Posted on 04/27/2012 6:57:39 AM PDT by EternalVigilance
April 27, 2012
I deal on a regular daily basis with self-identified conservatives all across America who are addicted to the Republican Party. And when it comes to the impending nomination by their party of the most liberal governor in U.S. history, Mitt Romney, their reactions are overwhelmingly in line with the classic symptoms described below. We can't make them face reality, of course. All we can do is to keep pointing it out to them, in the sincere hope that they will recover in time to help save the country.
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From Wikipedia :
Denial (also called abnegation) is a defense mechanism postulated by Sigmund Freud, in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence. The subject may use:
The concept of denial is particularly important to the study of addiction. The theory of denial was first researched seriously by Anna Freud. She classified denial as a mechanism of the immature mind, because it conflicts with the ability to learn from and cope with reality. Where denial occurs in mature minds, it is most often associated with death, dying and rape.
In this form of denial, someone avoids a fact by lying. This lying can take the form of an outright falsehood (commission), leaving out certain details to tailor a story (omission), or by falsely agreeing to something (assent, also referred to as "yessing" behavior). Someone who is in denial of fact is typically using lies to avoid facts they think may be painful to themselves or others.
This form of denial involves avoiding personal responsibility by:
Someone using denial of responsibility is usually attempting to avoid potential harm or pain by shifting attention away from themselves.
For example: Troy breaks up with his girlfriend because he is unable to control his anger, and then blames her for everything that ever happened.
Denial of impact involves a person's avoiding thinking about or understanding the harms of his or her behavior has caused to self or others, i.e. denial of the consequences. Doing this enables that person to avoid feeling a sense of guilt and it can prevent him or her from developing remorse or empathy for others. Denial of impact reduces or eliminates a sense of pain or harm from poor decisions.
This type of denial is best discussed by looking at the concept of state dependent learning. People using this type of denial will avoid pain and harm by stating they were in a different state of awareness (such as alcohol or drug intoxication or on occasion mental health related). This type of denial often overlaps with denial of responsibility.
Many who use this type of denial will say things such as, "it just happened". Denial of cycle is where a person avoids looking at their decisions leading up to an event or does not consider their pattern of decision making and how harmful behavior is repeated. The pain and harm being avoided by this type of denial is more of the effort needed to change the focus from a singular event to looking at preceding events. It can also serve as a way to blame or justify behavior (see above).
This can be a difficult concept for many people to identify with in themselves, but is a major barrier to changing hurtful behaviors. Denial of denial involves thoughts, actions and behaviors which bolster confidence that nothing needs to be changed in one's personal behavior. This form of denial typically overlaps with all of the other forms of denial, but involves more self-delusion. Denial at this level can have significant consequences both personally and at a societal level.
Harassment covers a wide range of offensive behaviour. It is commonly understood as behaviour intended to disturb or upset. In the legal sense, it is behaviour which is found threatening or disturbing.
DARVO is an acronym to describe a common strategy of abusers: Deny the abuse, then Attack the victim for attempting to make them accountable for their offense, thereby Reversing Victim and Offender.
Psychologist Jennifer Freyd writes:
...I have observed that actual abusers threaten, bully and make a nightmare for anyone who holds them accountable or asks them to change their abusive behavior. This attack, intended to chill and terrify, typically includes threats of law suits, overt and covert attacks on the whistle-blower's credibility, and so on. The attack will often take the form of focusing on ridiculing the person who attempts to hold the offender accountable. [...] [T]he offender rapidly creates the impression that the abuser is the wronged one, while the victim or concerned observer is the offender. Figure and ground are completely reversed. [...] The offender is on the offense and the person attempting to hold the offender accountable is put on the defense.
I’m thinking you for one are NOT in denial. :-)
Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Obama and Romney are just men. When we violate God's law, we have someone much more important to worry about.
They shouldn't.
Here’s the thing. Personally, I’m not evangelizing or trying to convince anyone not to vote for Romney. I know what I have to do, and I can explain my reasons. However, I do think it’s important folks know what they are voting for, and that’s all I’ve been doing——here, and IRL. On this forum, though, when people start getting into denial about Willard or hitting me for my decision, I hit back.
I’m as scared of another 4 years of Obama as anyone else. I am absolutely furious that the GOP-e, and the fools who voted for Romney in the primaries, have made it impossible for me to vote against him. And I’ve wavered. Back when Obama was caught promising the Russian guy “flexibility”, I wondered if I needed to vote for Romney despite what I knew. So I prayed, told God I was confused and needed direction, and I got my confirmation.....almost immediately afterwards.
For me, as a Christian, I can’t vote for a man who enabled abortion in MA (still going on today) and who cuddles up to sodomites. Romney’s problems there-—and yes, his Mormonism, too-—are insurmountable for me. If I pull the lever for him, I will have to stand before Jesus and tell him, well, Lord, I know you hate abortion and sexual perversion, but I thought you’d make an exception because Obama was in office. I’m not a perfect Christian by ANY means, but I just can’t align myself with Romney. My country is very important to me, but God MUST come first.
Excellent post.
We can survive a wicked man in public office. But we cannot survive an electorate that has abandoned God, self-evident truth, and the moral principles upon which this free republic, and our claim to liberty, rest.
For quite awhile of late my tagline has been: "You can be a Romney Republican or you can be a conservative. But you can't be both. Pick one."
That is perhaps the best post anyone has made to me on FR in the twelve years I have been here. Thank you!
Why, when they have spent their time equating "Republican" with "Conservative", and denigrating the more Constitutionally based stances of third parties on individual issues as part of the denigration of "those wackadoodles"?
Now, to admit they were wrong, not just about some of the wackadoodles' positions, but defending the GOP like a battered spouse, is a bit too much for their egos to stand.
...and why existing third party candidates are all such weirdos.
When a group is constantly and vocally portrayed as being composed of a certain element of society, the members of that social element will tend to concentrate there and seek approval from others of like mind, whether the portrayal was accurate or not. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.
There too lies a huge obstacle to forming a third party; overcoming the stigma which has been placed on anything which might disturb the status quo, by both Parties.
I, too, don’t think “usual credentials” are the only credentials.
What I want to see ARE the credentials whatever they might be.
Then I’ll be the one to make up my mind for me.
But, to expect me to make a blind decision is unreasonable.
So, put your credentials, your background, qualifications, experience, etc., whatever it might be, in the public domain. Otherwise, the request is for people to make a decision undergirded by zero information.
You and I both know that such a thing will not fly.
If staying at home means that O will make it back in, how many babies will be killed?
They are pushing for death of those already born. How many will be condemned with your lack of action?
How many will be killed if, God forbid, one of our conservative Supreme Court justices need to be replaced? When a baby killing lib tilts the court, will you be able to say, “Oh well, I didn’t vote for him.”? That’s more than four years and babies will be killed for all time. We can’t go back. No matter how we vote after that, the courts will overrule it.
Lord love you if you can. I can’t.
It’s time to get over our fury at the stupid GOP. Because the GOP didn’t really give us this choice. The people did.
So.... Jesus wants you to waste your vote?
My God gave me brains to choose. He also knows enough to understand that we have to choose the “less-than-ideal” at times to prevent greater evil.
You are voting for the best person to hold an office, not for a person whose sins you have to bear.
I’m sorry, but that is just not a clear thinking strategy. Obama is far too dangerous as a sitting President in he last term with nothing to lose, for us to discard a chance to vote against him for the sake of sending a message somewhere.
None.
However, I did enjoy a decade of close association with someone who was a high-level member of the Reagan Peace Through Strength team that ultimately brought down the Soviet Union, Dr. Alan Keyes. He taught me a lot in this area particularly.
In any case, my fundamental views concerning foreign policy and national defense are stated in the America's Party Platform.
Some excerpts from that document:
"We believe in a supremely strong, prepared, and well-equipped civilian-controlled United States military, and a bold, visionary and intelligent program of principled constructive engagement with the rest of the world. For us, "peace through strength" is not a mere slogan. It is the means of survival for our country in a very dangerous and often hostile world. Our friendship should be a sought-after possession of all men and women of good will everywhere in the world. Our enmity should be something that all rightfully fear." "As Ronald Reagan opposed and defeated the designs and desire of the Soviet Union to dominate the world and place it under the tyranny of their Evil Empire, we stand unalterably opposed to all who approve of, plan or commit terrorist acts. Since the first principle of America is the protection of innocent human life, any who would use acts of terrorism targeted at innocent civilians to forward their political, ideological or religious aims incur our effective and determined enmity." "We completely oppose any action that surrenders the moral, political or economic sovereignty of the United States and its people, and demand the immediate restoration of that sovereignty wherever it has been eroded." "We demand the immediate securing and continuous vigilant maintenance of our sovereign territory and borders. We oppose any private or governmental action that rewards illegal entry into the United States in any way, and demand speedy and full enforcement of our laws concerning all such activities." "The right of self-preservation and self-protection is inherent in all persons, communities and societies, which is why we fiercely defend the indispensable provisions of our Second Amendment. Liberty cannot be protected if the people have been stripped of the physical means of doing so."
"In 2003, Romney chose a hard core environmental activist,Douglas Foy, to be Secretary of Commonwealth Development. In this position he was charged with developing a scheme to restrict “greenhouse gas” emissions.
With Mr. Foy by his side, Mr. Romney joined activists outside an aging, coal-fired plant in 2003 to show his commitment to the emissions caps. “I will not create jobs or hold jobs that kill people, and that plant, that plant kills people,” he said."
Gosh, be patient. I told him I would answer his questions. I have other duties that take up large chunks of my day.
No.
"two of Romney’s appointments have how found a home in the Obama White House.
Gina McCarthy, the chief EPA clean air regulator, also worked as an environmental regulator for then-Governor Romney. Her role now is as point guard (nyuk) in the Obama "
"Another Romney environmental adviser in the effort to regulate “greenhouse gases” is now Obama’s Director of Science and Technology Policy, John Holdren."
I have run several small family businesses.
A) Quit spending more than we take in.
B) Quit spending money, including the money of our posterity, on things that are outside the Constitution's Enumerated Powers.
Our goal is to have one million or more principled patriots in place by this summer who will each run their own front porch campaign and drag fifty, or a hundred, or more people to the polls with them. If they do that, we win.
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