What are Republican voters so afraid of?

[Sparkly]

All the things they claim to be afraid of in voting for a Democrat, we've already seen from BushCo.

They claim they can't vote for a woman, because women's hormones make them unstable, and she might get us into an unnecessary war due to a bad mood. Nope, can't give a woman that much power; yet BushCo got us into an unnecessary war and they're buying it.

They claim they can't vote for anyone who's pro-choice because they care about "innocent life," yet the rate of abortions has not declined one bit under BushCo.

They claim they can't vote for tax-and-spenders, but that's exactly what they're getting in the BushCo borrow-and-spenders. The only differences is the taxes will come later. With interest.

They claim they can't vote for a "flip-flopper" because he might change his mind. Yet most now wish BushCo would change SOMEthing about Iraq; and we've seen the Chimp change his mind several times on Al-Sadr (Fight him! No, negotiate with him! Okay, fight him!) as well as Fallujah (Go in! Get out! Go in!).

They claim they can't vote for a "northeastern liberal elitist intellectual" because they use big fancy words and might not be as much fun to have a beer or barbecue with. But Chimpy doesn't drink beer at all (supposedly), his "plain-spokenness" is an international embarassment, and as far as I know, he isn't attending their barbecues, so what good was that question?

They claim they can't vote for people who aren't sufficiently Christian (and as Stephen Baldwin and Joe Scarborough kept reminding us, Catholic just doesn't cut it) because they don't have a trustworthy "moral compass." And without that, they might lie. Or cheat. Or favor money over individuals. Or cut programs that people need. You get the idea.

They claim they can't vote for people like Clinton who made us "the laughingstock of the world!" Remember that line? It suddenly changed to "Who cares what the rest of the world thinks?"

They claim they can't vote for a Democrat because "socialist policies" help poor people at the expense of the wealthy, and "I never got a job from a poor person." Yet unemployment has gone from record lows to record highs under BushCo, with the poor and middle class suffering for the greed of the wealthy. Earth to rightwingers: It doesn't trickle down.

So now that they've seen all their worst fears come true as a result of their white, Christian, moral, southern, non-intellectual pro-life tax-cutting Republican, what's the excuse now?

[gratuitous]

1. What they're mostly afraid of?

In my experience is that they'll be treated the same way they treat others. For them, the Golden Rule is a vision from Hell.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Let's not forget that Bush isn't from Texas

but is part of the so-called Northeastern elite. People who don't study history may be surprised to know that the elite so cited has had as many conservative members as liberals. The Texans I know, who are all at least fourth generation Texans, have a name for Bush-carpetbagger. My only concern about this is that it makes carpetbaggers look bad.

[Dark]

3. They tell themselves that Bush's policies would be working if it

weren't for Clinton.

Also, they don't like 'welfare queens', but fuck the people who really need the money.

[converted_democrat]

4. As a former Republican, I feel I have the right to say this.

There are generally two types of Republicans.

1. Rich business people that don't give a shit about anyone, but themselves.
2. Paranoid, ignorants that know very little about the world around them.

The second group thinks if they cling to the first group, they will be "protected." They think if they cling and agree with the first group they will eventually be "successful" and "powerful" too. Also, I think they feel threatened by change, and hate what they do not know. They don't have any first hand experience with minorities, or the G&L community, so they hate them because they were told to by the generation before them. The Republican party does not "advocate" understanding other cultures of ways of life, and teaches fear and hate more or less as a defense mechanism. If you "hate" or "fear" what you do not know, it makes it less likely you'll ever try to understand it, and always want protection from that unknown. Fear and hate has to be promoted within the party otherwise there would be no party. If the second group ever lost it's need for "protection" they would turn on the first group.

So to sum up, I would say they fear what they don't know. And that cycle of fear must be maintained in order for the Republican party to survive.

[Broken_Hero]

6. Oh god, i swear...

you said, word by word, what my friend tom told me about why people vote republican, and i totally agreed with him my buddy tom is a viet vet, i am surprised someone else picked up on it, good job! Eerie, you must have been listening to tom and i's conversation, are you involved with the CIA?...:) ha, just kidding.

[Sparkly]

7. Interesting.

I think it was Michael Moore who had a chapter making a similar point -- the notion that we can all get rich in America, and how it works for Republicans.

So how to you get past that fear with them? What converted you?

[converted_democrat]

8. Many different things..............

I started changing when I moved out of the small community that I grew up in, and met different people from different cultures. I realized that the picture that my family had painted of minority groups was completely untrue. Then I found the DU, and started lurking, and here I am today. You have to understand the flow of information. In rural areas you have few choices for your news, be it newspaper or otherwise. When I found DU, and got information from a different perspective, and my perspective changed.

[Broken_Hero]

5. They are afraid of being proven wrong.

They are afraid of being proved wrong, in their descion to support Bush and his buddies. And if you are proven wrong, than that means you are stupid for not seeing it, it means you were led like a sheep to buy into this propagand, it means you will lose face. So, they hold strong the course, to prove that they are right, they spin truth/s half truths, and down right Rove lies, and try to prove the point that they are right, and not wrong.

The republicans are afriad to be proved wrong, i think that is why they are still as thick as thieves, sorry to use a pun. I wish that they would wake up a little, but it isn't going to happen until something happens to them personally, but thats just my take on it.