Vanity: The State of Dis-Union

2/3/2016 | Kush

[Kush]

My fellow Freepers, I would like to ask a few minutes of your time tonight. I have been a member of Free Republic for almost 18 years now, and in all that time, I have never felt the need to do a vanity post. Truth be told, I don't care much for them, and I never thought that what I had to say was worth all that much bandwidth. But after the last 6 months of coming here and watching the circus that this place has become, I have decided that tonight is the night I step off the perch and get down in the weeds. It's funny sometimes what can set a person off, and this is what did it to me this evening. In the grand scheme of things, a one sentence comment on a previous post doesn't really amount to much, but I feel this comment is endemic of what has been going on here recently. Indulge me if you will.

To bring you up to speed, here is the original post.

Greta lets Trump Smear Cruz Directly without Greta Stating that CNN Announced Carson Exit

And this would be the comment in question

To: mitchell001

Cruz got busted now he is acting all psycho. Very sad.

31 posted on 2/3/2016, 7:24:03 PM by patq [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies | Report Abuse]

After reading this comment, something inside me finally snapped, and I decided the time for silence was over. So I penned a reply to this user, and was about to post it, when I thought, if I reply just to him (or her), what I had to say would end up buried in a post that had probably reached it's useful end. IOW, who would really see this? Probably only the one I posted it too, and that would just kick off a flame war with this one user. And you know what they say about arguing with a fool. But I felt that this message should be see by as many freepers as possible, because, all hubris aside, I felt it got to the heart of what has been so wrong about this site as of late. So I present my answer to patq in full, and I hope it resonates beyond my own furtive mind.

To: patq

Cruz got busted now he is acting all psycho. Very sad.

No, actually what is sad is all you johnny-come-latelys that have been infecting this site with these fifth grade antics of late. In case you haven't noticed, this is not twitter, instagram, or the comments section of yahoo. This is Free Republic, the greatest conservative site in the sorry history of the internet. Just ask Dan Rather. And what your ilk is turning it into is a crying shame. You and your fellow travelers are making this place unbearable with all your childish attacks. Acting psycho, really? Is that what you bring to the table? I can get better insight from talking to a 4 year old.

It is not hyperbole to state that this is going to be the most important election in my lifetime, probably top 3 in the history of the Republic, and I and many others on this site have to wade through these oceans of bullshit flame wars to try and find the substantive arguments over who would be the best possible candidate to guide this country out of the Obama wilderness.

Is Trump your guy? Great, tell me why you think that his sudden appearance as a rock solid conservative, despite 30 years of evidence to the contrary, is to be trusted.

Is Cruz your guy (obviously not in your case)? Great, tell me how someone so disliked by the hierarchy of his own party can make his presidency work.

You like Rubio? Fantastic, now make the case for why a guy who stabbed his supporters in the back on amnesty now deserves our trust.

You see where I'm going with this? These are adult issues, deserving of an adult conversation. Leave the playground taunts where they belong, on the playground. And stop wrecking what was, is, and will always be the preeminent site for conservative thought and discussion on the world wide web. Oh yeah, and have a nice day.

Kush

[nathanbedford]

You make several very important points in your well constructed vanity.

Your observation that Free Republic is, "the greatest conservative site in the sorry history of the internet" is inarguably true and that truth should be restated and broadcast often.

Your observation that, "It is not hyperbole to state that this is going to be the most important election in my lifetime, probably top 3 in the history of the Republic," could well be historically accurate. By any measure we are dealing with a truly significant election.

Again your comment is well taken that, "I and many others on this site have to wade through these oceans of bullshit flame wars to try and find the substantive arguments over who would be the best possible candidate to guide this country out of the Obama wilderness."

As I have often posted, I do not come on to the threads of Free Republic to discuss the weather (unless we are confusing whether with climate "change"). I come here to be informed and, primarily, to persuade. That is why I sport the avatar below, because I want readers to know whose ideas they are dealing with and to take the time to read them. I want them to expect a reasoned contribution because of the name and avatar.

I do not expect anyone to accept my point of view merely because it is my point of view, it is my responsibility to persuade. I hope the avatar induces Freepers and lurkers to read what I write so that I have a chance to persuade. But once we posters have a reader's attention we owe him a duty to accurately inform and rationally argue.

From a reply of mine in August, 2015:

"Imagine some youngster awakening to politics and venturing into this forum to get a taste of conservatism only to be met with cheap shots. People who pepper their replies with condescension, derision, snarkiness, and in general indulge in ad hominem attacks which do not advance their arguments and certainly would not make any converts of the kinds of youngsters that we would want to join the conservative movement. It seems to me that the last way I would choose to get voters for Donald Trump is to comport myself like Donald Trump.

Usually these tactics are resorted to not to win an argument but to make the poster feel better about himself, to paper over insecurity, or to distract the argument from the issue. I also find unappealing the use of ":-)" or "LOL" as though that clinches an argument. It reveals instead an absence of resources."

On October 27, 2010 I responded to a newbie asking Free Republic how he should conduct himself and how he should post:

Speak your mind, tell the truth, do not post without reason or for its own sake or for your own sake, but post only when you can contribute value added, never post out of malice, ad hominem, or pique. Do not troll for disputes or to be pointlessly argumentative, or to shore up your own ego, but defend your good name and reputation to the last extreme. Post as though every word were to be read and measured by a young mind seeking a political ideology and your post alone will fix his future worldview forever. Finally ask yourself, what would that half born American, Winston Churchill, say?

Welcome to the greatest forum on the Internet. I look forward to being edified by your posts.

[Rebelbase]

tagline.

[P-Marlowe]

[kiryandil]

LOL!

The Elder Gods approve this message.

[Intolerant in NJ]

Yeah, what you said.....

[norton]

The Cruz people have convinced me that Trump is Satan.
The Trump people have convinced me that Cruz is Satan.
Since it is against my religion to vote for Satan, who do I vote FOR?

The establishment seems to favor Rubio at this point.

[Theophilus]

Great, tell me how someone so disliked by the hierarchy of his own party can make his presidency work.

A LOT of the Federal Government needs to be dismantled. It will require a President who can stand alone and who knows he'll answer to God. As for the "hierachy", dispicable liars, they need to be purged with every election not cooperated with.

[Kush]

The only thing I am left with, is Principles. I'll run with that...

You could do a lot worse

Kush

[P-Marlowe]

The establishment seems to favor Rubio at this point.

Oh well. The establishment was starting to lean towards Trump until Cruz beat him in Iowa and then Trump threw a hissy fit and literally went off the rails demanding a new election. That pretty much scares me. I'm not sure he has the temperament to be President of the United States.

Trump and Cruz are determined to destroy each other. If we want to stop the Clinton/Sanders disaster, then we may have to compromise. If this feud keeps up, neither of them are going to finish in the top 10.

[Kush]

You're welcome, and thanks for a great reply. Lots of cogent points. Good to see so many long timers posting to this thread. We have certainly seen some wild times on here.

Kush

[norton]

Thanks for the much needed reminder & rare return to reasoned commentary.

[Kush]

Always enjoy reading your posts. You are one who contributes greatly to this site. You couldn't have picked a more appropriate avatar. Hit 'em on the eeeend, and keep up the skeer.

Kush

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Exactly right—a classical play from the leftist playbook, isn’t it? Repeat it often enough and everybody believes it.

Sarah Palin could see Russia from her house.
George Bush had never seen a bar code scanner.
Dan Quayle was an idiot who couldn’t spell “potato.”

All trivial things that normally wouldn’t amount to a hill of beans.

[Kush]

I have to agree, if I do say so myself. (and I do)

Kush

[Tarantulas]

What concerns me is that so many people have picked their "guy" that if he doesn't get the nomination they will "-absolutely not vote for the nominee" even though anyone on our side (with the possible exception of Jeb Bush) would be a vast improvement over the past seven years we have been stuck with this current nightmare of an abomination!

Those people make me very suspicious, and they come out of the woodwork at the start of every campaign. Their posts look like "I will NEVER support ANY candidate who voted NO on the [insert issue here] because they are not real AMERICANS, and the only REAL candidate here is [some third party yahoo]" blah blah blah (feel the fury of my CAPS LOCK!). I remember someone back in 2008 who was angry that McCain was winning in the primaries. He said that he would never vote for McCain even if he became the nominee, and that it would serve the Republicans right if Obama won. Maybe the party would come to its senses, or something.

I have always suspected these people of being Democrats who came here to cause trouble. They plant the seeds of dissatisfaction by suggesting that it might be better to "send a message" by not voting at all. or they try to convince us to vote for a candidate who has no chance of winning. It might be worthwhile in some cases to investigate their history here to see if there's a trend of poking the hornet's nest. If they're not Democrat operatives, then they are probably simple trolls, not worth a reply. If they are just trying to get a rise out of someone, ignoring them will cause them to wither and die.

[bolobaby]

I’ve covered that topic endlessly in the past.

Kush’s post is about our disunity. If you want to understand the genesis of that, you simply have to look at the timeline to understand WHY. Even when Ron Paul was running, we were never like this. The site hatred is due to one thing: the introduction of Trump. Once he showed up, we started eating our own.

Now, if you want to know how Cruz can make his presidency work, it’s simple: bully pulpit. Every time the dems can’t get what they want, they threaten to shut down the government. GOOD. Shut it down. We don’t need more government. Except when Cruz shuts down the government, he won’t shut down the open air public parks. He’ll shut down programs the DEMs care about.

It’s called being principled.

Oh, and, if Cruz wins the nomination, I hope every representative and senator that bent over to Obama is replaced in 2016 as well.

[spacejunkie2001]

Kush...you made me fluff up like Catbert when I read that. The only thing better would be if you were Jim Robinson. He is late to the show putting these antic to rest once and for all by reminding people this is a CONSERVATIVE site.

For years now we have pined away for someone “like” Ted Cruz; solid conservative fighter and we get people rejecting him for Mr. Partial Birth Abortion.

Thanks for setting the record straight.

[spacejunkie2001]

Good stuff Nate, thanks for posting.

[spacejunkie2001]

Might I gently correct you that it is Trump that is trying to destroy Cruz with his horrendous accusations.

It is not both attacking each other and it is not Cruz attacking Trump.

[P-Marlowe]

BS