How Much Longer Do We Need To Treat The GOP In A Civil Manner?

[TheMastersNemesis]

The GOP public spectacle after the defund Obamacare should be a total outrage to any person with even the smallest amount of conscience. To celebrate what will eventually be the end of so many Americans because they cannot get health care should make the public angry. Yet all I hear and see is either silence or cheerleading these selfish bastards.

They are willing to create another depression so they can get power. They seem to feel comfortable that all the seats they gerrymandered are completely safe and they cannot be stopped. Unless we are willing to kick dirt in their face and challenge them openly in public where ever they to tell their lies, they may very well win.

To have pride in your sadism and cruelty just seems to unacceptable to me. What is even more bothersome is that anyone with even a Tweet with the mildest of criticism of something the GOP raises their head they are faced with vile even life threatening attacks almost instantly. The GOP and RW push to silence anyone is extreme.

[PowerToThePeople]

1. imo, negative 10 years. n/t

[Cryptoad]

18. minus 10 more nt

[grahamhgreen]

42. -10 more

[Arugula Latte]

44. Yep. We need a time machine to take us back to 1979

so we can take the path leading sharply away from Reagan.

[FUMCSDLCBDPOS]

2. I personally stand up to them in my real life and have been for over 30 years now

just wish our elected leaders would too.

Their silence is consent.

[TheMastersNemesis]

4. The Silence Or Meek Response Of Our Leadership Is Disgusting.

They hit you with a baseball bat and the usual response is to turn the other cheek or run the other way. If you are lucky they will just say "don't do that".

[FUMCSDLCBDPOS]

6. A few out of leadership speak up but they are ignored, mocked and scorned by

many in leadership and many in the new base of the modern post Reagan Democratic Party.

[TheMastersNemesis]

7. I See Them As Misguided Fools Who Think Negotiating With These Terrorists Is The Way

Being a vet my understanding of tactics is that once you understand what the enemy is up to you have to go take the offensive against them. We are in a firefight for the future of this nation and what kind of place it will be to live in. If we accept the GOP model then there is no reason to salute the flag because we will have gone to a dark place where economic genocide of the powerless will be the norm like it is in some third world nations.

Unless we aggressively counter the rhetoric of the right and GOP and its war on the 99% we will eventually lose and the dystopian world in this country will be what we get. We can now see what being nice or being civil has brought us with this crowd. The public GOP spectacle after the vote tells me these people will use violence to get their way given the chance.

[Katashi_itto]

23. Terrorists should be treated as Such.

No more PC crap.

[libodem]

32. And isn't their creed

You can't negotiate with terrorists. You just roll over them.

[Katashi_itto]

43. Capone knew how do deal with problems.

[Common Sense Party]

52. Are you suggesting we should bash in Republicans' heads with baseball bats? nt

[Katashi_itto]

54. Are you suggesting, Republicans are not trying to starve people, remove millions from access

to healthcare and ergo kill them, or destroy democracy as we know it?

[Common Sense Party]

58. I never said a thing about Repukes' motives. You suggested we should bash them in the head

with baseball bats. Is that your honest position?

[Katashi_itto]

60. Your motives are obivous by worrying about my position.

You'd rather address my statements rather than the Republicans view of starving people to death.

Yeah very nice of you and we wonder why the Teabaggers have gotten so far.

Think your enabling attitude folds into the term the "Banality of Evil"

[Common Sense Party]

61. Oh, bullshit. You know NOTHING of my motives.

No one said anything whatsoever about the effects of Repuke policies. We all know what those are.

YOU are the one who says we should bash Repukes in the heads with baseball bats, and now you're squirming away from that.

Good luck winning hearts and minds with that attitude.

[Katashi_itto]

62. I dont need to win hearts and minds.

Teabaggers do all the PR. Them and enablers like you.

[Common Sense Party]

63. So in your twisted mind, someone who doesn't think we should bash people in

the head with baseball bats = enabler.

Got it.

Good bye.

[Katashi_itto]

64. Bye bye!

I know I know, it's upsetting, not getting to call an alert

[BlancheSplanchnik]

28. agreed 100000000%

I'm sick of twisted hatred and irrational ideology being treated as if it merits any consideration at all, let alone respect.

I want them off the air--that is where the idiot indoctrination goes on.

[elehhhhna]

9. there are studies regarding the amount of shit a populace will take from their "leadership"

we are being played. badcop/worsecop is actually uniting the people. this is excellent news.

I also think the PTB needs the cons to act totally bugshit insane to offset the baloney Obama's been cooking.

[4dsc]

24. It should start with our leadership

but sadly it doesn't. They are meek when it comes to confronting the GOP. That is why I do it on a daily basis and have been for the past 30 years.

[Arugula Latte]

45. Agree and welcome to DU, FUMCSDLCBDPOS.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. Treating the Repubicans with kid glove civility is an Obama/Centrist Democrat concept that I reject

Once we are allowed to speak the truth about Republicans without being chided by the Democratic Conservatives and Centrists who adore the Republicans things will go better.

[TheMastersNemesis]

5. I Favor The Verbal Sledgehammer Between The Eyes Approach Myself.

Call them for the scum sucking bastards they are.

[calimary]

29. I call 'em republi-CONS - because all they offer is a CON job.

Been doing it for years. Proudly. I give them all the respect and deference they deserve. Which is: NONE WHATSOEVER!!!!!!!

That's why I consistently refer to them here and elsewhere as the bad guys, and the enemy. It's part of imaging. Perception management. Labeling. Which needs to be applied to them - pardon the pun - liberally. Yes it's reduced to cheap sloganeering. Bumper-sticker politics. Name-calling if you will. It's actually truth-in-advertizing to me. Call 'em what they ARE. Paint them in public as what they ARE. Hang it around THEIR necks like whole collections of scarlet letters. They've earned every last letter. Besides, their ilk has been calling me and others like me names for years, too. How 'bout the "loony left," "feminazis," "pointy-headed liberals," "limousine/latte liberals," "Commie-lovers," and worse - a LOT worse. And oh yeah - this is a good one: "do-gooders." Said with a sneer and a curled lip and a soured voice - because somehow being a do-gooder is a bad thing. (!!!!!?!?!??!!?!?)

For YEARS, some of us have been advocating getting meaner with the enemy, not being nice, not being polite, smackin' 'em across the teeth with the verbal 2x4. The answer usually comes back - "oh but noooooo, you can't do that. Gotta be nice. Turn the other cheek. Kill 'em with kindness. Be bigger than them. Name-calling baaaaaaad. Makes you no better than them. You must take the high road." Well, I've found that taking the high road, when the opponent will not, is the road that takes you straight over a cliff. Playing fair can only work when all sides agree to it. When all sides agree to play by the same rules. Well, THAT side does NOT. They make their own rules and break even those when they feel like it. They don't regard ANY conventions of propriety or fair-fighting as relevant. They bring samurai swords and butcher knives and hack-saws and chainsaws to knife fights. Too many on our side insist in arming themselves for a knife fight with a feather duster. I think our side should start arriving at knife fights with Sherman tanks. That's the only thing that side understands, and it's the only language they speak.

We are unfortunately faced with an enemy that is proud, even boastful, of its ignorance. Proud of its "you gotta be cruel to be kind" forward flank. Proud of its "creative destruction" schtick, and all the other fancy-ass wording they use for it to make it more palatable to the masses just like so many crates of toxic, chemically-saturated, rotting processed chickens from China. So we have to respond differently. Taste of their own medicine. See how they like it. Only - not delivered by mere teaspoon. By enema in the public square would be preferable.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

17. I actually think Obama's been doing a good job calling them out as of late. My issue is with Reid.

Fucker simply won't fight! He just won't.

[JustAnotherGen]

27. +1

And it's why I feel we need a change in Majority leader. We saw how he had to fight as hard as he did in Nevada a few years ago. New leader and it has to be from a solid blue state in Federal Elections.

[RandiFan1290]

8. We could start by not calling them the "gop"

I don't think they are the "Grand Old Party"

That is one hell of a marketing campaign when they can get their opponent to call them by a cute little nickname when they refuse to say 'Democratic' properly.

[csziggy]

13. GOP = Greedy Old Pararsites, Gang of Psychos, Grumpy Old Poops

That's a good start.

[kimbutgar]

37. Gangsters of politics

They do act like a crime family. The godfathers are the koch's, jim demint and Wayne lapierre. Boehner and McConnell are puppets who are being told by the godfathers what to do.

[csziggy]

41. There are plenty of variations - many of which fit much better than the original

Which was "Gallant Old Party".

[Zorra]

10. Early in 2009 Reid should have eliminated the filibuster, and he and Obama should

have embarked on a policy of tough love, treating republicans like the spoiled brat little children they are by making them do their chores and homework, rather than coddling them giving them cake and ice cream.

Worst policy mistake evah.

[TheMastersNemesis]

11. I Agree. Until We Start Slapping These Politicians Down On The Spot Nothing Will Change.

Obama was completely stupid or deluded if he thought he could negotiate with these people. The events since 2008 have proved how wrong he and the Democratic leadership have been. The Democratic leadership squandered the best chance we had to kill Reaganism. If a battle is even possible we now face a much more difficult battle.

Obama left too many GOPPERS in place instead of purging the system of ALL of them. He negotiated with people who were putting a knife to his throat. We now have all paid for it and things have continued to move backwards.

And the GOP does actually believe that it can cause a depression and get power. And with the media being almost wholly owned by rich GOP supporters, Americans are confused.

80% of the populace do not really follow what is politically going on. Too many youth who now have NO viable economic future in the long term pay little attention.

I sense a lot of hot anger on the RW side who are the ones really pushing the violence from their underground.

[clydefrand]

12. I thought Obama

did a pretty good job of going after them the other day (...they are messing with me....). Hey, Mr. President, I think they are messing with all of us, except for the 1%ers/corporations. They vote for where their campaigning money comes from and then to hell with all the rest of us!

[AnotherMcIntosh]

14. Does "We" include Obama, Harry let's-nor-require-actual-filibusters Reid, and

impeachment-is-off-the-table Pelosi?

What about all those Republican carry-overs that Obama appointed to high-level positions? Should the Obama Administration no longer treat them, as representatives of the GOP, in a civil manner? Should they no longer treat the GOP in a civil manner?

[certainot]

15. for me 'republican' has been an epithet ever since reagan's people sabotaged the election in

their october surprise and their friends crashed Samantha Smith's plane to get rid of the anti-reagan. they've gotten worse ever since.

REPUBLICAN! is what i yell out the window when someone cuts me off or does something particularly mean or stupid.

[freshwest]

33. Agreed. But our problem is Libertarian provocateurs in public places. They're hair trigger batshit.

They do outrageous crap, everyone looks at them like they are out of their minds, with a few calling them out and they just get wilder.

It's the attention they crave, demanding that everyone within earshot agree with the claptrap they spit out. Or they do. They're spoilt brats. The problem is, how do you deal with them in a public venue?

They have as much right to be there as anyone, yet they overstep the bounds at every opportunity. When they see that they are outnumbered, they hang at the edges of other, glowering and muttering under their mouth. Like someone who is ready to punch the people they are offended by.

Get near the places they congregate and they talk of gun rights, revolution and taking back America. It's not like anyone misses what they're about, they are poisoning freedom of speech and association for all the rest of us.

What an effed up world is being created here. No government can work effectively with nihilists devouring everything and everyone in sight. They don't hide anymore, use any excuse to express hate of democracy which they call mob rule (it was fine when they were the mob ruling) and Democrats in particular, as they know we don't agree, and never will with their Randian vision. Very hard to keep things working for all with them in the mix.

Somedays it's like walking around with people who are violent, hypnotized with no way to know where they'll strike next. Like zombies on remote control, inflamed by the hate du jour. They're not on the same wavelength as the rest of trying to go about our days and get our missions done, but unable to send them to the corner for a time out. And like the fanatics they are, they vote every time.

[certainot]

46. ask them if they can name anything major limbaugh has been right about. when they hesitate

help them out- bush? iraq? wall st deregulation? etc

that gets them 'thinking'.

[freshwest]

47. I'd like to think that would work. But see, they followed Ron Paul and feel it's not their fault.

They are purists, superior to all others. In losing in 2008 and 2012, they feel they are victims and react with red-hot anger against all the 'sheeple.' If you don't go along, you're the enemy.

Specifically to your good suggestions,. which might work on some baggers, but not all:

Limbaugh: They'll say they never listened since he's a Republican. He never supported full freedom an liberty like Alex Jones, et al. Their savior is now Rand Paul who is only GOP since Libertarians are oppressed. And Ron Paul was robbed - twice!

Bush: They will say he was a statist enabler of big government.

Iraq: They'll say they were never for Iraq as they are always anti-war much more than you, (except on the poor but that's another story there). If they profited off it, they say it's NOYB and why shouldn't they make some money?

Wall Street Deregulation: Their answer is government regulation is restraining the free market and is the reason for the problems. If you didn't get rich from Wall Street, you're a loser and probably a moocher.

They have an answer for all of those, really. Their catch all for all the evil in the world is government, and people would just be fine if it all went away. Like they are in Somalia. They actually support that. It's freedom!



Thank you very much for the suggestions and support, though.

[certainot]

48. then it's time for that list of all the stuff they take for granted that 'govt' and the commons

provide and do for them- water, roads, emergency services, safe food, etc.

when they lie about their support for bush and iraq....

i can't remember what that piece was called- someone put it very succinctly "i hate big govt but i love my wwater and light and roads and so on....

[kimbutgar]

38. Ha ha when I don't agree with my husband he tells me I'm acting like a republican

It really is a big insult to me and I call him out and he apologizes. But yeah the thought of being a republican makes one evil in my opinion. I stay away from them or keep my interactions short with them. I gave up a long time friend who came out as a tea bagger to me. She became one of those born agains and the got sucked into the hate Obama Muslim kenyan not born in the usa tea bag crowd. The last straw was when she told me fox is the most truthful network and all the others lie.

[heaven05]

16. As long as we

have a WEAK Democrat Party and leaders in the House and Senate, these RWer's will chew on our bones.

[LWolf]

19. The same amount of time

you plan to spend treating conservative and neo-liberal Democrats in a civil manner.

[lumberjack_jeff]

20. I've never really felt that need.

There's effective politics and ineffective politics. I couldn't care less about "civil".

[DFW]

21. Always. We should shout out to them "YOU LIE!" (but in a civil manner)

Of course, as often as they lie, we should bring along a good supply of Hall's Mentholyptus........

[bowens43]

22. Being civil is overrated and unnecessary .

I will not be civil to those who I feel are doing our country, our planet or our species harm.

[noiretextatique]

25. exactly....this 'civility' crap is offensive

why be civil to rabid sociopaths? they and their stupid, draconian, regressive ideas should be constantly ridiculed.

[bravenak]

26. No!

We should laugh at them openly! Like Biden.

[Scalded Nun]

30. No Longer

I wish the media would call them out for what they are...Agents of Evil. I don't give a shit anymore about what type of Republican (TP, Moderate, etc.) they are. The PARTY is perpetrating evil upon this country. Those who wish to remain in that PARTY need to own the evil.
I used to piss everyone off (10-15 years ago) by calling them soulless bastards. I changed my thinking because that implies they have no soul, good or bad. I have come to realize they have dark, black souls. Policies they push, when examined, can only come from a true architect of evil.

Agents of Evil, every fucking one of them. No need to be 'nice' to Evil...Ever.

[Ned Flanders]

34. It is Evil. Like Cthulhu-sized, destroy the world Evil

LOL. Here's what I recently sent to my Texan brother in law:

"just trying again here. I am really and truly puzzled by otherwise good, intelligent people who support Evil, and have been looking for someone who could help figure out this enigma. "

Let's call it like it is!

[Ned Flanders]

31. I just destroyed some family ties, by calling out the Right Winger among us.

I've got a couple Texan relatives, classic All Hat No Cattle kind of Texans with all that implies. Maybe you have one in your family?

So my Dad, dying from Alzheimers, was the subject of a rather nasty FB post by my Texan bro-in-law, Bill. It was mean enough that my mom has dropped her FB account, which pisses me off, because I did enjoy the small posts she would occasionally make. I have played nice for many, many years now, but that was the last straw.

My response included everyone in the family, challenging him to debate some of these issues. I poised it as "I don't understand why good intelligent people vote Republican, maybe you can explain?" I even lobbed him a softball, asking him his opinion on Benghazi, since he and his ilk seem to think that was the worst scandal ever.

He never wrote back, completely ignored my message.

So I sent out another message, concluding it by calling him a Pussy.

That is the level of discourse they understand, that is the level to which they've brought this nation. I'm done playing nice; it has cost me dearly. Now I've sunk almost to their level and am digging it.

Confront them, they are a bunch of ignorant bullies, fight back using their own weapons!

[barnabas63]

40. I've alienated a lot of my FB friends and family...

...I can't stand the ignorance anymore, and if they're offended they can join the club.

[morningfog]

35. Minus 30 years. They are a party of hate.

They seek to destroy our country. They should be torn down. Too bad that would take a Democratic Party with strength and coviction.

[greytdemocrat]

36. The same could be asked about you. nt

[Egalitarian Thug]

39. The authoritarian mindset is nothing if not consistent.

True, that it is consistently wrong, but it is fiercely consistent.

[randome]

49. What will being uncivil accomplish?

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[JCMach1]

50. I seriously wanted to slap a Democratic Senator this morning on MSNBC and say

"wake the frak up!" "The Tea Party IS the Republican Party and they ARE ALL RADICAL"...

[unblock]

51. for the most part, they haven't treated us in a civil manner for decades.

they shout over us, they call us names, they insult our patriotism, they do the rhetorical equivalent of covering their ears and shouting "la-la-la, i can't heeeear you" when it's our turn to speak, and they occasionally threaten us with violence.

why on earth should we be civil with that?

[KamaAina]

53. Until the twelfth.

Of Never.

[DrDan]

55. probably as long as we want to call ourselves the "adults in the room"

[TheKentuckian]

56. What does that buy us? Seems functionally worthless to me.

All that we do is legitimize them and their batshit ideas it seems.

[DrDan]

57. might sway a few independents in our direction

heaven knows we will need all of the votes we can muster

[TheKentuckian]

66. Maybe, of course smooching TeaPubliKlan ass and adopting their wicked policies

probably keeps potential voters firmly at home or desperately seeking representation via third party and pisses off safe voters to the point of mightily tempted to write in Mickey Mouse and definitely reinforces right wing and corporate ideology as not only acceptable but generally correct which means even if we win, we get right wing policy and corporate domination.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

59. I think you may mean "would there be advantages to starting to treat the GOP in a civil manner"...

To which the answer is "probably not".

[GoCubsGo]

65. Always.

You can stand up to a bully without stooping to their level and becoming an uncivil asshole just like them. Civility and having a spine should not be conflated.

[Seeking Serenity]

67. Maybe we could run ads with crosshairs on GOP districts

that we should really target. Yeah!