I don't think we tell the Bush voters often enough that they are stupid!!

[Crazy Guggenheim]

Do people remember during the campaign the Repukes were campaigning against "the educated liberals"?? Do people remember how they played to their base's ignorance?? Do people remember how they hated anyone, except their own, who had money? Do you remember how Bush - the son of a V.P., President who himself is very wealthy - played his base that he's a common man, that is with stupidity?? Do people remember how his base swallowed it hook line and sinker? It seems that one of the "code words" the Republicans were using was the "educated elite"! His base took it for what it was! They're not smart enough and they are stupid!

Well I have to say that WE DIDN'T CALL HIS BASE STUPID ENOUGH TIMES!! WE DON'T CALL THEM STUPID ENOUGH NOW! FACE IT! THEY VOTED FOR HIM BASED ON THEIR STUPIDITY!

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

On Edit:

I forgot to put in "God Damn it!"

[ThoughtCriminal]

1. OK, we tried stupid

Results were pretty much what we expected.

[Savannah Progressive]

2. We called them Stupid,

However as you point out, they proudly denounced education, intelligence, and voted for Bush anyway. Of course, the only vote that mattered was Diebolds.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

3. Aside from Diebold.

[northofdenali]

4. You got it, CG -

:popcorn::hug::popcorn:

I tell basically every neocon I meet that they're dumber than owl shit. It kind of doesn't register. But I'll keep trying. Got one today to admit that, yueaaup, war in Eyerack for the next 3 years at least doesn't sound like a great idea.

This dumbfuck is in the 172nd Stryker Brigade due to ship out in about 2 months. Get this - they are here for ARCTIC WAR TRAINING. They are learning ARCTIC SURVIVAL SKILLS.

Should do 'em lots of good when their Humvee is IED'd at 110 degrees in the desert, eh?

Dumb base? More like dumber than Georgie himself.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

5. Don't forget to add that major combat operations were over a while back.

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[northofdenali]

6. The kid I was talking to doesn't believe that.

These Stryker kids are awesome, in every sense of the word. Polite, soft-spoken, chuck-norris types. Most of 'em with wives and kids. We've had 6 die there in the the last year, just from little old Fort Wainwright in little old Fairbanks Alaska.

But it "won't happen to me".

Yep, "bring 'em on".

Poor kids.

[TreasonousBastard]

7. Maybe they're just too stupid to know they're stupid...

no matter how many times we call 'em on it.

Of course, the trick isn't to call one stupid to his face-- that just makes 'em all defensive and such. Point to another one and say, "Man, that's one dumb muddafuggah!" It'll sink in eventually.

[longship]

8. But they're stupid!!

It doesn't do any good to tell them that. They are so mind-numbing stupid that informing them of the fact does nothing to increase their intelligence.

[Alamom]

9. I'm seeing some different attitudes here and the polls seem to

indicate, people who thought "W" was so great in the last 2 elections, are feeling their stupidity everyday. Also, in talking to them and there are many, they are admitting, they were fooled. I also overhear conversations in public places of incredible discontent with the administration. I'm hearing it everywhere.

Of course, being in Alabama, I was surrounded by more "attitudes" who favored W than some of you.
It's great to see them change and admit, it was an awful misjudgement and they wish they had not fell for the crap.

It's great to see hardly any W stickers when they once were on everything. My family lives scattered around the state and our new hobby is to see if we can spot a W sticker anywhere. Not seeing many now.

I made a long trip yesterday to visit my Mother and didn't spot a single one.

Since I am seeing and talking to people who have already, or are changing there minds, I don't go for the "You were stupid".
I tell them, I'm glad you see what's happening, we can do better in Nov and 2008, for this country and the people. They agree.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

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

[hwmnbn]

14. welcome to DU, KarmaCorn .....

:hi:

[Justice Is Comin]

10. I think the best law that could ever be passed in this country

would be a requirement that you pass a written test of one hundred percent accurate political facts before you could vote. If you don't pass, you can't vote.

We'd never see another Republican president ever.

[bridgit]

11. i'm not so sure they are so stupid; they are pissy, mean spirited...

and in control of message, and debate such as it is...but i don't equate that with stupid. animal cunning perhaps.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

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

[Strong Atheist]

15. Tend to agee. Welcome to D.U.!

:toast:

[Burning Water]

16. Right.

That's the way to change minds. Call your opponents stupid. :sarcasm:

Here's an idea. Conservatives are not stupid. They just filter their experiences differently from progressives. It's called a "world-view". Everything they do and believe is logically consistent with their world-view, and they process their facts with the same intelligence that progressives do.

And tactically, their intelligence may be superior. After all, they are the ones that control all 3 branches of government, not the Democrats or another progressive party. Yes, let's just say they cheated. OK. They're still in power. That was the whole point of elections. Why can't we catch them at it? When I say "catch", I mean bring it home to them and punish them for it. Because, somehow or the other, they are outplaying us at the game of politics.

The sooner that we realize the real problem and stop "misunderestimating" our opponents, the sooner we can develop a "strategery" that can win.

To change minds, you have to change the world-view. If both sides are agreed that a certain goal should be accomplished, but disagree about what the best way to do it is, compromise is possible. If there is disagreement about the goal, say one side wants the death penalty for heinous crimes, and the other doesn't, or one side wants to destroy a country utterly, and the other side does not want to be destroyed, there is far less room for minds to meet. The struggle will end only when one side gives up its goals.

So, then, how do we change minds? It's hard, actually. The only way I know is if the person starts to realize that his solutions to problems just do not work. Eventually, the cognitive dissonance may be enough to change his mind. I've actually seen this happen just once.

Probably, rather than trying to change minds, a better strategy would be to just figure out how to win elections. Despite a closely divided electorate and Diebold.

But the problem won't be solved if it is not faced. If, for instance, we go into the 2006 elections assuming that *'s unpopularity is automatically going to assure a Congressional sweep for Democrats, there is going to be considerable weeping into beers the next day. If, for instance, we nominate a polarizing figure like Hillary, Gore, or Kerry in 2008, there will be an excellent chance of 4 more years of Republican president.

Clark's da man. Clark should be our nominee. Whoo! have I gotten off subject. But I don't apologize. This is important.