Republicans

[pErvinalia]

But everyone knows the judiciary are Clinton loving Marxists!

[Svartalf]

Hermit, still, it's Jesus, abortion and atheism that they worry about. Universities represent all that they hate. Above all, change.

Exactly. Not education as such.

I bet 42 is wholeheartedly in favour of education even while he farts post after post about the pernicious influence of universities and colleges.

Education that churns out engineers, doctors and lawyers, not arts graduates...

you got something about gettin educated in the humanities when you're a no go at maths and did try and flunk the Law?

[Sean Hayden]

Republicans don't hate education, well not most of them anyway. They hate this dumb fuck idea that the left's political philosophy is the truth, in the sense that by drawing conclusions from observations about reality one becomes a "lefty" ---if you'se gots an education you'd be a lefty.

Well, there does seem to be some evidence to suggest that the more educated a person becomes the more left leaning they are likely to be.

Yes, yes, now whose biases are showing?

--and yar, I believe the NASCAR fan can intuit that too, and feels it about education even if he can't say it...

[JimC]

Hermit, still, it's Jesus, abortion and atheism that they worry about. Universities represent all that they hate. Above all, change.

Exactly. Not education as such.

I bet 42 is wholeheartedly in favour of education even while he farts post after post about the pernicious influence of universities and colleges.

Education that churns out engineers, doctors and lawyers, not arts graduates...

you got something about gettin educated in the humanities when you're a no go at maths and did try and flunk the Law?

I haven't, but I was having a dig at 42...

[Svartalf]

I guess that makes it alright

[Tero]

They need to abandon Trump. Otherwise...and most likely anyway:

“Democrats need only 24 seats nationally to flip to get control of the House’’ — and more than a quarter of those may be in California.
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/1 ... tes-240597

[Brian Peacock]

What's that? A GOP to DEM criminal ratio of about 30:1? The GOP are 30x more criminally minded than them DEMS?

[Alan B]

Conservatives - 'the Right' - around the world, in general, are the parties of greed and the Status Quo. Political parties to the Left - again, in general - are parties that promote change to reflect the realities of the human condition for the betterment of all humanity - which the 'Right' will employ any tactic - illegal or otherwise - to prevent.

[pErvinalia]

Yep, pretty good summary.

[Forty Two]

Hermit, still, it's Jesus, abortion and atheism that they worry about. Universities represent all that they hate. Above all, change.

Exactly. Not education as such.

I bet 42 is wholeheartedly in favour of education even while he farts post after post about the pernicious influence of universities and colleges.

Education that churns out engineers, doctors and lawyers, not arts graduates...

I am wholeheartedly in favor of education, while at the same time being opposed to leftist identity politics and folks like the monsters at Evergreen University who riot over someone not following instructions to leave campus because they're white. I am opposed to Yale University students accosting faculty members for sending emails suggesting that Halloween costumes ought not be subject to college administration regulation. I am opposed to riots against free speech. I'm against the effort to remove due process of law from the administrative process. I'm against witch-hunts against professors like Laura Kipnis, and I'm against people disrupting and shouting down speakers and conferences. Those influences are pernicious and contrary to liberal Enlightenment values, individual liberty, and contrary to the effort to properly educate students.

I am not merely in favor of engineering majors, medical school majors and law degrees. I am very much in favor of the arts, including literature, philosophy, painting/drawing, theater, music, writing, and the like. These are important degrees and important disciplines. I also support to a lesser degree participation in collegiate sports and other activities to also help create a well-rounded, education student populace.

I support classical studies very much, and I think that college students these days suffer from a dearth of exposure to Greek classics, Enlightenment philosophies and Rennaissance history/philosophy/art, history, English literature, as well as STEM courses (at least basic physics, chemistry, calculus and biology).

We do students no favors by selling them majors like "gender studies" degrees, and various other weak degrees -- "Communications" -- "Public Relations" - and in general courses with "Studies" in the name. Students ought to concentrate more in "strong" subjects - core education - pick a science. Don't complain about women in STEM and take "gender studies," in my view -- I suggest taking a degree in Anthropology, Paleontology, Astronomy, Geology, Biology, Genetics, Medicine, Law, Mathematics, whatever - and become a degreed something-or-other. Take a "Studies" minor or something, or a few courses in it. But, it doesn't merit a degree major in and of itself. I'd prefer a Philosophy or Theater major to a Women's Studies major.

[Forty Two]

Conservatives - 'the Right' - around the world, in general, are the parties of greed and the Status Quo. Political parties to the Left - again, in general - are parties that promote change to reflect the realities of the human condition for the betterment of all humanity - which the 'Right' will employ any tactic - illegal or otherwise - to prevent.

Yes, by definition, conservatives are parties more likely to support the status quo, because that's what being conservative means, in large part.

It's inaccurate that political parties to the Left, however, are parties that "promote change." Where the left is in control, and sets the status quo, they become the conservatives because they seek to promote the status quo - the leftist status quo. They don't always "promote change" being on the left, because they are not for change for change's sake. The Left tends to support progress toward socialism. They call it progress, because they see it as a good thing.

Where discussion here may be needed is in the assumption that you're making that the Left's views will result in the betterment of the human condition and all humanity, and that the Right, seeks to prevent that. The reality is that the conservatives, in general, also want the betterment of humanity and the human condition. However, they (a) have a different viewpoint as to how to reach that goal, and (b) both "sides" (all sides) have different views as to what constitutes betterment - what would be better.

When we look at your bit there about "employing any tactic" - I don't disagree that the hard right will not eschew tactics to achieve their goals and foil the Left. But, the hard left will also do the same. We see it very much in view today, with the hard left openly calling for and engaging in violence to achieve their ends. They think they have a worthy cause, of course they do. But, they are not eschewing certain means of getting their are they? At least the hard left, yes? I mean, the moderate right and the moderate left are pretty peaceful, generally. But don't they both have issues on the ends?

I define myself as "liberal" - and I hold liberal views on almost all issues. I part company from the "Left" on issues where I land more libertarian than progressive. I believe economic freedoms are as important as social freedoms, often foundational. I eschew identity politics, the progressive stack, and the like - that side of the Left, and also Socialism, which I find repugnant to liberalism. As such, I do not consider myself "Right", but I also do not view the Left as actually working for the betterment of humanity and the human condition. I think the Left in many ways is working against that, particularly where they support real socialism (not talking about libraries, police forces, and welfare for the poor, but state ownership and control of the means of production and central planning). When I see the Left acting out on Progressive issues and identity politics and selling postmodernism and calling for the abolition of capitalism as some patriarchal evil force, I oppose that - and it's not in the best interests of humanity and the human condition.

Obviously, some people on the Left do think that socialism is in the best interest of humanity and the human condition. Some think Marxism is in the best interests of humanity and the human condition. Some think the same of social justice, identity politics, postmodernism, and Progressivism in general. But it is not a feature OF leftism to say that it is, by definition or in its nature, in the best interest of humanity and the human condition, while opposing philosophies and politics are doing whatever they can to hold all that back and prevent the Left from succeeding in its good offices. No, that part is a VALUE JUDGMENT applied to the policies, platforms and positions OF the Left, and OF the Right, and OF the Middle, and OF other political positions.

[pErvinalia]

Conservatives - 'the Right' - around the world, in general, are the parties of greed and the Status Quo. Political parties to the Left - again, in general - are parties that promote change to reflect the realities of the human condition for the betterment of all humanity - which the 'Right' will employ any tactic - illegal or otherwise - to prevent.

Yes, by definition, conservatives are parties more likely to support the status quo, because that's what being conservative means, in large part.

It's inaccurate that political parties to the Left, however, are parties that "promote change." Where the left is in control, and sets the status quo, they become the conservatives because they seek to promote the status quo - the leftist status quo.

Wibble. That's not what status quo means.

As such, I do not consider myself "Right", but I also do not view the Left as actually working for the betterment of humanity and the human condition. I think the Left in many ways is working against that, particularly where they support real socialism (not talking about libraries, police forces, and welfare for the poor, but state ownership and control of the means of production and central planning). When I see the Left acting out on Progressive issues and identity politics and selling postmodernism and calling for the abolition of capitalism as some patriarchal evil force, I oppose that - and it's not in the best interests of humanity and the human condition.

He's talking about "in general", not a tiny minority of people that some hysterical liberals and conservatives can't help focussing on.

[Tero]

Fat ass Bannon bellowing:

White House chief strategist Steve Bannon once called House Speaker Paul Ryan a "limp-d--- motherf----- who was born in a petri dish at the Heritage Foundation," according to a new book on Bannon's relationship with the president.

The book "Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency," written by Bloomberg Businessweek correspondent Joshua Green, was released this week and includes some colorful anecdotes about the top White House adviser.

[Hermit]

Hermit, still, it's Jesus, abortion and atheism that they worry about. Universities represent all that they hate. Above all, change.

Exactly. Not education as such.

I bet 42 is wholeheartedly in favour of education even while he farts post after post about the pernicious influence of universities and colleges.

Education that churns out engineers, doctors and lawyers, not arts graduates...

I am wholeheartedly in favor of education, while at the same time being opposed to leftist identity politics...

[Brian Peacock]

I am wholeheartedly in favor of education, while at the same time being completely unconcerned about offering students courses in things I don't like as well.