Are most liberals elitists by nature?
What does elite mean?Does it mean that people are in the 1% economically? Well, there are very evidently lots of conservatives in the 1% and in the 0.1% and in the 0.01% and so on. Pretty much every Republican congressperson and senator is in the 1%. Thiel and the Koch’s are in the 0.01% as just a couple of examples.Does it mean that people have degrees? Well, while education was a significant separator of voting in the USA in the last election, with the 50 least educated counties overwhelmingly going for Trump and the 50 most educated counties overwhelmingly voting for Clinton, that doesn’t mean that everyone with a bachelors, masters or PhD is liberal by any stretch. There are lots of people with advanced degrees who are conservative.Does it mean that they live in cities instead of in the country? Well, there are lots of conservatives in urban areas too, although fewer than liberals, because almost every urban area in the USA voted Clinton by a reasonable majority. But what about that large minority of city dwellers who voted for Trump?Does it mean that they perceive merit to be more important than breeding and judge people based on their capabilities and education? Liberals tend to be very much for equal playing fields for all (not just the pasty people with dangly bits between their legs). Hardly elitist, but maybe that’s what you mean?Does it mean that they perceive that breeding is more important that competence, merit and education? That certainly seems to be the case with Donald Trump and his nepotism. It’s certainly not a liberal or progressive trait.Does it mean that they drink espresso-based drinks? Um, sure. More espresso-based drinks are made in the US coastal and larger cities which consistently vote Democrat, and the interior of the USA is a great void lacking decent coffee. But you can’t get drip coffee in Australia which has a right-wing coalition in power. And Italy had the Berlusconi-buffoon right wing party in power for a decade or so and they didn’t stop drinking espresso.The term ‘elite’ is merely a vague term to encapsulate the ‘other’ who aren’t visibly different due to darker skin or niqabs, so that they can be stereotyped as effeminate, lacking in sense, lacking in connection to reality. Basically it’s just another way of being prejudiced.
Should President Trump be counted as a Conservative?
First, let’s look at the assertion that he is a member of the Republican Party. While this is currently true, it certainly isn’t the entire story. The Washington Post explains that he has jumped around quite a bit within the party spectrum. He was a Republican back in the late 1980s, but was a third party guy for a bit. As of 2001, he was a Democrat. In 2011 he went independent. He finally became a Republican again in 2012. Ignoring his party affiliation back in the late 1980s, he was a Democrat twice as long as he was a Republican.[1]Is he a conservative? A lot of his recent statements align with conservative values. I’m unsure that he actually believes these things. These statements and beliefs contain things like privatizing things like education, undermining and marginalizing the LGBTQ community, fighting unions, pushing against globalization, etc. While this isn’t what I think conservativism is, it is what a lot of people believe that it is, even among a lot of conservatives.Why isn’t he a conservative? As I’ve pointed out to many people during the election, “You have two choices: Hillary Clinton or her one-time greatest supporter.”Donald Trump donated to the Clinton Foundation back in 2009.[2]Donald Trump donated directly to Hillary Clinton’s various campaigns multiple times.[3]Donald Trump donated something like 25,000 to various Democrats in 2006 and only $1,000 to Republicans.[4]People like Donald Trump fight hard to throw their money around. They state that it is part of their First amendment right as a matter of free speech. If spending money is speech, I think it’s pretty clear what they’re saying.We can claim that he “saw the error of his ways.” We can claim that he was just trying to finagle a better business climate for himself. That’s fine. The facts, however, seem to speak for themselves. I have a very difficult time finding a way to explain any of this away so that he can be seen as having even a shred of integrity.Footnotes[1] Donald Trump changed political parties at least five times: report[2] Yes, Donald Trump has given to the Clinton Foundation[3] Trump has spent years courting Hillary and other Dems[4] http://rump donated $5,000 to th...
Was Obama a better president than Trump regarding world wide approval?
Sure,He clipped the wings of the strongest military on the planetBowed in subservience to other leadersSpent money on everybody but his own people ( 11 Trillion dollars )Attempted to invite UN forces to Police US SoilHe was glib of tongue and slick as a wet handkerchiefHe never missed an opportunity to criticize America for it’s exceptionalism and attitude to the world.He encouraged traitors, released high ranking POWs back to the battlefield, and honored US military deserters and their families in ceremonies at the White House.He was instrumental in naming judges who ascribed to Sha’ria law to US Federal courts, and placing members of the Muslim Brotherhood in ranking administration positionsIf you were sitting in Europe or the Middle East and didn’t think too highly of America already, The Muslim Prince was your man!
Can a relationship work out between two people of vastly different political beliefs? If so, what is it like?
A good friend of mine is a die-hard Democrat, and is married to a rigid Republican. Both of them are headstrong people, who care passionately about their views. Either of them could destroy you in a political argument. They've been married for seventeen years and have three wonderful kids.One day, I asked her how on earth they ever fell in love, let alone how they continue to maintain a great, loving relationship. At first, she joked that they just know not to bring those things up with each other. But after a second, she told me, "I would never have been able to fall in love with someone who doesn't care. It would have absolutely disgusted me. It matters much more that he has passionate opinions about those things. I mean, sure, they're the wrong opinions. But he's got 'em."
Should I be leery of a person who has a "Don't tread on me" sticker on their car window? Usually, the people who have these stickers are domestic terrorists and “sovereign citizens,” or that’s what I've been told all my life by school officials.
Want to get your mind blown? Here is a flag similar to what you are describing:Who do you think might fly this flag? A terrorist? Maybe some sovereign citizen nut-job? WRONG! This is, in fact, the official jack currently flown by all commissioned vessels of the US Navy!Here is the version you are probably familiar with, also known as the Gadsden Flag:It was originally used as a motto flag by the American Continental Marines.The rattlesnake and the slogan “Don’t Tread on Me” are very deeply rooted in American history, and see prolific use throughout the US Military to this day. It represents the belief that the government’s control over the people must be severely limited; that most things in our lives simply are not the business of the government. If you spend any amount of time on a US Military base you see these stickers, tattoos, flags, hats, t-shirts etc. everywhere. It is a symbol cherished by those who serve because it represents the liberty and freedom they strive to protect.Here are some other military insignia inspired by the design:59th Infantry Division116th Cavalry BCTUS Army Drill Sergeant BadgeFlag of the US Army (pictured at the top)Notice how the motto “This We’ll Defend” is pictured with the snake? It refers to the freedom and liberty the snake represents.There is very little chance someone with this sticker is a domestic terrorist. There is a very good chance, however they are a current or former member of the US Military. The most likely chance, however is that it is just a normal person who loves liberty and freedom, perhaps just like you do.