Conservatism As Pathology: Are Bush Voters Literally Insane?

[Mark E. Smith]

The working class's refusal to synchronize its politics with its economic interests is one of the enduring puzzles of the present age. Between 1989 and 1997, middle-income families (defined in this instance as the middle 20 percent) saw their share of the nation's wealth fall from 4.8 percent to 4.4 percent. Yet Al Gore lost the white working class by a margin of 17 percentage points, and John Kerry lost it by a margin of 23 percentge points. As the GOP drifts farther to the right, and becomes more starkly the party of the wealthy, it is gaining support among the working class.

http://www.slate.com/id/2118237/

The rich get richer and the poor get Limbaugh.

[liberal N proud]

1. It is my true belief that they are truly insane

Then the question becomes, are they criminally insane? After all they support an illegal invasion and occupation of a sovereign nation.

[spooked911]

2. People are still freaked out by 9/11 plus the GOP is really good at

salesmanship.

However, I also think die-hard Bush supporters are either insane or brain-dead.

[mzmolly]

3. I think many suffer from a clinical disorder.

A study at Berkely confirmed this.

[blogbear]

4. The GOP is expert at 'sweet talk' and 'brain washing'..In addition they

know how to work the angles and convince so many that they know what's best for them..They bribe or bully (whichever fits the situation)..FDR said: "The American people are quite capable of judging a party that works both sides of the street." I'm convinced that FDR knew what these Repukes and their true motives were about..I'm wondering anymore however just 'how capable' their ripped-off supporters are to 'judge' that party or much if anything else..

[Mountainman]

5. I'm amazed that even DUers don't get it.

Listen up damn it!

In most working class areas all you get on radio is the wing nut point of view.

The Dem message is not available to these people. If they never hear anything but Laura Inghram, Limbaugh, Hanity, Dr Laura, etc. 24/7 what do you think that does to their point of view?

Where I work people repeat wing nut talking points to each other without any reflective thought behind it. There is no connection to their lives and what they hear.

We have to get on the radio 24/7 in every major market also.

IMHO if this isn't utmost on your mind you just don't get it.

On edit: Religion really is the opiate of the masses. When they wanted to keep the slaves dumb and happy they told them suffering is what Jesus wants you to do in this world and you will get a reward in heaven.

[elehhhhna]

7. DING DING DING! Yes. Misinformation + Willful Ignorance= Reep

[blondeatlast]

8. So true--they get RW talking points 24/7. I know it's "cool" on DU

to trash the "rubes" in the red states, but there are plenty of good Dems, devoted to the party, in those states. Most of the population doesn't algn itself with either party, either.

But Dems start out every election cycle at an ENORMOUS disadvantage.

I know many dislike Ed Schultz, but he's the best chance the Dems have to get a foothold in that market--Franken and Rhodes won't sell there.

Ed talks their talk--even better than Rush and company, because he lives it.

We may not want to face it, but RW radio is more of a threat than I think we know. I'd love to see honest debate, but that's for another time. We need people like Ed Schultz to make inroads in radio--whether we like him or not. Rural/red-state voters will like him, and aside from his MILD pro-life views, he's a die-hard Dem.

[cyr330]

24. Red State?

Which red state are you in? Just curious!

[Walt Starr]

6. No, they are not insane.

They are EVIL.

There is no other word to describe somebody who would vote for Bush.

[Doctor_J]

16. Some have mental disorder, some a character flaw

i think most of them fit into one of those two catagories.

[madhat]

9. No -- they hate people unlike themselves.

That's not insane -- it's human.

[bemildred]

10. We're all nuts.

Some of us are more functional than others though.

[opihimoimoi]

13. The Human Mind has been conditioned over the centuries

Fear,
Obedience,
Loyalty,
Courage,
etc etc

WE are a Nation of Followers.....almost Lemmingesque.....

[bemildred]

14. Like my sig line says ... nt

[opihimoimoi]

17. yup, If we look to history, we find whole groups of Peeps, Nations even,

that showed evidence of Wholesale Delusion....There is much evidence.

Its starts with your sig line...sucking for BS and BELIEVING ITS SO.

[bemildred]

20. Uncertainty is scary.

Most Peeps will not let it go and walk out into the big dark,
it's too terrifying, but they could, nothing happens, you just
popped up out of nothing in the first place, and you don't have
to grit your teeth all the time to stay here, as long as you are
going to stay here anyway ...

It starts when you're a kid, you know nothing, you have to rely on
adults, and they lie and scare the living shit out of you to make
you obey, because the world can be dangerous, so you internalize
all that fear to survive, and it's a mixed bag ...

:hi:

[opihimoimoi]

21. Ed Zachery

[leftofthedial]

11. religiously insane, ideologically insane

ignorant, stupid, stubborn, brainwashed. irrationally frightened . . .

it's the Murkan Coalition

[bvar22]

12. LOL...Great Bumper Sticker!!!!

The RICH get Richer
the POOR get Limbaugh!!!

[Mark E. Smith]

19. If you decide to print some up ...

... send me a couple, will ya?

[HEIL PRESIDENT GOD]

15. Who defines insane?

If we could have them all 5150'd on election day and then released the next day, it might be worth talking about. In the end, does a diagnosis mean anything? We're all crazy for fifty years ago and fifty years from now. Sanity is of the moment and in the eye of the beholder.

[opihimoimoi]

18. The scarey part is in GROUP DELUSION.....the level of appearing sounding

normal but as in Bush, is not in touch with Reality...

Edit: BTW, anyone who consistently votes against their own interests sure as Hell ain't normal...something is wrong with their analytical Brain Dept.

Rejecting history/past/results, ie, as in Bushies current tenure....., and emotionally continuing support to a program/agenda that is counter productive, is a very big clue/sign...and this is what Bushies Peeps do.....Is that nuts? In some quarters, that is NUTS.

[Rageneau]

22. Right-wingers aren't crazy; they are fooled by wolves in sheeps' clothing

Christians are admonished to watch out for evil people disguising themselves as good. But right-wingers, supposedly discerning Christians, never seem to realize the obvious -- that the people they hate: liberals, gays, protesters, etc., CANNOT be the wolves to watch out for.

The wolves waiting to devour them have to people disguised to look and act and sound like THEM. Them being politically conservative evangelical wingnuts.

This has happened before, only back then the wingnuts were called Pharisees.

[cyr330]

23. What's too bad

is that we're losing these voters, and we really need them. As far as what they're doing to themselves, however, I say, "tough shit." They've been warned and warned, and apparently they don't want to listen. It certainly won't bother me to hear the wailing, weeping and gnashing of teeth when they retire and have no social security or medicare.

[NAO]

25. Depth Psychology Analysis: "Why Do Bush Supporters Deny the Obvious?"

WHY DO BUSH SUPPORTERS DENY THE OBVIOUS?
by Paul Levy
http://www.awakeninthedream.com/bushsupporters.html

excerpt:

To quote Stanley Hilton, Bob Dole’s former chief of staff and a long-time Republican, “George Bush makes Benedict Arnold look like a patriot. He makes Benedict Arnold look like George Washington. I mean that’s what we have- a criminal and traitor sitting in the White House pretending he is a patriot, wrapping himself in the flag.” The evidence of Bush and Company’s corruptness and duplicity is beyond overwhelming, and it is literally everywhere, staring us in the face. Why are so many people looking away and not noticing? I find myself no longer interested in trying to convince anyone of what a madman, criminal and traitor Bush is, though it’s not for lack of trying. What I find more fruitful is to contemplate why people who are supporting Bush are both unwilling and seemingly unable to see the evil that is playing out through him. People who follow Bush are in denial about something that to the overwhelming majority of the world could not be more obvious.

The denial of people who support Bush is a form of blindness. People who support Bush are refusing to look at what is right in front of their eyes, an evil that they themselves are complicit in and participating in by their denial. People who are following Bush are acting out of their unconscious. It is as if they have fallen asleep and are dreaming, entranced by their own projections. It is as if they are bewitched, having fallen under a spell. They are living in what John Kerry calls “a fantasy world of spin,” ignoring and oblivious to any facts that contradict their worldview. It is exactly like they are hypnotized, like they are brainwashed. People who follow Bush are behaving exactly like members of a cult who have blindly and unquestioningly given away their power to their leader. They have left behind their critical thinking, dis-connecting from their capacity to discern truth from fiction. Not to mention selling their soul in the bargain. People who support Bush are suffering from a collective psychosis. Why else would they be supporting a madman for President? It is shattering to look in the mirror and see that we, as a people, have gone temporarily mad.

There is a psychic epidemic manifesting in our country right now, and millions of people in our populace have fallen prey to it. There is no sense pretending otherwise. It is of the most profound importance that we notice and understand the psychological nature of the collective malady that we, as a people, are suffering from. Understanding the psychological nature of our illness gives us insight into how to treat it.

By looking away from what Bush is doing and naively supporting him, people are complicit in and feeding Bush’s malignant psychosis. There is something about the depth of depravity, though, that is enacting itself through the Axis of Evil represented by Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Rice, Rove and others that is so dark that it induces in some of us a tendency to pretend that it isn’t really happening. The malevolent energy that is playing itself out through Bush is very hard to look at. People look away, as it is too horrific. The intensity of the evil provokes people to rationalize it, to justify it, to explain it away. It triggers a tendency in people to fall asleep. We like to imagine that people couldn’t be THAT corrupt, THAT two-faced, THAT evil. It is truly shocking to see the depth of depravity a human being can fall into. It is doubly shocking when we realize that these criminally insane individuals control the most powerful nation on earth.

[NAO]

26. "The Bush Cult" - excellent paper

THE BUSH CULT
by Paul Levy
http://www.awakeninthedream.com/bushcult.html

excerpt:

It is a shattering experience to see through our imaginary projections and recognize that someone we thought was leading and protecting us does not have our best interest at heart. People who support Mr. George Bush resist and turn away from the irrefutable and readily available evidence that Bush is anything but a good leader, as if they are in denial with a capital D. Bush is saying one thing and doing totally the opposite, and many people are simply in denial of this and look away. It is truly as if people who support Bush are not only in denial, but are actually refusing to look and hence, blind to what to most of the world is very obvious. It is as if people who support Bush are under a hypnotic spell, and are suffering from a form of collective brainwashing. People who support Bush in his pathology are exhibiting nothing other than the groupthink of cultic behavior.

Followers of a cult unquestioningly give their power away to their leader’s version of reality. People in a cult have dis-connected from their discerning wisdom, which is the ability to discriminate between the opposites, between truth and lies, between good and evil. In a cult, any sort of reflection of the leader’s unconscious shadow is not only not allowed, but is severely punished. The cult leader is typically insulated from people who disagree with him, not even wanting to come in contact and have any connection with people who have a different point of view. People in a cult exhibit complete and total denial with regard to any evidence that contradicts the agreed upon belief of the cult. This perfectly describes people who are following Bush as their leader. People who follow Bush are completely in denial about his truly criminal behavior.

People who belong to a cult always get hooked through their unconscious fear and blind spot. The cult members’ relationship with each other is based on mutual unconsciousness, as they reciprocally reinforce each other’s denial and illusion. In a cult, there is always some form of mind-control, such as the Bush Administration’s control and manipulation of the media. “Staying on message” is the typical communication style within a cult. The cult leader plays with people’s fears so as to gain their trust and control them, which is a process that is not based on love but on power over others.

There are always aspects of a cult that are kept hidden and secret, which is the mechanism that keeps its hierarchical power in place. In a cult, this inequality of power ensures that a form of abuse always gets unconsciously acted out. In a cult, the members identify with only one side of an inherently two-sided polarity, projecting out the marginalized shadow. Hence, people who disagree with the cult are seen to have fallen under the spell of the Devil. Members of a cult are convinced of the rightness of their point of view, which they consider non-negotiable. Hence, there is no room for the open dialogue and debate which is at the core of a true democracy. Cults will even suppress and distort science to serve their ends, just like the Bush Administration is doing for partisan political ends. And the cult leader is (arche)typically either identified with God or feels he has a special relationship with God. Cult leaders and their followers see themselves as agents of apocalyptic, end-time scenarios, which is one of the more disturbing aspects of Bush and his supporters from the religious right.

full article at above link

[NAO]

27. The Definative Analysis of Bush: "The Madness of George Bush"

THE MADNESS OF GEORGE W. BUSH:
A REFLECTION OF OUR COLLECTIVE PSYCHOSIS
by Paul Levy
http://www.awakeninthedream.com/georgew.html

excerpt:

George W. Bush is ill. He has a psycho-spiritual dis-ease of the soul, a sickness that is endemic to our culture and symptomatic of the times we live in. It’s an illness that has been with us since time immemorial. Because it’s an illness that's in the soul of all of humanity, it pervades the field and is in all of us in potential at any moment, which makes it especially hard to diagnose. Bush's malady is quite different from schizophrenia, for example, in which all the different parts of the personality are fragmented and not connected to each other, resulting in a state of internal chaos. As compared to the dis-order of the schizophrenic, Bush can sound quite coherent and can appear like such a "regular," normal guy, which makes the syndrome he is suffering from very hard to recognize. This is because the healthy parts of his personality have been co-opted by the pathological aspect, which drafts them into its service. Because of the way the personality self-organizes an outer display of coherence around a pathogenic core, I would like to name Bush's illness ‘malignant egophrenic (as compared to schizophrenic) disease,’ or ‘ME disorder,’ for short. If ME disorder goes unrecognized and is not contained, it can be very destructive, particularly if the person is in a position of power.

In much the same way that a child's psychology cannot be understood without looking at the family system he or she is a part of, George Bush does not exist in isolation. We can view Bush and his entire Administration (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Wolfowitz, etc), as well as the corporate, military industrial complex that they are co-dependently enmeshed with, the media that they control, the voters that support them, and ourselves as well, as interconnected parts of a whole system, or a "field." Instead of relating to any part of this field as an isolated entity, it’s important to contemplate the entire interdependent field as the ‘medium’ though which malignant egophrenia manifests and propagates itself. ME disease is a field phenomenon, and needs to be contemplated as such. Bush's sickness is our own.

Being a field phenomenon, malignant egophrenia is non-local in nature, which means that it is not bound by the limitations of time or space. Being non-local, this disease pervades and underlies the entire field and can therefore manifest anywhere, through anyone and at any moment. The disease's non-local nature makes the question of who has the disease irrelevant, as we all have it in potential. It is more a question of whether or not we are aware of our susceptibility to fall prey to the disease. This awareness itself serves as an immunization that protects us from the pernicious effects of the illness, thereby allowing us to be of genuine help to others.

Bush supporters are not merely disinterested in seeing that they are in denial of reality; on the contrary, they actively don’t want to look at this, which is to say they resist self-reflection at all costs. Bush and his supporters perversely interpret any feedback from the real world which reflects back their unconsciousness as itself evidence that proves the rightness of their viewpoint. All of Bush’s supporters mutually reinforce each other’s unconscious resistance to such a degree that a collective, interdependent field of impenetrability gets collectively conjured up by them that literally resists consciousness.

full article at above link

more articles at Paul Levy's site "Awaken In the Dream"
http://www.awakeninthedream.com/indexx.html

[kodi]

28. i have encountered several who are certifiably bat-shit crazy

there was madness in their eyes.