Republicans. I'll never understand them..

[fumsm]

I live in a dem state - PA, but in a repuke area. I work in the auto industry, and other general plastics industries. I am married to a repub. I continue to underestimate these people. They are so lost in their ability to incorporate common sense into their way of thinking. Even though most of these people are good people, they fail to see reality. I am not sure if it their upbringing, or their brains don't function normally. I still hear everyday things like, "this is all the liberals fault, this all Pelosi, Frank and Reid's fault, the dems are killing our country, Bush and Ronnie were the best things to happen to America, we are going into socialism, Obama is selling us down the river, etc, etc".

It's like they have not seen anything that has happened in the past, completely oblivious to reality. They watch only faux news and listen to the fat drug addict and other wingnuts. These people are not wealthy, although they mostly have had good middle class jobs for many years. They are now suffering and have lost 1/2 their retirement, some have lost jobs, and most carry debt they couldn't possibly pay off if they lost their jobs. They live in fear constantly, but believe it is all the fault of the dems.

This is why if anyone thinks fatass and the like minded repuke screaming heads don't have an influence, in a bad way, on our country, they are mistaken. These people do not have the capacity of seeing other views, only their own, when it comes to politics, but yet they are always the first to say something like "well, they didn't mean it, or that was taken out of context". They are preyed upon by the rightwing nuts, mostly on Christan values and race. (they are all white, as am I). They are complete incapable of understanding that whatever it is they don't like about blacks, they and them before them created, mostly as a result of slavery. But they don't care, they just want them to go away and leave them to their little humble abodes, where life is good and material things are all that matters. It now not only is directed to race, but the poor as well. They always have to have a boogey man in their lives, and the repuke nuts use this to control them. What a sad country we are. Just once I would like to hear one of these people take responsibility for something other than things that benefit only them. I fear it will never happen.

[gratuitous]

1. When you're conversing with your friends . . .

When they come up with one of their wild pronouncements, write it down. Date it, and ask them to initial it. Every couple of months or so, remind them of the damned foolishness they prated just a few weeks ago. Ask them how it is that they still have a job and a house and a little more money in their paycheck.

Fear is the driving force in many of their lives. Fear of losing what they have, fear that they will be left like the poor they hate so much. There is an entire industry working double time and triple time to keep them good and scared.

[Warpy]

2. One of the lessons of history is that people

will obligingly hate anyone they've been given permission to hate.

You have identified one of the problems correctly: these people are hurting. Gasbags on conservative radio are paid to deflect their rage from the people responsible for their difficulty onto people who are even more powerless than they are.

The gasbags are protecting the plutocracy, in other words, which is why they are paid so handsomely.

Don't try to understand these people, pity them. They might be good, but they are gullible and will be suckers all their lives.

[hadrons]

4. wonderful post

[KharmaTrain]

7. Don't Forget Victimization

that justifies the hate. It's not that they don't like Mexicans, it's because they're flooding over the borders and taking the jobs they didn't want in the first place. It's not that they don't like teh gay, but they believe that there's some agenda that if you make gay marriage legal the entire concept of marriage is destroyed. Everything leads to the repugnican or "conservative" being the victim.

Even when they had full control of power, these people screamed of being victims. Remember Terri Shaiavo? It's part of being able to be greedy and arrogant without having to feel any sense of guilt or responsibility. When things go wrong, you blame your opponents for some evil agenda or when you lose elections it's that your own leaders weren't "conservative" enough.

Expect this cult of victimhood to reach epic proportions in the months and years ahead.

[Joanne98]

3. They can't connect the dots. It's a neuron problem. PLUS...

THEY HAVE A DEEP SENSE OF SELF PITY! And endless river of tears for themselves. Which, BTW, they could spare themselves if they only could see reality as it is instead of the FAKE world the people on the radio have fed them for decades.

It's hard to resent something that doesn't exist. Like most of their beliefs. They would feel SO MUCH BETTER if they just realized that NOTHING they believe is true.

Of course they won't do that. They would rather wallow around in self pity.

[Bonhomme Richard]

5. I am convinced that their brains don't function properly so...

I realized I am too old and too busy to waste any time whatsoever to try to explain the real world to them. As soon as they open their mouths I tend to cut them off at the knees.
LOL, my landlord walked into my office to pick up a rent check before the election and he saw my Obama sign in the window. He says "Obama?" I said yeah, I'm not a fucking moron. He didn't say another word about it.

[fumsm]

6. I'm with ya..

Unfortunately I have to do business with a lot of these nitwits, so I try to stay somewhat neutral, however lately I have been a little less patient with them, and tend to respond as you did. It definitely changes the subject quickly.