NC I understand your point but in fact and in history successful revolutions don't require a majority. In our war of independence it is believed by reputable historians only about a third of the colonists supported the revolution (1/3 supported England & 1/3 were not involved). Same can be said for revolutions throughout the last 200 years both left & right. Cuba, Vietnam It takes a determined core with the right tools and a weak or flawed government to have a successful revolution. Rarely does a population rise as one to throw of an oppressor's yoke. Today in the US those who say it is time for revolution are without a clue as to the real consequences of a revolution and IMO don't really mean it or haven't given it serious thought.
Winston, I agree 100% that the people who are popping off about Revolution have no idea about the real consequences or, for that matter, what it takes to wage war. I was the same way toward the end of the GWB administration when my friends from the far left were stomping their feet and saying we needed a Revolution. It's irresponsible talk and, at least at this juncture, should have no place in our national discourse. My statement about majorities, as it relates to Revolution, was probably not said very well. My intention was to state that the roughly 30% of the current population who would espouse such a notion, are in no position to stage an effective revolt, much less stage an entire revolution. First, because a vast majority of the American people, including a good number of conservatives, would never go along with it. In other words, the political will is not in place to stage a revolt. I sometimes feel like these conservatives have forgotten that this administration was duly elected twice, by a majority of the American people. So when I hear them say things like we need a revolution, I get disgusted. Opposing ideas are a hallmark of our Democracy, but reckless and ignorant statements that call for an unjustified Revolution should have no place among the discourse of reasonable citizens.
NC I agree with your intent and it is sad that extremists left and right so easily find recourse in inflamatory words. As the old Chinese saying goes..."Be careful what you ask for, you may just get it."
I often feel like moderation is completely lost. Much of my current anger toward the Republican party is because if history teaches us anything it is that the party in the majority often over steps their bounds after they get comfortable holding that power. If the Republican party does not get their shit together and become a viable political option again for reasonable people then the Dems have nothing to slow them from going completely ape-shit liberal on us. I am not saying that the Dems are doing it now, but they will.....they can't help themselves. Repubs do the same thing when they have power too long. I am actually rooting for the Libertarian wing of the Republican party to take over. IMO, the LIbertarians are far more in tune with the American public on a social and economic level than the Tea Party or Old School Republicans.
That is 10 years away at a minimum and realistically 16-20 years away. Reps will have to lose the next presidential election with what they have going on now and older GOPs and Neocons to lose their voice. It is hard to change. Dems had the Great Depression and a civil rights movement to be what they are now. We have had a Great Recession and now there is immigration reform. What will happen??
I tend to agree that this will not be a quick process and will likely only be fostered when the Neocons and old school GOPer's die out and the younger generation moves in. This is truly not good news for American politics as it likely signals Democratic control of the government for the foreseeable future. While I tend to support the Dems on most things these days, total government control would not be a good thing for an extended period of time. The immigration reform thing will come to haunt them....maybe not in 2014 because the districts are so gerrymandered but definitely in 2016 and beyond. I mean, the R's are in real peril right now politically. I didn't realize this until the other day but in the 2010 mid-term elections, the "sweeping victory" that the R's spoke of was actually no such thing. The D's won the popular vote that evening by almost a million votes, so even when it appears the R's are winning elections, they are only doing so on a procedural technicality and not on the sheer popularity of their platform. Again, over the long term this will not be a good thing for the country.
[quote="Tiger in NC, post: 1333089, member: 18421The immigration reform thing will come to haunt them....maybe not in 2014 because the districts are so gerrymandered but definitely in 2016 and beyond.[/quote] So will they be un-gerrymandered or re-gerrymandered? Politics is not fair. To the winner goes the spoils. LOL
So will they be un-gerrymandered or re-gerrymandered? Politics is not fair. To the winner goes the spoils. LOL[/quote] LOL, the irony of your last statement is actually frightening because it will only be a matter of time before the Dems hold the Governor seats to re-align those gerrymandered districts to their favor. And given the rate that the R's continue to tack to the right, I would say that it will be sooner rather than later. Then what? Then whats to stop the Dems from holding all the cards. That is not good for Democracy and not good for the country.
