>>Your first sentence may be the dumbest thing I’ve ever read on Free Republic, and I’ve read some incredibly stupid shit here.
Professional politicians with a message that is crafted by polling and policy experts love people like you. All they need to do is say the right things and you follow like a well-conditioned pet.
Citizen statesmen prefer thinking people like me. They see the world as more than a series of bullet points.
“America should not be a nation where only those with “fully formed idoeologies” can lead.”
That is your sentence. The implication is that we should choose people without conviction over people with conviction. Now, since I can safely assume that we both lean in a conservative direction, You would at the very least search for politicians who are also conservative. Correct? Now, let’s assume that you have located two (2). One is sure in his/her beliefs, the other is still trying to figure out what he/she believes... This is a tough call for you? Seriously? What, exactly, do you find distasteful about someone who has spent a lot of time reconciling the issues in his or her own mind? Doesn’t that point to a seriousness of concern about one’s fellow man? Or do you, like a lot of sunshine conservatives, think that conservatism is the right course, but hey, we all know that deep down conservatives could care less about the poor, minorities, women, etc...?
Grow a brain and search for people who aren’t going to disappoint you after the lobbyists start wining and dining them. PUHLEASE?
“Citizen statesmen prefer thinking people like me...”
This is also YOUR sentence, and it implies that a “fully-formed ideology” likely comes from someone who doesn’t think.. Huh? What logic is this? Your sentence also implies that “thinking people” never really arrive at conclusions. They are ALWAYS in a state of flux...
“Oh! I hate gun control! But dang it, how can ALLOW people to just carry guns around like cowboys?”
“Oh my, and now I have this lobbyist contributing 10k to my campaign, and all he/she wants is a tiny little restriction. Just an itty bitty regulation that simply requires people to register their guns.”
Dr. Carson until recently was for gun registration. This means that he was willing to espouse an idea about guns BEFORE he even spent an hour looking at all of the ramifications of such a policy. Is this the type of thinking person you are talking about?
“They see the world as more than a series of bullet points.”
Can you give me one example of how your “thinking person” type brain has yet to find a sensible perch on a certain issue? What are “thinking” about? Let’s specify, shall we? Is there anything that Congress should do about guns? Would you be for any form of gun control? Would you be for the repeal of all federal regulations of guns. Would you support the elimination of the BATF? If not, why not? Gee, I wonder.. Have you actually thought about any of these issues?