I've noticed an interesting trend on "neutral" boards. The right is apt to toss out a bunch of partisan slurs against liberals, the press, Democrats, people who like France or other select countries or anyone else who happens to be a target that day. The moderates then start a dialogue where we try to "understand" what the heck the right is complaining about or at least reason with them.
If someone does the same thing to the right, however, or even just points out that their slur applies with equal or greater force to Republicans, it's end of conversation.
Like this post of mine today on another board to which the original poster declined to respond:
"[poster] 'Frankly my dear Hillary, you can stuff it where the sun doesn't shine...'
[my response] You have quite a rant on Hillary's initiative to reform our medical system. You are correct that the initiative was a failure. It went nowhere. Caused no harm. Just ended.
Now, will you please just be honest and apply the same standard to our President's initiative in Iraq? Also poorly planned. But he tried to execute it anyway, and now we have wasted more troops' lives than died in the 9/11 incident that we were trying to vindicate, along with hundreds of billions - money which actually we could have used to fix our healthcare system, along with the respect of the world.
So please, will you be intellectually consistent? Will you please write:
"Frankly my dear King George, you can stuff it where the sun doesn't shine..."
Or do you place partisanship over honesty and the good of the Nation?
Sorry if these questions are hard for you. Just asking. Please feel free not to respond again as usual and that will speak for itself (as usual).
Have a nice day."
The above example shows the right just has trouble talking to others who forcefully disagree with them in exactly the same manner that they disagree with others. They can dish it but they can't take it. They short-circuit before they reason. Which makes me suspicious that there are not a lot of good reasons - kind of like the trust us - we're going to the Dark Side for you (thanks but no thanks) and we know there are WMD in Iraq arguments so don't worry your little heads about it.
This is not just true on the boards. It's true on a macro level. Look at how the Republicans are too afraid to talk to Iran, Syria and North Korea. It's one thing if we are about to attack them. But we can't attack everyone we disagree with. We don't have the resources, as we are learning the hard way. So what do we do, engage in diplomacy with these unsavory nations or just ice them?
What have the right accomplished by not engaging in diplomacy except looking fearful and making others build up military or terrorist defenses against us, for example either in North Korea through lots more nukes or Iran through supporting terrorist organizations? We are the most powerful nation in the world for goodness sakes.
And we are too afraid to talk to those we disagree with? Why? Because we don't talk to "bad people"? Like kids are instructed to stay away from adult strangers who might hurt them? That might work for kids, but in a lawless international environment with armies, terrorists and nuclear weapons, that's a surefire recipe for making things worse, as we have learned. We should be exercising our influence for our benefit, using sticks and carrots to manipulate these bad actors instead of getting played ourselves.
The inability to engage in a dialogue is extremely serious and extends beyond international relations into policymaking. I post long substantive posts about the illegal warrantless spying on Americans or the torture, and who responds? Almost nobody except a few outliers.
Again, this is a reflection of our Republican government. Republicans decided not to follow the warrant requirement for the past five years instead of working with Congress to change the law when it became apparent that it was outdated. Or look at how our Republican government "just did" the torture and only went to Congress when the Supreme Court made them. And it goes on and on through today. Rather than talk about their "secret" modifications to their domestic spying program or the "not torture" techniques like waterboarding, our Republican government asks us to trust them that it's legal and constitutional. Over and over, they use fearmongering - "if you knew what we knew". After we found no WMD in Iraq that whole line of reasoning was discredited.
What is going on here? Good Republicans are revolting, like Hagel asking if we are in Alice and Wonderland. Am I missing something?
PS Right-wing posters, feel free to go right ahead and keep doing what you are doing - far be it from little old me to present a new thought that might change your outlooks. I just think your approach is injurious to problem solving and is reflective of a far more troubling broader trend at the highest levels of Republican government.
Have a nice day everyone.