The real issue

[Aloha_Shooter]

I don't think the country is completely, irredeemably over but last night showed we have dug deeper into the hole. The contest shouldn't have been close even with a mediocre candidate (and while Romney was no Reagan, he's also wasn't John McCain or Bob Dole). The GOP appealed to reason (with some exceptions) and the Democrats appealed to emotion while Libertarians laced emotion with some reason to appeal to the small minority willing to be ineffective in order to make a statement about a Third Way. Pure emotion won out. It doesn't matter what they do, what lies they tell, however much they ascribe their own actions and motives to their opponents, the Democrats have nearly perfected an appeal to emotions that outweighs everything else.

The problem I see is that we have an increasingly stupid, uneducated populace who lack critical thinking skills and buy whatever diatribe makes them feel good. It's not about race or gender but whether people can look at a set of facts, ask critical questions, throw out the spin and come to a reasoned conclusion. We no longer teach those skills in school and the NEA fights any effort to do so.

Unfortunately, there's no way to implement the Atlas Shrugged scenario -- even assuming you could convince some people to vacate their positions of prestige or comfort -- so even if one wanted to abandon it all, there's no free place to go to.

[roberth]

I don't think the country is completely, irredeemably over but last night showed we have dug deeper into the hole. The contest shouldn't have been close even with a mediocre candidate (and while Romney was no Reagan, he's also wasn't John McCain or Bob Dole). The GOP appealed to reason (with some exceptions) and the Democrats appealed to emotion while Libertarians laced emotion with some reason to appeal to the small minority willing to be ineffective in order to make a statement about a Third Way. Pure emotion won out. It doesn't matter what they do, what lies they tell, however much they ascribe their own actions and motives to their opponents, the Democrats have nearly perfected an appeal to emotions that outweighs everything else.

The problem I see is that we have an increasingly stupid, uneducated populace who lack critical thinking skills and buy whatever diatribe makes them feel good. It's not about race or gender but whether people can look at a set of facts, ask critical questions, throw out the spin and come to a reasoned conclusion. We no longer teach those skills in school and the NEA fights any effort to do so.

Unfortunately, there's no way to implement the Atlas Shrugged scenario -- even assuming you could convince some people to vacate their positions of prestige or comfort -- so even if one wanted to abandon it all, there's no free place to go to.

I said that differently in a different thread.

This is the pitfall of federally funded public education. The government, which is always seeking to grow itself, will train people in the manner that will most likely increase the size of the government.

We see what the government is doing, unfortunately the majority of the population does not.

[Zundfolge]

I don't think the country is completely, irredeemably over but last night showed we have dug deeper into the hole.

I disagree.

The changes that Obama will be able to institute over the next four years will be completely insurmountable within the system (and don't get any ideas about "outside the system" or "direct action" ... we could barely beat an army that lived across an ocean and took a month to resupply troops. I don't see us winning against drones and satellites and the like, especially on their "home turf").

• The Supreme Court will be completely taken over by Marxists that make Kagan and Sotomayor look like Originalists.
• Obamacare will now never be stopped (that alone kills us).
• Several UN treaties (the arms one and Agenda 21) will end up as the law of the land (and upheld by the Marxists in the SCOTUS).
• Any attempt to true the vote will be squashed (expect all voter ID laws to be gone soon ... and you don't think at least part of Obama's victory wasn't due to cheating?)
• The takers will outnumber the makers in short order (less than 4 years).

No sir, the "last best hope for mankind" just died last night. Its a death that took almost a century to complete (beginning with Wilson and the first Roosevelt) but its good and done now.

[DD977GM2]

they don't. Don't tread on me. I see a huge burst in followership for the tea party and liberaterians.

What election did you watch?

[Ronin13]

I feel shame having stood up for this once great nation, it's like my 4 years of service went to protecting people's rights to take and not give back. I guess we learned the true, ignorant nature of Americans- They put abortion, gay rights, women (????) and entitlements before fixing the economy and securing our future (not to mention taking a harder line on foreign policy).

[roberth]

I feel shame having stood up for this once great nation, it's like my 4 years of service went to protecting people's rights to take and not give back. I guess we learned the true, ignorant nature of Americans- They put abortion, gay rights, women (????) and entitlements before fixing the economy and securing our future (not to mention taking a harder line on foreign policy).

What do you expect, the sheep are doing what they've been trained to do.

Unfortunately for the sheep, they were trained by the wolves.

[hatidua]

I guess we learned the true, ignorant nature of Americans- They put abortion, gay rights, women (????)

If the GOP continues to have those three items be their most prominent talking points, they won't win any more elections.

I voted for Romney, not because I liked him but because I'm not a fan of his opponent. However, if Republicans keep obsessing about what people do in their private lives, the GOP is done and no amount of Koch/Adelson money will win them an election.

Simply getting the white male vote will never again win an election in this country, the demographics have changed.

[Ronin13]

If the GOP continues to have those three items be their most prominent talking points, they won't win any more elections.

I voted for Romney, not because I liked him but because I'm not a fan of his opponent. However, if Republicans keep obsessing about what people do in their private lives, the GOP is done and no amount of Koch/Adelson money will win them an election.

Simply getting the white male vote will never again win an election in this country, the demographics have changed.

I agree... the GOP needs to stop pandering to the far right who believes that you can legislate morals, stop taking a stance on abortion and gay rights, focus on fiscal, and foreign policy issues!

[clark]

We have forsaken our future to our greed. This marks the end of an empire and a way of life.

[dwalker460]

Well we will soon see what happens when the wealthy take their money and move it to other parts of the world.