O'Reilly evidence

I see a lot of stereotyping on this forum regarding conservatives / republicans. It must feel good to think one has figured them out as a group. Once the stereotypes are entrenched, it's very easy to explain any media event in that context.First, it’s just plain wrong to paint such a broad brush and second, the EXACT same thing happens on the other side.

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In my own experience with relatives and other people who are Republicans, they tend to defend and cheerlead for "the team", with all of the rationalization and post hoc reasoning and making excuses that such team mentality entails. They are "defending the faith", as it were. Bush and Co. are right, the Republicans in Congress are right, in everything any of them do, and the follower's job is to defend and justify to themselves and others the actions, even if that means being willfully ignorant.

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I can take your post and substitute the words republicans for democrats, and Bush and Co. for Clinton and Co., and you would have the exact same mantra espoused by the republicans during the Clinton years.We should remember that the political pendulum never stays at one end very long. Soon enough, the country will grow weary of the republicans and the time will be ripe for a democrat to take over. In every case since WWII, a two term president has been succeeded by a president from the opposition party. I would say the odds are good that a democrat will get elected in ’08.

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I don't think a lot of the Republicans I know have actually thought through their positions themselves, considering many different alternatives and the pros and cons of each. They are just a member of the faithful throngs who follow because it feels good to them. .

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Ah yes, political hubris knows no boundaries.

I said:

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In every case since WWII, a two term president has been succeeded by a president from the opposition party. I would say the odds are good that a democrat will get elected in ’08.

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Oops, I forgot about Bush Sr. following Reagan's two terms.Hmmm.. the democratic presidential drought may not end any time soon after all.

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Look, I am talking about the specific people in my life who have self-identified as Republican, and I am talking about the specific issues I have discussed with them, and I am telling you that they all have pretty much spouted the party line on all of them.

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I can't really help that, now can I?

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No, you can't really help that if that's the type of people you associate with.

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So, do you acknowledge that I am not stereotyping to all republicans and am reporting my own experience?

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I can't say one way or the other if you are sterotyping since I don't know your associates. If you say you are not then that may be the case.My question to you then; Do you ever extrapolate your personal opinions regarding the republicans that you know to the broader group of republicans that you don't know?We're getting off topic, admins may be lurking.

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...agreed with Gore that the combustion engine was the worse thing that ever happened to man.

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How so?

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In that video they say he hated the combustion engine. I don't remember the exact quote. I just remember thinking it interesting that Tolkien agreed with Gore on that point.

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Poor old Al has already taken a beating on this forum for his create the internet comment which is why your comment caught my attention. I wanted to give Al the benefit of the doubt on this one.I looked it up and it seems his comment came from his book Earth in the Balance where he recommended the phase out of the internal combustion engine over the next 25 years. He didn’t say he hated it, just that he wants newer technology to replace it.

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I know that all Republicans are not like the people I know. I know that there are some very reasonable Republican lawmakers like Arlen Specter and John McCain that I respect and admire, although I do not always agree with all of their views.

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Ok, fair enough

Hi Rrhain, Bull. Republicans and Democrats ARE the same in tactic and scope. Different ideologies that’s all. Democrats are just as extreme in their views, just as likely to spew propaganda, just as ready to ignore evidence contrary to their positions as are the Republicans. In short, politics is the same on both sides. When the Democrats controlled both houses, they did indeed have similar control that the Republicans now enjoy. They did lose some measure of control in Clinton's second term, but if you take a longer view of history, 1994 was the first time in 40 years that Republicans were able to wrestle control of congress from the Democrats. Beginning with Roosevelts new deal in 1936, Democrats have controlled the government for most of the 20th century. I would agree with this. Many republicans felt the same way. What made the Clinton situation so startling was that he was not only caught lying, but caught in such a public way. Pointing straight into the camera and flat out lying through his teeth in such a convincing fashion was why many found the situation repugnant.I know, I know, you don’t need show proof of Republican lying because there is plenty of that and a lot is also repugnant. Its just that Clinton’s lie was more of a spectacle. Clinton/Lewinsky verses Bolton do not compare. On the one hand you have the President of the US caught in a bald faced lie on national TV. On the other hand, you have partisans supporting their candidate through lies and propaganda. If the tables were turned, the democrats would have raked a republican president over the coals and democratic partisans would be just as visceral in support of their nominee. There is no difference, it’s all US politics. Bush followed two-term Ronnie. Yes, I already posted a correction in Message 68

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Do you really see no difference in the kinds of things the Republicans have been doing with what the democrats did?

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That's right, there is NO difference. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE"Blink, I just said that".... have another one for good measure.... "Blink". You really enjoy that little phrase don't you. I've seen you post it many times. Others have asked if you have something in your eye. It's getting a bit stale though.Back to the topic. I realize there is nothing that would convince you that your cherished democrats are not as power hungry and corrupt as Republicans. As such there is no point engaging you in a mud slinging contest. If I were to go back and start digging up dirt to show that democrats are just as bad as republicans, we would extend this thread far beyond the 300 post limit. So I'll keep this brief.You are wrong to think democrats are above republicans and do not stoop to the same level of false propaganda. They both crave power in the same extreme.

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I think the deeper issues this time round are so serious and so fundamental that our very system of government is at stake

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Riiiiiiiiightt......and the whole thing will collapse under extreme, oppressive, fundamentalist, right wing, nazi, fascist, civilization ending republicans. Now, do you feel better?Geez, I'll say it again, THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. The minority party always feels like it's the end of the world especially after losing the presidency and both houses. Ok, the republicans have been in control for 12 years, big deal. It's easy to forget 40 years of corrupt, left wing, extreme, liberal, communist loving, arrogant democratic dominance.So just hang on and ride it out little buckaroo, your time will come, the pendulum will swing, and the sun will come out tomorrow.

Yes, you are wrong. The majority of republicans are not extreme fundamentalist, just as the majority of democrats are not atheists communist. Our laws will not become subserviant to the Bible. The only place that will happen is in forum debates by fear mongering democratic partisans.