The 14 Victories by Bush - that liberals hate

Discussion in 'Politics' started by Don Hakman, Jan 18, 2004.

  1. Don Hakman Registered Senior Member

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    Whatever failures that liberals claim Bush is responsible for...

    THERE ARE 14 THINGS HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED
    that are seldom mentioned (in one breath) but are huge.
    (btw when I say HE I mean of course the cadre his dad gave him)

    I will now state the 14 things without emotion or the histronics of political cartooning.

    They are:

    1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. From the prominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins, the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the regime itself and of citizens caught up in its frenzy, was always obvious. Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia.


    2. Disdain for the importance of human rights. The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation.


    3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. The most significant common thread among these regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to divert the people's attention from other problems, to shift blame for failures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions. The methods of choice—relentless propaganda and disinformation—were usually effective. Often the regimes would incite "spontaneous" acts against ethnic and racial minorities, traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals, and "terrorists." Active opponents of these regimes were inevitably labeled as terrorists and dealt with accordingly.


    4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism. Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructure that supported it. A disproportionate share of national resources was allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute. The military was seen as an expression of nationalism, and was used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite.


    5. Rampant sexism. Beyond the simple fact that the political elite and the national culture were male-dominated, these regimes inevitably viewed women as second-class citizens. They were adamantly anti-abortion and also homophobic. These attitudes were usually codified in Draconian laws that enjoyed strong support by the orthodox religion of the country, thus lending the regime cover for its abuses.


    6. A controlled mass media. Under some of the regimes, the mass media were under strict direct control and could be relied upon never to stray from the party line. Other regimes exercised more subtle power to ensure media orthodoxy. Methods included the control of licensing and access to resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The leaders of the mass media were often politically compatible with the power elite. The result was usually success in keeping the general public unaware of the regimes' excesses.


    7. Obsession with national security. Inevitably, a national security apparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite. It was usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting "national security," and questioning its activities was portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous.


    8. Religion and ruling elite tied together. Unlike communist regimes, the fascist and protofascist regimes were never proclaimed as godless by their opponents. In fact, most of the regimes attached themselves to the predominant religion of the country and chose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. The fact that the ruling elite's behavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the "godless." A perception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion.


    9. Power of corporations protected. Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of "have-not" citizens.


    10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated. Since organized labor was seen as the one power center that could challenge the political hegemony of the ruling elite and its corporate allies, it was inevitably crushed or made powerless. The poor formed an underclass, viewed with suspicion or outright contempt. Under some regimes, being poor was considered akin to a vice.


    11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts. Intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression associated with them were anathema to these regimes. Intellectual and academic freedom were considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal. Universities were tightly controlled; politically unreliable faculty harassed or eliminated. Unorthodox ideas or expressions of dissent were strongly attacked, silenced, or crushed. To these regimes, art and literature should serve the national interest or they had no right to exist.


    12. Obsession with crime and punishment. Most of these regimes maintained Draconian systems of criminal justice with huge prison populations. The police were often glorified and had almost unchecked power, leading to rampant abuse. "Normal" and political crime were often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used against political opponents of the regime. Fear, and hatred, of criminals or "traitors" was often promoted among the population as an excuse for more police power.


    13. Rampant cronyism and corruption. Those in business circles and close to the power elite often used their position to enrich themselves. This corruption worked both ways; the power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would gain the benefit of government favoritism. Members of the power elite were in a position to obtain vast wealth from other sources as well: for example, by stealing national resources. With the national security apparatus under control and the media muzzled, this corruption was largely unconstrained and not well understood by the general population.


    14. Fraudulent elections. Elections in the form of plebiscites or public opinion polls were usually bogus. When actual elections with candidates were held, they would usually be perverted by the power elite to get the desired result. Common methods included maintaining control of the election machinery, intimidating and disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning to a judiciary beholden to the power elite.
     
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  3. te jen Registered Senior Member

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    Those are indeed stunning accomplishments.

    What I wonder is - if you could identify the extreme expression of these traits in an oridnary (non-ruling-class) individual, what DSM-IV psychological classification would you assign to this disorder?

    I'm not a psychology expert by any means, but I see elements of paranoia - see http://www.toad.net/~arcturus/dd/ppdtable.htm.

    Comment?
     
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  5. hypewaders Save Changes Registered Senior Member

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    Those are some interesting parallels:

    Even the "treatment" seems to have some correlation (just to try it on, and for lack of a better moniker for the collective PPD we may be under, I inserted "neoconservatives" in place of "PPDs"):

    Treatment Techniques: Be careful about "knowing too much" as [neoconservatives] fear transparency. Do not directly confront or try to refute [neoconservative] beliefs. Rather, introduce an element of doubt, e.g., half-agree, but half-wonder if a more benign interpretation of the world could be made. By calmly accepting [neoconservatives'] powerful hostility (though not abusive behavior), [activists] allow these individuals to reduce their fear of retribution.

    Treatment Goals: [Neoconservatives] experience accurate perceptions but misjudge what they mean; they mold perceived data into their preconceptions. [Neoconservatives] need to learn that their fearfulness is not proof that others have an intent to attack. [Neoconservatives] need to identify and reduce provocative behavior so that others are less inclined to be hostile (which reinforces the paranoid view).


    It seems unlikely "therapy" can effectively begin until the sufferers are out of power. There seem to be many dangerous ad countertherapeutic analogues between power and the referenced drug abuse.

    Oraganizing a successful November intervention seems to be the immediate imperative.
     
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  7. otheadp Banned Banned

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    ahhh, the power of semantics and spin
    not bad, Don.

    let's see the negative words you used:

    1. powerful, bunting, ubiquitous, fervor, regime, frenzy, catchy slogans, demands, suspicion, foreign, xenophobia

    2. Disdain, little value, hindrance, ruling elite, propaganda, marginalizing, demonizing, being targeted, abuse, egregious, tactic, secrecy, denial, disinformation.

    these are just the 1st 2 points.

    all these words are catchy buzzwords, drenched in out-of-principle hate of everything Bush, designed to appeal to the simpleminded sheep.

    that's the art of spin.
     
  8. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    18,523
    these are all victories I love! They show of what a wonderful job the Republican Party and Mush administration is doing, kudos for them!!!

    (I’m a liberal by the way, not party affiliated but I would be found more likely to kill many republicans then vote for them)

    otheadp,

    I'm glade you can see what a "appeal to emotion" fallacy this thread is and that it is not worth serious attention, you most have got experience in seeing these things, dare I say you watch Fox News as they provide near constant examples of such fallacies.
     
  9. hypewaders Save Changes Registered Senior Member

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    "all these words are catchy buzzwords..."

    That's right, pothead: Compassionate conservatives would never shock or awe the Grand ole Party in this New American Century, peddling such secular humanistic anti-americanism- they would never have been able to bring honor back to the White house by sinking to such depravity.
     
  10. te jen Registered Senior Member

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    532
    It can easily be demonstrated that extremists of all persuasions often display paranoid and delusional behavior. A more interesting question is whether an entire nation can collectively show symptoms of psychological dysfunction.

    After 9-11, it felt like the U.S. took a collective nervous breakdown. Not participating in it felt kind of weird, like there was something wrong with me. Now I just realize that as someone who has lived in places where terrorism is common, 9-11 was just more of the same. Well, a lot more of the same, but still a familiar experience and not really surprising.

    But now it feels like the U.S. is into a chronic schizophrenic episode. Real dangerous for other members of the family, especially when the patient has nukes.

    There are plenty of other examples of national psychoses:

    Nazi Germany could be said to have suffered a severe inferiority complex before swinging over into a bipolar disorder. They're feeling much better now after a lot of aversion therapy.

    The Soviets were definitely a controlling personality, but now they're more passive-aggressive.

    The British were also controlling, but now they are in a sort of BDSM relationship with the U.S. Not healthy.

    Any other examples?
     
  11. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    and what about Israel and Palestine does narcissistic and homicidal count for them???
     
  12. te jen Registered Senior Member

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    532
    Israel is the Little Bully who can pick on other kids because his Big Brother is always available to back him up. Palestine, on the other hand, is a High School Student who goes berserk and kills a bunch of people in his school, but fails to get the Bully or his Brother in the rampage.
     
  13. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    That works for me.

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  14. dsdsds Valued Senior Member

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    Come on te jen. If Palestine is a killing student, Israel is the child molesting teacher.
     
  15. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    Isreal: "I live here now and this is mine!, these Palestinians are nothing, I am so great, I will shove them out of the way, make them leave by force! This land is mine." (Narcissist)

    Palestinians: Isreal is pure evil and must die all of them must die, every last jew! We must kill them all in jihad, god will give use victory!!! (homicidal psychopath)
     
  16. te jen Registered Senior Member

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    Fair enough dsdsds - maybe we should also call them co-enablers.

    If the Palestinians had Gandhi-sized balls, by the way, they could turn public opinion around in about two weeks. A lot of people would get killed in the process, of course, but at least they'd being dying for something that would actually work. Unlike now.

    The recipe? Recruit about a hundred thousand Palestinians of all ages and ask them to march to the Knesset in Jerusalem in a peaceful demonstration. They'd never get that far, of course; the Isrealis would beat the shit out of them, teargas them, shoot them, arrest them, etc. But it would have the same effect that Gandhi's march on the Dharasana Salt Works or John Lewis' march to the Pettus Bridge had. It would totally knock the props out from under the Israelis.
     
  17. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    Dam would it, actually I don't think Israel could do anything against a peaceful demonstration as they know they would loss all support if they did, and if they did anyways they would be in a world of hurt, definitely the table would turn then! It not that easy though Palestine could get its own country but Israel would never leave, this would piss off the Palestinians to much as they want Israel gone!
     
  18. Undecided Banned Banned

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    Dam would it, actually I don't think Israel could do anything against a peaceful demonstration as they know they would loss all support if they did

    Like in Jenin...nah, Israel will not lose support. At least from where it counts.
     
  19. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    what Isreal needs money, lots of it! If it losses support it losses all the money its needs to live and defend its self!
     
  20. hypewaders Save Changes Registered Senior Member

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    A Palestinian Ghandi would have an enormous and revolutionary effect. This will require one who will rally throngs to march and take blows nonviolently (completely possible- India proved it), and who will also speak before the UN and US Congress. After the last miserable 60 years, there would be at least as much popular worldwide groundswell for such a figure as there once was for Ghandi.

    Ghandiji has been gone for 56 years, Dr.King for 36. We're overdue

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  21. Undecided Banned Banned

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    If it losses support it losses all the money its needs to live and defend its self!

    Boo-Hoo, if Israel losses support, it would be because the Zionist state deserves to lose funding. Israel will survive, simply stated she will nuke who ever tries to enter her broders. Secondly the issue is not Israel's neighbours, rather the indegenious Arab population inside the Levant. What Israel and Palestine need to do is cease to exist.
     
  22. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    Israel can't stop an invasion by nuking its enemies, many of it enemies are within its borders! How do you propose getting ride of both of them?
     
  23. Undecided Banned Banned

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    Don't get rid of them, get rid of the state of Israel. That is the only solution, as shown the two state solution simply does not work. Note, I did not say kill anyone in Israel, internationalize the region, and then after a period of reconciliation, join into one state. The proposal to get rid of the indegenious peoples of the levant is simple, starve them out, within the new Ghetto, known as the West Bank.
     

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