Reply #7: If that's not the image you wished to convey-- [View All]

--then maybe you shouldn't have used phrases like:
"He probably takes his oldest boy out with him come deer season to maybe get a couple of bucks to help them get through the winter"
"He doesn't know much about drugs other than what he's been told"
"He's afraid of terrorists, even though they'd have no reason to blow up ANYTHING in his little burg"
"He doesn't know much about world politics, or history."
"He knows that we were attacked, and thought he knew who did it. When the President said "Iraq," he said "okay," and talked to his oldest son about doing his duty"
"cousin Jed, who joined the National Guard so he could go to college and stay at home to keep an eye on his wife and newborn kid"
"He doesn't know that much about healthcare"
"He's pissed about the price of gas and isn't sure who to blame that on. The "ragheads?" Or the environmentalists?"
"He pushed Jack McCoy around an awful lot, and McCoy's a good joe. A real law and order type, but with heart. His boss fella was a politician"

Republicans are, for the most part, just people with different opinions from Democrats. People tend to form their opinions based on what they choose to read. Republicans are selective about what they read, just as we are. They may get their news from lucianne.com, or National Review, or townhall.com. or jewishworldreview.com. You may not like their sources, or consider them "legitimate new sources," but guess what? They don't like our sources any better!

"He's afraid of terrorists, even though they'd have no reason to blow up ANYTHING in his little burg"
But maybe he does have a son, daughter, cousin, etc. who does live in one of the cities that is a terrorist target. Maybe his wife flies on business. Maybe he knew someone who worked in the WTC. Maybe his experiences have formed his opinions.

"He doesn't know much about drugs other than what he's been told"
What would he need to know about drugs to form an opinion? Can't someone who hasn't personally taken drugs have an opinion? Or maybe he knows what meth can do to a person.

"He doesn't know much about world politics, or history."
Or--maybe he does.

"He knows that we were attacked, and thought he knew who did it. When the President said "Iraq," he said "okay," and talked to his oldest son about doing his duty"
Or maybe he thinks Al Quaeda attacked us, and since they are now in Iraq, maybe that's a good place to fight them.

"cousin Jed, who joined the National Guard so he could go to college and stay at home to keep an eye on his wife and newborn kid"
Cousin Jed? Keep an eye on . . .? It sure seems to me that you have painted a picture of an ignorant hick.

"He doesn't know that much about healthcare"
Maybe he thinks tort reform would be a good first step toward making healthcare affordable for individuals and small business. Maybe he thinks HSA's would work. Maybe he thinks that many of the uninsured are uninsured by choice.

"He's pissed about the price of gas and isn't sure who to blame that on. The "ragheads?"
Maybe he never uses racist and demeaning terms like "raghead."

"He pushed Jack McCoy around an awful lot, and McCoy's a good joe. A real law and order type, but with heart. His boss fella was a politician"
Maybe he can tell the difference between reality and fiction.

I'm just saying that you have made some assumptions that may not be true of more than a fraction of Republicans. It makes me wonder, how many Republicans do you actually know well?

Can't we all just get along?