Missing Link: GOP / Bush vs. Democrats, The Alpha Male Deficit

[norml]

Missing Link: GOP / Bush vs. Democrats, The Alpha Male Deficit

Editorial by Balletshooz


In the midst of the current battle between the "leftist" grassroots and the "moderate" DLC, this article interjects a missing link. Political leadership is not about mimicry of "tough" positions, nor is it about reactionary complaints and bomb-throwing. It is about the attitude of power.



The attitude of power has an evolutionary basis, one that is rooted in the signals of alpha masculinity, and it is sorely missing from both the Democratic establishment and the liberal rebels. This isn't about policy positions or ideology. It's about something more fundamental. It's about biology.



Call it toughness or brashness, chutzpah or machismo, iron guts, brass balls or just plain alpha maleness. Whatever you want to call it, to paraphrase Potter Stewart, you know it when you see it, and you know when it's not there. The time has never been more critical for liberals to defy expectations and show they've got it and attack conservatives for having none.



Since Election 2004, liberals have been agonizing over the shape of the Democratic Party and the fate of liberalism itself. Should they look for new policies or new personalities? Is the right demographic the "security moms" or the "values voters"? Is their salvation in the framing, in the heartland, or in the Bible?



http://www.bloggernews.net/showstory.asp?page=blognews/stories/UP0000466.txt

[acmavm]

1. That good old alpha male crap is what's made this history of mankind

so bloody and violent. I always have wondered why, if people are supposed to be better than animals, do they parcel out credibility and respect to those who cause the most damage, do the most harm?

[norml]

2. While cooperation is as much a part of survival as competition,

if we ignore the reality of the pecking order we will never master it.

[acmavm]

3. Who said ingnore it? I suggest we FIX it. It sure ain't done the human

race a lot of good thus far.

[norml]

5. That's what I meant by master it.

I think we might be in agreement on this.

[phantom power]

15. I plan to fix this when my Home Gene Engineer kit arrives in the mail

[Merlot]

4. Howard Dean is no Alpha Male!

Neither is Bill Clinton. No leadership in those men...but bush, yea...right.

I don't think "toughness, brashness, chutzpah or machismo, iron guts, brass balls or just plain alpha maleness" is something we need to look to in a leader. Those are false bravado, and usually used by people who are manipulating to get their way over the will of the people.

We need intellegence, decisiveness, leadership capabilities.

Really, have liberals have been "agonizing over the shape of the Democratic Party and the fate of liberalishm itself?" I think more are agonizing over the direction this country is taking, the bush regime, and the war, and ite idea that bushco has a mandate.




edit: typos

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

19. I agree

I think Chickenhawk George would piss his pants if he ever had to put a real fight instead of having his surrogates duke it out for him.

[skids]

6. What we need is a steaming pile of disease infected trash.

http://thereitis.org/displayarticle902.html

...and such as Abramoff may be just the thing.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[norml]

11. Excellent stuff!

I'll have to post that article too.

[Jade Fox]

8. What we need is Warrior mentality.....

which is somewhat different than what I believe he is talking about here.

Warrior mentality transends gender, and includes thoughtfulness and
consideration. But it is focused on DECISIVE ACTION and does not shirk
from power or conflict.

I believe the Democrats have become terrified of seeking and having
power in this country, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is addressed in
the article-I couldn't log onto it.

[Eloriel]

17. Thank you very much. Exactly right. If these "men" haven't

gotten it that Alpha Male isn't all it's cracked up to be, and that there are plenty of quite powerful Warriors among women -- from Cindy Sheehan to Cynthia McKinney and Maxine Waters to Kristin Breitweiser, and on and on -- then we need to worry about a potential case of testosterone poisoning-addled brains here, I think.

As I see it, there is ONE critical need right now, and anyone can do it and everyone MUST do it because we need it everwhere, and yes it will take courage: TELL THE TRUTH, and do it ferociously, fearlessly, unceasingly.

The American people DO respond to The Truth, and they DO make their voices heard in the voting booth (voting machine problems and fraud aside).

[Jade Fox]

18. Absolute accountability--also known as truth--is the tool these

Warrior Women you mentioned have used. They are beautiful examples of the Warrior
mentality and spirit.

The right-wing smear machine has confused us into thinking that too much truth
results in bias. All the better to hide their corruption and lies.

TELL THE TRUTH. Do it ferociously, fearlessly, unceasingly. Right on.

[Demeter]

9. If By Alpha Male, They Mean Archie Bunker.....

then we can certainly live much better without it.

[bemildred]

10. This guy doesn't know shit about biology either. nt

[roseBudd]

12. and Bush was a cheerleader, who failed to use that priceless photo

in a campaign ad? Mary Beth Cahill? I used it a lot in my GOTV with young males. I would say "Bush was a cheerleader, you know what I'm saying?" with a smirk.

[Knight of Ni]

13. Would an Alpha Male duck out on Cindy Sheehan like that?

I don't get this. Bush puts on this fake macho swagger but his actions make him look like the biggest pussy on God's Green Earth (to paraphrase Franken.)

[lukasahero]

14. Yes, just what we need, more "alpha males" and fewer Cindy Sheehan's

or is she considered male by acting with courage and integrity? :eyes:

[depakid]

16. Welp, since the Dems act like battered women

it shouldn't surprise anyone that they've become- and will continue to be irrelevant, even though they OWN the issues and Bush's approval rating is the lowest of any second term president.

Hell, even I'd be repulsed by voting for a lot of them....

I mean, who wants to be associated with cowards and snivellers who won't stand up and fight for what they (supposedly) believe in?

[lukasahero]

20. Your reference to battered women is what is truly irrelevent

It also demonstrates a real ignorance of the issue.

[depakid]

21. You're apparantly unfamiliar with psychology

The Dems behavior over the past several years- but ESPECIALLY the last 8 months had been very similar to what's known as "learned helplessness."

Read about it sometime- and get back to me.

I think you'll find the similarities alarming.

[lukasahero]

22. Maybe not but as a survivor of domestic abuse

I find your characterizing of battered women as "cowards and snivellers who won't stand up and fight" particularly offensive.

Maybe instead of regurgitating what you learned in some college psych textbook you could talk to women who have actually been abused before you berate them further.

See, I've "learned" not to tolerate ignorant crap from invisible message board denizens at least. Too bad it took me a bit longer to stop being afraid of a guy who was twice my size. Guess that makes me a "coward and sniveller". :eyes:

[depakid]

23. I aimed that "snivelling" remark

at certain male Dems I had in mind (like Biden & Lieberman, to name a few) and not at battered women- who I have in fact had some experience trying to help out of abusive relationships both on a personal and professional level.

The metaphor is, I maintain -an accurate one as generally applied to the pattern of behavior- which includes, among other things- continuing to return to the abusers- rationalizing that he can be changed- or falling for manipulative pleas and/or believing that he won't "do it again," and generally feeling powerless to take decisive actions to change their situation in ways which of course are not easy- but need to be done.

The analogy applies to the Dem leadership on a broader scale, as instead of being assertive and taking steps to keep from being abused- including, perhaps- shutting down the Senate- as Harry Reid "threatened," they continue to make "deals" which- aside from undermining their credibility and making them appear weak- only sets them up for further abuse. The general pattern and rationalizations are what one commonly sees with learned helplessness.

Hope that clarifies what I meant- and I apologize if you took offense for any poor wording of mine.

[lukasahero]

24. Thank you.

I do get (and even agree) with the concept you are defining as it relates to the Dems. It just really shocked a nerve in the way it was said. Obviously I misinterpretted your meaning but it really sounded like you were calling battered women snivelling cowards in that you compared the Dems to them and then called the Dems snivelling cowards.

I appreciate your apology. It's tough enough to have to live with the lasting affects of abuse but it gets really painful to have it misrepresented. (Again, I know now that's not what you meant to do but we do live in a world where it's easier to blame the victim than challenge the perpetrator on their behavior.)

Thank you again.

Personally, I see all sorts of signs that most Americans are currently living with psychological/mental abuse by our current administration. It's a frickin' classic case of the cycle of abuse, the mindset of the abuser and the damage to the abused.