IndependntLogic
Senior Member
- Jul 14, 2011
- 2,997
- 399
- 48
I think I've been here a month now! I joined a few sites at a friend's suggestion. Among other things, I wanted to learn more about the Tea Party. Learning more about Libertarians was an added benefit.
So regardless of their protest to the contrary, Tea Partiers and Libertarians are extremists. They are the 5% fringe minority. I'm not sure that's a bad thing and there are certainly Liberals who also have such extreme views, they would be the other fringe.
But the following is factual about Tea Partiers and Libertarians:
1. Extremists want extreme change. What else would you call:
* the complete restructuring of our government.
* sweeping elimination of government programs and agencies
* radical re-inerpretation of the Constitution to what they say is its "literal meaning" (which is defined by some of you as your personal interpretation... with the help of research, quoting some FF's but not others, yada yada, yada etc...) No, I don't want to turn this into yet another "What the Constitution Means and Why I'm Completely Right About It" Debate but that is definitely their view.
* The majority seem to want virtually no federal regulation of businesses.
So obviously they want extreme change and they're willing to go to extreme lengths to get that change (hence the phrase "extremist" - is there another definition I'm not aware of?). I'm not saying that's a bad thing. The FF's were the same way.
They are at the extreme edge in their beliefs. I think I've met all of two people in my personal life who want to eliminate virtually the entire federal government. And I know LOTS of people. So TP's are a small percentage of the population - probably less than 5%. That's fine. Geniuses are less than 2%. So being a small part isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just is what it is. But the fact that there are a lot of us who simply love our country and appreciate what it has to offer - or don't want the same change you want, doesn't make us "Traitors, Statists etc..."
So I would say that are extremist (extreme change) and fringe (a political minority). Fine. I give them credit. For a relatively small percentage who have not really done much more than shout bumper sticker slogans and tell us that the Founding Fathers abolished slavery, they have really gotten a lot of attention and have certainly put a stranglehold on the GOP.
The things I don't give them much credit for?
1. Intelligently communicating their points.
2. Acknowledging the fact that just because the vast majority of the nation doesn't agree with them on every single issue, doesn't me they're idiots.
3. Ability to acknowledge that their candidates are not all God.
1. I've asked the simple question: What are the Specific Solutions the TP offers? etc.... and had people call me everything from hypocritical (How DARE I ask wtf you guys want!) to some sort of "secret agent liberal" or some sh*t. After a month, I found 3 people who are calm.
2. Okay, we get it. You're angry. Very angry. Fine. But in a month on two boards, in hundreds of threads, I've run into three people who don't flip out and go off on a rage whenever someone disagrees with them. The rest have been so kind as to inform me that I'm against a free market (I'm a biz owner btw), against "the market", a statist, a Liberal, a f*cking idiot, a hypocrite and of course, the ever-popular Socialist. Fine.
3. Look folks, the cat is out of the bag. Sarah Palin isn't smart. Michele Bachmann was lying when she said Obama spent $200M a day on his trip to India or that the Obama administration which granted 278 oil applications only granted 1. WTF? Why can't you guys just say "Yeah well she screwed up." and move on? Why fight in favor of stupidity? It makes the entire party look less credible.
Fortunately, 5% of you are rational. They know exactly what they want, why, how they would go about it, and are able to explain it without concurrently calling the remaining 95% of the country "Statist Socialist Libtards".
BTW, Some of your points are REALLY beginning to make sense to me. If the rest of you guys were to quit yelling and slinging petty insults any time someone isn't 100% in agreement with you etc... More people might listen to what you have to say.
So you're extremists and you're a minority. So what? So were the Founding Fathers. So why get so pissed off every time someone points out the obvious?
So regardless of their protest to the contrary, Tea Partiers and Libertarians are extremists. They are the 5% fringe minority. I'm not sure that's a bad thing and there are certainly Liberals who also have such extreme views, they would be the other fringe.
But the following is factual about Tea Partiers and Libertarians:
1. Extremists want extreme change. What else would you call:
* the complete restructuring of our government.
* sweeping elimination of government programs and agencies
* radical re-inerpretation of the Constitution to what they say is its "literal meaning" (which is defined by some of you as your personal interpretation... with the help of research, quoting some FF's but not others, yada yada, yada etc...) No, I don't want to turn this into yet another "What the Constitution Means and Why I'm Completely Right About It" Debate but that is definitely their view.
* The majority seem to want virtually no federal regulation of businesses.
So obviously they want extreme change and they're willing to go to extreme lengths to get that change (hence the phrase "extremist" - is there another definition I'm not aware of?). I'm not saying that's a bad thing. The FF's were the same way.
They are at the extreme edge in their beliefs. I think I've met all of two people in my personal life who want to eliminate virtually the entire federal government. And I know LOTS of people. So TP's are a small percentage of the population - probably less than 5%. That's fine. Geniuses are less than 2%. So being a small part isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just is what it is. But the fact that there are a lot of us who simply love our country and appreciate what it has to offer - or don't want the same change you want, doesn't make us "Traitors, Statists etc..."
So I would say that are extremist (extreme change) and fringe (a political minority). Fine. I give them credit. For a relatively small percentage who have not really done much more than shout bumper sticker slogans and tell us that the Founding Fathers abolished slavery, they have really gotten a lot of attention and have certainly put a stranglehold on the GOP.
The things I don't give them much credit for?
1. Intelligently communicating their points.
2. Acknowledging the fact that just because the vast majority of the nation doesn't agree with them on every single issue, doesn't me they're idiots.
3. Ability to acknowledge that their candidates are not all God.
1. I've asked the simple question: What are the Specific Solutions the TP offers? etc.... and had people call me everything from hypocritical (How DARE I ask wtf you guys want!) to some sort of "secret agent liberal" or some sh*t. After a month, I found 3 people who are calm.
2. Okay, we get it. You're angry. Very angry. Fine. But in a month on two boards, in hundreds of threads, I've run into three people who don't flip out and go off on a rage whenever someone disagrees with them. The rest have been so kind as to inform me that I'm against a free market (I'm a biz owner btw), against "the market", a statist, a Liberal, a f*cking idiot, a hypocrite and of course, the ever-popular Socialist. Fine.
3. Look folks, the cat is out of the bag. Sarah Palin isn't smart. Michele Bachmann was lying when she said Obama spent $200M a day on his trip to India or that the Obama administration which granted 278 oil applications only granted 1. WTF? Why can't you guys just say "Yeah well she screwed up." and move on? Why fight in favor of stupidity? It makes the entire party look less credible.
Fortunately, 5% of you are rational. They know exactly what they want, why, how they would go about it, and are able to explain it without concurrently calling the remaining 95% of the country "Statist Socialist Libtards".
BTW, Some of your points are REALLY beginning to make sense to me. If the rest of you guys were to quit yelling and slinging petty insults any time someone isn't 100% in agreement with you etc... More people might listen to what you have to say.
So you're extremists and you're a minority. So what? So were the Founding Fathers. So why get so pissed off every time someone points out the obvious?
