Freepers really scraping the barrel now in search of explanation

[sisenor]

for why Bush is looking like a one-termer in the polls:

"The Bush haters are so vehement and possessed that it is hard in some places or groups to tell people that you are for Bush. The cultural icons are all wildly for Kerry, be they from Hollywood, academia, media, or European capitals. Even your local librarian is for Kerry 233 to 1. So when the pollster calls, a percentage of the sample who favors President Bush is afraid to speak frankly and therefore indicate their preferences falsely?"


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1264651/posts

Who's afraid of the local librarian?

[nookiemonster]

1. Ashcroft hates librarians and calico cats n/t

[cedahlia]

31. that's okay

'Cause the feeling is mutual! (And, yes, I do feel safe speaking for both librarians and calico cats.) }(

[War Pigs]

36. Don't forget naked boobies!!

:toast:

[KingChicken]

2. Getting more and more distorted by the day

They've got nothing left!

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. What do you expect from a group of people...

With the world view commensurate with that of a 9-year-old who doesn't want to do his/her chores, get all their allowance anyway and be the bully in the neighborhood?

[sisenor]

10. And who secretly are scared out of their minds

about the unknown, the Big Bad wolf, and the monsters in the closet. That's why they need not just one, but a collection of guns.

[The Minus World]

26. It's scary.

In any rational world, most of the behaviour expressed by radical right-wingers would be considered signs of intense psychological disturbance. Of course, it's possible that such things can be said about the extreme left, but it's doubtful that extreme pacifism and social consciousness could be considered a malady of anything but selflessness.

[Gore1FL]

3. And since when can you find a freeper in a library?

n/t

[Southpaw Bookworm]

13. When they're wanting to ban books

That they haven't read, because they talk about homosexuals, or strong women, or sex, or other religions, without telling that all these things are eeeeevil.

[comsymp]

23. Yup yup- before banning, gotta research the dirty parts firsthand-

... er, so to speak...

[Southpaw Bookworm]

29. Actually, no

If you talk to folks who are challenging books in public or school libraries, only on RARE occasions have they read the work in question.

[comsymp]

46. Was joking

[Southpaw Bookworm]

48. Sorry

As a soon-to-be librarian, this is a huge issue with me. I tend to be sensitive about setting records straight.

:hi:

[comsymp]

51. Congrats on entering a noble profession!

And there's certainly nothing wrong with correcting mistaken impressions- wish there was more of that, in fact.

Agreed, FWIW, on your earlier point about would-be censors who are quick to raise a stink, attempt to ban books/movies/music, etc., without ever having bothered to expose themselves to the object of their fear. As offensive as censorship is on its own, there's something particularly Nazi-esque about ignorant sheep blindly condemning *anything* just because Someone In Authority tells them to.

Frightening.

[Crunchy Frog]

44. They're trying to ban Lynne Cheney's book now? eom.

[geniph]

43. Hey! Gore1FL! Where've you been?

Long time no see!

:hi:

[TexasSissy]

4. Afraid to answer honestly anonymously to a pollster? Ridiculous.

I heard that argument on MSNBC last night (Pat Buchanan, I think, or Andrea Mitchell). That's silly.

[ProfessorGAC]

14. Now THAT Is Some Cowardice!

You're correct. They are so afraid in a 50:50 race, that they can't tell someone who doesn't even know who they are what they think, when the purpose of the phone call is to find out what they think?

The convolution of this logic is numbing. Even more so, the display of cowardly self-loathing from these bastions of self-reliance is stunning.
The Professor

[TahitiNut]

16. Indeed. It seems as though they're externalizing their own shame.

If one were to accept any part of this tripe as true, it could only be seen as a pang of conscience being repressed while seeking a scapegoat for a vague feeling of shame. Without a rational defense of any valid kind, the sense of vulnerability for an indefensible position gives rise to self-loathing and anger.

[ProfessorGAC]

18. Excellently Stated, Indeed!

To Nutshell It: No way to defend it, so let's just excuse it by blaming others!

I simplified it in case any freepers read your post. Too many big words in yours.

Nice point, indeed.
The Professor

[TahitiNut]

20. You nailed it when you said 'cowardice'.

It's a theme these days. The illusion of invulnerability was shattered for many on 9/11, and with it went the meme of 'home of the brave.'

Courage cannot coexist with a sense of invulnerability. Superman was not courageous. Courage is only based on a willingness to sacrifice one's tangible well-being, one's very life, for a matter of conscience: "Doing the Right Thing."

CoWardice is measured by the abdication of ethics and morality in the face of a perceived threat - and the degree to which one seeks protection from such a perceived threat. As we seek to protect the trivial (our material possessions or social esteem) while abdicating the protection of values, morals, principles, and ethics, we demonstrate coWardice.

Perhaps nothing characterizes today's Amerika with more thematic accuracy than coWardice - coWardice of every stripe.

• We value our heartless fast foods more than feeding the hungry.
• We value our boob tube 'reality' more than critical thinking.
• We value our gas guzzlers more than the lives of human beings all over the planet.
• We value plastic religiosity above moral rectitude and humility.
• We demean the true sacrifices of those who've been awarded Purple Hearts.
• We demean those who'd be their brother's keeper as 'bleeding heart liberals' and then call ourselves "Christians."
• We devalue those who provide hands-on care for our children and elderly.
• We devalue labor and celebrate self-indulgence.

Even when we're the wealthiest and least vulnerable people on the entire planet, we create and wield the greatest military superiority in the history of the world to feed our insatiable appetites for unbounded power and material convenience ... and then politically elevate those who model this behavior most egregiously!

We make the worst playground bullies (archetypes for cowardice) seem almost heroic in comparison.

Then, when we feel a slight pang of our atrophied conscience, we blame Osama, Saddam, or Clinton's penis - anything but ourselves.

[ProfessorGAC]

21. OUTSTANDING!!! n/t

The Professor

[The Magistrate]

30. Well Said, Mr. Nut!

The most distressing element of our current political situation is the degree to cowardice has become the basic platform of the Republican Party. The whole thrust of their campaign has been to foment and instill cowardice to the greatest degree they can contrive in the people, and they have been quite open about depending on cowardice for their electoral hopes. It is disgusting, and damned un-American, and that is why it is not going to work. We are not a cowardly people, and people do not like to feel they are cowards.

"Courage is the form every virtue must take at the sticking point."

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[JohnOneillsMemory]

37. Yeah! Americans see war as something that happens to other people

and the view is from an isolated continent and from a bombers at high altitude.

Americans are afraid of what is happening on the ground where we animals live and die.

Let cowards watch sports and sitcoms instead of life and death.

[m berst]

50. stunningly good post

You say so much and you say it so well here. I keep coming back and re-reading it. The schoolyard bully is the perfect description of our idea of a hero, and this bullying behavior is rampant. As you say we elevate people who act this way.

Brilliant insights, brilliantly expressed.

[Hoping4Change]

52. Great post TahitiNut! Thanx nn

[TexasSissy]

34. I don't believe it, that's all. Both sides are saying that they have a

hidden vote in that way. I heard that in 2000, also. It's not true that people are scared to anonymously tell a pollster who they are voting for.

Maybe a few people lie, hoping to throw others off the track. But not enough people would do that to make a difference.

[ProfessorGAC]

40. Nor Do I

I was being sardonic. You probably figured that out already. We agree completely.
The Professor

[BOSSHOG]

6. Accordingly, talented and educated people support Kerry,

so say the freepers. If you want to be initimidated into not wanting to say who you are voting for come on down to South Mississippi. Hey "conservatives", I served 24 years, I invest in the stock market, I know the power of honesty. Why the fuck should I not hate bush?

[Skittles]

7. LOL - they will come up with every possible explanation

except the correct one - that their beloved Boy George is an incompetent moron who has failed at EVERYTHING he has ever done in his entire miserable life.

[Glenda]

19. They follow his example of finding blame every where else

But with the Chimp himself

[NeoConsSuck]

8. This is great..

I'm sure by tomorrow night, the psychiatric wards are going to be filled with freepers having nervous breakdowns!!

[kayell]

9. Of course librarians oppose *. They know that totalitarian regimes always

cut off and tightly control information. Librarians are all about setting information free.

[Clintmax]

11. The Bottom Of The Barrell

You bet they are! It's over for them and they know it!

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TeddyKGB]

15. More likely that they'll put on a public Republican face...

...and then vote for Kerry when the time comes.

True Repugs know the Bush cabal ain't one of them.

[SoCalDem]

17. They drank the kool-aid, and cannot admit their guy's a LOSER

:)

[LSK]

22. they will blame on Clinton and call everyone a communist

That seems to be the strongest reTHUG argument.

Oh yeah and the terrorists will kill everyone if Kerry wins.

Thats what they are running on.

[Orangepeel]

24. The Bush campaign believes this too

Here in Florida, they are running an ad that lists a bunch of pro-bush and anti-Kerry talking points and then finishes with the tagline, "Alone in the booth, why take the risk?"

That doesn't make any sense unless they believe that people are being coerced into saying they'll vote for Kerry. Delusional.

[TahitiNut]

32. "Alone in the booth, why take the risk?" -- COWARDICE

Again, they are appealing to the absolute WORST in people. They have a frontman who personifies coWardice, self-indulgence, sloth, and bullying behavior.

[The Minus World]

25. Cognitive Dissonance

My sister just mentioned something similar to me in a discussion about a week ago. She said, "Hey, I know a LOT of people who support Bush, but they're too afraid to say it because they're afraid that people will persecute them."

While I can understand how one might be a bit less eager to show their support for an underdog, I have no sympathy for those who have failed to look at the last four years critically enough to realize how screwed we are if Bush gets another four years.

There are a lot of angles to attack it from; it's clear that, to still be a Bush supporter at this point in time, one would have to make the conscious decision that Bush is not worth criticizing on the same matters that Kerry is.

There is no excuse for such ignorance (aside from absolute delusion) and I, for one, hope that these people (the sane ones among them) feel enough shame about their decision that they muster up the nerve to "flip-flop" and change it to the right one.

[HEIL PRESIDENT GOD]

27. I've been saying the same thing the other way!

Polls are conducted at dinner time. Republicans are more likely to be male and married; hence there are numbers of non-Repug women married to Republicans. Who answers the phone? The woman. Who answers the poll? The person who answers the phone. Who's sitting right there while she answers it? Mr. Asshole himself. I don't know any Bush-haters who would more than roll their eyes at someone in their household answering "Bush". But imagine what the fallout would be if wifey-poo, seen as baby-machine, surrogate mommy, and parrot of all husbandly opinion in this paradigm, said "Kerry"!

[HEIL PRESIDENT GOD]

28. I've been saying the same thing the other way!

Polls are conducted at dinner time. Republicans are more likely to be male and married; hence there are numbers of non-Repug women married to Republicans. Who answers the phone? The woman. Who answers the poll? The person who answers the phone. Who's sitting right there while she answers it? Mr. Asshole himself. I don't know any Bush-haters who would more than roll their eyes at someone in their household answering "Bush". But imagine what the fallout would be if wifey-poo, seen as baby-machine, surrogate mommy, and parrot of all husbandly opinion in this paradigm, said "Kerry"!

[Redleg]

33. Damn right we Bush haters are vehement.

Not to mention that I am a liberal academic- a real boogey-man to the right wingers.

[JHB]

35. Has ANYONE encountered Bush-brains who were EVER"afraid to speak frankly"?

I haven't. More like they had the One True View, and woe to any who said otherwise.

"Republicans, I am Mr. Rourke, your host. Welcome to Fantasy Island!"

[gavodotcom]

38. "A good reason to get rid of libraries."

I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life!

Congratulations, fortheDeclaration, you win the Most Disgusting Piece of Shit award!

[gavodotcom]

39. "A good reason to get rid of libraries."

I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life!

Congratulations, fortheDeclaration, you win the Most Disgusting Piece of Shit award!

[Ima]

41. poor lil bushtards

[Maiden England]

45. he's just embarrased he can't read and that voice type software is $$$$

[LoZoccolo]

42. Ha ha so? Buy the ticket, take the ride!

I wasn't afraid to stand up against Bush* when it was unpopular to do so, around the time of the start of the war! Is that poster basically saying a Bush* supporter is more likely to show cowardice? I would agree!

[smbolisnch]

47. Yeah buddy

That's it. They are afraid of the big bad liberal pollsters...
:freak:

[Sterling]

49. I wish but the did exactly that to the word liberal.

It sounds like they have a guilt complex and are projecting on us?

I do think we have to make it very UNCOOL to like Bush. People who supported him must be made to feel the shame they deserve for doing this to our country.