Will cynical fear-mongering lead anxious citizens yet again to rally 'round the Republicans in the elections?

Question

2006 and 2008?

Ethan M - In your silly little world the outsourcing of American jobs is a strong economy. Low taxes translates to multinational corporations paying less taxes but adds to the burden of taxation for millions of working people. And fighting terrorism is about demonizing places like Syria, which gave the US genuine intelligence help after 9/11... are all completely stupid. Go read your Ann Coulter, when you get the sack to pick up a Noam Chomsky book and actually READ it, I will dignify our opinion, until then you are just another unlearned chimp like your messiah George W. Bush (a cheerleader).

Answer 1

Peterk201 is right. Even though virtually every American undergoes some extensive education (10-18 years or so) most people come out of it just as stupid as they went in. Our eduction system makes cogs for society, not independently thinking, critical agents, people who might upset the machinery of society. Philosophy programs at American universities are essentially designed to prepare lawyers for law school, not create philosophers. As much as Americans exalt their 'intelectual independence' and freedom to choose the good, the reality is that most of us are willing to give up much of these higher desires in order that our lower ones have gauranteed satisfaction. Food, sex, shelter, entertainment: If you gaurantee these to the common American, you can take just about everyone of his rights away, mutilate the integrity of his nations institutions, and perform atrocities on the people of the global community without so much as a peep from him. And most significantly, as long as the American believes these lower desires are fulfilled, he will be most eager to accept whatever propaganda tries to convince him, such that its all in the name of things like 'freedom' and 'patriotism'.

Answer 2

No. What will get people to "rally 'round" the Republicans is the idea of a strong economy, low taxes, fighting terrorism, in a nut shell ideas as opposed to the hate Bush broken record that the Democrat party has become. Now go play the grown ups are trying to talk.

Answer 3

You need to become "enlightened" by grabbing yourself by the ears and pulling hard to try to dislodge your head from your backside.

Just watch those Dems cry about tax cuts for the rich (which, by the way, led to >10% increase in tax receipts), coroporate tax breaks (which generally lead to more jobs, growth, and greater overall prosperity), and fanning the flames of class warfare until they have mindless idiots believing that the rich are robbing their homes. Scaring the elderly regarding health care and Social Security (aka "Ponzi Scheme"), is also a Dem favorite.

How sad that they must depend on the most naive and ill-informed among us to get into the White House.

Answer 4

Yes, and what you call "fear-mongering" is a political strategy (though a dubious one).

There is a psychological mechanism well-known in social psychology as "terror management theory." All you have to do to get more people to side with the political traditionalists, conservatives, and today's form of militant fundamentalists is make the fact that they are mortal "pre-conscious" and they will be more likely to be prejudiced against outgroups (i.e., less sympathetic to the civilians being killed in Iraq or Lebanon) and more favorable to ingroups. That does two things: a) It creates more cohesion within conservative groups, and b) It gets more people over to their side when they "remind" individuals that they will die someday. Your membership with the state become a form of "symbolic immortality," and this is pushing many Americans over to side with conservatives (especially senior citizens). Political commercials and speeches designed by Bush and his supporters have done this over and over again. It is a sad trick and unethical use of the social sciences to gain political power, but you'd better believe that today's cons are using every trick in the books they can find. We need to EDUCATE AMERICANS!

Answer 5

Oh God, I hope not, but with all of the Hate and War Monger Neo Christians propound their Brand of Love, probably.
What ever happened to the Christian Philosophy: "The Meek Shall Inherit The Earth"?

Answer 6

Don't see the "cynical, fear mongering" but if they know what's safe and good for them, they will rally around the Republicans again. I mean, what will you people have to do with your time if you don't have to cry foul over elections if you win?

Answer 7

Yep, that's why GW keeps bringing up all that homosexual marriage crap, when there are far more pressing issues he could be dealing with. It's all about keeping that conservative vote.

Answer 8

I guess