Poll Suggests Republicans are Becoming a Fundie Religious Movement

[Agamemnon]

Count, when you use words like "Repuglicans" and "Demoncrats" it really detracts from the points you are trying to make. IMO.

 :shrug It emphasizes the extreme dislike I have for both parties.

Then you must care more about expressing your "extreme dislike" than about making points, because as soon as I see it I am reminded of all the rotten arguments I've seen on the internet where people do that thinking it looks clever or something. It doesn't. It looks childish.

[xphobe]

^^ I have on occasion used the terms "Republicrat" and "Demopublican" to emphasize that there's really not much difference between the two, but usually I refer to them collectively as "Statists" because that's what they're both really about - concentrating ever more power in the State.  They all want to control you, they just pick different issues to exercise that control.


p.s. I haven't forgotten about the "which came first" debate.  I still plan on researching it when I get time, but I'm in no hurry.  It's going to take some work.  I do remember that early on when the first TPM activities hit the media, the right-wing radio talk show personalities weren't taking them seriously.

[subtleinspiration]

I think what is needed is limits that set one term for the House and Senate members and remove all the recesses. You get off for holidays, but that's it. Should be more than enough time to learn the ropes and do something about real issues. I'd be okay with leaving the two term Presidential limit.

Or you could make me Supreme Chancellor of the U.S... 

[Agamemnon]

p.s. I haven't forgotten about the "which came first" debate.  I still plan on researching it when I get time, but I'm in no hurry.  It's going to take some work.  I do remember that early on when the first TPM activities hit the media, the right-wing radio talk show personalities weren't taking them seriously.

I have no idea what you are referring to.

[Nick]

I think what is needed is limits that set one term for the House and Senate members and remove all the recesses. You get off for holidays, but that's it. Should be more than enough time to learn the ropes and do something about real issues. I'd be okay with leaving the two term Presidential limit.

Or you could make me Supreme Chancellor of the U.S... 

How about having the presidency a one 6 yr term.  You would not have to mess with reelection BS.

[Kais]

This on the article:

The problem is not capitalism; that's the natural economic order created by God.

Really? What about Jesus saying give all your stuff to the poor? What about 'it is harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle'?

Another example of fundies obeying the Bible when it suits them.

[Count Iblis]

Then you must care more about expressing your "extreme dislike" than about making points, because as soon as I see it I am reminded of all the rotten arguments I've seen on the internet where people do that thinking it looks clever or something. It doesn't. It looks childish.

To each his own.

[SherB]

"Bad politicians are elected into office by good people who don't vote."  I don't recall who that line is attributed to.

I think that's absolutely true. And since the only people making noise in this country any more are the teabaggers and fundies, just voting is not going to be enough. We need to get out there and let it be knnown that there are people other than fat rich white men who work for Faux news and fundie former governnors who don't believe in contraception but quit their terms midway through because of the ethics investigations against them.

What scares me more than anything else--and I'm not even really an atheist, just not a Christian---is that by the time of the next election, the only people who are going to be in the political arena are going to be those crazies. Moderate republicans have gone the way of the dinosaur, democrats have completely left politics or just figure that they're going to be re-elected without working at it, and I for one do not want to live in the theocracy that will be running this country after the mid-term elections. And remember, it's not who votes that counts, it's who counts the votes!

Actually, their already running the country through their multi-billion dollar churches and 'family' organizations. But they don't have enough power yet to outlaw not just abortion but contraception, force teaching of the bible in public schools, and silencing anybody who doesn't lick their boots.

I'm not overly fond of the democrats, and think they can't find their asses with a flashlight and two search parties. But I firmly believe that the Democratic party is the only organization that has the power to stand up to the fundies. I'd love to have the Libertarian party get involved, but it's not gonna happen. And any energy expended in a way that doesn't support the dems is going to be that much wasted. Just my 2 cents...

---SherB

[Agamemnon]

I think what is needed is limits that set one term for the House and Senate members and remove all the recesses. You get off for holidays, but that's it. Should be more than enough time to learn the ropes and do something about real issues.

That's probably a good idea, but then they would have to do some real work, so I don't see them going for it.

[Agamemnon]

How about having the presidency a one 6 yr term.  You would not have to mess with reelection BS.

I like this idea.

[Nick]

Hey, it's after 8pm central time.  What are all of you doing on the forum.  Our next president and spiritual leader is talking to the nation on TV from the teabaggers hall.

[SherB]

I think what is needed is limits that set one term for the House and Senate members and remove all the recesses. You get off for holidays, but that's it. Should be more than enough time to learn the ropes and do something about real issues.

That's probably a good idea, but then they would have to do some real work, so I don't see them going for it.

I heartily agree! Not only would everyone not spend their entire term figuring out how to get re-elected, but that way if somebody really awful got in, maybe we'd be able to take the country back pretty quickly. But it's not going to happen---they like being fat cats with great health insurance, power power POWER and money coming out the bejesus. Just my 2 cents.

---SherB

[Cynic]

Am I the only one unsurprised by this?

You only have to glance at Fox news to see the mindset of the republican party

[xphobe]

Hey, it's after 8pm central time.  What are all of you doing on the forum.  Our next president and spiritual leader is talking to the nation on TV from the teabaggers hall.

I just realized something:  Count Iblis is being chided for his use of the fairly silly terms "Repuglican" and "Demoncrat", yet it seems to be acceptable around here to refer to Tea Party activists using a term that specifically refers to a homosexual oral sex act.  Classy.  Should we start calling them Refucklickers and Dildocrats?  I'd be okay with that...

[velkyn]

If I recall correctly, they referred to themselves as teabaggers, until it dawned on them, via comedians, that the term also referred to a homosexual sex act.  I have no problem with Iblis or using teabagger since ridicule is effective and the groups involved certainly don't have my respect. 

[shnozzola]

Let’s say the U.S. needs a new party – the common sense party.  Is the Libertarian party that party?
                                                         http://www.lp.org/issues
               Probably some scary libertarian positions for U.S. citizens-
                             1.  Legalizing drugs
                             2.  Environment – the government is the biggest polluter?
                             3.  No laws concerning obscenity
I didn’t see a strong freedom of religion or no religion statement.
I didn’t see a strong military plan.

Other than that, a strong tea party that actually stood for libertarian freedoms instead of the typical right wing BS is not a bad idea.   Libertarian ideas about taxes, social security, and immigration should appeal to both sides and not the extremes.  It seems if libertarians got a “normal” leader – Ross Perot as a third party candidate was scary.  I can understand the huge following of Ron Paul, but he seemed weak, or tired, or not well enough spoken, or something?  Who started this web site – how old is he?

[xphobe]

If I recall correctly, they referred to themselves as teabaggers, until it dawned on them, via comedians, that the term also referred to a homosexual sex act.

I'm not quite so sure they did.  They mailed tea bags to Washington in protest, but I can't find any evidence they applied the noun to themselves.   There is a reference to an article on "reteaparty.com" that claims they did, but the site is down and the date of the article (April 1) makes one wonder.

Meanwhile, the mainstream media and in fact President Obama himself have picked up on the word with great glee, and have "cleverly" worked up all sorts of sophomoric double entendres.  High road my ass.

Anyway, it was my recollection that the Tea Parties were originally ridiculed by every mainstream media outlet including the Glenn Becks of the Fox world.  It was only after the story began to show some legs that every right wing fundie jumped on the bandwagon.  Now the movement is in real danger of being co-opted by the theocrats, if it hasn't already.

I really need to do some research to support my assertion I suppose.  It's just not that important to me...

[velkyn]

understood, but april was when the first sending of tea bags appears to have been discussed. 

As for the libertarians, they are far too much like every other party. They want their freedoms but only to the point they want to deny others theirs as soon as they don't agrree.  They are also far too isolationist for my tastes. 

[xphobe]

As for the libertarians, they are far too much like every other party. They want their freedoms but only to the point they want to deny others theirs as soon as they don't agrree.

Really?  What freedoms do libertarians want to deny others?

They are also far too isolationist for my tastes. 

What are you referring to?  Wars?  What wars would libertarians object to that you are in favor of?

Libertarians believe that the military's only legitimate purpose is actually defending the citizens of the country from attack.  If that means we pull our troops out of Iraq, then I'm all for that, ASAP!   Every day that goes by is another day of wasted blood - both American and Iraqi.

Libertarians believe that peaceful trade and commerce should be free between any two consenting individuals regardless of political borders.  That's the very opposite of isolation.

[Levan]

I am a supporter of the Libertarian party myself, though I cannot vote yet.

[SherB]

understood, but april was when the first sending of tea bags appears to have been discussed. 

As for the libertarians, they are far too much like every other party. They want their freedoms but only to the point they want to deny others theirs as soon as they don't agrree.  They are also far too isolationist for my tastes. 

Actually, I consider myself a libertarian. What liberties do you see them wanting to deny anyone? It's only that no third party has ever seemed to be able to break the stranglehold two big ones have on our country. Perot came closer than anybody else has, but without him, the reform party fell completely apart.

If the tea partiers had their financial ideas they had but without sarah palin and the fundies, I'd consider belonging. And it's too bad that nobody from the libertarian mindset co-opted them before the religious extremists got there. Although I suspect that, since a lot of their platform is really only focused on being homophobic, xenophobia, racist, and sexist, that probably never would have happened. Still, they started out, at least, pretty easy to mold, and early on could probably have been convinced that government should stay out of people's bedrooms and such. Way too late now, though...

Actually it was the fauxers that started the idea that becaue the tea party. Glenn Beck came up with something he called the 9-12 project, so called because he said he 'hates those whining 9-11 families' and wanted to 'get past them.' In my little fundie town they started with 9-12 project rallies that eventually morphed into tea party rallies. So the teabaggers have been in bed with the rabid fauxers from the beginning, although everyone seems to have conveniently forgotten.

I'll hunt down some links, as right now I'm just relying on my memory. However, I work in newspaper advertising, and when we had 9-12 rallies here, the ads were paid for by the local republican machine. Here, I looked it up. http://www.the912project.com/ See how much overlap there is between Glenn Beck's 9-12 project and the teabaggers. Just my 2 cents...   SherB

[screwtape]

If I recall correctly, they referred to themselves as teabaggers, until it dawned on them, via comedians, that the term also referred to a homosexual sex act.

I'm not quite so sure they did. 

Documented by the Beast's 50 Most Loathsome Americans 2009

35. Teabaggers

Charges: America’s dumbest and most racist citizens finally found a cause they could all get behind that isn’t pro wrestling or NASCAR. The Lolcats of protest sign grammar, they think scare quotes actually make things scary (e.g. ‘Obama is a “communist”’). They don’t understand that they’re duped showpieces for billionaires who threaten their freedom and prosperity far more than their beloved nemesis, Big Gubmint. And their instant escalation from complacent couch potatoes to rhetorical revolutionaries just happened to coincide with the election of a black Democrat with the middle name Hussein. What are the chances?
Exhibit A: They called it Teabagging first.
Sentence: To star in an extremely patriotic, live ammunition reenactment the Battle of Bunker hill.

Bold mine.  That settles it then.

[xphobe]

^^ Guess so.  Who can argue with the World's Only Website?

[Ananukia]

Xphobe, you seriously can't see through that crap? Even on faux news it's as transparent as saran wrap.

It's nothing new, just the same old shit in a different wrapper.

[xphobe]

What crap are you referring to?  Tea Party?  meh - as many have already said here, it's too late, they've already been co-opted by the religious fundies.

If you're talking about libertarianism or the Libertarian Party in particular, you may want to do a little research before you dismiss it as crap.  I suspect many people who call themselves Democrats and Republicans are really more aligned with libertarian principles than they know.

[Ananukia]

What crap are you referring to?  Tea Party?  meh - as many have already said here, it's too late, they've already been co-opted by the religious fundies.

If you're talking about libertarianism or the Libertarian Party in particular, you may want to do a little research before you dismiss it as crap.  I suspect many people who call themselves Democrats and Republicans are really more aligned with libertarian principles than they know.

I was talking about the Teabaggers, and I'm for the Green Party.

[Agamemnon]

If you're talking about libertarianism or the Libertarian Party in particular, you may want to do a little research before you dismiss it as crap.  I suspect many people who call themselves Democrats and Republicans are really more aligned with libertarian principles than they know.

It's just another bunch of politicians.

[xphobe]

It's just another bunch of politicians.

I suppose you're right, in the sense that anyone involved in politics is just another bunch of politicians. 

However, the Libertarian party is unique.  It is the only party that has consistently advocated individual liberty, smaller government and less taxation.  And that's really all they're about.  No religious or socialist agenda, no oppression of gay people or women.  Needless to say, these goals don't make them many friends on either side of the aisle in Congress, because the entrenched parties have too many vested interests.

The LP is where Republicans have gone who are tired of seeing the Republican party overtaken by warmongering theocratic spendthrifts.  And it's where Democrats have gone who believe that individuals should be free to live their own lives and make their own decisions unencumbered by Big Brother and excessive regulations.

[jedweber]

^ It's too bad that some of the populist anger that the Tea Parties are exploiting wasn't channeled into the Libertarian movement. Instead, the Tea Parties seem to have sucked all the air out of the room for Libertarians and left them just as marginalized as before. The teabaggers might pay lip service to fiscal conservatism and small government, but they've larded the message with all sorts of other baggage - the religious crap, conspiracy theories, racism and xenophobia, right-wing social policies, etc... Their heroes are people like Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and Michelle Bachmann, instead of Ron Paul, Bob Barr or Penn Jillette.