Ideology and Hidebound Partisan Loyalty is Limiting America...
by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny
Lately I've been thinking about American political parties and how hide bound they have become to a particular ideology. Unfortunately both major parties share the counter productive pursuit of the absurd.
Humans (as individuals) are programmed to seek acceptance into a group that shares their basic beliefs, desires, and principles. Being accepted and liked is a primary driving motivation in human behavior. This is accepted as the social norm and in fact is reinforced by the socialist perspective in society.
Acceptance by ones peers is a major driving force for a majority of people. By extension this caries over to and spills into communal associations such as political parties. Thus the communal mentality and associated behavior associated with party loyalty.
On a macro level, consider this to be our nation, we are failing miserably precisely because of the desire to be accepted into a communal and supportive group DIRECTED BY POWERFUL INDIVIDUALS. The nation's major political parties, dEmocratic and rEpublican, are primarily concerned with, and focused on winning the next election. The party power structure (of your selected party) views you merely as a vote that will hopefully continue secure their spot at the power table. The table where they look after their own self interest and that of the Oligarchs. While leaving you to essentially fend for yourself.
America today has essentially become an exercise in self government willingly acquiesced to the the dictates of the Oligarchs and the party bosses they control.
Until next time have a remarkable weeend and a productive week next.
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny
Lately I've been thinking about American political parties and how hide bound they have become to a particular ideology. Unfortunately both major parties share the counter productive pursuit of the absurd.
Humans (as individuals) are programmed to seek acceptance into a group that shares their basic beliefs, desires, and principles. Being accepted and liked is a primary driving motivation in human behavior. This is accepted as the social norm and in fact is reinforced by the socialist perspective in society.
Acceptance by ones peers is a major driving force for a majority of people. By extension this caries over to and spills into communal associations such as political parties. Thus the communal mentality and associated behavior associated with party loyalty.
On a macro level, consider this to be our nation, we are failing miserably precisely because of the desire to be accepted into a communal and supportive group DIRECTED BY POWERFUL INDIVIDUALS. The nation's major political parties, dEmocratic and rEpublican, are primarily concerned with, and focused on winning the next election. The party power structure (of your selected party) views you merely as a vote that will hopefully continue secure their spot at the power table. The table where they look after their own self interest and that of the Oligarchs. While leaving you to essentially fend for yourself.
America today has essentially become an exercise in self government willingly acquiesced to the the dictates of the Oligarchs and the party bosses they control.
Until next time have a remarkable weeend and a productive week next.
The battle-lines are continuously being drawn, not just in Washington with these 2 rabid and rump political organizations but in the media (Fox versus MSNBC) and even in media criticism (Media Matters versus the Media Research Center) as well. Yeah, you occasionally get some sanity as we did with Simpson-Bowles and Rivlin-Domenici, but it immediately gets swept to the side by idiots like Bachman and Pelosi and it's yada yada yada yada lather and repeat all over again.
ReplyDeleteSadly I must concur. If only the hidebound partisans on the progressive side could recognize the need for effective compromise. Of course there is little to zero likelihood of this happening. Given the comments on liberal/progressive blogs. it is becoming increasingly obvious that progressives are ideologically incapable of seeing outside the ideological box they have become very comfortable in.
DeleteIt is time perhaps to scrap the idea of ever achieving reasonable compromise with the ideological driven left , or right for that matter.
RN said: "On a macro level, consider this to be our nation, we are failing miserably precisely because of the desire to be accepted into a communal and supportive group DIRECTED BY POWERFUL INDIVIDUALS."
ReplyDeleteThis is a primitive and unfortunate tendency in human society, which leads us succeptible to "alpha males" and other such strongmen. The modern version of it is found in socialist ideology, which seeks to make some sort of scientific justification for this strict heirarchy. In the past, you'd get religion-based justifications instead. And all through history, the most evil rise to the top and too many worship them (see the deification of the dead dictator of Venezuela).
The advance of civilization is inversely proportional to the situation where strongmen rule and the people worship them. This is why I am uncomfortable with the imperial/regal trappings that increasingly happen around the President's Inaugural. And no, Shaw, it was bad under Bush too. But like with so much of this, it gets at least a little worse under Obama too.
The only ideologues I see in positions of power in America today are the Tea Partiers (as the Far Right is called today). Other than that, the majority of Americans, and the most of the two parties are really not all that bound to anything but their donors. That's not ideology. It's bribery.
ReplyDeleteRemember, most people don't listen to talk radio, they don't watch FOX News or MSNBC, and really don't pay much attention at all to the government, unless there is some hot button issues being bandied about at the time.
The GOP seems ideologically rigid, but that's just a show for their base. In real life, they're not that stupid (well, maybe Ted Cruz is...). The Fire Brand Democrats are still out there, but they're fighting for the same thing the plebs have been fighting for since ancient times. It's not ideology, but those ol' human traits of want of happiness, opportunity, and security.
Their are certainly a lot of powerful interests out there, from the MIC and gun manufacturers, to other big industries and sectors, to identity groups and foreign powers. Sure, they'll employ ideological arguments, but that's all just means to an end.
Progressives and liberals have very little power in America today when it comes to the big structural issues of the day. When you look at the Obama administration, for instance, sure we have some liberals here and there in this department or other, but when it comes to monetary, defense, investment, agriculture, and trade policies, this administration may as well have been the last, and the last before that, and the last before that, and so on.
The battle lines on the Hill have been the same for years. Only the names have changed. The courts have leaned right for years.
The Democrats had cowed to the Republicans for many years, but this seems to be changing. The country has moved to the left. It's just a normal social swing, as the country swung to the right in the last generation. A new crop of young voters have shown themselves to be pretty savvy and not swayed so much by ideological rhetoric. They didn't vote for Obama because he is black or a liberal, but because on balance he represented their wants and needs better than the alternative.
JMJ
"Remember, most people don't listen to talk radio, they don't watch FOX News..."
ReplyDeletejmj are you delusional? FOX News is hugely watched.
Being the progressive ideologue I perceive you to be (derived from your many statements here and elsewhere) I fully anticipated your rather boilerplate progressive response.
Jersey said: "Progressives and liberals have very little power in America today when it comes to the big structural issues of the day."
ReplyDeleteThey have the most power, and rule the roost. But you are correct about the courts leaning right.
"The Democrats had cowed to the Republicans for many years"
Perhaps, but only at times when the Republicans are in the majority. And even then... only sometimes.
"The only ideologues I see in positions of power in America today are the Tea Partiers (as the Far Right is called today)"
Now, this is flat-out false and completely ignorant of political reality. The far right simply has no presence or power in the political sphere (the same is true of the far left). The voters don't vote for extremes on either end.
And RN? Jersey is right on this one: The top rated shows on Fox News come in rather low in the ratings. There are several channels ahead of Fox News. And even in the realm of cable news channels, MSNBC is a failure and far fewer watch it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update on news hot and not so hot networks. I must admit I no longer keep up with the news channel ratings. Why? Because I don't really give a rats ass as to who is 1'st, 2'nd, 3'rd, or last. They all are basically mouthpieces for one special interest or political ideology anyway.
DeleteYeah, news channels are just not popular. Spongebob, "my house has way too much crap in it" reality shows, poker game shows, midget family circus, and custom motorcycle building series rule the roost. And then you also have the 4 legacy TV networks. Legacy though they are, they kill the cable news networks completely.
DeleteIn January, O'Reilly (usually the top of the heap for the cable news shows) was pulling 3 million viewers per week. American Idol, which I think is in some sort slump, suffered with a mere 13.1 million viewers for a very recent show. That's more than four times O Reilly's weekly audience. Even the CBS Evening "Is that show actually still on?" News pulls in double O'Reilly's ratings every night.
Tell us about your own experience supporting Republicans for decades. What made you change? Losing at the polls, irrationality of policies, bigoted based policies, what?
ReplyDeleteI have a few better ideas for you aNon the troll.
Delete1) For once come up with an original idea of your own.
2) Stop being a chicken shit wimp and identify who you are.
3) Stop being so ignorant as to think I owe you or any other bigoted intolerant progressive an answer to anything.
4) And finally you are no longer welcome here. So, talk a long walk off a very short pier into very deep water and...
Talk a long walk
ReplyDeleteI've told you before, stop drinking you lush
aNon, I allowed your once again pointless and ad hominem personal attack on my character for one reason. It is so people can see the real you. Whoever the f--k you are.
ReplyDeleteSee you around a----le. Find another site to harass, the managememt has shut you off.
Cheerio ignoramous...