Progressives Will Never Win the Hearts and Minds of the American People
by BarryGoldwater
Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 04:17:19 PM PDT
This Post will explain in detail why Progressives cannot win the hearts and minds of the American people. If you want to prove me false, I suggest you take the time to read it.
BarryGoldwater's diary :: ::
I. Too many Conservatives / Libertarians once considered themselves Progressive / Liberal.
Progressives have an inherent disadvantage bringing people to their political point-of-view. The reason for this is very simple: A great majority of Conservatives / Libertarians are people over the age of 30, who were previously Progressives themselves. Most Progressives, on the other hand, are below the age of 30 and have not done their homework to learn what they are up against.
I know this to be the case because I was once one of those people.
I once considered myself to be a bleeding heart liberal. I was concerned that Republicans had destroyed our standing around the world. I really believed that Republicans did not care about the environment, so I worked for an environmental lobbying organization. I thought Republicans only cared about themselves and should spread the wealth to create more equality for the poor and middleclass. I thought universal healthcare should be a right not a privilege. I believed FDR was America’s greatest President. I believe the religious-right was a danger to America (I am still about as non-religious as one can be). I was against the death penalty, and for the estate tax. I believed that more funding for education would uplift people out of poor neighborhoods. I believed everything a good Democrat / Liberal / Progressive should. Then again, I was still in Undergrad.
You see, as many of you know, politically active Progressives are very well-read. They have read Chomsky, Zinn, Lakoff, Frankin, Naomi Klein, Thomas Frank, Mailer, Upton Sinclair, and Rachel Carson. They have watched videos from the Media Education Foundation, Michael Moore, Media Matters, and Brave New Films. In fact, they are so confident in their viewpoints after reading these books, watching these videos, and listening to lectures from some of the most brilliant minds in America (often right in the classroom), they assume that anyone who disagrees with these views is less educated. In fact, the exact opposite is true.
What Progressives today do not realize is that Conservatives / Libertarians have had the same education as Progressives. We read all of your books. We watched all your videos. We listened to all your lectures. We have learned all the arguments supporting your side. In fact, we once believed them to be true.
What many of you fail to understand is that we are more versed in Progressive literature than most of you. We know what we are up against. How can you expect to bring us all back to your side unless you know what caused you to lose your fellow supporters?
II. The Proof
Let me prove this to you. How many of your have read Thomas Sowell’s Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy 3rd Edition? How many of you have read anything from Ludwig Von Mises? Frederick von hayek? Frederick Bastiat? Milton Friedman? Andrew Bernstein? Andrew Napolitano? Ayn Rand? William F. Buckley? George Will? If you have not read at least four of these authors, you do not know what you are up against.
Being a Progressive is like arguing before the Supreme Court without reading the opposing counsel’s brief and expecting Justice Scalia will give you a backrub.
According to recent objective polling data, one should be very concerned if you describe yourself as a Progressive:
“"When thinking about politics and government, do you consider yourself to be...
Very conservative
Somewhat conservative
MODERATE
Somewhat liberal
Very liberal
UNSURE/REFUSED"
In August 2008, Americans answered that question this way: (1) 20% of Americans considered themselves to be very conservative; (2) 40% of Americans considered themselves to be somewhat conservative; (3) 2% of Americans considered themselves to be moderate; (4) 27% of Americans considered themselves to be somewhat liberal; (5) 9% of Americans considered themselves to be very liberal; and (6) 3% of Americans did not know or refused to answer.
Sixty percent of Americans considered themselves conservative. Does this mean that most Americans do not know what "conservative" means? No: The question specifically provides an out to people who are not sure about their ideology; it provides an out to people who want to be considered "moderate." Americans reject those choices. They overwhelmingly define themselves as "conservative." This is a huge political story - except that it is not "new" at all. Look at the thirteen Battleground Poll results over the last six years, and how do Americans answer that very question? Here are the percentages of Americans in those polls who call themselves "conservative" since June 2002: 59% (June 2002 poll), 59% (September 2003 poll), 61% (April 2004 poll), 59% (June 2004 poll), 60% (September 2004 poll), 61% (October 2005 poll), 59% (March 2006), 61% (October 2006), 59% (January 2007), 63% (July 2007), 58% (December 2007), 63% (May 2008), and now 60% (August 2008.)â€
(
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/08/the_biggest_missing_story_in_p.html)
II. What Most of You Have Done Wrong
Most of you have done the exact opposite of what needs to be done to win the hearts and minds of the American people. The Daily Kos is a microcosm of this fact, and I can prove it to you: 1) If you are reading this paragraph, I have no doubt someone has already called me a troll and asked for my comment ability to be blocked for the future; 2) You will no doubt see comments below calling me a repug, neocon, mcbush or a paid corporate something from Faux News; and 3) Nobody will attempt to address what I said.
In fact, the greatest harm that Progressives have done to their own supporters is encouraged unpreparedness. You have been told that Rush Limbaugh is a demagogue, and Fox News tells lies. So instead of watching and listening to these networks yourself to understand what is being said, you plug your ears and close your eyes.
You have been told that Conservative blogs or authors are not to be trusted, so you refuse to read the opposing side. Well, wouldn’t it make more sense to learn what is swaying so many people? If you are solid in your convictions, what are you afraid of?
III. You need to explain the following.
If you want to convince the other 60% of Americans that you are correct, you need to specifically address the following:
When in history has an increase in governmental power over any aspect of life led to more prosperity? (If you say FDR you have not read the above authors)
What incentive do colleges have to lower their tuitions if the government keeps promising to foot the bill no matter the price?
Why are you against parents and students choosing what school the student attends?
When armed governments or mobs against unarmed people have committed the greatest atrocities of mankind, why are you for disarming the citizens?
If the Constitution can change over time (“living and breathingâ€), why do you trust the Supreme Court rather than the American people through the amendment process to move it in the right direction?
If we get off oil, how many people are you willing to see die because there will be no synthetic materials, plastics (made from oil), or the ability to ship food to needy markets?
Why do you support ending a secret ballot to unionize?
How successful do I need to get before you want to publically attack me for being rich and punish me?
Why do you want to take money out of the hands of people who create jobs, give it to politicians, and then have the politicians give it back to the people who were just fired because their bosses no longer had the money to pay them?
When we spend more taxpayer money on education than any country in the world other than Switzerland, at what point will you realize that “more funding for education†is not the solution to solve failing schools?
If economic sanctions cause harm, why support protectionism, which is essentially placing economic sanctions on your own country?
Why are you against drilling and converting coal to oil, when speculators will drive the price of gas down the very day we announce that we are going to drill?
Why are you against Nuclear Power when more people have died of vending machines falling on them in America than Nuclear Power in America?
Why are you against “urban sprawl†when 95% of America is undeveloped, meaning if everyone doubled their land use, 90% of America would be untouched?
Why do you support “Universal Healthcare†when Canadians who really get sick come to Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit and Seattle to get care?
Why do you believe in Anthropogenic global warming when CO2 lags behind temperature in the ice core record by 100s of years, the climate models have not been accurate for the last ten years, the 2007 temperatures were so low that the Earth is now cooling, polar bear populations have been on the rise for the last 50 years, we have had over five ice ages, and it will cost multiple trillions of dollars in initiatives that will not change the temperature of the Planet .05% of a degree. UPDATE: August was the first month in a century with no Sun Spots!
If African American’s life expectancy is around 65 years old, why should they not be allowed to opt out of social security, which taxes people at 6% + 6% (from employer) = 12% of their income for their entire lives.
If we scrapped our military, and kept the Bill Clinton Tax levels, we would still have a deficit, so are you willing to cut Medicare or Medicaid?
When millions of people have their pensions invested in the stock market, and work for corporations, why are you against profit?
Why do you think that working for a living is exploitation?
I have more questions, but let us start with the basics.
IV Grow Up
The destruction of a 17 year old did not do anything to help your cause. You seem to think it is somehow justified because Sarah Palin is pro-life. I would love for someone to explain to me that logic, she is having the child and has a great family to support her. Sarah Palin simply did not want to place the burden on Bristol for the rest of her life that she turned down the Vice Presidency because Bristol was Pregnant. She did it out of love for her daughter. This is precisely why you may still lose in November, even after George W. Bush.
The fact of the matter is that you should be up by 20-30 points in this years election. Why do you think it is not the case? Have you ever thought about why not even Bill Clinton won the majority of American's vote? You may win elections but you are not persuading people.
It is not that the America people are stupid; it is that you are not prepared to understand the American people. In fact, all you have done is confirmed my convictions for why I will never call myself a Progressive.
Devil's Advocate
Editorialist
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/2/183838/5097/978/583791Poll
I read this post and...
He is a Troll. Block Him
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He made a good effort. Keep him.
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