If we don't begin to look at Republicans as our enemy, we will lose.

[trumad]

Jesus Christ on a trailer hitch...it's not rocket science.

[RobertEarl]

21. They should not be republicans, then

They should become independents, because the leaders of the republican party are our enemies. If they follow those leaders then they become enemies of freedom loving peaceful people all over the world.

This is war. The republicans started it with their anti-freedom and democracy killing ways.

[RobertEarl]

29. I am more anti war

The leaders of the republican party are attacking us. Attacking our freedoms, our birthright to a clean environment, and are avowed enemies of everyone who does not kiss their ass. This is no time to shirk responsibility for the future and run away from the monsters of the republican party. Stand up for your rights. Accept the reality and see who it is that wishes you ill.

[tabasco]

30. Reality includes war, killing and enemies

I wish I lived in lala land but changing reality requires accepting reality.

I really do wish we could just kumbaya everybody and makes things better, but it won't work, IMO.

Oh, I'm anti-war too.

[still_one]

52. Bullshot. What you are calling for is a civil war. No one should regard a family member as an

"Enemy"

That type,of thinking usually goes hand in hand with an extremist.

If I want people to do that, they Will have to move to North Korea, where it is standard norm to report family to an authority. no thank you

[woo me with science]

22. Thank you. It is the corporate MO to divide us and teach us to hate each other.

We have much more in common with other Americans out in the country, regardless of party, than we do with the One Percent who are systematically exploiting us.

The primary tool that the corporate elite use to retain their power is to keep us so divided and hating each other that we would never, ever conceive of uniting against what they are doing to ALL of us.

It's about policy, not teams. We need to look at policy and choose politicians based on who is actually representing human beings and not Wall Street. We need to invite Republicans to do the same.

Reject the attempts to tribalize, dehumanize, and divide. We are all being exploited, and we all deserve much better than the corporate purchase of America is offering us right now.

[RobertEarl]

31. A rapid dog approaches

And you want to rub its belly?

The republicans are the rabid dogs in this environment.

To trivialize that reality shows a lack of wisdom.

[Ms. Yertle]

60. I see what you did there!

[DrDan]

75. lol - I got it

[woo me with science]

43. If you are talking about Republican leadership, I agree with you,

but I'd add that we have our own rabid dogs in Democratic corporate leadership, who constantly collude with Republican dogs to exploit us all. I think you interpreted my post as suggesting that we should not fight fiercely (or expect our politicians to fight fiercely) for progressive policies and principles. That's not what I meant at all.

I was talking about citizens out in the nation. We are propagandized to hate and dehumanize each other. And the goal of that is so that, when it's our guy in office carrying out the very same predatory corporate agenda that we despised under their guy, we will circle the wagons out of hatred and fear rather than even considering standing with Republicans who are now opposing the very policies they defended when their guy was enacting them.

We are ALL being looted. We are ALL losing our civil liberties and our country. We have so many interests in common with Republicans out in the nation, yet we are propagandized to despise one another and blame each other for what is being done to ALL of us. And the problem of this deliberately stoked tribalism is never clearer than when the party in the White House changes, and what we could not abide suddenly becomes acceptable, and vice versa for Republican voters.

They win by keeping us divided. Imagine if the entire nation stood up to oppose the unconscionable.

We are kept divided and hating each other with separate media, separate radio stations, separate internet sites, even separate google search results when we go to get news. At a certain point, we need to become the 99 percent. We need to judge policies based on what they do to or for human beings, and we need to look beyond the propaganda we are fed to realize that the goals we share are greater than our differences. And we need to be ready to unite with anyone else who will also oppose malignant policy, no matter which party they come from.

[one_voice]

37. I have nothing in common with someone...

that wants to take women back to pre roe or ANYONE that votes for/agrees with them.

I have nothing in common with anyone that guts/helps gut voting rights act or ANYONE that votes for/agrees with them.

I have nothing in common with anyone that thinks it's ok to discriminate against LGBT or ANYONE that votes for/agrees with them

I could keep doing this, but I think you get the picture. Those people^^^^most certainly are my enemy and are in my opinion an enemy to our country.

I want nothing to do with them, I want to be divided from them, I wish they'd create their own country and move the fuck there.

[trumad]

62. +1000

Excellent!

[Bohunk68]

72. Absolutely positively

+1000

[hfojvt]

81. actually you COULD have quite a bit in common with them

You could be relatives - and have the same parent or grandparent or great-great-grandparent.

You could live in the same city, the same state. You could like the same food, the same music, the same sports teams. You could have the same blood type, the same religion.

and so on.

Perhaps all of those commonalities are "trivial" to you and you will still hate people over political differences. You say "I could keep doing this" but you only listed three issues. How many issues would there be where you would hate those on the other side? 10? 100? 1,000?

The longer your list gets, the fewer allies you are going to have. Eventually you will have a nation of ONE. When you say "our" country. Well, right now it is their country too, and chances are good that they are not going anywhere.

[ncjustice80]

45. Rethugs ARE the corporate elite...

Along with their lap dogs, white supremacists, and other regressive turds.

[haikugal]

55. Wise words....

[hatrack]

39. I will - by their thoughts and by their actions, they regard me as such

,.

[ncjustice80]

44. They need to disavow the rerthuglican party.

Republican voters are basically nazi sympathizers in all but name. They support war, imperialism, the genocide of african americans and muslims. They are either evil or dumb.

[AgingAmerican]

54. The GOP is the enemy of humanity

And those who elect them are just as guilty.

[DrDan]

74. have to agree 100% I have many family members, and close friends that are GOPers

We still have civil discussion re issues, candidates, etc. To consider them enemies is something that will not be happening.

Just contentious vitriol.

[hrmjustin]

2. Agreed. Democrats are not our enemy.

We have honest disagreements but we are not enemies.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. How about the ones that believe you shouldn't have the same rights as everybody else? /NT

[hrmjustin]

8. Good point.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. Which is unfortunately a hell of a lot of them./NT

[hrmjustin]

10. Yes. They need to be primaried.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

12. Now, I'm confused, or was my irony detector not working?

NT

[hrmjustin]

16. I thought you meant anti-Choice and anit -Gay Democrats.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

20. There aren't very many left, fortunately./NT

[Agnosticsherbet]

3. I disagree with Republicans, their ideology, their philosophy. They are not my enemy.

In a Democratic system, we are allowed to disagree without declaring someone is the enemy.

[BainsBane]

4. You forgot the number one lesson

This site is not reality. It is a very small, self-selected segment of the population that doesn't represent the broader society in anyway.

That said, I don't believe in looking at Republicans as "the enemy." Rather, they are the political opposition.

[Scootaloo]

28. A political opposition that given a chance, would strip you of rights and humanity

it's nice to say these feel-good "oh, I don't think of them as my enemy" things, but the fact is, they see YOU that way whether you like it or not, and they have to be met in that fashion.

[BainsBane]

36. True

but I don't need to go across the isle to find that. There isn't enough time in the world to make enemies out of everyone who opposes or dismisses women's rights.

[brer cat]

41. The same can be found on DU.

A lot of the vitriol here seems to stem from thinking of posters as an enemy who must be defeated. We don't need to make enemies and war against everyone who has a difference of opinion.

[misterhighwasted]

5. Exactly.

Everything we have been enraged about since Pres Obama took office, and every despicable thing they have done to the devalue us, and every single act & demeaning word of theirs that has made us recoil with disgust WILL BECOME the LAW OF OUR LAND.

Should we fail to pay attention, organize & contribute in some way to stop them , the RW gains absolute power in 2016 and our fears for our Nation become reality.

We have a year & half to get our shit together & end the RW move to fascism. Cuz that's where we are headed folks.

[Throd]

7. All Republicans or the Republican Party Machine?

I have family and friends who are Republicans.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. I would start with the ones running for president and work my way down...

We have a rough idea of what they believe...I know every one of those clowns, their protestations notwithstanding, think our gay brothers and sisters are 3/5 human.


It would be presumptuous to say we know what every Republican believes.

[ncjustice80]

46. Sounds like you need better friends.

Why would anyone willingly aasociate with a rethug.

[merrily]

57. I've always lived in a blue state. My friends are all Democrats, and not because I

did anything to create that. However, I have a dearly beloved relative who somehow grew up to be the only Republican in my extended family. What am I supposed to do with him and his wife (who follows his lead) and their adorable kid, who will probably grow up to be a Republican, too?

[ncjustice80]

67. Tell him you cant associate with him till he joins the right side of history.

The worlds nicest Nazi is still a Nazi.

[merrily]

86. My relative is no Nazi. That's one hell of an ugly post. We're done.

[pintobean]

64. How could you possibly know

the quality of that person's friends? That was an extremely rude and arrogant comment.

[ncjustice80]

66. They vote Rethug. That says everything I need to know about a person.

[pintobean]

68. Lol. Good thing you only

choose your own friends.

[ncjustice80]

69. Yup. And they are all progressives :)

[pintobean]

70. Yay for you

[ncjustice80]

71. Thanks. Not sure what the sarcasm is for.

[Martin Eden]

13. Republican voters, for the most part, are not our enemy.

We share many common interests.

The plutocrats who manipulate Republican voters into voting against their own interests re the enemy.

[ncjustice80]

47. I have no common interest with a rethug.

[Martin Eden]

61. You don't need clean air to breathe?

Or safe water to drink? You don't need fair compensation for the work you do, or affordable health care, or a quality education for yourself or your children if you have any?

Republican voters need these things, and so do I. My interests are much more in common with the average Teapartier than with any corporate CEO or hedge fund manager. I think Teapartiers are incredibly stupid for being manipulated into voting against their own interests, and many of them are bigots. But that doesn't mean we're not in the same economic boat and wouldn't have the same benefits from sensible and fair policies.

[ncjustice80]

65. They dont want, or vote for, those things.

Thus we have nothing in common.

[sendero]

14. Actions speak louder than words...

..... I can call myself a superhero, doesn't make it so. Same for some who call themselves "Democrats".

[spanone]

15. JCOATH...

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[onecaliberal]

17. Look people a political party has made it their policy

To starve children so the wealthy can have more and we can wage perpetual war and killing on brown skinned people. Does this sound like a difference of opinion. It's a whole hell of a lot more than that. People had better wake up because maybe they're not starving your kid today, but they will come for everyone if we don't put a stop to them.
Killing people isn't a difference of opinion.

[Greybnk48]

19. I agree 100% onecaliberal! See my post.

This is no slight difference in opinion we're dealing with. It's life or death for many.

[onecaliberal]

25. Indeed. I can't justify the policy of republicans as

Even being humane let along an opinion.

When in the hell did it become okay to turn your head to starving children, elderly, and veterans. People we allowed to serve in an illegal war based on lies. We justify it now by saying oh, there is no way republicans would have gone along with prosecutions.

It's no wonder America is a laughing stock. Most if us can't bother to get off our ass and demand better.

I am way beyond outraged. It's fucking ridiculous.

[Greybnk48]

27. Agreed. n/t

[Greybnk48]

18. I have felt that way since 1995 and Gingrich as Speaker.

I perceive anyone who would still align with the GOP, given all that's happened over the past 20 years, as a threat to the health and well-being of me and my family. Period.

I strongly disliked St. Ronnie's GOP, but did not hate them. That's changed.

[FlatBaroque]

23. Actually

the plutocrats who fund both parties are my enemy. I keep my eye focused on that enemy. My enemy likes to create "teams" for us to cheer for, and against. That way our attention is diverted away from my enemy's theft of all public assets. You are a good fan.

[SidDithers]

49. ...

Sid

[Fumesucker]

24. Well, speaking from behind enemy lines I'm calling for volunteers to the resistance

Blue Brigades has a catchy sound.

[Historic NY]

32. One only has to ask what have the Republicans..

done to improve people lives or conditions?

Right now they are sinking since they became the overlords...

http://www.politicususa.com/2015/04/02/john-boehner-mitch-mcconnell-approval-ratings-plummet-republicans-sink-11.html

[Kingofalldems]

33. Oh no! Hillary is the enemy!

Hillary haters said so.

[FarPoint]

34. That's why I say it's simple ....

This election phase is a chess game. There is no room for ideology, splitting hairs and fashion police.. .It's real time Game of Thrones.

[procon]

40. It may not be "rocket science", but its not the Civil War either.

I disagree with most everything Republicans do, but they are still my fellow countrymen, not my enemy. That just not who we are. We nearly perished as a nation the first time our leaders thought a civil war was the best way to resolve their differences. It makes me cringe when reactionary Republicans start flinging around the charge of "enemy" because there's almost no was to pull that back.


I would never want to see us copy the same hateful words Republicans use against Democrats because if we're all enemies, then the only road open to us leads to a second Civil War that we probably wouldn't survive, at least not as the same country.

[840high]

42. Fellow Americans are not my enemy.

[still_one]

76. "Enemies of the state"? What inane babble. There are people here with folks and relatives that

happen to be republicans. I guess in your perfect life you have no dysfunctional members in your family, or if you happen to, then you have probably disowned own.

That talk is identical to the crazies from the tea party, and some of the extreme republicans

Limbaugh, beck, faux news would applaud that attitude

[Cha]

50. It's obvious.. but many don't give a rip and may in fact want it.

[merrily]

51. Begin?

[NanceGreggs]

53. As loathe as I am ...

... to think of fellow citizens in terms of "the enemy", I have to agree with you.

When a political party wages war on the rights of women, minorities, children, veterans, the poor, the sick, the hungry and the homeless, the minimum-wage earner, the student mired in debt, the community that doesn't want guns in its supermarkets or the Bible taking the place of science in their kids' classrooms, it's time to recognize that party for what it is - the enemy.

[trumad]

63. Word!

[Greybnk48]

79. It makes me angrier still that we've been

pushed to this! Having to fear and despise our own. But they have worked very hard to "divide and conquer," as Scott Walker likes to say, and I say so be it. They are hurting and killing people, those they call the "takers," with callous indifference and we need to stand up and treat them as the enemy and support the people who are not.

[cantbeserious]

56. Republicans Are Shills For The Oligarchs Corporations And Banks - Know Thy True Enemy

eom

[B Calm]

58. So agree!

[Katashi_itto]

59. Agree!

[99Forever]

73. What about Democrats that act like Republicans?

How do you suggest we look at them?

It's not rocket surgery either.

[SamKnause]

77. You will get no argument from me.

That is exactly how I see Republican politicians

and the people who vote them into office.

I believe in Separation of Church and State; they don't.

I believe in equal rights for ALL; they don't.

I believe a woman should have control over her body

and her medical decisions; they don't.

I believe in feeding the hungry; they don't.

I believe in housing the homeless; they don't.

I am anti war; they are pro war on a global scale.

I believe in the rule of law; they don't.

I believe in the science that backs climate change; they don't.

I believe access to health care is a human right; they don't.

I believe all Americans should have access to free or affordable education; they don't.

I believe rewriting history is wrong; they don't.

I believe our penal system is evil and barbaric; they don't.

I believe Israel has to much influence over the U.S.; they don't.

I believe that supporting dictators is wrong; they don't.

I believe pregnant women should have paid maternity leave; they don't.

I believe in free or affordable child care; they don't

I believe in Social Security; they don't.

I believe in unions; they don't.

I believe in fair elections; they don't.

I believe corporate monopolies are destructive; they don't.

I believe in paying workers a living wage; they don't.

I believe in taxing the rich; they don't.

I believe demonizing the poor is evil; they don't.

I believe demonizing the disabled is evil; they don't.

I believe demonizing any race is evil; they don't.

I don't believe that corporations are people; they do.

I don't believe that money is speech; they do.

I show kindness, sympathy and empathy; they don't.


If this does not describe what an enemy is, I don't know what does.

[trumad]

83. +1000

[Zorra]

78. Not nominating leaders who support republican laissez faire global economic

systems would be an excellent place to start.

I'm all in favor of a peaceful division of the country, conservatives in one half, liberals in the other.

[ncjustice80]

82. Progressives get West of the Mississippi, Regressivss get East?

[Zorra]

84. I don't care, as long as I never have to deal with conservative lunacy ever again. nt

[H2O Man]

80. Picking on the Irish again?

[Orsino]

85. The matador behind that cape is our real enemy. n/t

[Bonobo]

88. Well said, Orsino! nt

[Bonobo]

87. If we do not begin to demand economic justice from those supporting economic disparity

we will lose (actually we HAVE been losing, if you are paying attention).