Politics As Religion

[MGKrebs]

So since the election I've been talking to a lot of people about what attracts them to conservatism. Most of you guys are more thoughtful about this than others I talk to, but in any case, I have some observations to throw out there;

1. Most people do not want to pay attention to politics, therefore;
2. They respond to simple messages that almost everyone can agree with, i.e., less taxes, less waste in government, strong leadership, self sufficiency.
3. Clear cut morality- this is right, that is wrong. You are a friend or an enemy.
4. When it comes to the details of how to implement these ideas, we are to trust our leaders to do the right thing.

To me, this starts to look a lot like a doctrine for a religion. Lay out a morality that the masses can identify with, insist on trust in the leaders, and essentially condemn those who disagree.

My problem with this, in both politics and religion, is that once you start down the road of accepting things on faith, we no longer have any red flags to tell us when things are going awry.

I think that under the circumstances, the results of the last election were inevitable, but I think that in this time of sound bites, cynicism, and perceived powerlessness, the liberals will continue to have a hard time getting their message out.

Liberals, by definition, try to incorporate many viewpoints into their agenda. But this makes for a complicated message and a compromising attitude, which doesn't sell right now.

Not sure where I'm going with this- just some thoughts.

[vraiblonde]

Maynard, I couldn't agree with you more. I get tired of that "friend or foe" mentality when it comes to both politics AND religion.

I think you're exactly right when you say that people need quick soundbites because they're not really interested and aren't paying attention. People pick a side (Democrat or Republican, Christian or otherwise) and follow doctrine rather than make up their own mind about what makes sense and what doesn't.

I find it all very tiresome and when someone starts spouting political "ideas" they heard on TV, I tune them out. Just like those door-knockers that want you to join their church because they're so certain that there's only one way to Heaven.

[Tonio]

Since I'm an independent voter, I don't have a dog in the lib/con fight. Here are some random thoughts of my own:

Communication and transportation are much more convenient than they were even 50 years ago. So it has become easier to form single-issue political movements, and to form alliances among like-minded movements.

If the US was a parliamentary democracy, those movements probably would have consolidated into actual political parties. But for several reasons, the movements have become either special interests or small third parties with devoted followings.

Now, both the Big Two and the small extremist movements practice politics as religion. I think the difference is that the Dems and Reps reduce it to team sports, the "us against them" attitude. The special interests keep the focus on a particular issue.

Television is the other factor in political extremism. It's hard to debate a rational, substantive approach to issues in a medium so driven by sound bites and personalities. Shows like Crossfire are no different in spirit and tone from the WWF.

The blue & red 2000 election map was truly scary. During the election, I think the media dropped the ball in not focusing on why urban voters and rural voters were so far apart. I've been following politics for nearly 30 years, and I'm convinced that race is a big reason for the urban/rural divide. I've heard too many debates on government spending and school redistricting not to believe otherwise.

You want to talk about accepting things on faith? How about the OJ trial? I didn't know any white people who would even admit that there was a possibility that he was innocent. And I didn't know any black people who would even admit that there was a possibility that he was guilty.

[SmallTown]

Originally posted by Tonio

You want to talk about accepting things on faith? How about the OJ trial? I didn't know any white people who would even admit that there was a possibility that he was innocent. And I didn't know any black people who would even admit that there was a possibility that he was guilty.

Well, you can now mark one down for white side

[Kyle (Premo)]

I ran into quite a few caucasions who thought he was innocent. Of course these folks also voted for Clinton and thought he did nothing wrong too.

[vraiblonde]

How about the OJ trial? I didn't know any white people who would even admit that there was a possibility that he was innocent.

Mark another for me - my husband and I had some rather spirited conversations about the OJ trial. It just seemed implausible to me that he would hack his wife up with his kids right upstairs.

Shows like Crossfire are no different in spirit and tone from the WWF.

True that!

[MGKrebs]

I came away with the feeling that the cops screwed up the case so much that there was no way to tell. In which case, you probably have to acquit.

[MGKrebs]

As well as a "class" issue, which may be mostly the same thing. We seem more intent on finding and punishing poor people for scamming an extra thirty bucks a week from welfare than we are rich guys who steal millions at a time.

[Republican]

Tonio
There is another way of looking at the map. Large cities use to be involved in manufacturing and producing items. As we have evolved to the services industry instead of production the "Large Cities" have become slum areas with people dependent on large Goverment while the others are self-sufficent and do not look kindly on goverment interfering in their daily activities. The large cities are not cost effective as we see in Maryland. Baltimore eats up a major part of the state budget without any real progress in such things as education and etc. Other comments!!

[Tonio]

Originally posted by Republican
Tonio
There is another way of looking at the map. Large cities use to be involved in manufacturing and producing items. As we have evolved to the services industry instead of production the "Large Cities" have become slum areas with people dependent on large Goverment while the others are self-sufficent and do not look kindly on goverment interfering in their daily activities. The large cities are not cost effective as we see in Maryland. Baltimore eats up a major part of the state budget without any real progress in such things as education and etc. Other comments!!

I've never bought the idea that welfare recipients vote for pro-welfare candidates. Welfare recipients simply don't vote. I have family members who have worked in social services, and they say people on welfare focus on nothing but maintaining their benefits. They aren't even aware that elections are going on. That's one of many reasons I feel that welfare needs to be fixed or done away with.

You're right that people in rural areas are disdainful of government. Talk to some watermen. By and large, they can't accept the idea that anyone in government would know more about what's happening with the Bay than the people who work it every day.