Musing while grant writing:
Do I get any credit for NOT mentioning the 'GOP Orangeman' the past several week because I realized he is 100% NOT the problem? When almost 70% of white Americans believe racism doesn't exist (except against whites), 2/3 of GOP voters favor banning Muslims, and majority are more concerned with foreign terrorist than the 1,000,000 Americans who have died from gun violence in my lifetime then the problem isn't with a candidate. The candidates are just playing off of a large, hysterical, fact-free zone of public voters. When birthers started claiming that Obama was born in Kenya and still 70% of GOP voters still think this is true (despite evidence) then something is going on here. In the 2008 Dem primaries Clinton proposed a gas rebate as pander bait for high gas prices. Liberal bloggers and left-wing media immediately checked the facts, wrote stories about how it wouldn't help, and then Dem voters overwhelmingly rejected the cheap ploy. A week later Clinton dropped the idea not only because it wouldn't work and wasn't popular but it had been backed up by actual facts...and Dem voters responded to those facts. I don't know what can be done when a solid 40-45% of the country believes Jesus is going to save us global warming, Obama is a godless Communist Muslim (which makes no sense btw), racism is a Santa Claus excuse for Blacks, and ISIS is a bigger threat to their safety than open carry owners and cops who are killing innocent people right now at this very moment. If and when the Orangeman fades away, he will be replaced by another. The next demagogue might be younger, cuter, speak more charmingly and have better PR, so the threat is real if it remains unchecked by conservative media. We are dealing with a sustained right-wing riot of irrational people who are going to save this country by lighting it on fire. And we can't fight fire with fire unless we are prepared to die in a blaze of hate
Do I get any credit for NOT mentioning the 'GOP Orangeman' the past several week because I realized he is 100% NOT the problem? When almost 70% of white Americans believe racism doesn't exist (except against whites), 2/3 of GOP voters favor banning Muslims, and majority are more concerned with foreign terrorist than the 1,000,000 Americans who have died from gun violence in my lifetime then the problem isn't with a candidate. The candidates are just playing off of a large, hysterical, fact-free zone of public voters. When birthers started claiming that Obama was born in Kenya and still 70% of GOP voters still think this is true (despite evidence) then something is going on here. In the 2008 Dem primaries Clinton proposed a gas rebate as pander bait for high gas prices. Liberal bloggers and left-wing media immediately checked the facts, wrote stories about how it wouldn't help, and then Dem voters overwhelmingly rejected the cheap ploy. A week later Clinton dropped the idea not only because it wouldn't work and wasn't popular but it had been backed up by actual facts...and Dem voters responded to those facts. I don't know what can be done when a solid 40-45% of the country believes Jesus is going to save us global warming, Obama is a godless Communist Muslim (which makes no sense btw), racism is a Santa Claus excuse for Blacks, and ISIS is a bigger threat to their safety than open carry owners and cops who are killing innocent people right now at this very moment. If and when the Orangeman fades away, he will be replaced by another. The next demagogue might be younger, cuter, speak more charmingly and have better PR, so the threat is real if it remains unchecked by conservative media. We are dealing with a sustained right-wing riot of irrational people who are going to save this country by lighting it on fire. And we can't fight fire with fire unless we are prepared to die in a blaze of hate
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