A rant inspired by hearing Mike Savage on the radio

[LuckyTheDog]

Damn it!

Don't the folks on the hard right get tired of looking for enemies everywhere and picking fight with everyone? I'm not talking about overseas. I'm talking about here at home.

They flock to the stores to buy books called "The Enemy Within" and "Treason." They look for traitors under every bed. They accuse judges of being out to destroy America. They think liberals are all plotting against their way of life. They even declared war on the mainstream American culture.

Chill out, folks. Sure, it's true: if you are a fundamentalist, Bush-voting Republican, I am not like you. But I also am not your enemy.

If we can work together, trust each other and build on our shared interests, we can do great things. And you can live as you want, be good neighbors and say in unison: "God bless America for giving us the tools to build a society such as this."

We CAN do it because, in the end, we're far, far more alike than we are different.

Hey, GOPers: Those are the kinds of things your GOP leaders used to tell you -- but don't anymore. Yet, they are so very, very true.

:rant:

[NYCGirl]

1. Clinton hatred BUILT right wing radio. They're not about to give it up now

Hate is all they have.

[salvorhardin]

2. Have you been to the 9-11 forum lately?

Not much difference.

[ComerPerro]

3. Meanwhile, these same people were ready and willing to sell out the US

when Clinton was president.

9/11 brought about more completely phony patriots than I have ever seen in my life.

I used to get mocked for wearing anything endorsing the USA (even Olympics stuff) or having an American flag. But, suddenly, after 9/11, everyone had ten of them.

Its cheap.

People embrace patriotism, but its only a cheap fad to them.

Wonder how quick they will discard it when their great leader leaves office?

[FormerDittoHead]

4. Here's why you CAN'T work with them.....

...because they want to SCREW YOU OVER.

You can't "work together" with someone who is trying to STAB YOU IN THE BACK.

They talk about "fairness" and "leaving them alone" and "getting government out of their lives".

That what they SAY.

But what they DO is to create bigger and bigger government to BENEFIT THE RICH (and hopefully themselves) while PUTTING MORE government in YOUR life.

They don't UNDERSTAND THE *CONCEPT* OF *SACRIFICE*, which would be ESSENTIAL in working with someone else...

Name ONE of their programs, ANYTHING THEY HAVE DONE - ONE - where they've had to "give up" something in return.

You can try to CHANGE them, I believe they CAN change, but for God's sake don't even THINK about working with them building on shared interests, blaw, blaw, blaw.

[LuckyTheDog]

7. Can't work with the leadership

Can't work with the leadership... or with the "true believers." But I think a lot of GOP voters could be reached with a message based on national unity and tolerance.

[FormerDittoHead]

8. Yes and Yes.

If you want to broaden the scope to "GOP voters" I think you're right, and many of them are probably Democrats who have been led astray because of the lies that talk radio, etc has told them (eg: Republicans stand for small business and the little guy)

But I also agree that the present leadership can NOT be bargained with. I think they should get as good as they've given.

As far as I'm concerned, ALL of their FILTHY DIRTY TRICKS should be turned around as fair play. I'm just talking about KEEPING THE RULES that they've set down which shuts out minority parties from chambers, etc.

I should point out, however, that it's the leadership which holds the party to the level it is. Keep in mind that people who vote GOP today are a very diverse mixture of people, including religious / moral types and rich stockholders, who have little / nothing in common both personally or in goals.

That's why the "Paris Hilton tax break" is such a good 'frame' IMO...

[Erika]

5. Savage is an entertainer who has the power to incite

extremists. He's really quite amusing. I doubt his listeners even vote.

Rush hasn't said anything new since W grabbed power. Laura ingraham has turned into a fluff piece. Hanitty and O'Reilly are losing fans faster than W is dropping in the poll.

These are all has beens whose only message was to hate and mock the rest of the country who have different political opinions. They are a pathetic lot.

[Phredicles]

6. Is it true that Savage has a PhD from UC Berkeley?

I read that somewhere (he was claiming he'd been denied an academic job because of - wait for it - affirmative action). In what subject? Is UCB embarrassed? It's funny that he claims liberalism is a "mental disorder" when he sounds like a guy who's seriously gone off his Zoloft.