The Republicans are careful not to criticize their own -

[truedelphi]

As a result, they got eight years in the Highest Office, let the President and the inner circle of party members put their party and the nation in the toilet.

Is this a good path to follow?

Jes' saying.


:shrug:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. Look what you got.

Does that answer your question?

[BuyingThyme]

2. It's the path followed by the Un-Recommenders.

[BlooInBloo]

11. Quite the opposite. Unrec'ing is a form of criticism.

[omega minimo]

14. for people who need a push button and can't quite put words together in a post.

[BlooInBloo]

15. Just like rec'ing.

[omega minimo]

19. Recommendation is a positive, an affirmative, an endorsement of someone's work

UnRec is a negation, detraction of someone's work, by someone too small to comment directly by providing reason. Easier even than a drive by or personal attack. Just push the Un button.

It's a way for small people to feel powerful.

:thumbsdown:

[BlooInBloo]

21. (shrug) That's what dissent means to some people, I guess.

[omega minimo]

24. 'DISSENT"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

:rofl:
:rofl:
:rofl:
:rofl:
:rofl:
:rofl:
:rofl: God BIB is that one of your JOKES?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :rofl: :spray:

[Hannah Bell]

20. spin spin spin

[omega minimo]

25. "oh what a tangled web we weave........."

[Submariner]

3. For them it is

I am still mystified that as much as the repukes like to beat their collective chests about being better at national defense than Liberals, they had no problem at all in putting AWOL boy and 5 deferment Cheney, two draft dodging cowards, up against 2 Vietnam veteran candidates in 2000/2004. The purple band-aid thing they did to Kerry did me in. I despise the conservative establishment for that, and probably always will.

It proves one thing about repukes though. Political party FIRST, Country second.

[DJ13]

4. They are sheep

No criticism and no holding their politicians accountable.

[theoldman]

5. That is why they win elections and Democrats lose.

My wife is politically neutral and always comments on how Republicans stick together.

[depakid]

9. Sticking together on votes is one thing

engaging in group think and failing to criticize policy and corrupt behavior is another.

[rurallib]

6. Do you want good government or ideological government?

[truedelphi]

8. I would like a government that

Conforms to the idealogy of the old refain:
"Of the people, by the people and FOR the people."
Rather than the government that conforms to the idealogy of:
"Of the corporation, by the corporation and for the campaign donations."

If that can clue you in any way as to what I want...

[rurallib]

13. Seems to me you want good government

which means that those in power must be watched and suggestions made for corrections as needed.

[omega minimo]

16. which requires the engagement and attention of an informed people

not pushbuttons.

[Mari333]

7. I prefer not walking in lockstep

"The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else." Theodore Roosevelt

[rucky]

10. You mean they let each other lie to the public.

and just enough voters got duped to let a criminal enterprise take control.

At least when we criticize, we're being honest.

[truedelphi]

12. Their big lie allows people who served in Iraq

To come home and say that "We won the war."

And they go on to say, that our victorious war has "Helped the women and children of Iraq."

Brainwashing at its best.

[omega minimo]

18. That particular brainwashing

started with the First Bush Iraq War I.

So generations have grown up with the toxic atmosphere of media manipulation, RW blowhards, blatantly lying politicians and people in the streets pointing a big finger at deadly deception being called unpatriotic....

Many have grown up with Bushco groupthink, media groupthink, blowhard groupthink, educational groupthink, demographic/branding group think and may not be familiar or aware of any other potentialities (in society or themselves) or realities that existed prior to corporate domination.

Note the post here of the wife who is "neutral" and admires how lying lockstep Republicans "stick together........." Note the glee with which the UnReckers embrace their power to push a button and have a negative "vote," an illusion of power to negate what they disagree with, without the bother of having to actually disagree and put a post together. Heck, maybe some of the attacks will stop, if they're too lazy/afraid to post and can get their jollies out of pushing their :nuke: button.

The logic, the language, the times have become Orwellian. Trying to argue with that indoctrination after the fact would be like upsetting a Fundie's view that the Earth is 6,000 years old.

"That does not compute."

[Forkboy]

17. I consider that a weakness on their part, not a strength.

And Bush didn't get elected because there was no criticism of him from within his own party , he was chosen by the SCOTUS.

[bvar22]

22. K&R

Unlike the group thinkers, when something is wrong, I WILL speak out.
Always have.
Always will.

It has NEVER been about the personality of which ever "Party" is in the White House.
It is always about The Policy and the Direction.

I don't dislike Obama. He's cool.
However, I despise "Centrism", and Obama is a "Centrist".

Centrist = 1/2 Republican
I'm ALL Democrat.


"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans. I want us to compete for that great mass of voters that want a party that will stand up for working Americans, family farmers, and people who haven't felt the benefits of the economic upturn."---Paul Wellstone

[ihavenobias]

23. True.

I'm not really sure how anyone could disagree with this.

[omega minimo]

26. K/Rec

[baldguy]

27. Fascists demand ideological purity & obedience to authority.

Neither are conductive to the discovery & dissemination of truth.

[MannyGoldstein]

28. Here's One Republican That Should've Been A Democrat

"The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."

- Theodore Roosevelt

I guess Teddy woulda had a tough time on DU.

[truedelphi]

29. I think President Teddy had very thick thick skin

Ansd would have "ignored" those who opposed hnim.

And thanks, Manny, for the quote - it is a very interesting one.

[Odin2005]

30. Criticism and Bashing are two different things.

Criticism: "I disagree with the president on Y, we should do X."

Bashing: "Obama is an evil monster who is no different than Bush because of Y and you are a DLC corporate whore unless you support X"

[truedelphi]

31. A very true observation n/t

[alarimer]

32. Blind obedience is ALWAYS a mistake.

It gets people killed.

I am uncomfortable with the notion that Obama is now beyond criticism. He has turned out to be a profound disappointment in many ways.
But I was never one of the biggest cheerleaders anyway; I was afraid it would turn out exactly like it has.

Now it is our job to hold their feet to the fire and do what they promised (all of them). If they do not, there should be primary challengers for those in Congress and no funds, no effort on our part to reelect this President, if he fails to do what he promised he would do. He still has to earn support; it is not granted automatically by virtue of having a D after his mean.

[truedelphi]

33. Problem with attempting to

Hold Obama's feet to the fire - he really promised nothing of substance.

It was all about "Hope" and "Change."

He now is the number one reason why I still have to hope that I can remain filled with hope, after so much disappointment.

And "Change" -- what did that ever mean? I guess it meant that we would go from a nation run by the military and oil interests, to one run by the interests of fraudsters on Wall Street.

But hey - Goldman Sachs is happy - which is good news, because god knows if they weren't, we would have to Bail out AIG with some more monies, so that more funds could be passed through to GS.

[NJmaverick]

34. You assertion is faulty

it assumes that the Republicans would have offered up better guidance that Bush's own people. I would tend to think they were equally bad. So in the end you are left with the fact that by not attacking their own, they gained a political advantage.

[truedelphi]

35. But (And this depends on if I am reading you right)

That political advantage ultimately put their own party at a loss, and the nation was brought to its knees in the process. Which of course, you and I are gleeful about - but is it wise for a political party to trade off the well being of our nation and as well and a long-lived succeess of one's political party for a mere eight years?

Of course, the people at the top, like Cheny only care about their pocket books. So Mr Cheney, with all his ties to oil industry and Halliburton, is probably very satisfied with the eight years.

Other repugs probably far from happy about the end result.

[NJmaverick]

36. The conservative/Republican mindset is faulty

that was their undoing.