Admiral Ackbar
07-02-2004, 05:57 PM
This will probably turn into another flaming thread on Bush vs Kerry. but I just had my own personal experience about this. (Mind you, I'm a fiscal conservative.)
We were discussing Bill Clintons new book at work today. And the topic got onto politics, and well, even thought I'm a Republican, I've come to realize from that discussion that a large majority of my coworkers are almost militant and quite alarming in their republican beliefs.
It eventually got into a discussion where I mentioned that I just didn't have confidence in Bush anymore. One of my coworkers main argument that I was "crazy" was that Kerry was for repealing the tax cuts that should be made permanent. Which frankly I don't support because I think it's sound economically to repeal those cuts considering the deficit. Also, I don't subscribe to Reganomics. which I would argue isn't fiscal conservatisim, and I mentioned that because I feel the tax cuts are more in line with Reganomic ideology.
Anyway, I take a pretty even keel about political responsibility being split among both parties. But my coworker, to bascially ascribe his arguments, everything that is wrong with American is the Democrats fault. For an example on the economic side, the large federal deficits accrued during the Regan administration was all the Democrats fault. And then the proposed Tax increase by the Bush (Sr.) Administration was also the Democrats fault because they wouldn't cut costs and caused the defecit in the first place. Then I said, well what about the deficit control under the Clinton Administration. I thought he had to admit Clintons input into getting that under control. He stated that Clinton was really against a balance budget and it was all due to the republican congress and Newt Geingrich. Then I asked about the current administration, and it's deficit. Again, all the democrats fault.
Ultimately, his stances were complete unfair and unrealistic against the Democratic party. And I mention this because he wouldn't put things in terms of actually arguing merits. He would always come back to the "Democrats" fault. For example, I'm discussing Keansian economic theories, conservitive fiscal theory, trickle down economics, etc. In the discussion I'm actively avoiding discussing party politics but instead the question of tax cuts themselves. But all his arguments were basically, it's the democrats fault. I started discussing the concerns over social security and he called those "Democratic scare tactics." I asked how the country could afford its expenditures without raising taxes and he goes, "Well, the Democrats won't cut anything."
We talked for about an hour during lunch and while I found the discussing stimulating, it was so because of the shocking militancy of my coworkors against the democratic party. They actually had the nerve to talk about how partisan politics had become, and then blame the democrats for it! And they were laughing about how Dick Chaney cursed of a Senator (Leahy I think) and telling me it was okay because the Senator was a democratic bastard anyway.
This group, except for gun control, wouldn't consider any proposal, idea, or concept put forth by the democratic party to have merit. Nor would they look at historical evidence.
Anyway, it was just increadibly eye opening insight to a certain way of thinking. I was even shocked by how one guy left by saying, "You should really listen to Rush (limbaugh) more. He'll tell you what's going on."
We were discussing Bill Clintons new book at work today. And the topic got onto politics, and well, even thought I'm a Republican, I've come to realize from that discussion that a large majority of my coworkers are almost militant and quite alarming in their republican beliefs.
It eventually got into a discussion where I mentioned that I just didn't have confidence in Bush anymore. One of my coworkers main argument that I was "crazy" was that Kerry was for repealing the tax cuts that should be made permanent. Which frankly I don't support because I think it's sound economically to repeal those cuts considering the deficit. Also, I don't subscribe to Reganomics. which I would argue isn't fiscal conservatisim, and I mentioned that because I feel the tax cuts are more in line with Reganomic ideology.
Anyway, I take a pretty even keel about political responsibility being split among both parties. But my coworker, to bascially ascribe his arguments, everything that is wrong with American is the Democrats fault. For an example on the economic side, the large federal deficits accrued during the Regan administration was all the Democrats fault. And then the proposed Tax increase by the Bush (Sr.) Administration was also the Democrats fault because they wouldn't cut costs and caused the defecit in the first place. Then I said, well what about the deficit control under the Clinton Administration. I thought he had to admit Clintons input into getting that under control. He stated that Clinton was really against a balance budget and it was all due to the republican congress and Newt Geingrich. Then I asked about the current administration, and it's deficit. Again, all the democrats fault.
Ultimately, his stances were complete unfair and unrealistic against the Democratic party. And I mention this because he wouldn't put things in terms of actually arguing merits. He would always come back to the "Democrats" fault. For example, I'm discussing Keansian economic theories, conservitive fiscal theory, trickle down economics, etc. In the discussion I'm actively avoiding discussing party politics but instead the question of tax cuts themselves. But all his arguments were basically, it's the democrats fault. I started discussing the concerns over social security and he called those "Democratic scare tactics." I asked how the country could afford its expenditures without raising taxes and he goes, "Well, the Democrats won't cut anything."
We talked for about an hour during lunch and while I found the discussing stimulating, it was so because of the shocking militancy of my coworkors against the democratic party. They actually had the nerve to talk about how partisan politics had become, and then blame the democrats for it! And they were laughing about how Dick Chaney cursed of a Senator (Leahy I think) and telling me it was okay because the Senator was a democratic bastard anyway.
This group, except for gun control, wouldn't consider any proposal, idea, or concept put forth by the democratic party to have merit. Nor would they look at historical evidence.
Anyway, it was just increadibly eye opening insight to a certain way of thinking. I was even shocked by how one guy left by saying, "You should really listen to Rush (limbaugh) more. He'll tell you what's going on."