How do we convince republicans that this financial crisis could become a cataclysm in the blink of

[Mike 03]

an eye?

In spite of everything that Economists on all sides of the debate have written, from every political point of view you can imagine, the repukes are pretending that they simply don't understand how humongous this financial crisis is. Or else, they have some other way to solve the crisis, in spite of the fact it contradicts, by 180 degrees, what hundreds of the most credentialed, talented and intelligent economists of our age, all over the planet, are saying.

Either, 1), the repukes and their pitiful radio talking-point asshats are playing dumb and don't want Obama to succeed with his stimulus package, or,

2, they truly, honest-to-God have no clue what a disaster this economic crisis could become in a very short matter of time.

Even some of these jerkoffs who do the midnight to five AM "Trucking Radio Show" are trying to brainwash truckdrivers, who were entirely screwed by the Bush administration, into thinking that Obama is trying to screw them.

It's unbelievable. We have to fight this.

I'm off to write some emails.

Take care, DU'er friends.

[DJ13]

1. It would require a couple of their rightwing economists to say its bad

That or one or two of their diehard conservative think tanks to publish their concerns.

They wont listen to the "nobody" Nobel winning "liberal" economists.

[liberalmuse]

2. How do you catch a moonbeam in your hand?

I'm resigned to the fact that the Republicans just don't care.

[Catshrink]

3. We can't. They are lemmings going over a cliff.

[liberal N proud]

4. They are actually cheering for complete collapse

It would give them something to use in the next election.

The next election is all they are thinking about.

[Mme. Defarge]

8. Yes, it's all they have got,

[Baikonour]

5. You can't convince the willfully ignorant.

These are the same people that lived through the past 8 years, and want 4 more of it.

Quite simply, fuck 'em.

[CrispyQ]

6. They don't care because it won't be a crisis for them.

Most of them are wealthy enough that they will be insulated from the worst of it. Romney's selling two of his four mansions. McCain can't even count his. Many of them are in a position to enrich themselves during the coming economic collapse.

[RandomThoughts]

7. If your goal was to protect the top 10%

And someone told you that to save the other 90% from hardship, they are going to regulate that top 10% what would you do?

If you literally only cared about the top 10%, then to maintain the money flow to that 10% and to protect there wealth, you would let the 90% suffer.

Now this seems terrible, especially since it is a 1 to 9 ratio, but remember we live in a world where different groups have different value to different people.

Americans think 1 American soldier is worth 100 Iraqis
Israelis think 100 Gaza people is worth 1 IDF
Iranians think 1 Iranian is worth 100 Israelis.
etc...

And along with these Skewed maths assigning value to people.

Republicans think 1 rich supporter is more important then 9 suffering average people.


But honestly its more then the ratio being off, it is thinking of people with a value to rationalize the allowing of suffering. Doing the math of how much support for one group causes suffering for another, can be a sad road.

[Hello_Kitty]

9. They want to go back to the Gilded Era

Where the top 2% live in luxury and mostly everyone else lives in grinding poverty. What's weird is how they find sooooo many people to carry water for them, i.e., Joe the Plumber. IMO, some people have so completely swallowed RW delusions that they honestly believe that they'll be rewarded for their loyalty to the plutocrats.

[woodwrite]

10. GOP politicians aren't all THAT rich,...

.. But they are carrying the water as fast as they can. The economic meltdown did not catch them by surprise,.... all of their behavior has been consistent with aiding and abetting the "really super elite" of far fewer than six million individuals. More like ten thousand. Aiding and abetting,.... because the collapse of their various and widespread financial scams was sure to occur and they knew it. The planetary resources are running out, and these guys are watching a clock that the rest of us can't see. Votes at the polling places elect candidates, but votes towards the reelection "war chest" are never far from the decision-making process. Yep, plutocracy in a nutshell,.... but the republicans are clearly doing what they are being told to do by someone else. The "really super elite," .... (really, a corporate distinction).. are a little tense at the moment, and the republican legislators have been ordered to throw a few body blocks until a little more of the looting can proceed. Then, it's hunker-down time in Aspen, Zurich, New Zealand,..

[Hello_Kitty]

13. Many of those GOP politicians are True Believers

They have been indoctrinated by religion (mostly) to believe they are doing the Lord's work and that they will be rewarded, either here or in the afterlife.

[Generic Brad]

14. Then they can pray the bad news away

Why hadn't I thought of that?

[Still Sensible]

11. By and Large THEY DON'T CARE !

They only care about acquiring and exercising power. They are out of power. Their ideologies are on the brink of another half century in the wilderness.

That said, some republican governors that are in the line of fire facing real world problems are not so aligned with their ideologue brethren in Congress.

The good news is that right now all that is left of the GOP in my opinion is a coalition of fundamentalists, neocons and supply siders. They kicked real fiscal conservatives, moderate republicans and libertarians to the curb. Some GOPers are trying desperately to reclaim the mantle of fiscal sanity, but after the last 25 years, those claims ring hollow for the party.

The neocons got us into Iraq and now have no credibility. The supply siders and their deregulation got us into this economic mess and now have no credibility. And about the only folks that listen to the fundamentalists are other fundamentalists. Unfortunately the fundies are basically in charge. That's not to say that a fundie will be the standard bearer in the next cycle, but I believe they'll have an even bigger say than they had in '08 because they now are, for all intents and purposes, the anchor of what is left of the party.

That's why the GOP is so pissed off right now. They don't see a way to gain back power unless Obama fails miserably.

[BlooInBloo]

12. They don't care.

[lumberjack_jeff]

15. Most of the ones I know are convinced that it will.

To them, Armageddon sounds like a good movie. They'll get to point and laugh while all the moral inferiors get their comeuppance.

... they're going to be fine, you know. Those Social Security checks will keep coming, just like they always have.

[spanone]

16. forget it. they are dead-set against anything democratic. dead-set.

[Greyhound]

17. How do we convince ourselves to accept that it already is and start taking the steps? n/t