On Ron Paul - Argument to the man

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Sunday January 08, 2012 · 1:15 PM PST

2012/01/08 · 13:15

“It is always more difficult to fight against faith than knowledge.”

I strongly believe the above quote to be true. I agree with it. I think it is crucial to understanding mass psychology, society and politics. I also think it’s the principle that governs all propaganda and public relations.

Who said it? Adolph Hitler.

This therefore, must mean that I am a Nazi, a Nazi supporter or a fan of Hitler. Of course I’m none of these things and there are many people I’m sure who agree with the statement and are none of these things either. It’s an idea, and ideas have a certain level of independence from those who promote them. So do principles and policies.

This is all fairly evident. Most people understand this. However, many people willfully ignore it when it suits their purposes – mainly when they are trying to advance an argument. This is in fact a very common fallacious argument – ad hominem or “argument to the man”. It’s also extremely common on the Daily Kos rec list these days as Obama supporters use it relentlessly to shut down discussion on Ron Paul and the rightward shift of the Democratic Party.

Grassee

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Monday December 13, 2010 · 10:34 AM PST

2010/12/13 · 10:34

I’m a Trin-American or Trino American or Trinidadian American. I was born in the US of parents of Trinidadian descent. Why that should be of any interest to Kossacks is built into the nature of Trinidadian society. Trinidad and Tobago (two islands, one republic) is one of the most profoundly multicultural societies in the world. I don’t mean we have many cultures in one society, I mean the cultures we do have intermingle and coexist with a level of harmony that I have never seen anywhere else and I have travelled extensively. Black, East Indian, Chinese, European-descended and Middle Eastern people live and work together, enjoy each other’s cultural traditions and even create cultural hybrids.

However, Trinidad is far from perfect and the one place those racial divisions stand out strongest is in politics. Our politics, peaceful though they maybe, are an awful morass of corrupt politicians and a tribal-thinking electorate. Again, why should this be important to Kossacks dealing with the problems of US politics? I’m saying this because I have seen tribal affiliation, specifically race used as the ultimate tool of political manipulation. And I am seeing the same thing right here on Daily Kos.

Grassee

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Thursday February 11, 2010 · 5:52 AM PST

2010/02/11 · 05:52

There was a minor furor yesterday over an article on Huffingtonpost with an incendiary headline about Obama softening his tone on the big bankers. The headline was indeed misleading and editorialized what the President said. That's actually the least interesting part of this story.

This incident is a snapshot of what is wrong with the media and politics. NOBODY comes out clean in this one - even Paul Krugman and Simon Johnson, two commentators I respect.

Grassee

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Saturday November 07, 2009 · 11:23 AM PST

2009/11/07 · 11:23

Dan Froomkin has a post today over at that bastion of Conservative thinking the Huffington Post. The best quote:

This is supposed to be a participatory democracy, but we've all gotten used to non-participation. And the cost is enormous.

His main argument is that if we want President Obama to pursue a truly progressive agenda then we must actively and very publicly show our support for that agenda. What does active mean?

They can force the hands, say, of tight-fisted landlords, by threatening rent strikes. They can bring inflexible company executives to the table by threatening, say, a picket line or a boycott.

At this moment in time it's not about what Obama has to do for the country - it's about what we have to do.

Grassee

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Thursday September 03, 2009 · 6:00 AM PDT

2009/09/03 · 06:00

Once upon a time it was oh so simple. The bumbling, sinister and comically vicious GOP controlled all the levers of power. The mainstream media was one big sycophant armada gulping up and regurgitating every lie and rightwing talking point. The Democrats were a gaggle of weaklings prostituting the hell out of themselves to achieve that oh so revered and mythical status of Centrist. The US seemed one big, dumb and cruel place where you could launch imperialist wars, create 16th Century-style mercenary armies and install accountability-free covert domestic spying rings and the masses couldn’t be bothered to look up from their bag of Doritos and Survivor: Thailand. And Daily Kos thrived.

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On Ron Paul - Argument to the man

Don't make this about race

Obama's "saavy bankers" story, sickly democracy in action

Make him do it, no really

DK in the Post-Bush-USA