Unless they were enjoying themselves, they were wasting their time politically.
"You are wrong."
If FreeRepublic contributed 10% of their donations to the Republican party that would do far more to advance conservatism than dozens of reactionary demonstrations.
"Perhaps you'd like to rephrase your comments in an attempt to sound less like a supercilious blowhard know-it-all prick."
Pricks hurt most when they find vulnerable spots.
Let me tell you something. Demonstrations cost money, big demonstrations cost big money. Demonstrations are a tool used by politicians to foment class division, race division and general insecurity by attempting to create the image of something that may well not exist at all.
These politicians could normally do much better using that money directly in a political campaign to run ads to win their seat and pass legislation.
But there is a problem.
The people don't like all of that legislation that is being passed. They question the real need. They might begin to get concerned that we cannot afford all of those huge budgets and begin forcibly demanding a stop whether they are Dems or Repubs.
If those budgets are cut back $B's in contracts to all manner of agencies, sub-contractors, NGO's, and corporations will be lost. The ruling elite will get hurt in the pocketbook...big time.
Thus the people must be made to believe that we are constantly on the edge of civil disorder and that the only thing keeping us safe and secure are the "necessary" social welfare programs, environmental programs, etc etc...
With lots of social protests people can be made to "understand" the need for bigger government. They can "understand" that there are major class divisions, and major race divisions, and major divisions between the haves and have-nots.
In other words, every person who takes the leftist demonstrations seriously is a falling prey to the program. You succumb to the desire of the fox. These people WANT CONFLICT. They WANT DISAGREEMENT. They WANT to be taken seriously by you. They want you to counter-protest (thats a bonus).
NOTHING has done more to damage the cause of the leftists than out and out laughter and disbelief.
Everytime a "conservative" takes them all serious and gets out there and "counter-protests" you are merely fanning their fires. You are giving them exactly what they want. You are justifying their presence, because they know they have suckered somebody into their act.
The budget allotted to these events dwarfs the entire budget Freerepublic has taken in since it's existance. We are talking $M's to stage these demonstrations. The majority of the actual marchers believe in the cause, but then they are suckers also. They are the useful idiots. Notice how young, naive and incapable of coherent thought most of them are?
Don't be mad at me. I have had years in international marketing, international politics and domestic politics.
"Follow the money" is still the best process for determining political intent.
And if all of this is "insulting", do not take it as such. Tacitus said that "The worst kind of enemies, are those who can praise." Well the worst kind of friends would also be those who would not speak the truth when to be silent would do harm.
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With lots of social protests people can be made to "understand" the need for bigger government. They can "understand" that there are major class divisions, and major race divisions, and major divisions between the haves and have-nots.
In paragraph one, you say that conservatives accomplish little when they protest. In paragraph two, you say that statists accomplish a lot when they protest.