StorminNorman
Avenger
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2005
- Messages
- 30,513
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- 33
If you think they are misled and following an evil path, you are still condescending to them (and myself), as well as still being unable to work with them. How can you work with people whose goal is evil tyranny? You will thereby live on the fringe unless your party has a major majority. And in this scenario you can contribute nothing beyond partisan bickering, which is wholly unneeded.
I believe that the number of individuals that are truly "progressive" make up a small percentage of the population. I believe many don't understand, and are in fact actually frustrated by the results of progressive policies like State Capitalism (another word for Corportism) which benefits Big Business.
I believe I can win over "neo-liberals" by stressing my drug policy, immigration policy, gay rights policy, foriegn policy. I am to the "left" of most Democrats on those issues. I believe THOSE are the issues that most liberals care about.
It doesn't matter if it's a "Republican" issue or a "Democrat" issue. "Left" or "Right". It's liberty or government. Those are my party lines.
No. I just point out that your ideology would condone both...or at least the preservation of both. In fact, it is your ideology that Southern states used to defend both practices. To ignore that is to ignore reality in favor of a form of revisionist history.
And by comparing you to Sean Hannity, I mean you called the other side's philosophy evil and have walked it back now to saying they are "well intentioned" but misguided in their evil deeds. That is Beckian, but the ending note is that the other side is evil and your views are righteous. That is what Sean Hannity implies every night. He just does it in a smugger, more dishonest way. But the end post is still the same: "They are bad and we are good." You can rationalize it any way you want, but you have the same message.
I have never ignored the fact that the cries of "States Rights" and "Nullification" were used to defend slavery as an instititution (an institution that my ideology would find intolerable due to it's recognition of individual rights - but that's another point), however that does nothing to weaken the integrity or soundness of the argument.
You, however, have run from the obvious connection between Progressive ideology and fascism. FDR and Hitler had the same solution to the Great Depression. (Hint, neither's solution was to slaughter the jews)
Are you saying you don't believe the lies were spread that are well documented and McCain has commented on many times...that have also appeared in descriptions of conversations he had with Bush in Woodward books? Or are you asking for direct evidence that the rumormongers that implied that he had fathered a black child out of wedlock, was attending brothels, and that Cindy McCain was a drug addict were originated by Karl Rove. That I'd have to look up, but everyone knows who was responsible for those lies. His name starts with a "K" and ends "arl Rove." But like the months before Scooter Libby came clean, there's no concrete evidence the Bush administration leaked that, right?![]()
I have no doubt McCain claims it happened, but never any primary material. It seems to me that such an explosive call, that was undoubtedly left on more than one answering machine, never was documented anywhere. Nor have I seen anyone who actually received one ever interviewed.
I guess we do agree. BTW you didn't comment on his running on persecution of gays and unconstitutional bigotry in the 2004 election.![]()
Because he was running on bigotry in 2004. Bush was Neoconservative.
Perhaps your partially right; the progressives also pursued the foolish prohibition that led to a spike in criminality. I tend to consider minimum wages a good thing however (though rent controlled housing is another story).
But overall the progressive agenda has done a lot of good things for this country and to say that it springs from evil is just insulting. And has no room in the national discourse from someone who thinks he'll become a senator or governor one day. It only contributes to a terrible wall of noise that has more to do with cable news' perceptions of reality than the problems we as a country do face.
I have a problem with individuals believing they have the right to restrict the rights of others. I hate the idea of the government being able to tell any business owner of any type that he can't throw anyone of any type for any reason out of his business. It is not a "civil rights" issue for, because race is irrelevant - motive is irrelevant. I don't believe the very institution of government has the moral right to invade on the owner's soverignty.
I believe in natural rights and I see progressivism as a rejection of the concept. Even if their intentions are good.
For the record my view of history stems from knowing historians from multiple backgrounds in academia, public policy, and the private sector my whole life. And learning from them, as well as reading numerous biographies and historical texts--particularly around the area of the Antebellum Period through Reconstruction in the South--and the Southern politics that formed as a result of those events leading to race riots and segregation by the end of the century. I am no scholar on the 20th centur, though I have studied Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, and Nixon exhaustively. I also have enjoyed talking to many people who actually lived through the Depression and WWII...not just read about it in a book.
Excuse my tyrade, work fueled frustration getting the better of me - it's beneath me to get in "a contest of 'whose bigger'". Don't get me wrong, I am still confident in such a measurement - but it was immature.
You try to view history through a political philosophy....I prefer just to view history and gather my thoughts on what it meant from there. Historical context comes first, philosophical musings and interpretations come after. Your brand of libertarianism is more likely to be found articulated in a political science class by cocky undergrads trying to prove their superior intellect with argumentative, contrarian, and highly inaccurate viewpoints. And that is why their view is a footnote in history.
You clearly do not understand "my brand" of libertarianism.
Fair enough. I know you hate Jefferson. Something tells me though Jefferson would hate Rand. But that would be a fun debate to watch.
I can't see how Jefferson could hate Rand for a second. Maybe a personality clash, but I don't think Rand would have many objections with much of Jefferson's philosphy.