Are Congressional Repubs evil creatures without souls or just ignorant?

[IkeWarnedUs]

There are 229 Republicans in the House and 51 in the Senate. That's 280 reasonably intelligent* individuals. Add to that the 205 House and 48 Senate Democrats and 2 Independents (one in each) and you have 535 people. Just a handfull speak out at all, and then its sporatic and uncoordinated.

Do they see what's happening to this country? Endless war based on lies - roll back of civil liberties - the economy distroyed.

You would think at least some of the 280 Repubs in Congress would say, "Gee, maybe this isn't good. Maybe I should vote against the party line."

How does the Republican party keep that many people in line (not to mention the Dems kept in line by the DLC and New Democrats organization)? Fear? Greed? Are that many people so weak?

Maybe they don't see it - its possible, DC is kind of a closed society. If we made a co-ordinated effort to meet with our Reps and Senators (Repub and Dem) and educate them, would it make a difference? I remember there were groups doing something like this before the war started. What about demanding monthly meetings with Congressfolk? On month for voting machines, one for empire building, one for lies being spread by this administration, one to review the US Constitution, etc.

Or are they just evil, soul-less creatures?

* All snide comments aside, people in Congress are of average to above average intelligence - not retarded, no high school drop outs, etc.

[JitterbugPerfume]

1. Remember Jefford

That gives us hope

[IkeWarnedUs]

13. Jeffords is one of the good ones . . .

. . . but switching parties isn't enough. Its a good start, but it isn't enough.

Jeffords switched parties and made a statement on the anniversary of the switch.

Graham and Shelby did the talk show circut about the 9/11 report.

Durbin spoke out when the White House went gunning for him.

Byrd did his best to sound the alarm.

McKinney called a spade a spade.

All good efforts, but not nearly enough!

[Bandit]

2. If you don't walk the party line you get shunned and no perks

No plush commitee assignments or chairmanships if you go against the gospel. It doesn't matter what is right or wrong only what is expected.

[IkeWarnedUs]

14. so in other words

They are evil soulless creatures who can't see past their personal bottom line?

[rwork]

3. Very good point.

I have thought about this many times and have no answer. Behind closed doors they must recognise what is happening to our country, but they fall inline supporting him.

[catzies]

4. I thought this was a poll question

I was going to vote for "soulless evil. ;)

[ElsewheresDaughter]

5. 50/50 IMHO

[wtmusic]

6. difference between Republicans and Democrats

This is an interesting issue. I have found one characteristic that even Republicans agree on:

Democrats believe human nature is essentially good.
Republicans believe human nature is essentially evil.

[beanball]

9. The republican party/ The evil men and women's party

most repugs are just plain greedy,hateful,and evil, the party of Tom DeLay,Katherine Harris,Shrub,Rove,Limbaugh,Hannity,Rice,Chaney,Lott,did I mention DeLay double evil?

[GOPFighter]

10. Yeah, ...

...though I believe it's more like liberals believe human nature is essentially good and conservatives believe human nature is essentially evil. I wonder if religion is part of this factor since one of the prime tenets of Christianity is that man is born of sin and only Jesus can change atone for that.

As I get older, I have less and less respect for religion.

[wtmusic]

12. Good observation

and that would explain the unspoken precept that attacking Muslim nations without provocation is OK.

The church is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you didn't need Jesus to be OK, there wouldn't be any Jesus. People get started from their parents.

[greekspeak]

16. It does come from Christianity

Augustine and other "western"* Church fathers were heavily into humans being wicked, evil creatures. "Eastern"* church fathers had a more positive humanity. Humans have flaws, but they are essentially good. Being a Christianized society influenced by "western" philosophies, it is still common to find people with a very negative anthropology.


*the terms I am using here, western and eastern, are not hard and fast geographic terms. Some church fathers in the east were more "western" and some in the west were more "eastern."

[IkeWarnedUs]

17. Neo-cons' take on religion

Don't confuse religious rhetoric with religious belief.

Leo Strauss was a teacher and huge influence on many of the PNAC folk - Wolfowitz, Perle, Gary Schmitt (the founder of PNAC), Abram Shulsky (head of Office of Special Plans (OSP) in the Pentagon - the real spooky spooks), William Kristol, William Bennett, Clarence Thomas, to name a few. This was Strauss' teaching on the power of religion:

<snip>

Second Principle: Power of Religion

According to Drury, Strauss had a "huge contempt" for secular democracy. Nazism, he believed, was a nihilistic reaction to the irreligious and liberal nature of the Weimar Republic. Among other neoconservatives, Irving Kristol (William's father) has long argued for a much greater role for religion in the public sphere, even suggesting that the Founding Fathers of the American Republic made a major mistake by insisting on the separation of church and state. And why? Because Strauss viewed religion as absolutely essential in order to impose moral law on the masses who otherwise would be out of control.

At the same time, he stressed that religion was for the masses alone; the rulers need not be bound by it. Indeed, it would be absurd if they were, since the truths proclaimed by religion were "a pious fraud." As Ronald Bailey, science correspondent for Reason magazine points out, "Neoconservatives are pro-religion even though they themselves may not be believers."

"Secular society in their view is the worst possible thing,'' Drury says, because it leads to individualism, liberalism, and relativism, precisely those traits that may promote dissent that in turn could dangerously weaken society's ability to cope with external threats. Bailey argues that it is this firm belief in the political utility of religion as an "opiate of the masses" that helps explain why secular Jews like Kristol in 'Commentary' magazine and other neoconservative journals have allied themselves with the Christian Right and even taken on Darwin's theory of evolution.

link: http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=15935

Thanks to Eloriel who posted this earlier.

Having said that, I guess at least some of the Congressional sheep are part of the masses being controlled by their religious beliefs. Which is all the more reason to educate them!!

[drdigi420]

26. Not just as you get older, but as you get smarter

Education is usually an antithesis to religion, which is one of the reasons the republicans fight so hard to keep most people ignorant.

[rucky]

20. Ding! Ding! Ding!

to add to that:

Republicans have dualistic thinking patterns, which makes them more likely to vote in lockstep - especially in times of "war".
They're only seeing things in terms of "good" and "evil", and I believe that most of are 100% convinced that they're good (which would make everyone else evil). Even if they're intelligent to know that this is not how the world really is, they all realize the effectiveness of a mass movement so they fall in line. Of course there are a good number of opportunists in the pack who will take advantage of the groupthink mentality to cash in along the way, and have a completely clear consience about it because they are on the "good" side.

Meanwhile, on the democratic side, most have more respect for the people than the process, and choose to see things from many perspectives. Solving a problem in a fair manner is more complicated and less efficient than just picking a side and committing to it. This is why the Democrats are suffering from lack of unity. Meanwhile the instant-gratification fast-food, fast-fix folks see this as a chaotic clusterfuck, or worse, a sign of weakness. I see it as part of a process that will have a more lasting effect that is most beneficial to the largest number of people.

My fair and balanced assessment.

[Skittles]

7. THEY ARE GOOSE-STEPPERS

TOO STUPID TO KNOW THEY ARE EVIL.

[GOPFighter]

8. The age old question...

...why do so many intelligent, reasonably caring people differ so radically when it comes to politics? In fact 90% of the postings on Freep and DU are almost interchangeable except for names and issues. They hate(d) Clinton as much as we hate Bush. They make fun of us the same way we make fun of them. Yet, I think most of them and most of us love our country and want what's best for the country. Somehow I wish we could get back to respecting the opposition and begin debating issues on their merits and not emotion.

Yeah, I know. I wish Santa Claus was real, too.

[Clete]

11. The party leaders are evil. They aren't true Republicans either. IMHO

The followers can be evil or misguided.

[JitterbugPerfume]

15. Also remember that

most "regular people" are not into Poitics to te extent that we are

It takes them a little longer to see the evil

That works to the Republican NeoCon advantage

[IkeWarnedUs]

19. I agree about the "regular people"

And that is a whole other (much discussed) issue.

But I'm talking about educating individual Congressfolk. Force them to face the evil in their midst.

At the very least, don't let them say later, "I didn't know."

[qb]

18. They have a severe empathy deficiency.

They are prone to selfish and cruel acts. Empathy is something that develops from loving contact with caregivers in early childhood. I suspect a lot of Repugs missed out on this.

[musiclawyer]

21. I've thought a lot about this too..

I've narrowed it down to two types of republicans: 1) the republican soccer mom (or dad) who dishes out food at the homeless shelter at Christmas and will vote for whatever because the party leaders say it's the right thing to do and 2) the guy who works for big oil, big defense, big whatever and is only concerened about what's good for his(her) bottom line. The former have sympathy but no empathy. ( They can't imagine what it's like to be hungry, or to be a child in a house, huddled in a closet with american bombs crashing down all around, literally shaking with fear. Their brains just aren't hard wired that way. They also are not the types to question authority too much or to deely examine issues. ......The latter are bereft of empathy and sympathy. They just don't care--kind of the "evil" type you describe. Can somebody tell me I'm wrong?

[MotorCityMan]

22. Some (Delay comes to mind) most certainly are

Although I think they all pale next to Cheney. That man scares me. His eyes look so empty and souless. The type that would enjoy crushing you like a bug, either literally, figuratively, or both.

[catmandu57]

23. I believe there is a core of evil

that has taken control, and by carrot and stick they control the ones who would have trouble going along with the program. I believe it comes down to the statement that there is no good, there is no evil, there is only power. Holding power is better than not holding power and that is the carrot and stick the evil ones used.

[leftofthedial]

24. 90% of them are ignorant, evil, soul-less creatures

best I can tell.

Utterly venal and devoid of principle.

[drdigi420]

25. Yes

they are both evil and ignorant

[Jackpine Radical]

27. I vote for ignorant AND evil.

Those are hardly mutually exclusive categories.