Conservative Profiling???

[KharmaTrain]

The other day I was watching the CPAC coven (my self-admitted fascination with trainwrecks) and couldn't help laughing when the camera panned the room. The room was semi-full of young repugnicans all wearing the same suit or pant-dress...the dudes all had short hair (poorly combed) with some kind of wire-rim glasses, the women had variations of Miss Clarol at work. It reminded me of the "regular suspects" that the GOOP trots out on the teevee...there's a certain look to these people that says "wingnut" or "neo con"...even when the sound is down.

Then this morning I saw this...

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/2/28/0755/74576/897/702861

I live in DC. A few minutes ago I was on the Metro. The subway stopped at the Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan station. Two guy in suits got on. It's DC, so there's nothing notable about guys on a Friday night wearing suits, not even near the party destination neighborhood of Adams Morgan. But there was something different about them. They were both big, somewhat overweight, had brush cuts, wore gray suits with black shirts and nondescript ties, and had flag pins on their lapels. One guy sat across from me. I looked at him, and thought of Family Guy where Peter described the "two symbols of the Republican party: an elephant and a big fat white guy who's threatened by change."

Knowing that the Conservative Political Action Conference(CPAC) was being held nearby, I asked, "were you at CPAC?"

The guy sorta smiled.

"Yeah!"

I think he then realized that I probably wasn't a fellow traveler...or that maybe I was that other kind of fellow traveler. Whatever the case, his smile went away, and I wasn't so cruel as to say that his ultraconservatism was so obvious that he stood out on the Metro.

What is it? Why do the people who think Rush Limbaugh holds all the answer to our politics are so out of whack with the rest of us that they even look different?

So...can you detect a repugnican or Freeper?

Discuss...

[Gman]

1. Conservatism really is a mental disorder

and studies have shown that. As we become more aware of it, we recognize it more when we see it.

[verdalaven]

2. Never judge a book......

People never cease to surprise me, so no, I personally can't discern a person's politics just by their mode of dress or even their opinions. I know some fine progressives who worked their butts off for Dems in MI who would be considered freepers right about now on DU because of their opinion about a cheese sandwich. (Please don't spank me for invoking that debate, but it did get pretty crazy) I know a Rushbot who volunteers her time helping local kids who lost parents in Iraq, supported her teen daughters when they wanted to go on the pill - seemingly progressive on women's issues, but then thinks Rush is the cat's ass. My husband's best friend is a big time conservative bush supporter; and yet he is down to earth, help anyone in need (like a good liberal does!) - he is a super fantastic person with annoying opinions. He probably thinks the same of us, LOL.

The big problem today, as I see it, is we progressives are as bad about seeing issues in black and white as they are, and we are willing to stand behind our wall against people who, while they have opinions differing from ours, are pretty much JUST LIKE US. Lots of good people on both sides, just trying to live their lives. We are being pitted against each other by wealthy and powerful individuals who do not live by the standards they expect of us; they know, however, that as long as we, the people, are divided, they can continue to do whatever they want. Imagine what we could accomplish if we could just get past the labels and unite.

So, just my two cents.