Why do people like George W. Bush?
I can see the argument for less taxes. I understand where these people come from. I can also understand some of the other arguments that seem to make up the Republican ideal. I don't necessarily agree with the arguments, but I understand them. What I don't understand is why so many people, who seem to be quite intelligent, are backing Bush. Have they all been snowed? Do they really believe things are going well in Iraq, and the Patriot Act doesn't restrict their freedoms? Do they not believe we have a huge deficit? Do they really think there is a liberal media? Do they honestly think John Kerry shot himself to get a purple heart so when he ran for president against a deserter it would look good? Can they honestly value "steady leadership" that amounts to ignorant resistance over "flip-flopping" that is actually an intelligent reassesment of position? What can possibly look good about Bush? What can possibly look worse about Kerry than it does about Bush? Why are these people, the same who crusaded against Clinton, so easily giving Bush a pass?
I'd like to think I'm going to give Kerry enough leeway to make some change, but screw him if he inches in one direction to something that looks like the Bush agenda. I'd call for his resignation as frequently I do Bush's.
What it seems to comes back to is racism, xenophobia, and hate. They don't care about Iraq because they don't care about Iraqis. They don't care about gay marriage because they don't care about gay people. They want borders up, non-whites out, straight across the board, crosses in every room, and women in their place.
Is there any other reason why you could support such an administration?
I'd like to think I'm going to give Kerry enough leeway to make some change, but screw him if he inches in one direction to something that looks like the Bush agenda. I'd call for his resignation as frequently I do Bush's.
What it seems to comes back to is racism, xenophobia, and hate. They don't care about Iraq because they don't care about Iraqis. They don't care about gay marriage because they don't care about gay people. They want borders up, non-whites out, straight across the board, crosses in every room, and women in their place.
Is there any other reason why you could support such an administration?
3 Comments:
Okay, I can dig some of that. "Pushing the agenda of gays and minorities" supports my assesment that no matter how smart people are, they go for bush because of prejudice. (Though, I've always wondered how 'smart' people could be prejudiced.) But you say also that there are more dumb people than smart people, and the dumb people are going for Bush. Is there some tiny anomalous population of smart people who still support Bush? Can people who go for Bush actually be smart? So is it just predjudice that drives conservatives, and I'm being snowed by their 'smartness'?
I stand by Janeane Garofalo's statement: Voting for Bush is a character flaw.
I was arguably homicidal in high school, so no one fucked with me.
I think people like Bush because of polarization... it's an us and them thing, and some people have trouble with the them themes of the democrats. Some people say I am far to the left of Karl Marx, but even I take issues with some of the democratic party's talking points. Also, I think most of us would like as little government intrusion into our lives as possible, and the small government Reagan years resonate with people. Actually the republican plans mean bigger government, but it takes effort to figure that out.
The thing that scares me is the degree of entrenchment. You almost literally can't shake average people, regardless of what happens. That's why the election is coming down to 5 states or so.
I would like to see a parliamentary system, where coalitions are necessary to secure legislation. In our current system people from the middle are forced to back one vocal minority or another, and the result is this skewed patchwork frankenstein that we have.
I agree, polarization makes it easier for people to not have to exist outside their comfort zone. It allows them to be lazy and not have their ideas challenged, and it exists in both wings of the same nasty buzzard.
However, the "us and them" thing seems different on one wing than on the other. The Republican/Conservative wing seems to lump all "thems" together as an "Anti-Us." Which is why we have Republicans saying things like, a vote for John Kerry is a vote for the terrorists.
Conversely, I see Demoncrats aligning themselves against Republicans, as well as against terrorists, but not drawing idealogical connections between the two.
I belive this supports my argument about predjudice, in that the Republicans can now hate on other straight, white, hetero, men because they can be viewed as the same level as dark-skinned, swarthy terrorists.
Finally, I agree, most people do want less gov't intrusion. Though it seems that one party is up front about where their hands are going to be, and the the other is a bit more deceptive.
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