Posted on 07/05/2005 2:25:58 PM PDT by cantfindagoodscreenname
Today I got into a discussion with a liberal who announced to the two of us who were working out at the gym this morning that "George Bush is an idiot." I kept my mouth shut for a while and then decided to let her know that I like GWB. That didn't deter her. She repeated that he was an idiot and then tried to set me straight.
One of the things she said was (and this is where I need your help) that all of New England voted for Kerry and now all the funding has been cut for veterans hospitals in New England. She insists that it's the doing of GWB. What is she talking about? I've never heard anything about funding for veterans hospitals being cut for blue states. Can anyone help me here? I just might run into her again and don't want to be clueless.
I did look her incredulously and say, "And do you really believe that GWB did that to get back at the blue states?" and she said, "Of course he did."
In any case, Congress does the appropriating, not the President.
Dubya has become the Beelzebub of the left, dispatching hordes of lesser demons to do his evil behest, and nothing is beneath him (including remote control-piloting planes into the WTC and Pentagon, which were rigged with explosives to make sure that the evidence went down with the buildings). Some on the left can't quite swallow that one, so they accuse Bush of being alternatively clueless ("Did you see the look on his face when they told him about the planes crashing into the World Trade Center!"), dilatory ("Do you know that even after he was told about the terrorist attack he went on reading a children's book!"), to self-absorbed and uncaring ("And then he ran off to a military base with his tail between his legs rather than taking charge!").
The left has become so predictably anti-Bush that it almost isn't even fun anymore.
The left is like a pack of rabid dogs.
The Congress determines spending policies. Though the president submits a budget to Congress (a mandate of Congress!), it is the Congress that decides what will be funded and how much each line item will receive.
There is no line-item veto. The President signs it or vetoes the budget.
Explain to your acquaintance that she should first understand basic federal budget derivation and function before exposing her own ignorance or outright stupidity by accusing the President of something in which he plays only an advisory role.
Finally, ask her for the proof of budget cuts for veterans' services. She may just slink away, having gained an unsupported talking point from a friend or DU, and has only a hatred of America and George Bush and Republicans and Christians and patriotism.
If she votes Democrat, all of that is very likely.
Don't worry about getting in her face about things, if you have the facts. She may hate you for your statements of fact, but she'll hate you anyway, if you know the truth and cannot live in her parallel liberal universe.
It's KARL ROVE, dammit. It's KARL ROVE who is the genius. Got it? Good.
And resorting to ad hominems is not the sign of a well-reasoned argument.
I love how they all freely admit that they got slapped around by an idiot....twice!
That just never occurs to them, does it? ROTF!!
Tell her that you took her remarks seriously, thought it over, and than wrote Dubya a letter demanding that he immediately defund PBS and give the money to the VA ... then stand back about twenty feet and watch her head explode.
http://www.va.gov/budget/summary/index.htm
Unfortunately it isn't easy to find their total budget for last year. This year is over $70 billion. I believe Bush was initially raising the budget by $750 million, but that has been increased even further.
Don't tell her this, though, because she'll either ignore you or be saddened that her chance at martyrdom has been snatched away, at least until the next fool notion comes up.
I don't care HOW good she looks in spandex.
DO NOT DATE THAT WOMAN!!!
Just trust me on this, OK?
You won't convince them. It's enough to speak up and say you disagree, you support the president, don't think he's stupid, and so forth. That will set a little seed of doubt in their mind, although they will never admit it.
Thanks for all the help, everyone! This isn't the only issue that came up...she talked about health care, the war, the economy, etc. Every time I started to make my point she interrupted me and went on to something new. I left there with my blood pressure up.
I got so many replies on this thread that I have no idea how I'd ping everyone with my thanks. I never have understood how to do that. Somehow I don't think that typing "all" into the box pings everyone on the thread who replied to me. That sure would be a nifty feature, though. :-)
Candi
"One of the things she said was...that all of New England voted for Kerry and now all the funding has been cut for veterans hospitals in New England."
It's difficult to debate with a fool because the discussion can only become a "fools argument". Her assertion that "...all of New England voted for Kerry" is plainly false. Don't carry the discussion beyond that point. Ask for the voting stats per state.
Re: GWB cutting funds for Vet hospitals, remind her that to avoid the SIN of slander and the disgrace of being a liar, she must cite unimpeachable authorative sources to prove her defaming accusation. Frankly, I would just smile at her and congratulate her on being a "willing fool" and walk away. Obviously, she is a propaganda puppet who cannot think for herself.
Coulter wrote a book on how to talk to "liberals" and I think we ALL should be clued-in on how to penetrate the leftist groupthink.
If you argue with a fool, it can only be a fool's argument.
I remember during the Clinton scandal, my mother's home aide said to me, (re:Clinton/Monica, the Dem. mantra) "Character doesn't count." I told her, she was twentyish, "It bothers me very much that you don't think character counts. I suspect your character might be a matter of investigation because I don't want a person who doesn't have good character or a person who believes isn't important to take care of my elderly mother in this house. She responds, "That's different." I asked, "Why is it different"? She didn't answer because I think she was afraid I was going investigate her. As she was leaving that day, I laughingly (but it was nasty of me) asked her to bring proof of her good character next time. She never came back.
LOL! I'm not a lesbian, so I wouldn't even consider it, lol!!
Candi
p.s. My screenname doesn't help give any clues to my gender, does it?
What a great story!! I do need to read Coulter's book--I keep seeing it, but not buying it.
when folks talk about the 2004 vote, this visual aid comes in handyAnd since democrats like her are SO smart, how come they failed to get the states' electoral votes they needed? Did the dumb Republicans outsmart the brilliant dimocrats?
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