Heh, please. I'm not saying I agree with everything here. But come on, the Republicans that actually fit this model (and that's a lot of your average American Republican voters) are morons. It's not that I want the government to do everything for us--far from it, obviously--but I'd like to see an actual critique of these policies that doesn't devolve into hypocrisy and name-calling. The Republicans who fit this model whine about big government, while loving big wars, social security, and many other things that big government represents, yet many have virtually no alternative proposal. I don't deny that I like the things in here, but I offer an alternative idea of how they can be achieved: anarchism.
Ed, how many of these ignorant joe-the-plumber republicans have you actually gotten out and talked with? This may shock you, but Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity are NOT the voices of the American right that you think they are.
I was raised in a very conservative town, and although I am certainly not a conservative, I know I can say for a fact that conservative culture, by and large, is actually pretty functional. Most conservatives in this country are good people who have a strong sense of personal and civic responsibility...FAR moreso than the average liberal. Most of them DON'T agree with the war and don't approve of Bush and the neocons. Most are actually quite consistent with their political views.
This caricature has no more bearing on reality than me calling the left a bunch of irresponsible dope-smoking hippie faggots. If you want to see an actual debate that doesn't devolve into hypocrisy and name-calling, then stop being a name-calling hypocrite.
I have to disagree. I too grew up in a conservative town and then went to a conservative college (high school in a Republican suburb, college in a Republican rural/post-industrial town), and have spoken to MANY Republicans and befriended more than a few. The individual portrayed in the caricature above is representative of a good many individuals I've talked to.
I get the impression that you think most republicans are libertarians. Sadly, they're not (if they were, I'd be far more sympathetic to their cause, like I am sympathetic to Ron Paul's cause even though I ultimately have deep philosophical disagreements with him). A lot of republicans today are represented by the Christian-RIght and their movements, and this is especially true of older Republicans (the younger Republicans are a bit different, in some cases).
So, to answer your question, I've talked to a lot of these folks, and some of them have been my friends and family.
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I was raised in a very conservative town, and although I am certainly not a conservative, I know I can say for a fact that conservative culture, by and large, is actually pretty functional. Most conservatives in this country are good people who have a strong sense of personal and civic responsibility...FAR moreso than the average liberal. Most of them DON'T agree with the war and don't approve of Bush and the neocons. Most are actually quite consistent with their political views.
This caricature has no more bearing on reality than me calling the left a bunch of irresponsible dope-smoking hippie faggots. If you want to see an actual debate that doesn't devolve into hypocrisy and name-calling, then stop being a name-calling hypocrite.
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I get the impression that you think most republicans are libertarians. Sadly, they're not (if they were, I'd be far more sympathetic to their cause, like I am sympathetic to Ron Paul's cause even though I ultimately have deep philosophical disagreements with him). A lot of republicans today are represented by the Christian-RIght and their movements, and this is especially true of older Republicans (the younger Republicans are a bit different, in some cases).
So, to answer your question, I've talked to a lot of these folks, and some of them have been my friends and family.
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