Institutionalized ignorance and stupidity: read the comments of those who will vote against us

[DFW]

I'm not talking about the "I will never vote for (pick your least favorite Democrat)" crowd.

No, this is the "proud of their ignorance" crowd. These are people who appear capable of rational thought, but choose instead never to use it.

I'm not talking about the string of Republicans who are thinking of running next year. I'm talking about the comments of the attendees who went to hear them, like this:

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"He's too moderate, like his brother,” Bill Bergmeier said of (Jeb) Bush. “They both move too much towards the Democrat side." An Iowa native, Bergmeier said he is looking forward to voting in his state's first-in-the-nation Republican caucus next year, but has no plans to vote for Bush. "I like Ted Cruz, Scott Walker, and Sarah Palin," he said.
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In 2015, there are people out there who can both walk and chew gum at the same time, and STILL would vote for Sarah Palin to sit in the Oval Office, decide US foreign policy, and have her finger on the button that can launch nuclear weapons at other countries.

Be afraid, people, because more of this kind of person turned out to vote last November than voted for us. This guy wasn't unique either. Here's a link to the rest of the article. Very scary. Don't read this if you're alone at night and there is a full moon out:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/26/jeb-bush-cpac_n_6765610.html?ncid=newsltushpmg00000003

[RKP5637]

1. The growing Idiocracy in America is truly frightening and really has

little to do with education and intelligence IMO, rather, it's a badge of honor with these individuals. IMO it's a fatalistic drive fueled by a feeling of a loss of control. Hence, they rally around the most incompetent, those bringing a close to the world, much as in a doomsday cult, that type of behavior IMO. It is dangerous, frightening and appalling to see, particularly in a supposedly civilized country.

The worst democrats can do is sit at home on their asses again and not bother to vote.

[DFW]

2. And they will. Again.

"I couldn't make it that day."

"No way I am going to vote for Bernie/Hillary/Elizabeth/Martin/The Great Pumpkin because they are too socialist/corporatist/technocratic/organic-inanimate."

"I forgot."

"No way I'm going out in THAT weather."

"I'm just one vote. What's the difference?"

[freshwest]

3. +1

[ThoughtCriminal]

4. They can walk and chew gum at the same time

but it is a challenge and they would have a problem explaining the difference between the two tasks without degenerating into a word salad.

[hifiguy]

5. You can not and never will be able to fix stupid.

And the systematic dumbing down/endless propagandizing of the US populace began on January 20, 1981. It has corrupted a couple of generations and will be extraordinarily difficult to fix, if it can be fixed at all.

[DFW]

6. "If it can be fixed at all"

That's the scary part.

The Soviets and Mao both thought that if they had full control of the education system, they would bring up generations of people who all thought exactly as their leaders wanted them to think. It never occurred to them that Lenin and Mao were independent thinkers who were products of rebel thinking, themselves. The Hitler Youth nevertheless had its dissenters, and they were often the brightest of the bunch. You can keep people ignorant, but many bright intellects will always figure out that they are being manipulated, and some will rebel against it.

But the Russians under the czar were hungry for change, and so were the peasants of China before Mao. We aren't that desperate yet, and therefore there are many millions of Americans willing to let Roger Ailes do their thinking for them. As long as there's Monday Night Football, beer, gas money and Fox Noise, they'll follow anyone who says the Taliban is across the street ready to take it all away from them. Never mind that none of it's true.

[Katashi_itto]

7. Frankly I think these people will put Walker in as President.

[DFW]

9. They can try

Walker has a LOT of dirty laundry. I think the likelihood is more that the Kochs, who seems to think they can really buy themselves a president this time, are doing a modified version of what their party did in 2012. They put up, with a carefully coordinated PR campaign, one "front-runner" after another. In real terms, that means they pay for publicity for one clown at a time. They test the waters, and see who survives the media scrutiny and the straw polls best. I think the only one that makes them nervous is Jeb Bush, because he has money of his own. The other clowns would be dependent on Koch money to survive, and thus do the Kochs' bidding if elected. Walker is a prime example of that. The Kochs know they own him, but they don't know if they can sell him. Rubio just made an unbelievable fool of himself with his ISIS-Iran remark, but only to those who know what is going on over there. The fact that he was spouting complete nonsense is irrelevant if you don't REALIZE he was spouting complete nonsense.

After the Parade Of Fools that was the Republican primary season of 2011-2012, the last man standing was the one with his own money. Jeb has that, and he's smarter than Willard, but he also has a family history, a professional history that will reveal some ugly stuff when scrutinized, and a last name that makes many people gag, both Republican and Democrat.

So far, the Republican roster, again, consists of Ignorant, stupid, crazy, and crooked, plus a few combinations of the above. They retain their advantage that over 40% of American voters will vote for their party even if their ticket consists of Quickdraw McGraw and Casper, the Friendly Ghost. On the other hand we are faced with a party base containing plenty of people who proudly state their intention to stay home if the nominee isn't to their liking. It'll be closer than 2008, maybe than 2012, and a clear choice between then two nominees won't matter.

Walker MAY be their nominee, but only if he's the last man standing after a brutal fight. That far from a sure thing at this point. He hasn't yet been the object of enough target practice by his fellow Republican nut cases to say if he'll still be there when the smoke clears. I think that, like Willard, the Republican nominee, whoever it is, will once again be absolutely convinced of his/her victory, and be left bewildered when the voters, once again, see through the façade, and vote another Democrat into the Oval Office.

[Katashi_itto]

12. The Koch are rumored to be putting a half billion behind him

Media will broadcast what they want.

[Hekate]

8. >sigh< KnR

[DFW]

10. I know

Not pleasant to contemplate, is it?

[anotojefiremnesuka]

11. Follow the education money at the state level mainily in the South going back to 1964

We are living with the results of over 30 years of intentional institutionalized ignorance the GOP was able in a short time period to basically create an army of useful idiots.

The problem the GOP has is that the idiots have morphed in to a Frankenstein that cannot be controlled, AKA the TeaHadists.

Add on top of all that a big old helping of religious fundamentalism.


Ignorance + Religious Fundamentalism = Terrorism.

[DFW]

13. In Texas, we know all too well what it means

Even kids educated at "better" schools demonstrate an frightening degree of ignorance.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. In actual fact Democrats got more votes in November, Republicans won more seats....

So 'more of them vote than us' is not correct at all.

[DFW]

15. Technically, you're correct

We voted in "safe" districts.

But in districts where it could have made the difference, we stayed home. I'm sure plenty of that was Republican election fraud, but some of it was good old fashioned using the option of not voting.