But one of DW's facebook-friends recently sent her a link to a Guardian article that I absolutely MUST share with you all. There have been many of these articles written before - you may recall the piece a from 2008 that likened Conservatism to Mental Illness (here's another form 2004) - and they are usually met with the kind of response that proves one of my favorite personal adages:
Argue with a Liberal and they'll prove you're wrong.
Argue with a Conservative and they'll prove you're Liberal.
I'm curious, though not optimistic, to see if any *ahem* Conservative commenters here might do better than that. We'll see. My favorite part might have been the quotes from Republican Strategist David Frum that "conservatives have built a whole alternative knowledge system, with its own facts, its own history, its own laws of economics." In the column, that quote links to another great column by Paul Krugman where it is shown in its entirety:
Backed by their own wing of the book-publishing industry and supported by think tanks that increasingly function as public-relations agencies, conservatives have built a whole alternative knowledge system, with its own facts, its own history, its own laws of economics. Outside this alternative reality, the United States is a country dominated by a strong Christian religiosity. Within it, Christians are a persecuted minority. Outside the system, President Obama—whatever his policy errors—is a figure of imposing intellect and dignity. Within the system, he’s a pitiful nothing, unable to speak without a teleprompter, an affirmative-action phony doomed to inevitable defeat. Outside the system, social scientists worry that the U.S. is hardening into one of the most rigid class societies in the Western world, in which the children of the poor have less chance of escape than in France, Germany, or even England. Inside the system, the U.S. remains (to borrow the words of Senator Marco Rubio) “the only place in the world where it doesn’t matter who your parents were or where you came from.”So... not only is Black White and White Black, but... Black is Black and White is White as well. Which leads to another favorite adage of mine that sums up the Republican Party, the Right Wing, and the Conservative Movement:
There two kinds of Conservatives: Evil and Stupid.
One lies and the other buys.
It really all comes down to two groups - Liberals and Conservative - that are both convinced they're right. The DIFFERENCE is that Liberals increasingly have the prevailing Scientific and Economic viewpoint, not to mention the evidence supporting those, on their side whilst Conservatives have increasingly chosen to propagandize for the demonstrably false knowing (as the article points out) that half the population won't knwo any better anyway. And whether it's Global Warming, Evolution, the Keynesian Economic Model or the Constituton, the Right has grown increasingly separated from reality, and more defiant every day as they say and defend that which is not only self-evident but, of infinitely more importance, is supported by empirical evidence as well.
Between Sean Hannity claiming that "you can't make the case that the economy is improving," (unless of course you look at, oh I don't know... the rising GDP, the falling unemployment rate, the rising DOW, S&P and Nasdaq, the number of new job's being created each month... you know, literaly EVERY SINGLE ECONOMIC INDICIATOR) or Fox arguing that Government Spending hurts the economy (WTF?!) and Sarah Palin insisting that the unemployment numbers must not be acurate (Because, you know, the Right couldn't possibly be WRONG about... well, EVERYTHING, could they?!) the Conservative noise machine has grown increasing desperate with each passing day in their attemtps to get more and more people to ignore what it right in front of them, and to ignore the inevitable social progress that society makes, putting them in th perpetual state of losing the argument, generation after generation. Adage number three:
Scientists aren't right because they agree with Liberals.
Liberals are right because they agree with Scientists.
Of course, the Right has never been shy about slandering pretty much ANY outfit that (1) Does good and (2) Leans Democratic or Liberal, but I wanted to re-post my repsonse here to CNN's (CNN'S!) Dana Loesch's claim that "It's a 'lie' to claim that Planned Parenthood provides mammograms," because I think it would be an apropriate way to close out this post:
It's a lie to claim there's a "liberal media."
It's a lie to deny that global warming is happening or that it is man-made.
It's a lie to say that one chooses to be homosexual or transgendered.
It's a lie to claim that "both sides do it" when it comes to broadcasting false infomration and distorted, out of context quotes.
It's a lie to claim that the economy has gotten worse under Obama.
It's a lie to put the responsibility for the mortgage crisis anywhere except with the deregulation (and greed) of the banks.
It's a lie to claim that keeping condoms out of schools will stop teenagers from having sex.
It's a lie to claim that "Bush kept us safe from terrorists."
It's a lie to claim that Obama is a Muslim, or a non-American Citizen by birth.
It's a lie to claim that anyone who supports wars and the death penalty is "pro-life."
It's a lie to claim that the war on terror is a war of Christianity vs. Islam, instead of a war of Secular Freedom vs. Religious Fundamentalism and Extremism.
It's a lie to claim that "Happy Holidays" represents a Liberal War on Christmas.
It's a lie to claim that Republicans care about the deficit.
It's a lie to claim that Government spending does harm to the economy.
It's a lit to claim that taxes are "too high."
It's a lie to cliam that Obama raised taxes.
And it's a lie to claim that Planned Parenthood is nothing more than an abortion mill.
Here's the thing... It may not have always been the case, but right now, and increasingly over the last 3+ years (and the last 12, and the last 20...) Conservatives have chosen to be wrong on literally EVERYTHING. (Hey: Even the two issues that I'm most strongly Conservative on, I'll happily admit that my position is indefensible and based entirely on emotion rather than reason!) And that being the case... knowing that... I'm forced to ask the question: WHY WOULD ANYONE CHOOSE TO BE CONSERVATIVE?!
But then... that's already been answered, hasn't it?
