Posted on 03/03/2016 4:52:15 AM PST by LouD
Gratuitous Hatred Is Destroying Republicans — Just as It Did the Ancient Israelites By Dennis Prager — March 1, 2016 I have been a radio talk-show host for 33 years, nationally syndicated for 18. I have never experienced anything similar to what I am experiencing now. Until recently, the only hate mail I ever received was from a small number of people on the left. The major reason for this, I am convinced, is that I don’t yell at callers and I treat callers who disagree with respect.
Reading my e-mails these days is a brand-new experience. I receive hate mail, sometimes laced with obscenities, from Republicans. Most of it comes from Trump supporters, even though whenever I explain my opposition to Trump, I also explain that I understand why so many people support Trump, and even though I ask anti-Trump listeners to respect these Trump supporters.
To show how widespread the hatred among Republicans is, here are excerpts from an e-mail sent by a Cruz supporter in Michigan. He was livid at my having suggested that Cruz consider announcing that he will now back Rubio in order to give Republicans a unified opposition, which is the only chance to stop Trump. I might add that I have said many times that if I could simply appoint a Republican president, it would be Ted Cruz, since he is a true conservative and he doesn’t care whether people love him. However, I believe that Rubio – at least until this weekend and his imitation of Trump’s high-school-level personal insults – has been the Republican with the best chance of defeating Hillary Clinton.
The listener’s e-mail read in part:
Dennis, I can’t tell you how p**sed off I am at you for suggesting Cruz drop out in favor of the back stabbing, lying Rubio. You have compromised your own principles. . . . Despicable! A*****es like you . . . lie about “if I could appoint a president, it would be Cruz.” Screw you and all your Salem colleague’s [sic] for pushing the false narrative ‘Rubio is more electable.’ . . . I am no longer a faithful listener and have switched back to Rush after many years. You have lied by obfuscation, and tried to manipulate your listeners, and for that, I despise you and the other Salem turncoats. You all can go F*** yourselves!
As noted, I have quite a few e-mails from Trump supporters who, after years, even decades, of listening to my show, have decided that I am no longer worthy of being listened to. If one doesn’t support Trump, they believe, one is a traitor to the cause.
It is important to point out that I have said over and over that I would vote for Trump if he were the nominee, because it is difficult to conceive of even Trump being worse than four more years of a left-wing president and decades of a left-wing Supreme Court. But to more than a few Trump supporters that is not enough: If you don’t support Trump, you are the enemy.
RELATED: The Worrisome Implications of 2016’s ‘Insult Campaign’
In a nutshell, the hatred and contempt some of the Republican candidates have shown one another is reflected among rank-and-file Republicans. I understand why: Most Republicans view this election as the last chance to save America from becoming the opposite of what it was founded to be. The Left has been eating away at America’s foundational values for nearly a century, and it has been largely successful. Two examples: Seventy percent of college students do not believe in freedom of speech if the speech might hurt someone’s feelings, and many young Americans support a socialist for president.
Meanwhile, many Republicans believe that only their candidate can turn things around. Therefore, Republicans who oppose their man are regarded as no different from Democrats — indeed, perhaps worse.
So this is where we stand today: Many anti-Rubio Republicans regard Rubio as a traitor on the immigration issue and therefore have contempt for his supporters. Many anti-Cruz Republicans regard Cruz as an extremist conservative who is, moreover, a misanthrope, and therefore have contempt for his supporters. And many anti-Trump Republicans – perhaps most – regard Trump as a dangerous fraud, and therefore view his supporters with contempt.
Needless to say, with these attitudes, there is little chance any Republican can win.
RELATED: Stop Defending Trump’s Poisonous ‘Middle-Finger Politics’
So, then, despite eight years of failure under a Democratic president, and with Hillary Clinton — widely regarded as a completely untrustworthy woman who has put pursuit of money and power above the interests of her country — as the Democratic candidate, Republicans will still lose.
And Republicans will have no one to blame but themselves.
In Jewish tradition, there is a famous explanation for the destruction of the Jewish state by the Romans in 70 a.d. The ancient rabbis did not blame the Romans. They blamed the Jews. And the reason, they said, was “gratuitous hatred” — Jews hating one another for no good reason.
Bear in mind: Not all hatred is gratuitous. The hatred of evil, for example, is actually the only moral response to evil.
But gratuitous hatred is utterly destructive. And that’s what many Republicans now have for one another — and what will therefore enable today’s Romans, the Democrats, to destroy our country in the year 2016.
— Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and columnist. His latest book, The Ten Commandments: Still the Best Moral Code, was published by Regnery. He is the founder of Prager University and may be contacted at dennisprager.com. © 2016 Creators.com
And there you have it. Reasoned debate and civil discourse, Trump-style.
Wow, what a hypocrite you are. Complain about lack of civility then launch a childish personal attack.
Clean up yourself before having the arrogance to lecture anyone else.
Seeee! It does help to denigrate someone like Prager. He finally comes around. :-)
True, and I sure hope that the presidency does not come down to voting for a communist or for someone our founders would call unqualified under NBC. neither will help me this country in the long run.
So your definition of a “patriot” is someone who sided with Harry Reid against a Tea Party candidate just a few years ago, who still holds liberal positions on issues like government control of health care, who has vacillated on his every position, appears to have no real ideological compass, and is telling you exactly what you want to hear?
Because he says so? And you want to bet the future of the Republic on the word of Donald Trump?
Nope. I’m not going along with that.
The irony here is hilarious. You open admit that you close your mind the moment someone uses a single word, without for one moment acknowledging the possibility... and then you call the opponent "intolerant". Are you sure that you're not a Liberal?
Hint: Trump is an opportunist, in the dictionary definition of the term. I'd bet that even he would accept that assessment. Opportunism means keeping your eye open for a good business deal, basically. Here, he sees the Battered Wife Syndrome that we Conservatives have, thanks to the GOP over the last 18 years, and he correctly surmises that he could ride that, along with the 'yuge' anti-establishment wave in both parties, into the most important chair on earth. That is too big to pass up... even if he isn't Conservative. By pretending to be, he can win eternal fame, and much more... but by pretending to be, that DOES qualify him for the title of "fraud". You can counter that he isn't faking, that he really and sincerely means what he says now, as opposed to 6 years ago... but that's purely conjecture, based on nothing but faith, because Trump has no actions to point to that can back up these current statements of Conservatism. It is not unfair to guess that he is lying any more than it is unfair to believe him... and yet you use it as an excuse to stop thinking altogether and not address his points. What does that say about you? Or Trump?
Oooh! All caps make you ever so much more credible. Just like Trump's debate style.
So, you define the problem as "RINOs" and your solution is to elect a RINO? Interesting.
Agree with most of what you said, but, I listen to Rush regularly and have never heard him say or intimate stepping away from Trump.
Totally agree...which is why I stay out, for the most part.
NOT!
Really? Your solution to your perceived problem of "crony capitalism" is to elect a crony capitalist? You thing the solution to insufficiently conservative Republicans is a guy who's not a conservative at all, and who espouses views on issues like government control of health care that virtually everyone on this forum opposed just a few short years ago? Who's the sell out? Rationalization is the second strongest human motivation, but if you examine the issue critically, you will realize that this is an election, not a temper tantrum. Choose wisely.
Was that because he couldn't find any from TRUMP supporters that supported his argument ?
So because Establishment types have failed
that excuses Trump’s support of baby killing
Is a man who supported killing 50 million God Created American babies
75-80% on my side ?
Is a man who likes Planned Parenthood 75-80% on my side ?
Are Truthers like Hillary and Trump 75-80% on my side ?
Are Trump supporters who have been wishing for my death 75-80% on my side ?
No, it’s what passes for debate among Trump supporters.
What lie ?
Are you talking about how
Cruz is a liar
The biggest liar ever
How he lies even more than Hillary
Is that the lie you are talking about ?
Certainly is an interesting change from previous presidential election years-or two years as they’ve become-around here. Although Trump would seem to be toeing the conservative line now he has a past not altogether different from previous contenders who were not looked upon favorably here and who had many of their FR supporters summarily banished.
You are wrong and disrespectful to accuse me of belittling those who fought in WWII. My Grandfather fought in the Solomon islands. They were heroes fighting for America, and freedom. My point was that they were not concerned about the important but lower threat issues at the time because they were in battle. Once you win the big battle, you can work on fixing the other things. If there is no America, then there is nothing left to fix.
We are in battle again but America has already been invaded and defeated this time from the inside. We finally have a man, and alpha male, who is ready to fight and pull America from the trash heap. He has huge support across the spectrum. We have to win the big battles and establish an occupying force before we can start shutting down abortion and the other cultural rot. Trump is already teaching people how to fight again, Cruz and the others are just more career politicians who are not going to save us.
The irony of you posting your usual Hate Trump diatribes on a thread titled “Gratuitous Hatred is Destroying The Republicans (And FreeRepublic)” is pretty funny
Prager does not care if your daughter gets shot at the beach by illegals or gang raped at the mall of America by refugees. All that matters is that you get paid less per hour. That is his only “conservative” principle.
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