Living in a one-party city, you see and hear some strange things.
There’s a conceit on the part of an awful lot of Twin Cities leftists – Democrats, Greenies, and all their various flavors – that “if we just showed Republicans the truth, they’d be Democrats!”
That point of view is in full foam as we head toward the GOP Convention this fall. One “local” group plans on putting “huge Jumbotrons” on both sides of downtown – on Cathedral Hill and Harriet Island – to beam videos over the city during the convention, apparently to try to convert Republicans.
These, by the way, are some of the same people who fulminate about billboards in Saint Paul. Go figure.
And now, says Schmelzer at the Minnesoros Monitor, they plan to try to “Rock some sense into the Republicans”
No, really!
“The Republican National Convention is coming to the Twin Cities in September, and wouldn’t it be a shame if there was no one to play deafening power chords just up the street?” So reads text at the website of ProVention, online homebase for a concert planned in Lowertown St. Paul on Sept. 3 and 4 to coincide with the GOP convention.
They assure us, of course, that…
…the point isn’t an antagonistic, Noriega-psyops kind of thing, but to welcome Republican guests with “music, beauty and rational engagement” (here’s the group’s platform).
We’ll come back to that “noriega” thing in a bit.
The lineup — which may change, “probably in the direction of more and more ginormously powerful”
A quick tangent; I think Americans of all creeds, colors, orientations and parties can unite behind the notion that people who use “ginormous” in any context can and should be shipped to camps in the Mojave Desert. Can I get an amen?
Anyway – out of one corner of their mouth, they say this is no “noriega-like psyop”. And then they say…:
— has elephantine star power: Tapes ‘n’ Tapes,
Scraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatch
Tapes ‘n Tapes.
I, for one, choose waterboarding.
Mitch observed: “There’s a conceit on the part of an awful lot of Twin Cities leftists – Democrats, Greenies, and all their various flavors – that `if we just showed Republicans the truth, they’d be Democrats!’”
I agree. They vastly underestimate wingnuts’ resistance to the truth.
No, they underestimate the thought most of us put into it.
You’d be amazed how many of us used to be liberals.
Myself included.
That may well be true of you and a handful of the people who show up in your comments section. The majority of people who’ve jumped on the conservative bandwagon since 1980 or so, however, are simply assholes – nothing more complicated than that. Conservatism gives assholes an intellectual facade to mask their selfishness, prejudice and narrow-mindedness. There are certainly liberal assholes. But the Democratic (oops, “Democrat,” right assholes?) Party has less to offer assholes. As a result, the Republican Party has become the political home of approximately 80 percent of all assholes.
There’s a conceit on the part of an awful lot of Twin Cities leftists – Democrats, Greenies, and all their various flavors – that “if we just showed Republicans the truth, they’d be Democrats!”
Isn’t your blog the same conceit?
Aren’t you the one who said you both were more sensitive to other cultures AND doubted I even knew about Mali and Senegal – pot meet kettle.
And Mitch, when I knew you, you were not a liberal of deep knowledge – no offense – you were someone adrift in either cognitive disonance, or somewhat unaware of the deeper realities of the politics of the 1980s – given your claim to superiority on all things foriegn, I don’t think I’m showing too much hubris to say that when we talked politics in the 1980s, you didn’t know all that much, comparatively. Sorry.
Given Peev’s “superiority” to Mitch, you’d think he’s start his own blog, rather than being a subservient comment troll.
Oh, that’s right, he doesn’t even know HOW to start a blog.
Peev,
Now that you’ve learned the wisdom of quoting, try using either quote marks, italic font, or a series of tildes or dashes or slashes to distinguish your comments from those of someone else.
I for one am going to hold out and wait for Obama to save my soul. I have the audacity of hope for change I can believe in.
By the way Clownie, there is no asshole like a limousine liberal.
angryclown stated this:
“The majority of people who’ve jumped on the conservative bandwagon since 1980 or so, however, are simply assholes – nothing more complicated than that.”
and “supported” it with this:
“Conservatism gives assholes an intellectual facade to mask their selfishness, prejudice and narrow-mindedness.”
So, we have a sweeping generalization “supported” by the assumptions of angryclown. Great. Thanks for your input, angryclown.
The majority of people who’ve jumped on the conservative bandwagon since 1980 or so, however, are simply assholes
Which is true, by the way, of the majority of the people who jumped on the liberal, Green, Jesse Ventura, Dennis Kucinich, Pat Paulson and Jon Stewart bandwagons over the past 30 years; also, the majority who didn’t. Anyone who believes strongly in something looks like an a***ole to someone who believes the opposite; anyone who doesn’t believe strongly enough in something looks like one to someone who does!
In short – everyone is somebody’s a***ole!
peevish said:
“don’t think I’m showing too much hubris to say that when we talked politics in the 1980s, you didn’t know all that much, comparatively.”
Not hubris, but a typical arrogance.
Up to this time you have seemed unable to display any of this liberal “deep knowledge” in your various writings peevish. Please reveal the secrets and convince us all.
Isn’t your blog the same conceit?
Not at all. I’m not putting this out there thinking “if some liberal just reads enough of me, they’ll be converted”.
Oh, I have gotten some liberals to think about some issues; indeed, I once got a fairly prominent Saint Paul DFLer to change his mind on concealed carry. The difference is, I never thought “if I just show people THE REVEALED TRUTH, they will come around!”. No, I worked for it; built a case, carried the argument to its conclusion; the StPDFLer thought about things, and admitted I made perfect sense, and – while his position wasn’t relevant to the legislative debate – at least stopped actively opposing CCW reform.
As opposed to, say, standing outside his office and playing “Due To Gun Control” on the guitar.
Aren’t you the one who said you both were more sensitive to other cultures AND doubted I even knew about Mali and Senegal – pot meet kettle.
I did, because I suspected that you had little idea about either country. I don’t see how that’s relevant.
And Mitch, when I knew you, you were not a liberal of deep knowledge
Because I’d ditched liberalism by the 1984 elections, some time before I moved to the Twin Cities.
– no offense – you were someone adrift in either cognitive disonance, or somewhat unaware of the deeper realities of the politics of the 1980s –
At that time, I’d been working as a reporter and a producer and a talk show host. Like most 23 year olds, I had plenty to learn, but I was hardly unaware, except perhaps that peculiar dialect of “unaware” that is really “doesn’t see things Peev’s way”.
given your claim to superiority on all things foriegn
Never made any such claim. Merely that I pay a lot more attention to them that the stereotype of conservatives (which is certainly the core of your perspective, Mr. “AY-rab”) might lead one to think.
Gosh, I just Googled “Asshole” and got this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Olbermann
Mitch, he’s a tiresome and pompous windbag… ditch him.
Not true, Mitch. The failing of people who jump on the lefty bandwagon tends to be that their soft hearts are matched by soft heads. But they generally mean well and want to be good people. “Saps.” Wingnut wagon-jumpers, on the other hand, tend to be attracted by the right’s hardline stance against groups including gays, immigrants and poor people – and to hold the middle class resentments you exploit to electoral advantage. “Assholes.”
AC is channelling a slightly altered version of “Team America: World Police.”
Or perhaps “Wingnut wagon-jumpers” applied some critical analysis to the policies advocated by the soft-heart, soft-head crowd and realized they generally do more harm than good. How’s that War on Poverty going? We got an exit strategy yet?
Let’s see, there are people who believe they can get the conservatives to change their minds if they can just show them the revealed truth, and there are people who believe that putting out loud, annoying noise, ala Noriega “psyops”, is the way to embrace dialog.
Put ’em together and you’ve got….Peev.
And please, people, let’s not get into playing “Who’s assholier than thee” – there just isn’t enough time to gather all the nominees for a run-off.
What you claim is true for a minority, Kerm. Wagon-jumpers follow what people around them think and do rather than applying critical analysis.
And Cathcart’s Team America reference is well-taken. Angryclown will adopt it: pussies are over-represented among liberals; assholes are overrepresented among conservatives.
The exit strategy for the War on Poverty was to change it to a War on Poor People, Kerm. We have you wingnuts to thank.
pussies are over-represented among liberals; assholes are overrepresented among conservatives.
You went to Columbia, didn’t you?
angryclown said:
“And Cathcart’s Team America reference is well-taken. Angryclown will adopt it”
I have thought that angryclown had adopted animated comedy as political philosophy for some time now. Suspicions confirmed. 🙂
“But the Democratic (oops, “Democrat,” right assholes?) Party has less to offer assholes.”
AC, you must be aware of the Democrat’s efforts to allow convicted felons to vote. And people committed for mental problems.
Neither the Democrats or republicans is the party of the good people or the party of the bad people.
Trojan Man said: “I have thought that angryclown had adopted animated comedy as political philosophy for some time now. Suspicions confirmed.”
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2R_8-4OmUu4
I must take exception to this post, Mitch. The word “ginormous” attained permanent credibility when Black Sabbath used it in the song “Digital Bitch”, back in 1983.
I don’t know. I’ve always taken some comfort in the fact that I’d rather be an asshole than a pussy.
The exit strategy for the War on Poverty was to change it to a War on Poor People, Kerm.
Because that 70% illegitimacy rate, multi-generational dependency and rampant crime was such a success.
You cackled with glee over “Good Job Brownie”. Next month My daughter will be going to NOLA on a mission trip to help clean up. It’s been three years. I can think of no better example of the crippling effect on people than that displayed by the hopelessly dependent class down there.
So, we have AC admitting that he’s a total pussy. Apparently with him trying to screw with us all the time, that means he likes to fuck with assholes, too.
That also mean’s that as much as he wishes to fuck with assholes, he’s ill-equiped for the task.
But, we of course knew of this.
Clown should look at some of our American nationalist groups if he wants to see examples of non-pussy, asshole leftists. Native American, Hispanic, Hawaiian, and caucasian. They want all the things that their lack of wisdom & work ethic has denied them given to them instead as a birthright.
And anyone who thinks that white nationalists support the GOP is an ignoramus. I’m talking about you, peeve.