WTH is a "Bircher Republican?"

[Inchworm]

It came up in some research I was doing, and I can't find a simple answer.

It seems like a different way to say asshole republican. You know, like the lieing, mannequin looking, robot freaks who won't turn off the stupid broken record of nonsense lately.

:shrug:

[Cerridwen]

1. john birch society. (edited for a link for you ~and~ for funny typo) LOL

I won't link to their site, but here's the wiki

edit for accurate but incorrect typo in subject line LMAO

Thanks! Gormy Cuss :rofl:

[Inchworm]

3. Ahhhhh, so I was semi-correct in my definition

:D

Thanks

[Cerridwen]

8. Yep.

:D

They're pretty freaky. phyllis schafly was/is one. Wants smaller gov't through larger gov't control. she toured the country arguing against the ERA by telling women their greatest gift was staying home and taking care of their family while she was out touring the country not staying home taking care of her family.

If that makes sense to you, you might be a bircher. LOL

:hi:

[Gormy Cuss]

17. Funny typo in your subject line, Cerridwen

Bircher, birther... same church, different pews.;-)

I used to go by the headquarters of the John Birch society when I lived in the Boston area and it was a dreary little building in a small, wealthy town. At that time they were based in Belmont, MA-- a town now best known as the home of Mitt Romney. ;-)

[Cerridwen]

20. LOL

I'm sitting here laughing I didn't even see that.

Thanks for catching it. :hi:

[mcctatas]

2. John Birch society

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Birch_Society

[Inchworm]

6. Thanks ma'am

Here's a song that even mentions JBS hehe!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZCytbDEtks

"I'm a faithful follower of brother John Birch..."

It is a musical story of what I was researching :P

Thanks again.

:*

[Drunken Irishman]

4. Righter than right. So right, they make Ayn Rand wet.

[Inchworm]

7. That's far right indeed

:toast:

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Grand daddy's to the current tea baggers

on the bright side the GOP kicked their asses back in the 50s.

On the down side, the GOP hoped to use these idiots these time and has lost complete control of them

[Inchworm]

9. I can see that

Thanks.

:hi:

[Nancy Ruth]

10. John Birch Society.

One of the first ultra conservative nut wings of the Republican Party that was generally looked upon as a pack of loons. This was back in the early 60's. Started in Texas as I recall.

[Inchworm]

12. Thanks

:)

[FarCenter]

18. Bankrolled by H L Hunt, oilman, father of the Hunt brothers, if I recall correctly

[safeinOhio]

11. If interested in the subject you might find

this a good read.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paranoid_Style_in_American_Politics

The paranoid style as a recurring theme in American political history
Hofstadter begins by noting that:
American politics has often been an arena for angry minds. In recent years we have seen angry minds at work mainly among extreme right-wingers, who have now demonstrated in the Goldwater movement how much political leverage can be got out of the animosities and passions of a small minority. But behind this I believe there is a style of mind that is far from new and that is not necessarily right-wing. I call it the paranoid style simply because no other word adequately evokes the sense of heated exaggeration, suspiciousness, and conspiratorial fantasy that I have in mind.<1>
Hofstadter goes on to detail historical paranoia directed against Illuminism, Freemasonry, and the Jesuits, and follows this strain in American politics through what he considered its modern incarnations in McCarthyism and the activities of the John Birch Society.
he paranoid style defined
Hofstadter describes the unifying characteristics of the paranoid politician thus:
The paranoid spokesman sees the fate of conspiracy in apocalyptic terms — he traffics in the birth and death of whole worlds, whole political orders, whole systems of human values. He is always manning the barricades of civilization... he does not see social conflict as something to be mediated and compromised, in the manner of the working politician. Since what is at stake is always a conflict between absolute good and absolute evil, what is necessary is not compromise but the will to fight things out to a finish. Since the enemy is thought of as being totally evil and totally unappeasable, he must be totally eliminated — if not from the world, at least from the theatre of operations to which the paranoid directs his attention. This demand for total triumph leads to the formulation of hopelessly unrealistic goals, and since these goals are not even remotely attainable, failure constantly heightens the paranoid’s sense of frustration. Even partial success leaves him with the same feeling of powerlessness with which he began, and this in turn only strengthens his awareness of the vast and terrifying quality of the enemy he opposes.<1>


read more at link. Thing is, this is nothing new.

[Inchworm]

14. That is where my mind was leading

when "birchers" came up in 3-4 different places. Out of context I could tell they were a minority of nutjobs within the Republicans.

Thanks for the link. I'll read it too and go where it takes me next.

:)

[pampango]

24. Ouch. "Since the enemy is thought of as being totally evil and totally unappeasable, he must be

totally eliminated — if not from the world, at least from the theatre of operations to which the paranoid directs his attention. This demand for total triumph leads to the formulation of hopelessly unrealistic goals, and since these goals are not even remotely attainable, failure constantly heightens the paranoid’s sense of frustration. Even partial success leaves him with the same feeling of powerlessness with which he began, and this in turn only strengthens his awareness of the vast and terrifying quality of the enemy he opposes."

"He is always manning the barricades of civilization... he does not see social conflict as something to be mediated and compromised, in the manner of the working politician."

Very interesting analysis in our hyper-partisan political landscape today. :)

[guitar man]

13. John Birch Society

A slightly "upscale" version of the KKK without the robes and hoods :p

[Inchworm]

15. Hmmm.. that sounds familiar and current

:rofl:

Like someone upthread mentioned, Teabaggers are Birchers' grandkids.

:hi:

[guitar man]

16. Pretty much

Not a whole lot of difference that I can see, except the Birchers I remember could actually read, write and spell. :rofl:

[pampango]

22. So true, but they are like the KKK with a foreign policy: anti-UN, anti-war, anti-globalization,

anti-NAFTA, anti-immigration, and anti-"North American Union". In modern terms they almost sound like Ron Paul's version of republicanism.

Domestically, they would be right at home at a KKK meeting: anti-civil rights, anti-wealth redistribution, and anti-socialist. That is one weird mixture of policies (maybe that's why is sounds like Paul. :) )

[safeinOhio]

19. I remember them calling

Ike a commie.

[Zoeisright]

21. A reeeeeaaaaalllllyyyyy stupid repuke.

Of course, that's splitting hairs.

[gleaner]

23. Tea Baggers and the John Birch Society have much ...

the same ideology and methods. The John Birch Society was more prominent years ago in the 50s and 60s. Then you didn't hear so much about them. They are very secretive. Now they have crawled out from under their rocks to assume their rightful place squeezing the Tea Bags for all of those who are partaking of the hate and violence erupting on the right.

[mmonk]

25. Red neck fascism.

[JVS]

26. Conspiracy theorist conservatism