The same way the cult of republicanism has been winning elections for a generation – lie about what its policies are and what their policies do. And with their firm control of Big Media, their message of lies, deception, and smears of progressives continues unabated in dominating national discourse (that it took 6 years for 65% of Americans to understand what bush was, had been doing, and is capable of was no victory, but rather a totally horrifying defeat of the truth, reality, and the functioning of the 4th estate).

Unless democrats break-up Big Media, or until unrestrained free exchange of ideas on the internet completely supplants Big Media, the cult of republicanism will continue to control the debates – the debate topics, the context, and the message.

Good point — I know many liberals who ARE devout Christians, and they look on their fundamentalist conservative Christian bretheren with puzzlement.

My read on many of the conservative Christians is that they’re scared and they tend to see only what they want to see. I’m not sure how they manage to live this way. The few I’ve met and talked to have very closed minds.

One lady I know reads “only her magazines” (that would be Family Circle, Woman’s Day, Goodhousekeeping, and Ladies Home Journal). Her radio is tuned to a Clear Channel station, and her only other news source is her small town’s newspaper. She thinks Bush is wonderful…

How do you reach these folks? I’m sure she’d be horrified if she really understood what has happened.

Last weekend I heard one right wing fellow on a radio talk show — he said he’d voted for Reagan, but that he was sorry he’d voted for Bush. Seems the final straw was the Walter Reed story! So some of them are waking up — will it be enough?

One man among many. We CANNOT reach the vast majority of them and just in case anyone who’s slow on the uptake hasn’t gotten it yet, I am not anti-christian

I AM anti-stupid. The people at the link I posted are stupid. THEY (not ALL Christians) believe that since Clusterfuck believes in the baybay jaysus, he MUST be ok.

That’s STUPID.

It’s Blackwater!! This is INSANE!!

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/….._0403.html

That is crazy. Why do we allow a private military in America?

I’d like to add my AMEN :-) to that.
I’m a Christian who believes in the Gospel of Social Justice– and there are lots of us. Hate speech is bad– no matter who it is directed at. Recognize who your friends are– there are lots of Christian progressives.

Bob in HI

Thanks Bob -

and I’m glad we have the opportunity to share a thread while the East Coast is with us!

GPB @ 79

I rather doubt that a viable electoral strategy in US electoral politics can dismiss those who believe in Jesus Christ. Lots of very devout people are also very progressive, so I wouldn’t choose to join or support such strategy.

The contempt and hostility with which you dismiss all who believe in Jesus is most unbecoming. For that reason alone, I also disagree with your comment.

Finally, media literacy – the ability to look behind the pervasive commercial media and dissect their funding, motives, and biases – that is a learned skill.

The Rethugs have defunded public education and forced almost every household to send two people to work in order to meet basic needs.

As I read comments dripping with contempt for those deceived by Limbaugh and Pox News, I think of my relatives in rural Ohio whose lives never afforded them the great luxury of extensive education and free time to pick up Noam Chomsky.

I don’t think the strategy of blaming the vast majority of those persuaded by the Rethugs forty years of media propaganda is an effective way to win allies for progressive majorities.

I also find the attacks on the targets of the Pox propaganda to show tremendous class bias.

I’d rather leave that with the Republicans. They seem to have a lock on it – around their necks.

I’d like to add my AMEN :-) to that.
I’m a Christian who believes in the Gospel of Social Justice– and there are lots of us. Hate speech is bad– no matter who it is directed at. Recognize who your friends are– there are lots of Christian progressives.

Bob in HI

A turning point for me in my belated maturity about Republican politics was in the aftermath of the 2000 election. Given the win of the popular vote by Gore, those of us who voted for Gore hoped against hope that the appointed President would concede some ground to the other side. We thought he might at least genuflect in the direction of nonpartisan, we’re-all-in-this-together, spirit.

I wish I could remember who said it, one of the RNC officers I think. His response to the profound consternation of the 50% who voted for the other side was something like “We don’t care. We don’t care that you’re upset. We don’t care that you feel robbed. We won.”

Until then, I had assumed at least a shred of reasonableness and sense of common goals. I was wrong, and each passing day confirms my naivete.

They have ruled, not governed, exactly like that. They don’t give a shit about half the population, now a majority. They’re in power and they are going to do everything they can as fast as they can to enrich and entrench themselves.

The rest of us can go to hell.

Pretty much.

Um, yeah.

Is that an “Um, yeah, whatever.” or an “Um, yeah, I hear ya.”, PW?

:)