A first(?) thread on 2008: McCain,Giuliani & the Republicans

The base isn't interested in Iraq. The base is for Bush. If Bush said tomorrow, we're leaving in two months, there would be no revolt.

And joining him there, Grover Norquist and the Bush (give us a daddy figure or we will cry loud and be lonely and afraid) base...

Quote:

The base isn't interested in Iraq. The base is for Bush. If Bush said tomorrow, we're leaving in two months, there would be no revolt.

Norquist

http://www.prospect.org/weblog/2007/04/post_3321.html#016119

blatham wrote:

And joining him there, Grover Norquist and the Bush (give us a daddy figure or we will cry loud and be lonely and afraid) base...

Quote:

The base isn't interested in Iraq. The base is for Bush. If Bush said tomorrow, we're leaving in two months, there would be no revolt.

Norquist

http://www.prospect.org/weblog/2007/04/post_3321.html#016119

I seriously doubt Norquist is correct here.

But if he is, then they do deserve their place in Hell.

He is, of course, correct. The Cult of Personality - the emotional investment involved - is the over-arcing support structure for Bush, not logic.

The Republican party is after all the new bastion of Authoritarian rule. It's sad to see how they've fallen.

Cycloptichorn

Cycloptichorn wrote:

He is, of course, correct. The Cult of Personality - the emotional investment involved - is the over-arcing support structure for Bush, not logic.

The Republican party is after all the new bastion of Authoritarian rule. It's sad to see how they've fallen.

Cycloptichorn

What a crock. Do you really believe this tripe?

Cycloptichorn wrote:

He is, of course, correct. The Cult of Personality - the emotional investment involved - is the over-arcing support structure for Bush, not logic.

The Republican party is after all the new bastion of Authoritarian rule. It's sad to see how they've fallen.

Cycloptichorn

What a crock. Do you really believe this tripe?

salon: You also recently announced that you were leaving the Republican Party and joining the Libertarian Party. What was your reason for doing that?

Barr: Several-fold. One, that the Libertarian Party, among all of the parties out there, is the only one that is true to my core philosophy of working to minimize government power and maximize individual liberty. None of the other parties, and especially the Republican Party any longer, is at all committed to that philosophy. And secondly, my great concern, manifested especially since 9/11, is the assaults on our fundamental civil liberties by this administration. [That's] personified, for example, in the disregard for the rule of law as exhibited by the warrantless NSA [National Security Agency] electronic surveillance in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. More recently, [there were] documented abuses at the FBI in carrying out certain of the expanded powers granted in the Patriot Act, namely, national security letters. And in January of this year, the testimony by the attorney general that this administration does not believe that the fundamental right to a writ of habeas corpus is an important, fundamental, constitutional guarantee. So what we have is a party, the Republican Party, to which I was very proud to belong for many, many years, no longer being committed to a core conservative philosophy. The Libertarian Party is so committed, and I felt that at the time that it was necessary to make a change because of the seriousness of the assaults on our civil liberties.

Synonyms: absolute, authoritative, autocratic, despotic, dictatorial, disciplinarian, doctrinaire, dogmatic, harsh, imperious, magisterial, rigid, severe, strict, totalitarian, tyrannical, unyielding
Antonyms: democratic, indulgent, liberal

From an interview with CNN's Dana Bash and former New York city major and Presidential hopeful, Rudy Giuliani:

GIULIANI: I have also stated that I disagree with President Bush's veto last week of public funding for abortions.

BASH: Is that also your -- going -- going to be your position as president?

GIULIANI: Probably. I mean, I have to reexamine all those issues and exactly what was at stake then. It is a long time ago. But, generally, that's my -- my view. Abortion is wrong. Abortion shouldn't happen.

Yes. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence that this is true.

My above statement is presented as opinion. You are free to disagree with it; if I wanted to state it as a categorical fact, I would have provided supporting evidence, which I didn't care to do. post 1311396

Finn, when Cyclop says

Quote:

Yes. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence that this is true.

and you ask him for any of that evidence, you might get a response similar to this:

Quote:

My above statement is presented as opinion. You are free to disagree with it; if I wanted to state it as a categorical fact, I would have provided supporting evidence, which I didn't care to do. post 1311396

George W. Bush and the Personality Cult
An attempt to explain George W. Bush's inexplicable popularity using the theory of the personality cult

Democrats and other liberals and progressives watched in incredulous awe as George W. Bush won a second term as U.S. president. How could so many people vote against their own best interests? How can they believe that they voted for "moral values," when the basic core values that make this country great, like access to jobs, health care, education, and the American dream, are being slowly whittled away by the Bush administration? How can we explain Bush's inexplicable popularity? Perhaps the answer lies in the theory of the personality cult.

Personality cults sometimes form in power-hungry regimes, such as Stalinist Russia or Mao's China. Through extensive government-led propaganda campaigns, the leader is elevated to an almost divine level. He is venerated as a liberator and a savior in the war against good and evil. He wins the blind adulation of an effectively brainwashed public. And he is neither questioned nor held accountable.

Much of Bush's popular appeal comes from his well-rehearsed down-home Texas style. Most people don't seem to realize that Bush grew up in New England, a true Connecticut Ivy League Yankee, every bit as white-bread as John Kerry. It's easier to disarm the public when you can make them think that you're one of them.

Combine the good ol' boy demeanor with religion, and you've got yourself a ticket to red-state glory. Bush overcame a nasty drinking problem when he found religion. This became his new addiction, his new obsession, his new escape from reality.

In July of 2004, Bush told an Amish group in Pennsylvania that "God speaks through me." He believes that God wanted him to be president, and that God is working through him, even as tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi men, women, and children die in a war based on lies. It's God's war. We're the good guys. We're fighting the evildoers over there so that we won't have to fight them over here. This is truly an ingenious way to win the trusting hearts of Middle America, who have been programmed to fear the evil Muslim barbarians who want to kill us because they "hate our freedom." It's easier than thinking. So they follow him like sheep.

There is no disagreement allowed. "You're either with us or against us." If you're against us, you're also against God. And you're a terrorist and an evildoer. Easy choice.

Another factor is consistency. Some people thrive on consistency. There were many in Russia who said that communism was better than democracy and capitalism because it was predictable. George W. Bush is consistent. He sticks to his guns, no matter how mountainous the evidence is that he is wrong. And he never admits to a mistake. Many view this as "strong," rather than stubborn, arrogant, or immature. It's easier than engaging in critical thought.

Most of the credit for the Bush administration's public relations bamboozlement goes to Karl Rove, George W. Bush's senior advisor and chief political strategist. Rove's propaganda machine has turned Bush into a messiah while at the same time demonizing all his political opponents through lies, smear campaigns, and an ingenious repertoire of dirty tricks. All in the name of doing God's work and protecting our "freedom" and "democracy."

Rove distracted the American public from the war in Iraq and the failing economy by focusing the election on three key issues: God, guns, and gays. Added to the formula was a hefty dose of fear, the true mind killer. Rove had the public believing that if Democrats won the election, we would take away their Bibles, take away their guns, and force the whole country into same-sex marriages. Despite the sheer absurdity of it, it worked.

How much longer will the American people willingly dig their own graves?

Opponents to the Bush regime may take some solace in the fact that history shows that personality cults can collapse very quickly upon the ousting or death of the leader. While an ouster isn't likely until 2008, we can get a good head start by working tirelessly towards the election of more Democrats to the Senate and the House of Representatives in the 2006 mid-term elections. By restoring a balance of power in Congress, perhaps some steps can finally be taken to effectively break through the propaganda machine and expose the lies and recklessness of the Bush administration to the hypnotized electorate. Perhaps then they will then see that the emperor has no clothes. And perhaps then the real evildoers shall at last be held accountable.

Heaven help us if we fail.

McCain says he misspoke in upbeat Baghdad comments
Fri Apr 6, 2007 5:19PM EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Senator John McCain said in an interview to be broadcast on Sunday he misspoke in his recent upbeat comments about security in Baghdad, where he traveled under heavy military protection.

The Arizona senator, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, maintains progress has been made in the U.S.-led war in Iraq, according to comments to be aired on CBS' "60 Minutes." Excerpts were released on Friday.

McCain said he regrets comments he made after a tour of Baghdad last Sunday, when he said he could see progress and the American people were not being told the "good news" about the war, according to excerpts of his comments and a press release provided by "60 Minutes."

"Of course I am going to misspeak and I've done it on numerous occasions and I probably will do it in the future," said McCain, according to "60 Minutes".
link

"Like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime."
Republican Mike Pence.

Quote:

George W. Bush and the Personality Cult
An attempt to explain George W. Bush's inexplicable popularity using the theory of the personality cult

Democrats and other liberals and progressives watched in incredulous awe as George W. Bush won a second term as U.S. president. How could so many people vote against their own best interests? How can they believe that they voted for "moral values," when the basic core values that make this country great, like access to jobs, health care, education, and the American dream, are being slowly whittled away by the Bush administration? How can we explain Bush's inexplicable popularity? Perhaps the answer lies in the theory of the personality cult.

Personality cults sometimes form in power-hungry regimes, such as Stalinist Russia or Mao's China. Through extensive government-led propaganda campaigns, the leader is elevated to an almost divine level. He is venerated as a liberator and a savior in the war against good and evil. He wins the blind adulation of an effectively brainwashed public. And he is neither questioned nor held accountable.

Much of Bush's popular appeal comes from his well-rehearsed down-home Texas style. Most people don't seem to realize that Bush grew up in New England, a true Connecticut Ivy League Yankee, every bit as white-bread as John Kerry. It's easier to disarm the public when you can make them think that you're one of them.

Combine the good ol' boy demeanor with religion, and you've got yourself a ticket to red-state glory. Bush overcame a nasty drinking problem when he found religion. This became his new addiction, his new obsession, his new escape from reality.

In July of 2004, Bush told an Amish group in Pennsylvania that "God speaks through me." He believes that God wanted him to be president, and that God is working through him, even as tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi men, women, and children die in a war based on lies. It's God's war. We're the good guys. We're fighting the evildoers over there so that we won't have to fight them over here. This is truly an ingenious way to win the trusting hearts of Middle America, who have been programmed to fear the evil Muslim barbarians who want to kill us because they "hate our freedom." It's easier than thinking. So they follow him like sheep.

There is no disagreement allowed. "You're either with us or against us." If you're against us, you're also against God. And you're a terrorist and an evildoer. Easy choice.

Another factor is consistency. Some people thrive on consistency. There were many in Russia who said that communism was better than democracy and capitalism because it was predictable. George W. Bush is consistent. He sticks to his guns, no matter how mountainous the evidence is that he is wrong. And he never admits to a mistake. Many view this as "strong," rather than stubborn, arrogant, or immature. It's easier than engaging in critical thought.

Most of the credit for the Bush administration's public relations bamboozlement goes to Karl Rove, George W. Bush's senior advisor and chief political strategist. Rove's propaganda machine has turned Bush into a messiah while at the same time demonizing all his political opponents through lies, smear campaigns, and an ingenious repertoire of dirty tricks. All in the name of doing God's work and protecting our "freedom" and "democracy."

Rove distracted the American public from the war in Iraq and the failing economy by focusing the election on three key issues: God, guns, and gays. Added to the formula was a hefty dose of fear, the true mind killer. Rove had the public believing that if Democrats won the election, we would take away their Bibles, take away their guns, and force the whole country into same-sex marriages. Despite the sheer absurdity of it, it worked.

How much longer will the American people willingly dig their own graves?

Opponents to the Bush regime may take some solace in the fact that history shows that personality cults can collapse very quickly upon the ousting or death of the leader. While an ouster isn't likely until 2008, we can get a good head start by working tirelessly towards the election of more Democrats to the Senate and the House of Representatives in the 2006 mid-term elections. By restoring a balance of power in Congress, perhaps some steps can finally be taken to effectively break through the propaganda machine and expose the lies and recklessness of the Bush administration to the hypnotized electorate. Perhaps then they will then see that the emperor has no clothes. And perhaps then the real evildoers shall at last be held accountable.

Heaven help us if we fail.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/610/george_w_bush_and_the_personality_cult.html

xingu wrote:

"Like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime."
Republican Mike Pence.

I do think Mr Pence will get the award this week for the stupidest comment. Or he may be right, in which case I definitely do not want to go shopping at a farmer's market in Indiana.