changes we are for, and vice versa. They want to convince us, or our allies who are less sure of our policies, that our way is not working.