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I don't agree with this. Let me give you some stats. My favorite: 58% of the American people opposed the war in Iraq in Feb. '03 (before the invasion). That number's in the 70% range to day. Of that 58%, about half opposed the Iraq war outright, and the other half would only support it if it was a UN peacekeeping mission (i.e., had world consensus), not preemptive war by Bush. So the American people were onto Bush way back then.
My other favorite: 63% of the American people opposed torture "under any circumstances." (May '04.) This, despite relentless fear-mongering and war-mongering. People sticking to their sense of ethics, and lawfulness, and right behavior, despite all. And that number, as well as the first one, has to include many Republicans.
You name the issue. The Iraq War. Torture. The deficit. Social Security. Women's rights. The great majority of Americans disapprove of every Bush policy, foreign and domestic, way up in the 60% to 70% range, in a range of polls over a period of several years.
This is not a stupid and uninformed people. This is a DISEMPOWERED, and, above all, a DISENFRANCHISED people.
Let me tell you what I think is happening with those of us who are members of the great American progressive MAJORITY and who get into a lonely and depressed state of mind when we encounter other Americans who ARE stupid and uninformed. First of all, we have, in our subconscious minds, an IMPRESSION given to us by the war profiteering corporate news monopolies that we progressives are in the minority. They do this by giving a BIG TRUMPET to rightwing views, way out proportion to their numbers. So we hear it and see it and read it 24/7: the VERY mis-named "mainstream media" creates an ILLUSION of the prevalence of rightwing views in the POPULATION that is out of sync with reality. And we can hardly escape having this falsehood implanted in our brains.
Secondly, we are talking to the wrong people. We may even be zeroing in on the wrong people. We may be fatally attracted to people with these MINORITY rightwing views. The illusion that the news media creates that rightwing views are in the majority may be luring us into frustrating conversations with people whose views are diametrically opposed to ours and to the MAJORITY of Americans. They will never be convinced. They are the hard right, who have always been with us. They are not into reasonable argument, and never have been. There might be a squishy 10% in there--in Bush's 30% to 40% total support--who are open to discussion. So I'm not saying, never talk to a Republican. (Also, there's that 10% or so, in the above stats on the war and on torture, who are probably Republicans, who are being silent within their party out of fear.) The 30% hardcore also may be emboldened by THEIR illusion that their views are majority views, and may speak out more, be more open about ill informed, unreasonable, or just plain disgusting views (like not caring if prisoners are tortured, or approving of Bush spying on everyone, or hating immigrants or Arabs). They may be more likely to put bumper stickers on their cars, and to advertise their minority views--because they hear this crap on the radio all the time. And Russ Limbaugh and others give then 'taking points' to support stupid opinions.
OR, you could be truly caught in a pocket of right-wingerism. I'm not saying it can't happen. In either case--whether you are focusing too much on wingers, or you can't avoid them--instead of talking to them, you should be talking to your brothers and sisters in the progressive MAJORITY, seeking them out, helping to empower them, assuring them that they are not alone. Just dismiss the wingers. Don't get into arguments with them. Or if there are possible progressives present, argue with the winger--quietly, reasonably, with great self-assurance, and with no intention to convert a winger--FOR THE SAKE OF THE PROGRESSIVE AUDIENCE.
I think that this illusion of rightwing hegemony, that the war profiteering corporate news monopolies create, makes some of us afraid. We feel we don't live in a good, democratic, progressive, peace-loving, justice-loving country any more. So we may feel anxious to convince wingers, with facts and reason (never happen). We also have good reason to fear the Bush junta, so we get even more anxious.
We need to learn to go about in confidence that most other Americans are with us--that many are better informed than we may think, that many may be hungry for information and for connection with other progressives, AND that many may be afraid to speak up because they don't realize that they are part of the majority, nor how radical and out of sync Bushites and their supporters are, and how few there are, overall.
One thing such progressives may NEED to know is about election fraud--the Bushite corporations now own and control the electronic voting machines that tabulate all our votes, and run them with 'TRADE SECRET," PROPRIETARY programming code, and virtually no audit/recount controls. This will relieve progressives' minds about what other Americans think. (Kerry really did win the election--by about a 5% margin, and maybe more, when all the voter suppression and purges of Dem voters is added in. The evidence for this is overwhelming.) It's better to know that you have been disenfranchised, than not to know--and to go on believing that the majority of Americans are nuts. But tell them: DON'T give up on voting! Never, never give up! We have to force local/state election officials, and our silent and collusive Democratic Party leaders, to restore election integrity and transparency.
Don't bother with uninformed or stupid people. Fight the corporate-created illusion that they are the majority. Talk to the bright ones, and buck them up.
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