Author Topic: The Decline and Fall of Political Discourse - American Thinker  (Read 513 times)

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The Decline and Fall of Political Discourse - American Thinker
« on: December 19, 2013, 03:34:06 pm »
December 19, 2013
The Decline and Fall of Political Discourse
By Steve McCann

As the easily predicable disaster that is ObamaCare continues to evolve, two things are certain: one, Barack Obama and his minions will never admit failure and reverse course; and two, the vitriol emanating from the Left aimed at obliterating their political opposition will intensify during the upcoming year far beyond what has been experienced during the Obama term to date.

Over the past 14 years much has been made of the precipitous decline in the level of discourse in the United States.  Many attribute this to the coarsening of the language and the ever-widening gulf between the various factions in the political spectrum in today's America.  However these factors are a symptom of a current underlying and foundational dilemma: the inability of not only the general public but nearly all of the so-called societal leaders and opinion makers to generate an original thought, as well as a stubborn refusal to reason or compromise when confronted with irrefutable facts and arguments, as exemplified by the ongoing catastrophe that is ObamaCare.

These traits can be explained, insofar as the general public is concerned, as a consequence of their subjugation for the past forty years to a woeful and deliberately incomplete education bordering on indoctrination.  However, this does not fully explain many of the so-called best and brightest falling into the same abyss and being unable to coherently generate an original thought or concept.  While this is true for a few on the more conservative side of the political spectrum it is overwhelmingly the case among those who self-identify as liberals or progressives.

Those who publically espouse the statist philosophy do so in age-old and threadbare platitudes.  The depth of thought rarely exceeds three basic tenets: 1) capitalism and wealth accumulation is evil; 2) only an economy and society dominated by a powerful central government can guarantee fairness of outcome and 3) anyone who disagrees with 1 and 2 is dangerous, ignorant and not only greedy but tyrannical and thus must be relegated to the ash heap of society.

Failing to understand that these tenets have been in existence since the late 1840's, the current proponents act as if they have discovered some new and overwhelmingly successful concept.  The overwhelming failure of those nations that chose to go down this road is conveniently ignored or mired in blissful ignorance.  Mindlessly defending American Progressivism is all that matters.

This is most evident when the proponents of this errant philosophy appear on television or the radio to debate or discuss the issues of the day.  Whenever conveniently among their fellow-travelers, every conversation regarding conservatives who disagree with the direction of the country and wish to return to the nation's founding principles degenerates into a name-calling exercise punctuated by frequent references to racism and fascism.

Whenever these same advocates appear with the conservative opposition, a pre-programmed recording is switched on.  This consists of:  1) the talking points of the day as issued by the White House or the Democratic National Committee; and 2) tried and true platitudes which consist of:  the nation needs to spend more money to solve any and all problems while raising taxes the evil rich; Republicans despise minorities, women and children; and any overt criticism of President Obama is a expression of not so subtle racism.  When called out on these points and confronted with irrefutable facts, the recording is switched on again and repeated more stridently and tactically as a filibuster in order to dominate the air time.

This is a manifestation not only of mind-numbed robotic repetition but, more importantly, the necessity of those who traffic in these banalities to be part of what they perceive to be the in-crowd and the absolute necessity to stay in favor with the governing class which is predominantly liberal.  That requires no independence of thought or the ability to generate an original idea.  Being a mindless foot-soldier for the cause maintains the emotional attachment to the elites.  This is the motivating factor for the majority of the mainstream media as well.

However what many who consider themselves to be the Liberal elites do not understand is that they are no different from these pawns.  While they may sit around think tanks, government offices and faculty lounges regaling each other and demonstrating who maybe the smartest in the room, they too are incapable of generating and original thought or having any independence of mind.  In the realm of political theory, the only concept promulgated is an all-powerful central government controlling the day-to-lives of all Americans -- which will succeed if these elites are granted full and unfettered access to the corridors of power in Washington D.C.

The majority of the American people, asleep during the past sixty years of overwhelming peace and prosperity, are gradually waking up to the massive deception that has been perpetrated by the Left and their inability to solve the almost insolvable problems they, in large part, created.   Unfortunately it has taken the election of Barack Obama and the imposition of ObamaCare, among other policies aimed at concentrating power in the hands of the American Left, to achieve this epiphany.  In reaction, the tone and nature of political discourse will become more strident as the Left, in an effort to protect their gains and status, will do or say anything regardless of the damage it may inflict on the country.

The Left knows that over the years these tactics have succeeded, as unfortunately far too many are more concerned with appearing politically correct and thus cower in fear of being accused of greed, indifference, intolerance and racism.  However, the Republican Party and its governing hierarchy are the most susceptible to this strategy, and as a result their primary concern appears to be to get along, remain neutral and avoid confrontation.  This nation can no longer harbor an opposition party unwilling to fight for the heart and soul of a country rapidly descending into second class status.

Those in the Republican Establishment and the American people should heed the words attributed to Dante when he wrote: "The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who, in the time of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality."

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/12/the_decline_and_fall_of_political_discourse.html


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