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gold_bug Donating Member (485 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 01:48 AM
Original message
why is the right powerful?
Edited on Thu Feb-19-04 01:49 AM by gold_bug
How did the rightwingers and hardliners become so powerful in the USA when they are the minority? I don't really know the answer to that question but here's a few thoughts.

First, consider organization. In the modern world organization is one of the primary sources of power in society. And the right seems to understand this principle well; for example see this article from Asia Times Online, December 24, 2003,US right weaves tangled but effective web by Jim Lobe.

Here's an interesting website by the Interhemispheric Research Center about right/conservative organization: Right Web "the architecture of power that's changing our world". Right Web explores the many ties that link the right-wing movement's main players, organizations, corporate supporters, educational institutions, and government representatives to each other in a new architecture of power.

Secondly, there's the language thing. The rightwingers have constructed a verbal system that is strong and internally consistent, and by employing language they can oftentimes steamroll the opposition and critics. They have learned how to frame the issues in such a way that the "background" of a debate is usually a favorable terrain for them and hostile for their opposition. For some great insights into this, please see this interview with George Lakoff: "how conservatives use language to dominate politics".

Then there's a tangential question I sometimes ponder: Why do so many middle class and working class people vote Republican when by any objective measure it's not in their best interest to do so? I think this December 17, 2003 BuzzFlash interview with UC Berkeley Sociologist Arlie Hochschild helps to answer it.

Oh, and one more thing that is somewhat related... The Christian Science Monitor has a nice little section on the Neoconservatives: Empire Builders: Neoconservatives and their blueprint for US power

(edit for typos)
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Catch22Dem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 01:50 AM
Response to Original message
1. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ n/t
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MichaelHarris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 03:05 AM
Response to Original message
2. Two cents worth maybe more
Our country has always had "swings" between liberal and conservative power struggles. The morality of the land is the driving factor. From the temperance movement in 1869 to the present the Prohibition party has sought to change the values of America. From 1925 to the present the "traditionalists" have fought the "modernists" beginning with the Scopes Trial. All of these movements found a leader in Ronald Reagan, thus beginning the modern conservative "takeover" of America and its values.

Just a glance at The Prohibition Party's website is enough to scare any modern free thinker in our society. http://www.prohibition.org/
The values they want in America would cause a major re-write of the US Constitution. A few of their wants include: *Against the Homosexual Agenda, *For the Right to Prayer and Bible Reading in the Public Schools, and *Ballot Law Reform, which some have said includes literacy tests and poll taxes. Their own agenda shows a dichotomy. The Prohibitionists call for a constitutional amendment allowing prayer in school while at the same time asking for a restoration of states rights and local control of schools. This shows the hypocrisy of their own agenda. Wanting more constitutional government while asking for less. A list of these and other "values" the Prohibitionists call for can be seen here, http://www.prohibition.org/values.html. The preamble of the party's platform reads like a sermon on the mount. "We the delegates to the Prohibition National Convention, assembled in Avada, Colorado, June 12, 2003 recognize Almighty God as the source of all just Government and declare our faith in the teachings of Jesus Christ. If elected we will serve the needs and preserve the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of the citizens of the United States of America." Let that sink in for a second. Now email them and ask them will "their" constitution guarantee the rights of Muslims? Will it guarantee prayer in school for Buddhists? Will atheist children be exempt from their "mandatory" prayer? In asking these questions how can their preamble be true? How can they serve ALL the citizens of the United States with such a limited view of our "melting pot" society? In one simple answer, they can't, and don't intend to. This is the reason our founding fathers fought for a separation of church and state.

The "traditionalists" fought their major battle in the summer of 1925. It was a time when traditionalists and modernists looked for a showdown. They found it in a small town in Tennessee called Dayton. The Victorians worried that the values they held true we're being threatened. Younger modernists no longer asked whether society would approve of their behavior, only whether their behavior met the approval of their intellect. In this battle Williams Jennings Bryant led his conservative cause, banning the teaching of evolution, against Clarence Darrow. This was one of the first cases for the ACLU. The trial was a platform to advance our new rights being defined by these new "modernists" In fact, Darrow himself, the attorney for Scopes, asked the jury to find his client guilty and fine him 100 dollars in order to be able to take the case to the Tenn Supreme court and deny Bryant his closing speech, which he worked weeks on.

We now come to these modern times. The birth of Reagan conservatives. "Conservatives should also remember Reagan's willingness to repeat his message-over and over again. Active minds find it difficult to repeat, in speech after speech, the conservative goals of lower taxes, less regulation, and smaller government. But when you give the speech for the 100th time, there will be someone in the audience who is hearing it for the first time. Younger voters are always being introduced to the conservative message." We see this tactic with Bush right now, this over and over message. "Conservatives want Reagan to replace FDR on U.S. dimes" (USA Today, 12/05/03) The idea of Reagan era politics outweighing the administrations of FDR is ludicrous. Without going into the fights FDR was up against, depression, and WWII, one cannot compare the two men. FDR dug us out of a great depression created by politicians and financiers who brought us economical ruin. He defended America first against the European pressure to enter the war, to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Reagan's legacy, in a nutshell, is summed up in one catch phrase, "Mr Gorbachev, tear down these walls!". Bringing a country to ruin by outspending them by trillions to build a military is not a great legacy. Denying countries the right to free trade is not an honorable thing. Fighting an economic war, bringing a country to poverty is not the proudest moment in our history. Diplomacy, fair trade, and bridging relationships would have been the honorable thing. Those we're not the things that get you on a dime, or Mt Rushmore. "In a study that ponders the similarities between former President Ronald Reagan, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Rush Limbaugh, four American university researchers say they now have a better understanding of what makes political conservatives tick." (http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33714)
"Underlying psychological motivations that mark conservatives are "fear and aggression, dogmatism and intolerance of ambiguity; uncertainty avoidance; need for cognitive closure; and terror management". Yes fear, the same fear the Bush administration uses on us today. With every code orange alert they spread the specter of fear. Fear gets them votes. We also see dogmatism and intolerance in the make-up of the conservative. This is the same dogmatism and intolerance the Prohibitionists show, the same dogmatism and intolerance the "traditionalists" showed during the Scopes trial. All we are seeing is the "swing" of the moral pendulum. The question is, will we lay down and take it, or will we fight like the "modernists" before us?

Michael Harris
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MichaelHarris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-21-04 04:55 AM
Response to Reply #2
8. Does CNN read our posts?
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JNelson6563 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 06:03 AM
Response to Original message
3. Determination and long term goals
They've been working to achieve this level of power for ages. Like since JFK got whacked.

We Dems must learn to broaden our view. Get off the defense and get the Thugs on the run.

At a brunch I recently hosted for Sen. Stabenow, Sen. Levin said the Dems need to nominate someone with military in their background to negate the Thug attacks on Nat. Sec. I say that is letting the Thugs frame the debate. Mistake.

It is my hope that there really is a new movement within the party. Strong willed, determined folks who frame the argument and roll right over lying Thugs and status-quo Dems.I'm achieving it in my region and I can only hope lots of others are doing same in their corner of the world.

Julie

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sweetheart Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 06:14 AM
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4. They're powerful?
Mincing words, they have the appearance of power, whilst in truth having very little of their own.

The right is powerful by scaring the public and absorbing the authority that everyone concedes to them in fear. Much how a bully claims to be powerful.

Their real power, however, comes from folks they've brainwashed and keep brainwashed... just like in the matrix, except its not so dramatic as big capsules of bodies plugged in to batteries. Rather this power flows cleanly and simply towards them when people buy in to their lies. It is "we the people" who make the republicans appear
strong.

Every step you take towards not supporting them is a threat to them. They want to take your life force, and this is done by simply taking your time, as in front of the TV set, your money in taxes, your children in war. They are a cancer killing off the healthy cells by transforming them on contact... largely as the cells they infect are not prepared or wise to the methods of attack. Every time you touch that administration in thought or in deed, you give them your power. Were you to count all those events in a day, over the course of time, you can see how deeply they surround even good hearted wise people. If you eliminate the sources of contact, at least your own power will not go to them, and this is the main prayer of strength for healthy society.
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Solomon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 07:35 AM
Response to Original message
5. It's because the right is exclusive while the left is inclusive.
It's much easier to form word associations and organize when you are excluding things.

The left has it harder because it has to deal with an umbrella for everybody. That makes it hard to focus on single issues.

Thankgoodness this time around we have a single issue: Bush.
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rman Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 07:51 AM
Response to Original message
6. they are highly motivated and have no scruples
that's how they get the money and power (or money-power if you will) to organize themselves and influence society.

in comparison the left is a few decades and millions of dollars behind the curve.
while they plot for global domination, we'd rather have a beer or somesuch. which we should, but first we have to stop them, if only to prevent them from taking our beer away.

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/10/27_lakoff.shtml
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/10/27_lakoff_p2.shtml
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Lefergus70 Donating Member (94 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 08:14 AM
Response to Reply #6
7. They can manipulate public opinion
Rightwingers are everywhere on the radio and TV because they're friendly to the sponsors and the station owners, which are the big corporations. Phil Donahue can tell you all about it.
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doc03 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-21-04 08:58 AM
Response to Original message
9. Because labor is so weak for one thing
Both parties have bought into this free trade, anti-labor and pro
(illegal) immigration mindset that has reduced the unionized labor force to only about 12 or 13% today. Most union members that I work with see no reason to vote for a Democrat any more.
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I Thaumaturgist Donating Member (20 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-21-04 09:14 AM
Response to Original message
10. They are so powerful...
because we allow it.

They only get into power when people don't vote.

Every democrat should vote in every election.

The past three years should be all the reason they need.
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onebigbadwulf Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-21-04 09:23 AM
Response to Original message
11. They get money from the corporations and mindless loyalty
from the libertarians and christian idiots.
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AlinPA Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-21-04 09:37 AM
Response to Original message
12. Media control and Rightwing zeal + $$$$$$$+ Religious Fundamentalists
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