Pony Open Thread: off the cuff and out of my mind

Media Matters for America and Campaign for America’s Future released a special report, “The Progressive Majority: Why a Conservative America is a Myth,” documenting how the conventional wisdom that Americans are overwhelmingly conservative is fundamentally false. Through decades of public opinion data from nonpartisan sources, the report shows the majority of Americans hold progressive positions on a broad range of issues.

“This report shows that on issue after issue, most Americans agree with progressives and have for decades, despite what we hear from the media.” said David Brock, President and CEO of Media Matters. “The conventional wisdom advanced by the media — that the United States is becoming more and more conservative — has been debunked repeatedly by independent public polling, but that hasn’t stopped them from perpetuating this clearly flawed perception.”

Here’s the link.

i find this easy to believe … that most Americans are on the same side of issues as we progressives

what keeps us apart? The ability of what jim p calls the mass-reach media to exploit our differences???

so here’s where the I think the big difference happens::: The rights of the individual versus the group

progressives = rights of group outweigh individual rights
conservatives = rights of individual should not be impacted by the group

this is where it gets murky

how do change the conversation to wipe out some of the old ideas and refresh this whole dialogue, given the hard impact of seven years of BushCo, even on the staunchest of conservatives.

can we keep this about citizens, not political affliations? and if we can see it that way, does it make a difference? and is there a better description for us than PROGRESSIVE? what does that really mean anyway?

i have no idea where i’m going with this… and thought the “out of my mind” might get some eyeballs so it’s blatant marketing… i just hope it’s not true!

don’t rec the pony party and remember, be excellent to each other…

22 comments

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    • pfiore8 on November 8, 2007 at 00:15
      Author

    so chit chat and carry on

  1. Things can so easily converge however.

    I imagine many who consider themselves progressives do firmly support the concepts of individual freedoms and rights. I am not somebody who plays well in groups or responds cheerfully when I see group concerns corner individual ones.

    I see it as being more fluid. Black and white is not a canvas where I feel a high degree of comfort.

  2. I often see conservatives , at least cultural conservatives, as completely dismissing the rights of individuals. If you do not conform you are sinful.

    I was pretty shocked when I moved to the US in 1996 to see the degree of conformity that existed in social relations and groups. I always imagined the US as this hotbed of firm individuality. I think consumerism can be considered a chief culprit for that erosion. And theocratic types who wish to control social behavior through fear.

    • nocatz on November 8, 2007 at 01:18

    out of your mind.

  3. got so good at framing that they had people voting against not only their best interest but what they really believe in. Check out the
    Rockridge Institute for a wealth of info on this. Lakoff has me totally convinced.

  4. …it was a love for authoritarian wanking and identification with brutality that marked half the difference, and fearful priviledged contempt for the rest.  But, I could be wrong.

    Hi 🙂

    • fatdave on November 8, 2007 at 18:43

    I was OK yesterday – got the first proper night’s sleep I’ve had for months last night, so was not here.

    I posted this vid when you were away in Boston, which I heared got a bit windy. It’s Rab C. Nesbitt ranting aboot Tories, but has some relevance to the Repulsives I feel (apologies to those who saw it the first time). Very happy non WITR story to tell later….

     

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