General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGOP’s moronic inferno: The real reason cranks and shills rule the party
A few months back, a day after the Republican Leadership Conference kicked off in New Orleans, Jamelle Bouie wondered in Slate Why the Republican Party attracts provocateurs, faux martyrs, and grifters in droves? Its a great question. Bouie noted the speakers whose presence would raise doubts about any political body that invited them to appear from the vermiculate gasbag Donald Trump to the hucksters Herman Cain and Sarah Palin. And he provided examples of how the inflamed rhetoric of these figures has become the vernacular of the Republican Party as a whole.
http://www.salon.com/2014/07/30/gops_moronic_inferno_the_real_reason_cranks_and_shills_rule_the_party/
randome
(34,845 posts)Triffids saw their opportunity when the world went blind. Clowns see their opportunity when the head office is deserted.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You have to play the game to find out why you're playing the game. -Existenz[/center][/font][hr]
Orsino
(37,428 posts)Politicians who prostitute themselves to large donors and the nuttier snake-oil salespersons are equally welcome. It's a big tent, all right--to ensure room for those mountains of money and the privileged few grifters and clowns who feed on it.
blogslut
(37,982 posts)They know their actual positions are unsupported by the majority of the populace. So they have to encourage the only constituency they have: people who are lost, confused, afraid and angry at a world where they feel they don't belong. Instead of guiding these poor souls toward tolerance, understanding and opportunity, it's much simpler to foment their hostility and buttress their ignorance.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)were opened and all the crazy relatives locked in attics were let loose simultaneously and gathered in one place. Money has a lot to do with it, as grifters always pop out of the ground like mushrooms wherever there are obvious suckers to be fleeced blind, but there has to be more to it than that.
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)yours is the best use of mixed metaphors I've seen in quite some time! Bravo!
I especially laffed out loud at "grifters always pop out of the ground like mushrooms", the mental visual is funny as hell.
loyalsister
(13,390 posts)I think there are people whose politics lean left have fallen for it, too. Economic injustice has been known to fuel racism even among Democrats in the past. Thus, Reagan Democrats.
I have talked with people whose feelings of having been continuously wronged by our society blame Democrats as well. The conspiracy theories perpetuated as indictments of drug countries (ant-vaxers), opposition to the mainstream medical care, fluoride, etc..... There was another Salon article about how conspiracy theories have been adopted by Libertarians and angry\confused voters who are desperately searching for someone\something to blame for their situations.
These are people who believed electing a different president would solve all or most of their political grievances. I think it has fostered political apathy born from a sense of helplessness. Maybe some of that has led them to sympathize with RW anger despite having rejected the content?