Posted on 04/17/2016 4:34:27 AM PDT by Kaslin
You hear it all the time: “The system is rigged.” On so many issues, people wrap themselves in this abdication of individual responsibility to insulate themselves from the negative consequences of their decisions and actions. Still others use it to empower themselves, acting as political Pope and absolving others of their mistakes.
Context matters. In some cases, the system is rigged. In others, the system itself is doing the rigging.
Nowhere has the “the system is rigged” theme been more commonly used than in the political world.
Donald Trump cries it every time he loses, every time he realizes he’s been outsmarted, every time it’s clear he’s in over his head and didn’t hire competent people who understand, or even read, clearly stated rules. But his refrain is hollow and damaging only to those to whom he’s lying.
The more nefarious usage of the phrase comes from the recipient of Trump’s political donations – Hillary Clinton.
When a politician, particularly the standard bearer of a major political party, complains “the system is rigged” against people getting ahead, it’s the same as telling them they should quit. It saps those susceptible to such things of their ambition, their drive.
When you say this to people who, because of skin color, sexuality, economic status or whatever, already may be receptive to the idea, it resonates – maybe not that day, but someday. When something doesn’t go their way, the way something doesn’t go people’s way all the time, they now have an excuse.
The next time they fail to get a job or lose one, regardless of the circumstances, they can come more quickly to the “realization” the system is rigged against them and they can’t succeed no matter what.
Some people will quit, wait for some politician to “unrig” the system and become and remain loyal to that person and party who vows to “protect” them. It’s worked out swimmingly for the black community, hasn’t it? Now Democrats want to work their same magic to “help” Hispanics.
The vote is more important than lives to progressives. It’s power über alles.
Hillary claims the system is rigged? She rose from a middle-class family to marry a man from a poor family and then become one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in the world. Her story, like that of President Obama and so many other progressives, embodies the American Dream.
Why not just rely on that story, which would do a lot of good? Because it doesn’t give enough credit to government for her success.
“The system is rigged” absolves everyone of the responsibility of their mistakes. You went to prison not because you were doing something illegal, but because the system was rigged. You can’t afford rent not because you wasted your money on other things, but because the system is rigged. You have a crummy job not because you smoked a lot of weed in high school rather than studying, but because the system is rigged. The possibilities are endless, the blame – and the results – are the same.
If Hillary wants to talk about rigged systems, she knows all about one that truly is rigged – the Democratic Party’s nominating system.
She can’t win her party’s nomination without unelected party elites pushing her over the top, which her campaign acknowledged this week. Further, Tuesday’s primary in New York already is a victory for her before the first vote is counted. Unless Bernie Sanders, a fellow traveller in the “the system is rigged” brigade, beats her in a landslide, she will leave the state with significantly more delegates.
Yes, some systems are rigged. But not the ones most progressives would have you believe. The economy is not rigged. How delegates are won or lost may be, but everyone knows the rules.
No, the real rigging in most people’s lives is the lie that someone other than the individual is responsible for the state of our lives.
Looking externally for redemption, fulfillment, or making anything great again is the individual rigging the system against themselves. So maybe all the systems are rigged after all.
Someone should tell Derek Hunter that it's been a week since the GOPe's Unipatsy, Teddie "Fat Dracula" Cruz, buried his arms in the Colorado Tar-Baby up to the elbows.
And now the Wyoming Tar-Baby is stuck to Cruz, too - Drudge mast headline: "CRUZ CELEBRATES ANOTHER VOTERLESS VICTORY! NO ELECTION IN WY..."
Hunter is clueless. Trump is playing these stupid nitwits like fiddles. :)
Colorado, 2012:
votes delegates
Rick Santorum 26,614 40.3% 6
Mitt Romney 23,012 34.9 13
Newt Gingrich 8,445 12.8
Ron Paul 7,759 11.8 5Wyoming, 2012:
votes delegates
Mitt Romney 577 44.0% 23
Rick Santorum 360 27.5 2
Uncommitted 203 15.5 —
Ron Paul 160 12.2 1 See? In 2012, the social squish had the lock with the GOPee Establishment, just like the squish has the lock in 2016...
“How does (or did) the press manage to keep control over the message? By controlling who was allowed to be the messenger.”
The story behind all the stories is the press. Their influence may be the biggest “rigging” of the system we have.
The old Soviet Union pretty much had a one party press. (There were western broadcasts and perhaps other subversive sources). The United States pretty much has a one party press also. Ours may be more powerful as they falsely claim objectivity.
Trump...squish?
My apologies to the innumerate, like you, servantboy. :)
There are multiple interlocking pieces. See too education and religion, in addition to the information industry and the political/legislative/court industry.
The people are decadent, in part because that is human nature, and in part because, thanks to the "popular press and education," being decadent is the cool thing to be.
-- The United States pretty much has a one party press also. Ours may be more powerful as they falsely claim objectivity. --
Even more amazing than the claim, is the pervasive meme that the press is supposed to be objective, that it has some sort of truth and honor code or something along those lines, that it travels a "high road." Hah.
I'm sure some individual practitioners honestly strive for objectivity, but those people are way outside of broad public exposure.
It’s early. But is this Townhall article saying that Hillary Clinton’s life is the American Dream? Using and chucking people aside in the worst ways, stealing and grifting and bribing and trading national secrets and murder? Who wrote this, Frank Underwood?
I understand that the Cruzbonics language doesn’t have the convenience of “numbers” that the rest of us enjoy... LOL! :)
So, the rules include only seating those that will vote for Cruz??
This is just clown hall trying to justify the eGOP cheating. There are no rules that include only seating people voting for Cruz.
Rick Santorum 26,614 40.3% 6
Mitt Romney 23,012 34.9 13
Newt Gingrich 8,445 12.8
Ron Paul 7,759 11.8 5
Wyoming, 2012:
votes delegates
Mitt Romney 577 44.0% 23
Rick Santorum 360 27.5 2
Uncommitted 203 15.5 —
Ron Paul 160 12.2 1
See? In 2012, the social squish had the lock with the GOPee Establishment, just like the squish has the lock in 2016..
_______________________
And yet, no one can recall anyone whining and crying about both Wyo. and CO in 2012.
In fact, I don’t recall anyone whining as much as Donald. And to think we make fun of the snowflakes on college campi when our own frontrunner is one himself :0
Looks like a combination of clueless and stoneless to me, then.
The numbers from 2012 tell me that we were FORCE-FED the social squish loserboy, LMAO.
What do they tell you?
Looks like a combination of clueless and stoneless to me, then.
The numbers from 2012 tell me that we were FORCE-FED the social squish loserboy, LMAO.
What do they tell you?
No wonder he’s losing to Hillary
Ah, jeez, not this "Trump loses to Hillary" garbage again.
He'll chop her up like he's doing to Cruzless with the Colorado & Wyoming thingees.
Why do you think the Wisconsin Democrats crossed over to give Teddiestablishment the win in Wisconsin?
If Trump was such easy meat, he would have "won" Wisconsin - where the Democrats own the vote.
Instead, Teddie got a shot of genunine spurious Spanish viagra. :)
Looks to me like Trump read the rules, then decided to hoist Cruzless on his own retard by playing the "CRUZ CELEBRATES ANOTHER VOTERLESS VICTORY!" card.
It's working - cruzie's got his little FR anklebiters out trying to sell the "Donald is dumb" narrative.
No sale.
And that is what’s really upsetting the Trumpers.
You are making a huge assumption here, which is that Trump supporters are perfectly okay with underhanded win-at-any-cost tactics as long as it is their guy who benefits.
The truth is that many (most? all?) Trump supporters actually value things like integrity and fairness (of opportunity, not outcome). So when we see someone apparently cheating, we turn against that person. It doesn't matter if he is on our team--we don't want a cheater.
I didn't turn against Cruz because I'm for Trump. I turned against Cruz because of Cruz. That means I will not turn back to Cruz if Trump should somehow not pick up the nomination--in that case, I'll probably vote for the libertarian or one of the other conservative parties' candidates.
And before you say that Cruz won by the rules in CO, just consider that it is like saying that a murderer's exoneration was completely legal because he confessed to the police before they read the Miranda rights to him. Maybe it's perfectly legal, but it's totally wrong.
Ah, jeez, not this “Trump loses to Hillary” garbage again.
He’ll chop her up like he’s doing to Cruzless with the Colorado & Wyoming thingees.
Why do you think the Wisconsin Democrats crossed over to give Teddiestablishment the win in Wisconsin?
If Trump was such easy meat, he would have “won” Wisconsin - where the Democrats own the vote.
Instead, Teddie got a shot of genunine spurious Spanish viagra. :)
Sigh...
Another one that doesn’t understand the difference between a primary election and the general. Public education civics has declined alot since I attended school, I guess.
The same behaviour exhibited by Trump that’s cheered as great strategy by his supporters in the primary elections has less tolerance in the general. Reflected in every poll as it pertains to the general. Yes I know the standard Trumper line. The media polls are false. Not when they say the same thing. Every one. And no, it’s not a conspiracy. And no, this isn’t 1980;)
The things that the Trumpers tell themselves inside the echo chamber would be cute and funny if the stakes weren’t so high... a Hillary presidency:(
just consider that it is like saying that a murderer’s exoneration was completely legal because he confessed to the police before they read the Miranda rights to him. Maybe it’s perfectly legal, but it’s totally wrong.
More like if I sign a contract, and some part of the contract is enforced that may be unfair, it was my responsibility to read the contract before signing it.
Since Trump signed onto running for president, it’s his job to learn the rules. Not demand that party bosses lead him by the hand. Right or wrong, that’s the game.
My personal opinion is both Trump and Cruz are too badly damaged to win in Nov. Neither one is really going to unite the base to it’s totality as Reagan did. Too much bad blood between supporters.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.