Alrighty, fun's over. Can we have the TeaBaggers committed for mental evaluation now?

[NightWatcher]

If they pass (ha) and not adjudicated as mentally il, can we then ship them off to Somalia where they can enjoy smaller government and no regulations.

Today's ranting and raving has been surreal. They are actively trying, and have admitted, that they seek chaos. They are a danger to themselves and others.

[LAGC]

1. You know, Stalin had his political opponents committed to insane asylums...

...just for disagreeing with him, or because he was just paranoid and sensed a threat. So I'm not sure that's the type of thing we really want to be advocating for, as it doesn't exactly add to a "civil" debate.

Besides, the whole TEA Party movement is more of a social disease than an individual failing. How do you eradicate a poisonous meme from any given society? Only by lots and lots of education and heavy persuasion.

But saying they should all be "adjudicated" isn't exactly forwarding toward that goal, is it?

Really, I think we need to spend less time "preaching to the choir" and more time engaging these folks, try to understand where they are coming from, and help them see the errors in their ways.

[TheKentuckian]

2. By that logic it is impossible to be insane, willfully dangerous, stupid, destructive, or

even just proven wrong. We'll leave outright treachery aside for the moment.

In this construct there are only disagreements, an opportunity for a vigorous debate but only disagreements. You aren't delusional if you think the sky is neon pink you just don't agree with the big talk about it being blue.

I really have little more patience for those that encourage these loons as I do for the loons themselves.

Knowing where they are coming from does not improve my assessment, though I tend to think calling them crazy is the old softshoe for what is much more likely the case, that they are some combination of wicked, greedy beyond measure, really stupid, and/or twisted animals following the worst of instincts.

The whole possibility of conversion is further complicated by only having the same shit with better management to pitch if you can make some real headway with someone.
Realizing the problems it becomes obvious that solutions aren't on the menu.

[LAGC]

6. Well, if that were true, there's be no such thing as ex-conservatives.

People have been known to change their political views, it just takes a lot of care and work, and trying to find some common ground.

For example, when TEA Party folks bitch about over-taxation and out-of-control government spending, point out that we were running budget surpluses until all this military spending on the "war on terror" was undertaken by a Republican president and Republican Congress.

Little things like that, that make the person evaluate his/her own views and perhaps approach things from a different angle.

Anything you can do to open minds to plant that little seed, which might someday grow and blossom.

I mean, what's the alternative? Just ignore the problem, hope it goes away? Throw our hands up and give up before we even started?

Societal change takes work, and the road is never easy.

[TheKentuckian]

7. I'm not seeing the connection between your logic and people evolving or have an epiphany

I'm not saying there cannot be former conservatives but rather that present conservatives are wrong and/or evil and/or stupid and/or greedy fucks and/or delusional and pretending they are not is foolish not that they had no hope of redemption.

I don't see how placating or worse adopting their idiocy helps make them change. It seems more likely to reinforce insanity.

I swear some seem like they have not come across a bully, a prick, a nutt, or a fool in all their days.

[Odin2005]

3. unrec for bigotry against the mentally ill.

Having idiotic beliefs does not mean a person is insane, unless you think every religious person is insane.

[Gregorian]

4. Why don't all of us on DU buy up a bunch of Belgium, and move there!

Chocolate. Bicycling. We could have a great liberal community. I'm not sure what we could call it, but maybe we could just have our own town. We could all learn French. And there would be no 'baggers.

Otherwise, it looks like a fair percentage of this country would have to be "committed".

I'm not sure what the alternative is. Things are a mess here.


:) Sorry, it's late and I am probably not thinking logically about this.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. There is panic now in the powers that be

you can see it in the media...

That said, no we cannot commit them... as they are not clinically insane.

But... this country will need that lesson and I have no idea how it will go... prepare to do a lot of local education and support your local area though.