American Crackpots

[Gregoshi]

I prefer my nuttiness smothered in chocolate.


...I'm not sure that came out like I meant it.

[Don Corleone]

Hahaha... people that don't vote Democrat are so stupid Hahaha....

You know, if Democrats spent more time coming up with their own ideas instead of laughing at and insulting people that don't agree with them, they might actually steal a middle of the road voters like me away. But sadly, not going to happen.... like you, the leaders of your party are too busy being smug and sanctimonious and telling people like me that because i don't appreciate their greatness on all matters, I'm feeble-minded. Remind me to start posting threads about what's been going on with your buddies on Slate.com and DailyKos for the past 10 years one day, then we'll really have some laughs.

Oh, Hahahahaha.

[Don Corleone]

By the way, that wasn't just a kneejerk reaction. The whole point of the first article was that in a Democracy, the right thing isn't always the popular thing. You might want to go check FDR's ratings in the summer of 1941. Or Truman's in 1951. Nothing Republican about either of them, but they did make some hard choices, out of a sense of duty, not what was politically expedient. Do they indulge in some classical hero worship? Sure. But personally, and get your laugh box ready, there, oh king of scorn, I'd personally rather be led by a guy that did what he thought was right than by a guy who did what he thought would get him the most votes. Guess that's why I vote for my party and you vote for yours.

[Don Corleone]

As for Stu Bykofsky... who the hell is he? When did he become my spokesman? I go find some crackpot from San Francisco's blog and I can attribute it you?

Okay, so much for dialogue. I guess I need a break from the Backroom for a while. When people I usually used to respect post trash like this to ridicule me, they're going to get the reaction they probably expected. In other words, kiss my 2nd ammendment empowered, homeland protectin, tax evading Shhhh big guy.

[Lemur]

Yuo, I think those two essays are hilarious. I also tried to make painfully clear:

1. Neither essay represents mainstream thought, be it Republican, Democratic or Indie.
2. The Right does not have a monopoly on crackpots.

I really didn't post these guys to mock you, Don, but rather because I think they're sterling examples of the Great American Nutball. And interestingly, one of them is from a foundation with some heavy hitters on the board, and the other is being given major air time. So they're not only glorious kooks, they're kooks with an audience.

Sorry I offended you so deeply, and rest assured it wasn't my intent. Please, feel free to contribute some nutballery from the left as well.

P.S.: I ain't no Dem, and I never will be. As I have explained previously, my political ideology is much closer to Goldwater Republicanism than anything on the left. So please refrain from accusing me of (a) political affiliation, and (b) reading Daily Kos, which I must confess I have never even opened. You'll note that I post way more links to the Heritage Foundation and NRO than I do to anyplace else. Only in the post-Rove America can a small-c conservative be accused of being a granola-crunching socialist.

I come down harder on the Republicans because I feel utterly betrayed by them. Liberal democracy, free markets, balanced budgets and a light governmental hand are very, very dear to my heart, and the party that ought to represent those values manifestly does not.

[Divinus Arma]

That was fun.

[Divinus Arma]

I come down harder on the Republicans because I feel utterly betrayed by them. Liberal democracy, free markets, balanced budgets and a light governmental hand are very, very dear to my heart, and the party that ought to represent those values manifestly does not.

We work within the party to change the party. Republicans want what you want, but they have failed to deliver and that is why we have Democrats in control of both houses and a very real liklihood of a Democrat in the White house.

To run off to to the Democrats is absolutely NUTS if you actually care about "Liberal democracy, free markets, balanced budgets and a light governmental hand". The Democrats vocally desire European-style socialism, restricted free speech, government regulation, and redistribution of wealth.


If you want your team to win, then you play hard and you get better team members that share your goals. You don't join the other team!

[Lemur]

If you want your team to win, then you play hard and you get better team members that share your goals. You don't join the other team!

This is going to sound ridiculously corny, but the only team I'm on is the United States. Both the Republican and Democratic party could vanish tomorrow and I wouldn't mind at all.

I am a conservative. I want to conserve what's best about America. Frankly, the Republicans have been much more radical in the last ten years than the Dems. They're ready to pass constitutional amendments at the drop of the hat, and their deliberate pandering to the Christian right is at least as much of a threat to our way of life as the class-warfare demagoguery of John Edwards.

Let's accept the utterly false premise that Dems want Socialism and Repubs want Theocracy. Which end-point is more dangerous? How long does it take a country to recover from Socialism? How long does it take a nation to recover from theocracy?

I want a strong, solvent America to last for at least a couple hundred more years. I want America to remain a great power. I think this is eminently do-able, and not even difficult. Radicals of all stripes are a threat to this, and they turn me off in a big way. I promise you, those who seem like the least radical candidates will get my vote, and I couldn't give a flying Gah over what party they're in. If my ballot says Whig Versus Tory, nothing will change for me.

[Gregoshi]

This thread has gone badly off course.

Don, the crackpot nature Lemur relishes to in his first example has nothing to do with Bush or his decisions, but rather that the author suggests that Bush seize power and declare himself "president-for-life" thus ending democracy in America much in the same way Caesar put an end to the Roman Republic. That is crackpot in my book regardless of who is president.

How about shining the spotlight on some leftwing crackpots? There's got to more of them than you can shake a tax increase at.

A light-hearted, fun thread has taken a nasty turn into serious waters.

[Husar]

By the way, that wasn't just a kneejerk reaction. The whole point of the first article was that in a Democracy, the right thing isn't always the popular thing. [...] But personally, and get your laugh box ready, there, oh king of scorn, I'd personally rather be led by a guy that did what he thought was right than by a guy who did what he thought would get him the most votes. Guess that's why I vote for my party and you vote for yours.

Nothing against you Don, but did you read the first article?

The wisest course would have been for President Bush to use his nuclear weapons to slaughter Iraqis until they complied with his demands, or until they were all dead. Then there would be little risk or expense and no American army would be left exposed. But if he did this, his cowardly electorate would have instantly ended his term of office, if not his freedom or his life.

I stopped reading shortly after that myself, lunatic isn't strong enough a word to describe the person who wrote that. It borders Nazi propaganda to be precise.

[AntiochusIII]

Careful, Husar, else somebody's gonna call on you for pulling a Godwin's Law. The Backroom has been rather thin-skinned and contrarian lately.

I think I'll commit internet suicide now and get the hell out of the Backroom for a while. If people can't laugh at this [flowery insertion] then it's not a place for a left wing scumbag like me to run around unprotected. The Grey Wolves might get to me.


Commemorating my first ever internet suicide.

[Husar]

Careful, Husar, else somebody's gonna call on you for pulling a Godwin's Law. The Backroom has been rather thin-skinned and contrarian lately.

I had to look up what that is, but I was nonetheless aware of what I was doing and that some people will choose to laugh it off just for being a Nazi reference. But then again, there may actually be some truth in it, think about the Dolchstosslegende. Maybe it is really bad that everybody compares the Bush regime and some of it's supporters(especially Don is not included here) to Nazis, but I really wouldn't do that if they wouldn't remind me of Nazis.
Yet again, I have to say that I actually liked Bush when he was elected, but his actions led me to think different about him now.

Genocide and crying: "oh noez, we are losers because all those cowards betrayed us!!!11111" are soo 1920s to 1940s, it's almost not even funny anymore.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Let's accept the utterly false premise that Dems want Socialism

What? How in the seven seas is that false? The democrat base, led by the kossacks, practically screams for socialized health care and a thousand other implementations of socialism while fighting any sort of school vouchers.

Most ordinary democrats may not want it, but the democrat party is now led by the nose by the fringe.

Frankly, I think current Republican leadership is far to the right of the founding fathers; if Ben Franklin or George Washington tried to speak up on Fox News, I have no doubt they would be shouted down as traitors and soft-on-terror weenies.

Republicans are far more authoritarian than the founding fathers, but in terms of gun rights and other freedoms (taxes, business, property) they are practically socialists. Shouted down as traitors? That's hyperbolic.

Which end-point is more dangerous? How long does it take a country to recover from Socialism? How long does it take a nation to recover from theocracy?

Hmm - let's look at North and South Korea. Or maybe even realize that back in 1780, the nation was much more of a theocracy, despite what ignorant, whining democrat activists may say about the present.

Crazed Rabbit