The thing is, I, and apparently a whole lot of people both on FR and in my personal life, get the same vibe from the REPUBLICAN PARTY.
It's like "they," whoever "they" is in the republican party, have NO clue.
It's like they would have money to burn if they said what needs to be said, but they don't!
It's like they appear Soooo stupid it is either a furtively planned political arrangement, or a hopeless cause for individual dignity.
If one really really believes in conservatism then you can say it spontaneously from the heart. Debating is not a problem.
Although not a Rush Limbaugh regular, this IS his strength and brilliance.
Freedom is not government dependence! And all people, ALL people, even the selfish, myopic, lazy, AARP, can think, create, work, and prosper on their own God given abilities. It IS what made America!
Hey, they don’t call us the stupid party for nothing. :-\
>> It’s like “they,” whoever “they” is in the republican party, have NO clue. It’s like they would have money to burn if they said what needs to be said, but they don’t! It’s like they appear Soooo stupid it is either a furtively planned political arrangement, or a hopeless cause for individual dignity.
Understood. However, I think some of this is just due to media portrayals of Republicans. For instance, you ask the average person whether they trust “Republicans” ... many will say no. If you ask whether they’d trust Fred Thompson or Rudy Giuliani, I’d suspect most would say yes.
The Republican Party, conservatives, etc., continually get a bad name in the press ... and it just bleeds into the collective subconscious.
I’m not sure Mitt Romney would help this image problem, though ... he strikes me as a little greasy.
>> The thing is, I, and apparently a whole lot of people both on FR and in my personal life, get the same vibe from the REPUBLICAN PARTY.
I’m not sure whether this is entirely on topic - but, I’ve been getting the feeling that uninvolved people don’t like “Republicans” in concept ... but generally prefer them after a name/ face is attached to the Party affiliation. Likewise, people like Democrats conceptually ... but, in practice, they don’t care for Democrat candidates.
For instance ... if you put a generic Republican up against a generic Democrat in 2008, the Democrat usually wins by a lot. But, if you put Fred Thompson up against Hillary Clinton, the margin is MUCH lower, if not completely gone.
Because of the media, people have a skewed image of Republicans and conservatives (both elected officials, and the rank and file). They think we’re stuffy, square, afraid of anything fun (including sex), and entirely unable to have a good time. They’ve got this Ward Cleaver/ Perry Como image of conservatism stuck in their heads. Conversely, they think of Democrats as good-time rock-n-rollers ... as they tend to think of liberals as Grateful Dead fans.
But - once you put a name and a face with the Party, people tend to prefer us. It is, in fact, liberals and Democrats that are usually stuffy know-it-alls (for instance, feminists and vegans are ALL Democrats ... and we all know how much fun a vegan feminist party can be).
Republicans tend to be more down-to-earth real people ... Guys-guys and girly-girls. Many of us like rock music (personally, I’m a heavy-metal guy), a beer and a ballgame, bawdy humor, movies with explosions and meaningless nudity, and most of us greatly enjoy sex (and those that don’t aren’t doing it right). In my experience, Republicans are everyday people ... and Democrats are erudite northeastern or west-coast snobs.
You put Thompson (a modest, quick-witted, smart, real guy) up against Hillary (an arrogant, cold, calculating shrew) ... and most people will trust the Republican. particularly since the LAST time the Democrats won the Presidency, it was partially because their candidate was an “guys-guy” type in Bill Clinton ... they don’t have a similar candidate for 2008.
I’m not sure you’d get the same effect with Mitt Romney though ... he really needs an image overhaul, he’s a little too John Kerry-esque.
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