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Crazy Republican Beliefs

Trying to make sense of a crazy world, with limited success mostly
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Phoenix520
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Crazy Republican Beliefs

#1

Post by Phoenix520 »

We’ve been following and :boxing: and :crazy: and :bored: and :point: the looniest Americans for some time now. Some days I’m so discouraged and disgusted I forget that they really are but a slice of the population.


I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a list, definitive or otherwise, of the nutty ideas that have grabbed hold of America’s reddest. I’m starting this thread in hopes of making sense of where we are and maybe find a clue as to how to get out of it. I suspect there’s some kind of vague roadmap from There to Here.Sigh.

When I was growing up, the divide between parties wasn’t a bright line like it is now. You had to poke around in the weeds sometimes to find it. It’s now a yawning chasm. How did we get so many crazy ideas about our fellow humans? Add your favorite flat-out wrong Republican belief about Democrats, How The World Works, whatever your focus has been. As a bonus, I think this information come in handy when we read Shadow Network. We might even find a part of the trail.

Here goes.

Six years ago, when asked to estimate, your average Republican voter believed the Democratic Party was 48% black. The true figure was 24%.

They believed the Gay Agenda(tm) had succeeded and that 38% of Dems were LGBTQ. Teh hateful Gays had run the God believers out; now the party, they said, was 38% agnostic or atheist.

On top of all that, 44% of us were Union members.

(The real figures? 6%, 9%, and 11% respectively.}

We want free everything - college, telephones, welfare - implying that we’re slackers living off their hard work when the opposite is closer to the truth.

Add to this list, please. What’s the most noticeable, egregious or infuriating belief you’ve noted? THe crazy Q things will be at the top of most of our minds, but the last six years have been FILLED with mind-boggling statements stacked chock-a-block with lies that are now accepted by the Very Loud as The Real Truth. :cantlook: I, for one, have forgotten most of the early stuff, some of it shocking to the core, before I acclimated to the barrage and it became the new daily normal.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#2

Post by Dave from down under »

The claim that “trickle down economics” is anything other than pissing on 99% of populace.
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John Thomas8
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#3

Post by John Thomas8 »

Dave from down under wrote: Sun Oct 24, 2021 3:43 am The claim that “trickle down economics” is anything other than pissing on 99% of populace.
I think this is the one that confuses me the most. Nobody honest can look at TDE and think it's anything other than pure unadulterated bullcrap.
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Sam the Centipede
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#4

Post by Sam the Centipede »

Economic theories aren't really part of this topic or part of the problem, in my view.

Why? Because economic theories don't drive people's beliefs. Rather people choose and advocate the economic theory that fits what they think or feel the government and other leaders should be doing.

I remember hearing a professor from the London Business School being interviewed in the 1990s about Margaret Thatcher's economic policies in the UK in the 1970s. He related how excited the LBS economists were to be consulted and to have their monetarist drivel brought into high level policy making, but some years later he realized that the Thatcherites were only interested in dressing up what they were going to do anyway.

Trickle down economics has never been a core concept or belief. It's simply a euphemism for "don't tax rich people".
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#5

Post by Sam the Centipede »

That said: interesting topic!

We tend to be focused on extremists and super-nutters here, especially because they supply the best entertainment value.

But it is interesting to see how deeply misconceptions about the world generally, about themselves, and about those they identify as "other" permeate the wider made of Republican voters and supporters. :thumbsup:
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#6

Post by John Thomas8 »

Sam the Centipede wrote: Sun Oct 24, 2021 5:45 am
Trickle down economics has never been a core concept or belief. It's simply a euphemism for "don't tax rich people".
The vicious combination of TDE, prosperity theology, and The Lost Cause are fundamental components of the reich-wing in this country, whether or not they'd admit to it or not. Throw in an unhealthy obsession with LGBTQ+ and an obscene obsession with women's reproductive rights to deteriorate an unsustainable mixture and you can see where the problems are.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#7

Post by Slim Cognito »

If it’s on Facebook, and it makes Dems or minorities look bad, they believe it. A neighbor tried to play gotcha with me this week, asking me to look into the accusation the Biden admin is mailing letters to farmers offering them big bucks to destroy crops.

Turns out some guy made a TikTok with just that claim. He’s since deleted it saying it was a joke.

For effect, I put together a short report with local news and Ag sources and delivered it to him. On the first page I started with a brief summary including a line stating if he didn’t want to read the full report, he could skip to pg 3 where the guy fesses up.

Neighbor seemed…disappointed.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#8

Post by SlimSloSlider »

That white people are superior to people of colour.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#9

Post by Maybenaut »

That Democrats are stupid, evil, and want to destroy the country.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#10

Post by bill_g »

SlimSloSlider wrote: Sun Oct 24, 2021 7:59 am That white people are superior to people of colour.
It's narrower than that, but WASPs are superior to everyone else may be too narrow. They don't have any shades of grey. There seems to be a line someplace, but it gets moved regularly, or just hidden from public view.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#11

Post by Atticus Finch »

They vew any economic or social benefit to "others" as a
Zero sum game or in other words their share of finite pie is reduced when the government provide services to the
"others",
You don't need religion to have morals. If you can't determine right from wrong then you lack empathy, not religion.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#12

Post by Slim Cognito »

That 95% of the American population are die-hard trump fans and we're just a very vocal but very tiny minority. I saw somebody post that trump got at least 100 million votes last November.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#13

Post by bill_g »

Slim Cognito wrote: Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:47 am That 95% of the American population are die-hard trump fans and we're just a very vocal but very tiny minority. I saw somebody post that trump got at least 100 million votes last November.
They were confusing his golf handicap with the election.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#14

Post by Frater I*I »

Maybenaut wrote: Sun Oct 24, 2021 8:05 am That Democrats are stupid, evil, and want to destroy the country.
Better put "Democrats are the enemies of America", the GQP has been telling their voters this for the last 40 years.
"He sewed his eyes shut because he is afraid to see, He tries to tell me what I put inside of me
He's got the answers to ease my curiosity, He dreamed a god up and called it Christianity"

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Atticus Finch
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#15

Post by Atticus Finch »

bill_g wrote: Sun Oct 24, 2021 11:14 am
Slim Cognito wrote: Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:47 am That 95% of the American population are die-hard trump fans and we're just a very vocal but very tiny minority. I saw somebody post that trump got at least 100 million votes last November.
They were confusing his golf handicap with the election.
Or the amount of money his bankrupted casinos lost.
You don't need religion to have morals. If you can't determine right from wrong then you lack empathy, not religion.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#16

Post by AndyinPA »

My brother-in-law, who used to be a Democrat, now calls us demon rats.

I think the sharp turn came with the Tea Baggers (oops, Tea Party). But I think they had been primed for a lot of years.

I definitely agree, seeing people as others is a real problem. I'm on one Facebook group that's Hungarian related. Lately, that's led to me getting at least a daily feed from something called Hungarian News dot com. The parallels are scary between what's going on here and there.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#17

Post by MN-Skeptic »

For the Republican base, if you personally are collecting unemployment, food stamps, etc., it's because of Democratic policies which have caused you to lose your job, etc. You are a victim.

However, to those same Republicans, any Democrat receiving unemployment, food stamps, etc., it's because they are lazy welfare queens.

Also, illegal aliens are taking all the jobs from true Americans. While at the same time they are just in this country to do nothing and live off of welfare.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#18

Post by MsDaisy »

AndyinPA wrote: Sun Oct 24, 2021 1:23 pm My brother-in-law, who used to be a Democrat, now calls us demon rats.

I think the sharp turn came with the Tea Baggers (oops, Tea Party). But I think they had been primed for a lot of years.

I definitely agree, seeing people as others is a real problem. I'm on one Facebook group that's Hungarian related. Lately, that's led to me getting at least a daily feed from something called Hungarian News dot com. The parallels are scary between what's going on here and there.
I have the greatest crazy BIL in the whole world, he is as full of shit as he thinks I am. We can sit on the porch and argue back and forth for hours at a time and neither of us ever gives in or gets mad. I only get to see him in person every four or five years so sometimes we argue on the phone. :lol:
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#19

Post by roadscholar »

SlimSloSlider wrote: Sun Oct 24, 2021 7:59 am That white people are superior to people of colour.
The one facet of it that kills me the most is their near-universal belief that White Christians are morally superior. Like, if there were only Conservative White Christians in America, there would be no shoplifting, child abuse, car theft, rape, educational delinquency, incest, poverty, vandalism, domestic violence, pornography, or drug dealing and abuse, and everybody could leave their doors unlocked at night and nobody would ever need help from the Government.

Really? Have none of you ever lived or worked near a Trailer Park? Or any town in Appalachia? In any sizable Lily-white Bible-thumping area you will find some instances of all those things.

Yeesh. :roll:
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#20

Post by scirreeve »

My sis and her hubby were lifelong Rs. I guess they voted for dRumpf the 1st time around but not sure. They were appalled at the racist shit he did while in office. They changed their registrations to indy and voted for Biden last time around. In my sister's words "we have to get that asshole out of office". They were also religious but quit their church cuz it turned into a MAGA cult. They don't attend any church now - they are done with it.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#21

Post by Chilidog »

Redemption is sweet.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#22

Post by AndyinPA »

I can remember when I was very young thinking that I was incredibly lucky because I had been born in the best country in the world and was a Protestant Christian. I don't think I ever thought of myself as lucky to be white, and I definitely thought of myself as unlucky to be born a girl, as I had to carry Eve's guilt all my life. Funny the messages you get as a kid.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#23

Post by neeneko »

roadscholar wrote: Sun Oct 24, 2021 11:27 pm The one facet of it that kills me the most is their near-universal belief that White Christians are morally superior. Like, if there were only Conservative White Christians in America, there would be no shoplifting, child abuse, car theft, rape, educational delinquency, incest, poverty, vandalism, domestic violence, pornography, or drug dealing and abuse, and everybody could leave their doors unlocked at night and nobody would ever need help from the Government.
I think this misunderstands how moral superiority works. Moral superiority in their framework is not about what you do, but who you are and what you have a right to. In general they seem to have no issues with these activities, in fact they are against people highlighting them since it 'attacks moral people'. They are against the unworthy doing things that are rightfully their's.

THAT is how moral superiority works.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#24

Post by Atticus Finch »

Their creed is "Do unto others as you wouldn't want them do unto you."
You don't need religion to have morals. If you can't determine right from wrong then you lack empathy, not religion.
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Re: Crazy Republican Beliefs

#25

Post by Patagoniagirl »

There is a war on Christians/Catholics/Religion.

Democrats are Communists.

Socialism is ruining our country.
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