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Son of Detroit
10-30-2007, 05:59 PM
I've been really thinking about the whole idea of political parties, and the people who follow them.

I'm willing to bet if this whole Iraq War thing was flipped and Al Gore and his administration went to Iraq, most Democrats against the war right now would be defending it and most Republicans for the war right now would be against it.

People don't really think about the issues anymore it seems. It's what the head honcho of the party says.

I say the same thing with Global Warming. I'd say most people questioning it are Republicans right? What if Dubya flipped with Gore and vice-versa? The Republicans who questioned it before would now be comparing the Democrats who mostly followed it before to Holocaust deniers.

It makes me sick. I used to be like that. Pro-war, big spending, pro-Patriot Act, anti-gay marriage, kill the Jihads, etc. Until I found out about Ron Paul and became Non-interventionist, small government, protect personal freedoms/privacy, who cares about gay marriage, etc. Someone who doesn't follow the way the party is going and sticks to his beliefs no matter how unpopular they may be with the party in general.


I just had to rant about this.
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0zzy
10-30-2007, 06:00 PM
True about war, dono about environment. Republicans and Democrats have always differed on the subject.

beerista
10-30-2007, 07:07 PM
"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything."
--Alex Hamilton* (British journalist), in a radio broadcast (Nov. 9, 1978)
-or-
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
--Voltaire

Point is, if you can get the constituents to approach politics with something akin to team loyalty, you no longer have to battle for ideas and ideals. And, as noted by the above quotations, this has been known for some time. Every election, it's the Elephants in the red jerseys versus the Donkeys (not to be confused with my beloved Broncos) in the blue jerseys. Most voters have only enough attention span (whether this is by design or not is perhaps for a different post) to follow the color of the jersey. The teams can switch end zones, strategies, and personnel, so long as they keep the same jerseys. It's sad, but this changes nothing.

As for the war, I think you're exactly right. After all, the architects of the current war and the current unitary executive theory which helps make it possible came from the Democratic party. Now Republicans fight tooth and nail as a point of honor to uphold the philosophies of their opposite numbers. Almost funny.

As for the environment, I think you're right... to a point. Since we're talking here about blind loyalty, yes, there is a large element of that in the environmental views of most voters. But I think that to be skeptical of accepted wisdom on the environment can also be a sign of the kind of healthy free thinking that can lead one to part with party loyalty.