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Post by aj2hall on Oct 16, 2022 14:45:54 GMT
Twitter is full of examples like this of Democrats referring to Republican supporters as stupid, questioning their critical thinking skills, questioning their intelligence etc. Condescension, superiority, elitism, criticism and negative stereotypes towards voters will not help Democrats, it's part of the reason why Hillary lost in 2016. Democrats need to recognize that Trump supporters, MAGA Republicans etc believe in Trump just as passionately as Democrats believe in democracy and liberal ideas. I disagree wholeheartedly with their politics, but people voting for Walker, Johnson, MTG and others are not stupid. One could argue that the propaganda machine of Republicans and conservative media has successfully convinced voters of non-existent fraud, white washed the history of Jan 6, stirred up racism, xenophobia, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Semitism with false claims about the border, false claims about crime and the constant culture wars. That doesn't make the people that believe all of the Republican lies stupid. Just as there are single issue Democratic voters, there are single issue Republican voters. Making gun rights, abortion, economic policies etc a priority and overlooking everything else doesn't make voters stupid. This is another reason why Republican politicians continue to support candidates like Walker, Johnson and MTG. The same reason people vote for them. Republican politicians care about power over anything else. Mitch McConnell told CNN this week, he doesn't have a litmus test, he doesn't care if candidates are more like Trump or Cheney, as long as they have an R after their name. www.cnn.com/2022/10/11/politics/mitch-mcconnell-interview-midterm-cliffhanger“I’m for people that get the Republican nomination, and for winning, because if we win we get to decide what the agenda is, and they don’t.”www.nytimes.com/2022/10/15/opinion/walker-warnock-debate.htmlWalker is devastatingly inarticulate. That is the fact of the matter, and a disqualifying one. This is not a dialectic issue, of which I am more understanding. Regional and cultural dialects are real and not a measure of intelligence. That’s not what’s happening with Walker. With him, there is a base inability to convey his ideas in complete thoughts or sentences. And like a child, when his words fail, he fills in the gaps with energy and emotion, hostility and humor.
This cheap rhetorical trick works for Republicans. They want the fighter more than the philosopher, the class jock over the class president. As long as the candidate is on their side, it doesn’t matter if he’s up to par, because at the end of the day, they are voting for the power over the person.
They will elect a man without command of the English language or the issues if it gives them command of the seat and the Senate. Walker’s debate performance was just designed to allay their fears, to make them think better about doing the unthinkable.
Democrats criticize conservatives for "echo chambers" but I think Democrats living in deeply blue states are guilty of living in their own little bubbles. My friends, family and most of my co-workers are Democrats, but I live in a swing state. There are still Trump flags up, flags on the back of pick ups, political signs for Republican candidates etc. everywhere. Just last week, the Republican candidate for Senate said this Women "get the best voice" when men make health care decisions for them. www.newsweek.com/gop-candidate-abortion-decisions-belong-gentlemen-legislators-1750287I disagree passionately with their politics, but I don't think some of my neighbors are stupid for voting for Republicans. eta - Opps sorry. The first tweet was not the one I meant to post. But that one was condescending, too
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pinklady
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,563
Nov 14, 2016 23:47:03 GMT
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Post by pinklady on Oct 16, 2022 15:00:31 GMT
Yes, republican voters are stupid.
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Post by femalebusiness on Oct 16, 2022 15:07:16 GMT
Well yes, yes they are. In addition they are spineless. They've been conned.
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Post by Merge on Oct 16, 2022 15:16:10 GMT
Hm. I think those voters are stupid in that area of their life. Most of us are stupid about something, and for supporters of the far right’s worst characters, that is the area. My stupid area is math. The thing is that I don’t go around insisting that I know more about math than the experts, or that my calculations are just a different interpretation of the facts. Everyone’s stupid about something. The trick is to recognize it so you can educate yourself by listening to others. Refusing to do that - insisting that you know better than everyone else despite ample evidence to the contrary - is such a special kind of stupid that it’s been widely studied and reported on. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effectThose voters may be knowledgeable or even brilliant in other areas. But not in politics at this point in time.
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Post by mollycoddle on Oct 16, 2022 15:19:17 GMT
Hm. I think those voters are stupid in that area of their life. Most of us are stupid about something, and for supporters of the far right’s worst characters, that is the area. My stupid area is math. The thing is that I don’t go around insisting that I know more about math than the experts, or that my calculations are just a different interpretation of the facts. Everyone’s stupid about something. The trick is to recognize it so you can educate yourself by listening to others. Refusing to do that - insisting that you know better than everyone else despite ample evidence to the contrary - is such a special kind of stupid that it’s been widely studied and reported on. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effectI know a lot of pretty smart people who loooove DeSantis. I believe that many of these people likely don’t follow politics or the news closely, and that, together with a conservative media system, predisposes them to be gullible for any snake oil salesman out there.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 2, 2024 6:56:52 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2022 15:34:26 GMT
I think that question is too much of a sweeping generalization. IMO, there's a range of "stupidity". Most Republicans I know are smart and educated. But they are extremely naive. And those are the ones who are being conned by trump and friends. Some Republicans I know who support these idiots are ignorant and uneducated. And then I know some who are extremely smart, but have that religious mentality where they don't question much. And then I see some who are narcissists with dunning kruger. I actually find it fascinating to figure out which group they fall into.
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Post by Merge on Oct 16, 2022 15:35:58 GMT
Hm. I think those voters are stupid in that area of their life. Most of us are stupid about something, and for supporters of the far right’s worst characters, that is the area. My stupid area is math. The thing is that I don’t go around insisting that I know more about math than the experts, or that my calculations are just a different interpretation of the facts. Everyone’s stupid about something. The trick is to recognize it so you can educate yourself by listening to others. Refusing to do that - insisting that you know better than everyone else despite ample evidence to the contrary - is such a special kind of stupid that it’s been widely studied and reported on. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effectI know a lot of pretty smart people who loooove DeSantis. I believe that many of these people likely don’t follow politics or the news closely, and that, together with a conservative media system, predisposes them to be gullible for any snake oil salesman out there. Don’t you think, though, that at this point in the proceedings it’s kind of on them? Pay attention!
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Post by gigito7 on Oct 16, 2022 15:41:01 GMT
Stupid? No but brain washed and in a cult, yes! I live in Ga. and I am shocked at the well educated people I know who love Trump and Ga Republicans and will vote Republican again.
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Post by imkat on Oct 16, 2022 15:44:16 GMT
I have a few friends and family that are Republican. Most are reasonably intelligent, but watch too much Fox News, etc. If you hear something often enough, it starts to become the truth.
However, wasn't it Trump who said he loves the poorly educated?
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Oct 16, 2022 16:08:05 GMT
I have a few friends and family that are Republican. Most are reasonably intelligent, but watch too much Fox News, etc. If you hear something often enough, it starts to become the truth. However, wasn't it Trump who said he loves the poorly educated? Unfortunately, poorly educated are easier to influence and direct.
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carhoch
Pearl Clutcher
Be yourself everybody else is already taken
Posts: 2,992
Location: We’re RV’s so It change all the time .
Jun 28, 2014 21:46:39 GMT
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Post by carhoch on Oct 16, 2022 16:12:18 GMT
I am amazed that a lot of retired vote Republican when those guys wanna cut Medicare Medicaid and Social Security and refuse to try to control the price of drugs. I amaze that blue-collar workers vote Republican because republicans trickle down economics just work for the wealthy . I am amazed at any woman who vote republicans when they are trying to take control over our body’s and refuse to pass sensible guns laws to protect our schools age children. And don’t get me started on the hypocrisy of the evangelicals
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Post by mollycoddle on Oct 16, 2022 17:29:37 GMT
I know a lot of pretty smart people who loooove DeSantis. I believe that many of these people likely don’t follow politics or the news closely, and that, together with a conservative media system, predisposes them to be gullible for any snake oil salesman out there. Don’t you think, though, that at this point in the proceedings it’s kind of on them? Pay attention! Indeed. incuriosity and ignorance(disclaimer: by that I mean lack of knowledge, as opposed to a characteristic) is no excuse. It is hard to overcome the problem of conservative media and its closed loop though.
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Post by mollycoddle on Oct 16, 2022 17:31:20 GMT
I have a few friends and family that are Republican. Most are reasonably intelligent, but watch too much Fox News, etc. If you hear something often enough, it starts to become the truth. However, wasn't it Trump who said he loves the poorly educated? I agree with the media issue. Around my neck of Ohio, Trumpers are a mix of poorly educated and educated but brainwashed by media.
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Post by Merge on Oct 16, 2022 17:34:04 GMT
Don’t you think, though, that at this point in the proceedings it’s kind of on them? Pay attention! Indeed. incuriosity and ignorance(disclaimer: by that I mean lack of knowledge, as opposed to a characteristic) is no excuse. It is hard to overcome the problem of conservative media and its closed loop though. I ran across a lesson plan earlier today that was designed to help students find credible information in the media by checking sources, "triangulating" information, etc. I'm sure the lesson would be denounced as too "woke" by many adults who sorely need it today.
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Post by mollycoddle on Oct 16, 2022 17:39:12 GMT
Indeed. incuriosity and ignorance(disclaimer: by that I mean lack of knowledge, as opposed to a characteristic) is no excuse. It is hard to overcome the problem of conservative media and its closed loop though. I ran across a lesson plan earlier today that was designed to help students find credible information in the media by checking sources, "triangulating" information, etc. I'm sure the lesson would be denounced as too "woke" by many adults who sorely need it today. Oh, you know it. It should definitely be a skill taught in school.
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Gennifer
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,009
Jun 26, 2014 8:22:26 GMT
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Post by Gennifer on Oct 16, 2022 17:44:28 GMT
They are either stupid or assholes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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scrappinmama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,885
Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Oct 16, 2022 18:29:31 GMT
There are stupid people everywhere. There are stupid Republicans and highly intelligent ones. Trump supporters are a different breed. I think Trump supporters are brainwashed. Seriously it's like a cult. They will believe anything that he feeds them, even when it obviously defies logic.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Oct 16, 2022 18:42:40 GMT
Some of them definitely are not that smart. But there isn’t just one type of voter that votes for people like that. I know plenty of people who are intelligent that vote for republicans. It also comes down to values, but I think willingness to believe lies is a huge part of it.
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Post by Zee on Oct 16, 2022 20:47:27 GMT
Stupid? No but brain washed and in a cult, yes! I live in Ga. and I am shocked at the well educated people I know who love Trump and Ga Republicans and will vote Republican again. I am dumbfounded when I see signs supporting Herschel Walker. A brain-damaged wife beating puppet would never have stood a chance with either party 20 years ago. Look at this country now. And Democrat elitism doesn't help win over the votes of ignorant conservatives. The system is broken right now, but history goes in waves and nothing lasts forever. Who knows what we'll see in the future of the US.
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Post by gigito7 on Oct 16, 2022 20:51:38 GMT
Stupid? No but brain washed and in a cult, yes! I live in Ga. and I am shocked at the well educated people I know who love Trump and Ga Republicans and will vote Republican again. I am dumbfounded when I see signs supporting Herschel Walker. A brain-damaged wife beating puppet would never have stood a chance with either party 20 years ago. Look at this country now. And Democrat elitism doesn't help win over the votes of ignorant conservatives. The system is broken right now, but history goes in waves and nothing lasts forever. Who knows what we'll see in the future of the US. And it worries me what will happen to our country if Republicans win. I worry for my grandchildren.
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Post by aj2hall on Oct 16, 2022 21:07:55 GMT
Despite the fact that by most accounts, Hershel Walker is unqualified for Senator, there's a good possibility he might win in deep red Georgia. www.nytimes.com/2022/10/16/opinion/warnock-herschel-walker-debate.htmlI think Walker has a lot of nerve. I think he has no business in the Senate. I think he’s unfit for political office, period. But he did a surprisingly effective job of showing that while he has enormous shortcomings, he won’t necessarily come up short in a Republican-friendly year in a Republican-friendly state.
Walker’s task on Friday night wasn’t to make voters excited about him. It was to make them less apprehensive. It was to affirm or reaffirm for them that, whatever his lack of charisma and no matter his deficit of coherence, he’s a reliable vessel for their concerns and a viable expression of their qualms.
Were they angry about Biden’s use of an executive order to forgive billions of dollars in student loans? Walker let them know — succinctly and clearly — that he was, too. Did they feel that too many progressives demonstrated too much contempt for the police? He registered his own upset about that.
It was as if he was going methodically through a checklist of the reasons Republicans were or should be on board with him, and he did so with a discipline that made prior characterizations of him as a hapless buffoon seem selective. Was he eloquent? Please. Was he articulate? Sporadically — and that was all that was necessary to exceed the expectations for him.
...if you thought Walker’s candidacy had already ended, the debate challenged that assessment. It’s not because he dazzled but because he showed up, wearing his team’s colors and making his team’s case and not getting any fresh muck on the uniform. In an era this partisan, amid this much economic anxiety, with a Democratic president whose approval rating remains stubbornly low, that may be more than enough.
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Post by Merge on Oct 16, 2022 21:13:37 GMT
Stupid? No but brain washed and in a cult, yes! I live in Ga. and I am shocked at the well educated people I know who love Trump and Ga Republicans and will vote Republican again. I am dumbfounded when I see signs supporting Herschel Walker. A brain-damaged wife beating puppet would never have stood a chance with either party 20 years ago. Look at this country now. And Democrat elitism doesn't help win over the votes of ignorant conservatives. The system is broken right now, but history goes in waves and nothing lasts forever. Who knows what we'll see in the future of the US. Problem is that simply pointing out inaccuracies is now “elitism.” Valuing education and expertise is “elitism.” Criticizing those who peddle and spread lies is “elitism.” Do they expect Democrats to pat their hands and say, yes, yes, that crap you made is up is a totally valid point of view? What message does that send? These are adults we’re talking about.
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Post by Zee on Oct 16, 2022 21:16:29 GMT
I am dumbfounded when I see signs supporting Herschel Walker. A brain-damaged wife beating puppet would never have stood a chance with either party 20 years ago. Look at this country now. And Democrat elitism doesn't help win over the votes of ignorant conservatives. The system is broken right now, but history goes in waves and nothing lasts forever. Who knows what we'll see in the future of the US. Problem is that simply pointing out inaccuracies is now “elitism.” Valuing education and expertise is “elitism.” Criticizing those who peddle and spread lies is “elitism.” Do they expect Democrats to pat their hands and say, yes, yes, that crap you made is up is a totally valid point of view? What message does that send? These are adults we’re talking about. I'm not debating your point, just saying that old "we're smarter than you are, listen up while we talk down to you" doesn't help.
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gsquaredmom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,080
Jun 26, 2014 17:43:22 GMT
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Post by gsquaredmom on Oct 16, 2022 21:25:09 GMT
I am dumbfounded when I see signs supporting Herschel Walker. A brain-damaged wife beating puppet would never have stood a chance with either party 20 years ago. Look at this country now. And Democrat elitism doesn't help win over the votes of ignorant conservatives. The system is broken right now, but history goes in waves and nothing lasts forever. Who knows what we'll see in the future of the US. Problem is that simply pointing out inaccuracies is now “elitism.” Valuing education and expertise is “elitism.” Criticizing those who peddle and spread lies is “elitism.” Do they expect Democrats to pat their hands and say, yes, yes, that crap you made is up is a totally valid point of view? What message does that send? These are adults we’re talking about. Is that what they mean by elitism? I and all the Democrats I know are far from elitists. Down to earth, regular people, so so have always wondered. It’s the Republicans I know who tend to have huge houses, newer cars, big investment accounts, etc and look down (literally from their big houses) at us regular folk. Lol.
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inkedup
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,837
Jun 26, 2014 5:00:26 GMT
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Post by inkedup on Oct 16, 2022 21:35:20 GMT
I'm not going to comment on the intellectual capabilities of such a large group of people.
I do believe that the supporters of these politicians support them more out of spite for people they hate (democrats, immigrants, the LGTBQ comnunity) than even any particular love of the candidate or party.
These politicians prey on the anger and disinformation perpetuated by their constituents.
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Post by papersilly on Oct 16, 2022 21:41:54 GMT
Asked and answered
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Post by Gem Girl on Oct 16, 2022 21:52:59 GMT
My stupid area is math. The thing is that I don’t go around insisting that I know more about math than the experts, or that my calculations are just a different interpretation of the facts. The other thing is that your stupid area isn't likely to cost us our democracy.
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Post by Gem Girl on Oct 16, 2022 21:58:28 GMT
I am amazed that a lot of retired vote Republican when those guys wanna cut Medicare Medicaid and Social Security and refuse to try to control the price of drugs. I amaze that blue-collar workers vote Republican because republicans trickle down economics just work for the wealthy . I am amazed at any woman who vote republicans when they are trying to take control over our body’s and refuse to pass sensible guns laws to protect our schools age children. And don’t get me started on the hypocrisy of the evangelicals Interesting (if overly simple) article on why people vote against their own self-interest. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201712/why-do-people-vote-against-their-best-interests
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Post by Gem Girl on Oct 16, 2022 22:05:45 GMT
I'm not going to connect on the intellectual capabilities of such a large group of people. I do believe that the supporters of these politicians support them more out of spite for people they hate (democrats, immigrants, the LGTBQ comnunity) than even any particular love of the candidate or party. These politicians prey on the anger and disinformation perpetuated by their constituents. I think you're onto something here. When a candidate exploits resentments & perceived injustices (and who complains more consistently of being treated "unfairly" than spoiled rich kid TFG?), he establishes a sense of community with people who like that he dislikes the same people that they do. Throw on top of that, "I alone can fix it," and they feel they've found their messiah.
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Post by Merge on Oct 16, 2022 22:14:47 GMT
Problem is that simply pointing out inaccuracies is now “elitism.” Valuing education and expertise is “elitism.” Criticizing those who peddle and spread lies is “elitism.” Do they expect Democrats to pat their hands and say, yes, yes, that crap you made is up is a totally valid point of view? What message does that send? These are adults we’re talking about. I'm not debating your point, just saying that old "we're smarter than you are, listen up while we talk down to you" doesn't help. Is that really what's being said by the Democratic mainstream, though? Or is that just how the other side spins it? What about the sort of right wing elitism that says "we're more moral than you, we're more patriotic, we're more American?" Republican disdain for Democrats (often expanded to explicitly include immigrants, POC, LGBTQ, women who don't fit the traditional mold, Jews, Muslims, and a lot of other minority groups) is well established. Both parties look down on adherents of the other to some extent. But only Democrats are being exhorted to try to win over the other side by being more understanding.
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