Ditch Dixie

[MrFun]

Originally posted by DinoDoc

You hear echoes of Southern nationalism whenever Mississippi invokes "states' rights" to justify flying the Confederate flag over their capitols

We usually appeal to democratic ideals given the referendum we had on the matter. But why let facts get in the way of a good rant.

The majority can be stupid sometimes on such issues as "flying the Confederate flag" and "gay marriage."

[Agathon]

Why shouldn't the Dems be dissappointed? Your country has been taken over by a bunch of fundie loons.

Most of the world's population is dissappointed. But you say you don't care – that attitude is why they are dissappointed.

[Arrian]

Me?

Fiscally conservative, socially liberal, proactive on the environment (but I'd stress using proper science, not psuedoscientific hysteria as the basis for policy), and
foreign policy... you know, I'm not sure what the exact term would be. I'm pro-democracy but disagree with the neocon notion of bringing it about via the barrel of a gun. I'm pro-UN (the idea) but generally wary of the UN (the reality). I do think the US government's primary responsibility is to protect the interests of its citizens over the citizens of other nations, but there are limits to that (in other words, America first, yes, but not America uber alles... if that makes sense).

New England Liberal Republican party?

-Arrian

[Patroklos]

The majority can be stupid sometimes on such issues as "flying the Confederate flag" and "gay marriage."

Negative, the majority is only stupid when they disagree with you. Funny how that works.

[Ramo]

I guess the question for those who see it the way Rufus does is this: what conservative tactics are you talking about emulating?

He probably means that liberals should try to create their own ideological infrastructure - think tanks, radio stations, and so forth, so they have more control over the parameters of the debate. For the past few decades conservatives have been the only guys building this infrastructure, so they have been able to reframe the debate so that the position has almost become the default position. And with this, the LBJ landslide of '64 turned into the Reagan landslide of '84.

[Agathon]

See... Arrian is sane.

What's wrong with Kansas?

[Arrian]

He probably means that liberals should try to create their own ideological infrastructure - think tanks, radio stations, and so forth, so they have more control over the parameters of the debate.

Make it so. That's a long-term project, and I say go for it. Meanwhile, in the short-term, put up some more moderate candidates. Do both at once.

-Arrian

[Last Conformist]

It's not nuked to the bedrock yet?

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Patroklos


Negative, the majority is only stupid when they disagree with you. Funny how that works.

Yeah . . . . . .

I guess I'm making too big of a deal when the majority could care less about the principle of equal rights protection, or wanting to wave the flag from a historical secession movement that could have destroyed the country that you and others claim to be so patriotically fond of today.

[Agathon]

Liberals already have their own think tanks. They are called universities, where liberal ideas predominate because people are clever and won't fall for Bush style conservatism.

Your suggestion won't work as too many people have been taught simply to discount anything a liberal says as lies without subjecting it to any real test.

That's the difference between us and them. We're rational, sometimes.

[Arrian]

Your suggestion won't work as too many people have been taught simply to discount anything a liberal says as lies without subjecting it to any real test.

Defeatist line of thought, and thus useless.

-Arrian

[Ramo]

Make it so. That's a long-term project, and I say go for it. Meanwhile, in the short-term, put up some more moderate candidates. Do both at once.

Hey, I supported a guy to the right of Kerry on most issues in the primaries. It's just that the Democratic Party called him an unelectable radical for having the guts to say what he believes, and for putting the democratic agenda ahead of the Democratic agenda.

[Az]

Hey, I supported a guy to the right of Kerry on most issues in the primaries.

Who's that?

[Ramo]

Howard Dean.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Ramo
Howard Dean.

Howard Dean to the RIGHT of Kerry?



yeah right