FREEREPUBLIC.com'S PRAGMATISM: A Recipe for Disappointment [The outsider view of FR?]

etherzone ^ | November 26, 2002 | Paul Fallavollita

[snippy_about_it]

"The Freepers feel..."

Written like a true liberal. Uh, no, the folks at DU write about how they "feel", we at Free Republic are THINKERS. We think.

[AppyPappy]

, and seem to place Israel's interests above all else including those of the U.S

You just lost all credibility with this bit of hyperbole.

[RepubMommy]

Does this mean FreeRepublic and all of us dupes here are being elevated into that lofty status worthy of national airtime attacks?

One can only hope, lol.

[DoughtyOne]

Agreed. Although there are plenty of Israel apologists here, who don't question anything Israel does, and seem to place Israel's interests above all else including those of the U.S., there are also a lot of people who give them grief over it.

And that's a fairly balanced approach in my view.  Israel shouldn't get a free pass.  It's actions should be judged fairly and taken in context.

I suspect that this guy isn't happy that the truly virulent anti-Semitic rhetoric is "sadly lacking" on FR.

Yes, I agree with you here.  I belive that's exactly what his problem is.

Let's also remember that this guy isn't exacly clear what takes place on this forum.  Why should he have the Israeli issue down pat?

He's has heard that folks get booted for criticizing Israel.  Yes that is true.  Others do disagree with Israel in a professional manner.  Most of us would assess that only the radicals were sent packing.  This guy assesses that all dissenters are sent packing.  That's not the case.

[advocate10]

The Freepers donate that kind of money because they really are convinced and excited (read: deluded) that they are "piece of the action." They really believe that their online (and off-line) advocacy and organizing efforts are effecting political change. They like the idea that they are "part of the system" and on the side of a winning majority now that the GOP has re-taken the Senate and Bush sits in the Oval Office.

I'm afraid this "alpha hotel" is partly right about our wishful thinking that we have a greater affect on the world than we actually do. I have said this before. We are, in many ways a "Tempest in a Teapot." Our struggles and arguments have little sway in the "Big Picture," and are primarily internal in nature, IMHO.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Ah yes, the old blame the Jews argument. The funny thing is that it's hard to determine if that comment was written by a neo-Nazi, a Muslim, a Green, or just a run of the mill liberal...

[The Raven]

Liberals: "Do it my way or else"

Why? Because the liberal way never works. Never has worked. Never will work.

But it is very appealing.

The Freepers expose the scam daily.

[ChadGore]

FR is equal time.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

I'm trying to remember where I've seen you before. Aren't you one of those Jew haters?

[Illbay]

I don't live and breathe based upon your assessment of my credibility.

And if you don't think there is a sizeable contingent of those who'd send the U.S. to h*ll if it would benefit Israel, you haven't been reading.

[Johnny Shear]

This bunghole sounds like Pat Buchanan...Everything is the fault of the Joooooooooos and only white-skinned people should be allowed to migrate here.

[Illbay]

He's has heard that folks get booted for criticizing Israel. Yes that is true.

I beg to differ.

I criticize Israel frequently, and have never been so much as suspended for doing so.

[Illbay]

...partly right about our wishful thinking that we have a greater affect on the world than we actually do.

I concur. IMO, I like the way Rush handles the notion that he himself is greatly responsible for the Republican resurgence: He simply dismisses it. He says "we do what we can, and if people are energized and influenced by that, then so be it."

There are many FReepers here with delusions of grandeur in this regard.

But it's somewhat understandable. After so long feeling helpless, it's nice to feel "empowered" even if it's not really warranted to the extent you'd like to think.

[MattMa]

Funny, Jim doesn’t look Jewish. Should I be getting the GOP talking points by Freepermail; or is there a certain thread that I should be reading?

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

The GOP's top brass merely pretends that it cares about the "regular folk" at Free Republic. The GOP is always glad to take their money and their votes, though, and is equally happy to use Free Republic as a distribution node for official party "talking points."

Right on!

Since I got here I have been saying the same thing but have been concentrating on the subject of oil. Big business controls the GOP, but I don't think this is because the party lacks ideals. It is because big business controls politics.

We all know very well that John McCain would have trounced Gore handily(not winning by the skin of his teeth with 500,000 fewer votes like Bush). Heck, even Taxachusetts Demcorats were lining up to vote for him.

The business big-wigs who line the pockets of politicians on both sides of the aisle (but of late more the GOP) were scared to death of a having a guy in the White House who wanted to bring our demcracy back to its routes. I don't agree with everything McCain stands for, but anyone who believes that America should be about American citizens and not about American corporations should do whatever it takes to reduce the influence of money in Washington.

[advocate10]

After so long feeling helpless...

Wow, you're right about that! We send emails to legislators. Guess what. They (99%) do not read them! Ask one.

[TN4Liberty]

You don't seriously think that those Mass liberals were going to vote for McCain in the genreal election do you? The whole Libs for McCain movement had two purposes... (1) to create a horserace for the media to follow, and (2) to create division in the GOP. If there had been a serious Democrat challenger to Gore, there is no way the dems would have crossed over in the primaries to vote for McCain.

GOPers can't win without conservatives, and McCain worked really hard to alienate all of them while pandering to the dems and the media. McCain was no better a candidate than Dole, because he had no core principals.

[CWRWinger]

We are definitely coming to the same conclusion from two different vantage points. McCain is a nut case who should not be in public service.

He has sided with the demokrats and the anti-gun, anti-Second Amendment crowd.

McCain is not the GOP's alternative.

[e_engineer]

There is great power in numbers, and Freepers have probably had more successes than we are aware of. Here are some ways that I think FR has made a difference:

1)Freeped polls (frustrate the liberal media who would love to be able to use internet polls to claim popular support)

2)Email campaigns (let politicians know we are paying attention)

3)News analysis that originates here and makes it's way to Fox News, unspins, and exposes the true intent of the liberals.

4)Financial success of FR will encourage other conservative media startups.

5)Education. (I love the outstanding news analysis here at FR.) Thanks to Freepers, I can read a political news article, and immediately find out about the author, his agenda, facts that the author left out or got wrong, the various propaganda techniques used by the author, his source of funding etc. etc. You can't buy this kind of analysis, and certainly can find it in the major media.

[grania]

Written like a true liberal. Uh, no, the folks at DU write about how they "feel", we at Free Republic are THINKERS. We think.

Nice catch. Freepers also question things. About the only thing there is 100% agreement on is that Hillary's pantsuits are ugly!

I do agree with the author, though, that conservatives are being patronized by Republican party leadership in some cases, and some of the causes that are very popular among the "little people" here...immigration and border restrictions, PBA, and less government spending, for example, are being ignored by those who depended on conservative votes to be elected into office.