I just read some idiot seriously arguing that we should vote mindlessly for Democrats. That’s right, ignore the credible accusations against Ellison, the fact that Menendez is a scumbag, the fact that racists and anti semites have a comfortable home in the Democratic Party, ignore Beto and his running away from the cone of a crime, ignore it all. Ignore the Mia Love’s of the world, ignore everything that might be considered objective and blindly, mindlessly vote straight Democrat.
Because they have conservatives best interests at heart.
As I’ve thought about this, I’ve realized that this attitude is even more insidious than it first appeared.
The Democrat party certainly isn’t interested in me as a fully functioning member of the party, and with allowing me full voice regarding issues that are important to me. It’s clear that
I’m not welcome there unless I’m a mindless, mechanical, automaton, who simply votes the way they want me to. Unfortunately, I’m also feeling less at home in the GOP either.
Ultimately, no matter how this works out, I’m committed to not simply voting mindlessly, or mechanically, but to trying to be informed and to vote according to my principles.
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I agree with you. To be fair, I've heard the same thing from the GOP. "Vote the straight ticket." I'm with you; mindless voting is ... well, mindless.
Especially voting for a party that has a platform with which I mostly disagree, who adamantly support a few issues which I cannot morally agree with, and who doesn’t want to make room for me as a fully participating member. They only want me to mindlessly pull the lever and agree with everything they tell me.
I agree that you’ll hear something similar from the right. But to specifically ask people to vote in a “mindless” and “mechanical” manner with zero thought given is not something I’ve seen from conservatives.
I have to admit...when I'm dealing with someone who doesn't normally vote, I have no problem urging them to simply vote for everyone with an "R" next to their name. Given today's Democratic Party...and more than ever before in my lifetime...I can honestly say that they'll be better off if the GOP holds control of both houses and the presidency. This assumes the person in question doesn't closely follow politics, but also for those who do but don't vote. I stand by the reason. The closer we get to election day, the more important it is to rouse the undecided to vote GOP, as well as to rouse those who claim they don't care. They must care, and if they don't, then it's no big deal for them to go to the polls and do it anyway with my recommendations.
After the election, I encourage everyone to pay attention, to watch, learn, study what's going on, so that the next opportunity will find them more knowledgeable and voting for the GOP candidates on purpose.
As we achieve and maintain control, from that point I encourage everyone to seek out the most constitutional conservative available.
Even with the problems within the GOP, there is no doubt in my mind that between the two parties, we're still far better off with the GOP than we are with Dems. I see absolutely no evidence that contradicts that fact. Thus, to vote straight GOP is not the same as voting straight Dem and the impact on the nation won't be the same.
I’m not suggesting that voting a straight ticket is wrong, nor is encouraging someone to vote a certain way. (I suspect you tell folx why you think they should vote a certain way)
My objection is to the specifying that the voting be “mindless” and “mechanical”. It’s the seeming objective of trying to create DFL “zombies” that I have a problem with.
That, and the assumption that the way to make the GOP better is to vote for the party that hates the GOP and that has no room for conservatives.
“Vote for Democrats on Tuesday. For every office. Regardless of who they are.”
This is simply insane.
Just like it would be if you replaced “Democrats”, with “Republicans”. All of you who retroactively claim you wouldn’t have voted for Clinton had you only known, or who went off the rail about Kavanaugh, need to stand up and denounce this.
This is about the third or fourth (at least) prominent conservative/former GOP person who I've read make similar suggestions (or at least the suggestion "Vote against the GOP, whatever that means for you, vote against them.")
The reasoning is quite sound and solid:
1. The GOP is sick. Fucked up, dangerously sick.
2. The GOP has been overtaken by the Trump/Gingrich scorched earth amoral ideology that says "win at any costs... if that means fear mongering, if that means making shit up, if that means demonizing perfectly lovely and honest people, if that means embracing liars, perverts and con-men... whatever it takes... WIN. Fuck the losers... It's all about power and to hell with any innocents who get caught in the crossfire..." This is a dangerous and unhealthy ideology that must be opposed.
3. At the same time, we NEED to have a rational two (or more) party leadership model where reasonable but disagreeing ideologies are held in check by other reasonable ideologies that simply disagree.
4. BUT, these reasonable and moral conservatives are saying, it's come to this: The GOP is so fucked up, it must be brought down and have the scorched earth/lying/racist/xenophobic/misogynistic anti-liberty Trump and Gingrich types purged from the system. Their methods are sick and dangerous and the only option is to purge the GOP of this sickness.
If you all have another way of purging the illness from the GOP, you should have come up with it by now. But right now, the sick fuck "conservatives" are ruling the party with no signs of them slowing and this is the only option that these reasonable and moral conservatives see. I tend to agree with THOSE conservatives.
God bless them and may their tribe increase.
This is NOT about purging conservative voices from US politics - WE NEED THOSE healthy and rational conservatives like George Will. It's about purging the gross and dangerous vomitus of Trumpism.
Godspeed to those conservatives. Save the GOP.
Thank you for endorsing “mindless” and “mechanical” voting for people only because of their party affiliation and “Regardless” of their personal, moral, or political failings and flaws. Hell, ignore the FEC accusations of illegal gampaign donations. Ignore everything except the “D”.
What a lazy, pathetic, mindless, pitch.
Maybe if the DFL actually had a platform that people found reasonable, actually practiced the inclusion they preach, and could run a positive campaign, they wouldn’t have to hope for s bunch of “mindless”, zombie, idiots to bail them out.
But, once again, you have no idea how much the irony piled on top of irony makes my day just a tiny bit brighter.
Am I the only one that feels the hate in that rant.
Who in their right mind would would describe Mia Love as a “lying, racist, xenophobic, misogynist”.
Only someone who’s too lazy to take the time to differentiate between groups and individuals. It’s easy, lazy, and “mindless” to broad brush and play group identify politics. It’s much harder to actually look at the individual behavior of individual people and make those judgments.
The whole idea of campaigning on “elect my flawed, corrupt, lying slate of candidates” because they have the “right” letter attached to their name, is such a bizarre, illogical, and lazy way to campaign. Frankly it sounds like desperation and like preparation to roll out the big guns of hate very soon.
Of course the “I’m a Georgia resident who’s vote got “suppressed” because he wanted to vote in Tennessee.” crowd will eat this idiocy up.
FYI, this idiot was eligible to vote absentee in GA, but too stupid to do so. Of course the whole “I’m violating TN law and potentially committing insurance fraud” will get overlooked in the bogus suppression angle.
WOW! The goes Dan embracing grace again! Derangement writ large, it is strong in this one:
1. To say this is over-the-top is something the word "understatement" doesn't do justice. It is dementia and beyond a grace embracer's ability to support.
2. This is what's known as "projection". As Craig suggests, the irony is rich.
3. We haven't had a "reasonable" Democratic Party since Bush 43...if not well before. Now, the word can't be honestly applied to that party at all, and certainly not to Dan.
4. Here, Dan once again defines "reasonable and moral conservative" by how much they hate, despise and wish to depose Trump. Yeah. That's reasonable and moral, particularly in light of all the good he's done despite his crude style. "Reasonable" people don't ignore the beneficial because of mere flaws, which Dan, in his grace embracing hatefulness "trumps" up to the Satanic. What a clown!
Dan needs to focus on first, saving himself. He's morally corrupt and heretical. Of that we need offer no more evidence than his own words and positions. Secondly, he needs to focus on the equally corrupt and dangerous Democratic Party, who continues to sew division and hate in this country while pretending it's all the result of Trump.
But I fear there is no such introspection one can expect from Dan, who's so given over to his sinfulness. There certainly seems to be none from the Dems. And while the conservatives Dan loves lament Trump's behavior as somehow more damaging to the union than his successes have benefited it, they too focus on the wrong things with regard to the man, joining with the opposition in doing so. Fortunately, it doesn't seem the electorate is solidly in that camp. Trump's job approval ratings aren't bad...because he's actually doing a really good job. REAL conservatives acknowledge this reality. Dan has no idea what real conservatism even is. He never did.
Clearly Dan has a strange concept of grace or he’s just chosen a path that doesn’t include grace for everyone. Or, inclusion means something else entirely.
Thank you for endorsing “mindless” and “mechanical” voting for people only because of their party affiliation
If it matters to you (and I'm sure it doesn't, as you're almost certainly just a troll, but for the record for others...), I NEVER ONCE ENDORSED MINDLESS MECHANICAL VOTING FOR PEOPLE BECAUSE OF PARTY AFFILIATION.
Do you understand that? I DO NOT endorse that, I OPPOSE that philosophy.
Do you understand that? Let me say it again:
I DO NOT SUPPORT, ENDORSE or AGREE with what you just said I endorsed. You are factually mistaken, troll.
Rather, I pointed to what many prominent and respected conservatives (unlike the MAGA-ts) have said: That IN THIS election, people should vote AGAINST the GOP - and NOT because it's the GOP - but rather for the specific reason that the GOP as currently led by a perverted lying con-man is sick as hell, and a threat to reasoned, rational dialog and a free republic.
This is NOT "mindless" voting against a party. This is a measured and rational response to a party set up that is currently fucked up in the head and a threat to reasoned dialog and a free republic.
I am quite sure that you don't care about the reality of it all, but there it is just in case any other people are reading.
1. I pulled the quote from a story at your Facebook page, maybe you should read what you post.
2. This post is specifically about those two terms. Maybe you should have read this post also.
This is the header to the article you posted on your Facebook page.
“I hope folks go for this. Seems like the only thing that can save true conservatives.”
Maybe you shouldn’t post things if you don’t endorse them.
You also clearly don’t realize how ridiculous this whole “troll” thing is. We’ve been conversing for years, both on various blogs as well as via email. To call any of us “trolls” or “Russian bots” or whatever pejorative du jour you can come up with is just silly.
“My mom, a lifelong Republican, went to early vote yesterday. She‘s legally blind so I had to go help. Starting with governor I said, “Do you want Rauner, the Republican, or Pritzker, the Democrat.” She said, “Just go down the list & vote all Democrat, I don’t care who they are.”“
There you go. “Mindless”.
The problem with this view is it means you vote for Mendez and vote against Love. Unfortunately this elevates people with bad character over people with good.
Exactly what Dan’s post says, it’s “mindless”.
Well done.
Contrary to all the rhetoric about believing women and wanting women an minorities in government the Dans of the world would deny election to the first Korean/American women simply because she’s not the “right” party.
Petty, mindless, hypocritical. Let’s all vote for that.
The God damned stupid ass f****** lie that you are saying... And follow closely you idiotic buffoon because it's not that difficult and you shouldn't be this stupid... is that we are NOT suggesting voting against her because she's the wrong party.
Now stop.
Say that out loud.
"They are not suggesting voting against her because she is the wrong party. That is NOT what they are saying."
Repeat that over and over 20 times. Breathe that into your brain and understand those words.
Got it? Do you understand that point? Can you comprehend that simple straight forward line?
Okay. Now what we ARE saying, what people like George Will... Conservative people are saying... is that because the GOP is sick in the head, because it is f***** up and hysterical and cowardly and irrational as hell, for THOSE reasons, we need to have an election or two where the GOP loses and loses extremely extremely badly.
For those reasons, the GOP needs a shock, something to help them understand that they are f***** up in the brain, at least this current version of racist, irrational, lying, cowardly and an American conservatives.
And so, goes the reasoning of conservatives like George Will, not because she's a Republican but because conservatives currently are sick, for that reason, they need to lose and you should vote against them.
Are you able to wrap your sad ass cowardly and irrational little bitty brain around that simple idea? Its a simple question, Craig. Do you understand the point?
The answer appears to be either
1. No you do not understand and you're just messed up in the head. Or...
2. You're just a troll.
Which is it?
Should we be surprised at the silence about the leftist anti Semite arrested in NYC for attacking a synagogue?
The real question is should we be surprised that a piece of s*** liar and demonizer and defender of perverts and the violent would try to twist things into yet another f****** lie?
Wow, the level of love and grace you are showing is so Christlike.
1. I like how you ignore the fact that you (by posting) the quoted article are endorsing the “mindless”, “mechanical” voting the straight DFL ticket.
2. The only possible consequence of the action you endorse (voting against every individual Republican candidate simply because of their party affiliation, and doing so in a “mindless”, “mechanical” way) does exactly what I suggest. It elected corrupt senators like Menendez, despite his well known corruption, and it denies election to good, high character candidates simply because of their party affiliation.
3. In the two specific cases I’ve cited, one wonders if it’s not simply revenge for these minority candidates for having the temerity to leave the DFL.
4. What lie? The fact that a known DFL supporter had engaged in something that only “right wing” folx do? The truth hurts when it’s applied without prejudice.
The answer appears to be that you just retreat furthe and further into exploitive filled, vitriolic, hateful, rants when tesluty makes you and yours look bad. It’s probably an Alinsky thing.
Nearly every line you say, nearly every claim you make is a false claim and a false statement. I have a hard time believing you're so stupid that you don't understand the difference between fake and real. I think it's a damnable piece of s*** lie that you do on purpose just to distort and twist and demonize and attack.
But you tell me... Are you really just incredibly inept at reading and understanding and just plain stupid and not a damnable f*****-up liar?
For instance, I never supported or said I support mindless voting. It never ever happened, not in the real world and not in any known other universes or other realities. It is a piece of s*** Lie from a stupid ass f****** liar.
Do you understand that I never made that claim? Do you understand I never suggested it?
Now at this point you can say "yes I understand that now and I was just confused. I guess I was just stupid in my lack of understanding. My fault. I apologize."
Or you can say "yes, I understood you never said that and I made it up anyway. It is a deliberate false claim and I'm just a piece of s*** liar like the perverts con men and Liars that I defend and support."
Which is it?
To help you understand, read closely and try to comprehend... I'm not attacking you.
I'm attacking stupid ass piece of s*** hell spawn f****** lies. The sort of vomitous lies and false claims that you and this Administration use all the time, because they are dangerous and sick as s***. I hate that f****** sort of lying because it causes such harm and is an attack on facts and truth and Christianity and just plain decency.
Of course, none of this matters to a soulless troll. The only point of a troll is to stir up dissension and harm.
Do you understand where the comment about “mindless”, “mechanical” voting came from?
Do you understand that when someone posts an article, with a positive endorsement, on their social media page that it’s logical to conclude that the person who posted the article supports the contents of the article?
I have many more questions, but let’s see if you can be bothered to answer these.
I will point out that you have a recent tendency to make claims specifically about me, claims that impugn my character, without actually demonstrating the veracity of your claims. I don’t expect you to change, just noting that the ironies continue to pile deeper and deeper.
Just to straighten out one of the areas where you’ve chosen to misrepresent me.
I’ve never claimed that you’ve “said” anything. I’ve been quite clear about that. But please continue to use your false assumption to divert from the reality of what you’ve actually done.
“We’re thus driven to believe that the best hope of defending the country from Trump’s Republican enablers, and of saving the Republican Party from itself, is to do as Toren Beasley did: vote mindlessly and mechanically against Republicans at every opportunity, until the party either rights itself or implodes””
Not only did Dan offer the article I quoted with a favorable endorsement (which I’ve alread quoted), he also posted the above in a comment under his name, with his profile picture attached to it. He was attempting to provide a “summary” of the article he’d posted. Usually if one purports to offer a summary it is offered in the words of the one doing the summarizing (Dan in this case). In Dan’s summary, he quite clearly endorsed the concept of “mindless” and “mechanical” voting for the DFL as something to be engaged in.
Facts are a bitch.
If a rational person reads the article they recognized that it is NOT advocating mindless voting against the GOP. Indeed, if you look down just a little farther in the article you see that the article says that they "need to act AS IF they were dumbass partisans."
Not mindless but specifically mindFUL and delberate.
I believe any rational person can understand this. Further, I am not advocating mindless voting.
And so I will ask it again, you petty ass dick... Do you understand that this is NOT what I advocated or endorsed? That, indeed, I was endorsing just the exact opposite?
There is only one correct answer to this. If you answer other than Yes, you recognize that this is not what I was advocating, you are either a hopeless buffoon or a liar. Which is it?
Strangely both the article and you quite clearly use the terms “mindless” and “mechanical” is telling people how they should vote. I guess those term have some special meaning.
But thank you for admitting that you posted, and endorsed the article. Even though you couldn’t quite bring yourself to say the words, you’re reference to and continued defense of the piece, are enough.
Thank you for demonstrating do explicitly the meaning of embracing grace and the love of Christ. Also thank you for the direct and specific answers to two very difficult questions.
Your use of lies, while accusing me of lying is strange and perverse to say the least.
Craig,
DON'T POST THIS. I'm actually concerned about Dan. His utter vitriol and sheer hatred is really over the top. I know he's odd, but this is unhinged. He comes from an anabaptist background which preaches "love your enemy" and "turn the other cheek" and this is nothing but pure hate for everything vaguely Republican, it seems. I'm not joking around. His absolute, mindless revilement of all things GOP is more than I've ever seen. When someone who works with words cannot come up with more descriptive terminology than the flood of foul language he has been offering, it seems to me that they've run out of thoughts and are operating on pure emotional rage. Is he okay, mentally/emotionally? It really sounds bad.
Again, DON'T POST THIS.
Stan, I agree with your premise. There is definitely something different and troubling.
So to battle racism, “anti” immigrant ism, and misogyny, in the GOP requires you to advocate voting against immigrant women running as republicans.
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