I have been thinking how the Repubs have used Divide and Conquer to damage America

[babsbunny]

so badly that Families are now divided. My Sister and Brother, and one of my Sons are Republicans. I am blocked from their E-mail, have been removed or never asked to be Facebook friends, and the Sibs don't claim me anymore. My Son and I can only make "small talk", never discussing how we feel about our Country that we both love. I googled Republicans Divide and Conquer and I found this from Thom Hartmann, 2006;

http://www.thomhartmann.com/2006/08/25/transcript-republican-divide-and-conquer-strategy-rant-aug-25-2006/

Transcript: Republican “divide and conquer” strategy rant, Aug 25 2006

Starting with Nixon's southern strategy in 1972.


Thom Hartmann's Republican "Divide and Conquer" strategy rant, 25 August 2006



Divide and conquer! That is the absolute strategy of the Republicans and the Bush administration. It has been, well, go back to Nixon. He started with the southern strategy in 1972 saying, "Well, you know, the Democrats pretty much had the corner on racism after the Civil War". The Democrats largely the party of the south after the Civil War and, well, even leading up to the Civil War, arguably. And the Republicans, the party of the union of north and the Democrats right up through the, you could argue, I think frankly quite effectively, at least up until Roosevelt's administration and frankly beyond that on a local and state-wide level, were the party of, of racism in the United States.

[Kalun D]

1. It's the monied elite

who are using divide and conquer with the dems and repugs

the corporate dems and repugs serve the same corporate masters. They divide the working class in a false war between dem and repug in order to win the real war between working class and ruling class.

[opihimoimoi]

2. Re GOP...Its always small minutae moot shit that is divisive...and dilution factor too

Most of the lower level are ploitees...exploited by those Pubs above...most of whom are BULLIES,

[Catshrink]

3. In my family, we ban political discussions.

If we didn't, I'd be in the same boat you are, except for one BIL.

Don't get me started on their hypocrisy and their foolish voting against their interests - I'd have to go back on my blood pressure meds.

[goclark]

4. Sad to say but they are doing a pretty good job on Divide

and Conquer.

[movonne]

5. It kind of reminds you of the civil wars...brother against brother...it

is sicking...

[stray cat]

6. Progressives do fine on that on their own - no conspiracy needed

[havocmom]

7. Thread on lastest version of the old tactic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x524018

[LiberalLoner]

8. Yup, some of my family (older members) have turned into absolute as@holes and yet

they blame ME for "tearing this country apart" and can't understand why I hold those "weird" liberal beliefs when "everyone" is a conservative.

I get made fun of a lot, a real target of derision, and most of them won't talk to me anymore after I asked them to stop talking politics because it was offensive to me to hear their BS. I just really don't have much of anything to do with those older relatives anymore. They are all in their 70's anyway, figure they will be dead in a decade or two - and for most of them (abusive child-molesting and wife-beating alcoholics) it's good riddance when they die as far as I'm concerned.

[havocmom]

10. I feel your pain. Winger brother sent out emails DEMANDING we prevent HCR

He passed along astro-turf crap that HRC would be socialism AND it would cause limits or the end of .....


wait for it....


you know what it will be....

HRC would be socialism and cause the end of Medicare.


I hit reply all and suggested all the old wingers get their lazy asses off that evil socialized medicine called Medicare.

[LiberalLoner]

12. LOL I sure like your style! :) Good for you! Wish I could have seen their faces...

[ConcernedCanuk]

9. I be thinking it's not just the Repubs . . .

.
.
.

I do NOT see too much difference in the war-like behaviour under the Democrats -

now or "then"

I think Democracy died in the USA with the assassination of JFK

and as much as I admire JFK

he was not an angel either . . .

(sigh)

USA will NOT survive as a respected and superpower nation for much longer;

Yeah, it could be decades, or even a century - but something is gonna bust.

Peasants have ALWAYS overcome their belligerent overlords - and as the nation with more military across the globe than every other nation combined,

The result will be the same

The USA will fall

SAD, because the USA has/had the potential to be a GREAT country;

but bombing the shit out of other countries does not win a whole lot of friends

doh

I think Obama was the last chance to come out of the ME farce gracefully:

but his actions have not brought about a peaceful solution - -

That's the key

"peaceful"

MORE bombs won't make peace, especially when they keep killing innocent civilians

"collateral damage" my ass - they are killing WAY too many civilians to get an alleged terrorist or two.

Ask the families . . . .

[Newest Reality]

11. That strategy is very obvious.

However, it seems that people are also very prone to buy or fall into it. Whatever lines are drawn and in whatever aspect, (religion, philosophy, politics, etc.) there seems to be a leader/follower mentality that prevails and some sort of herd instinct and need to identify. Wedge issues are a very prominent means of divisive distraction today; the gauge being how such issues rank in overall importance how they divert attention from serious, pressing concerns. I imagine you can all cite various examples.

The counter strategy is to unite and conquer ... well, maybe unite and succeed is a better way to put it.

Who is going to admit that there beliefs on various subjects are primarily abstractions based on cultural influences, elitist manipulations, context, etc., being rather mutable and arbitrary from a larger perspective?

We could start here at DU by voluntarily refraining from chastising and ridiculing certain groups which only serves to objectify and generalize them in manner that supports the divisions that keep the masses largely divided and powerless against the tight and organized cabals that inspire our fragmentation as a people for their own benefit.

I tend to doubt that we could even get that kind of cohesive solidarity here to the point where we could see members agreeing on that one simple action to refrain. If we did accomplish that, it could be a cause to celebrate and possibly an inspiration to erase some illusory lines between us all. Is there a will to do so and does the potential empowerment and change that could ensue from seemingly small efforts in concert sound vital enough, yet?

Maybe the keyboard warriors can find a way to start deciding to change this rather than hope that words without action will be magical spells.

[pretzel4gore]

13. just remem...they lose by winning.

you should read 'up from conservativism' by michael lind. It lays out the SUCCESSFUL rightwing (not conservative, as they never had any intention of conserving anything but the racist/elitist bullyboy bs in first place!) stategy to divvy up USA into 1/3rd blocs...one bloc pro-nazipooh, one bloc anti-nazipooh; so the last 3rd of electorate voting bloc where power is located. By slanting/lying and using human weaknesses greed and ignorance etc, the 'undecided' centre vote can be skewed right. Therefore, with only 1/2 of last 33 percent of total (and this follows the fact nearly 1/2 'public' often doesn't even use the mandate!) the forces of reaction (ie 'reaction' to any attempts to improve lot of the common people) can take total power by hitting only a easy 15 percent target! And over time, the public/left is then marginalized, made bottom feeders, and we weigh nothing in national politics!
Problem is, the crazies eventually take over, obviously. The nazis literally torment the country/base in the end ...that was why Lind saw the light and tried fight the 'rightwing' victory- it was inevitable, because EVERYBODY is rightwing most of the time