Why have conservatives become so incredibly dumb?

[Zordar]

Generally speaking, of course.

A decade ago, there was no shortage of formidable conservative intellectuals available in print or online. Five years ago, a handful remained. In fact, the two most badass debate opponents I've ever come across online were hardcore Catholic conservatives -- clearly insane, but whip smart, and they'd let you know if you were even slightly wrong on the facts.

But now? Well, I know intelligent conservatives exist, but as a whole, it's like they've been on a collective Nyquil binge: mumbling, shouting at shadows (especially dark shadows), and losing the ability to form coherent sentences unless spoon-fed to them by talk radio. They're drooling zombies.

These guys are supposed to be the more intelligent, less annoying, rational counterbalance to naive progressive dreamers. What the hell happened? What are the historical, psychological, or biological forces behind this sad transformation?

Let's have a calm, constructive discussion on why conservatives have become so dumb.

[antiquity]

Because liberals are dumbing them down to their level.

[Zordar]

That's just silly. Come on, it's time to put down the NyQuil and engage in some serious self-reflection.

[optimus]

Glenn Beck. Bill O'Reilly. /thread

[optimus]

Oh, plus a Black President.

[Zordar]

It's gotta be more than that, doesn't it, optimus? A couple of talking heads plus a Kenyan president can't destroy an entire philosophy, can it?

Regardless, I miss 'em. I lean libertarian on the economic side of things, left on the social stuff, but have always preferred discussions and debates with conservative intellectuals. Their point of view, even when dead wrong, exposes me to different ideas and forces me to examine or challenge my own viewpoints. That's good for the brain, and way more fun than preaching to the choir. Plus, I never have to hear about bitchy or retarded ideas like "social justice" and "gun control."

But the smart ones have all either gone into hiding/hibernation, or started calling themselves libertarians (even though they're not). It's sad. I despise liberals too, and find them far less interesting, but at least they haven't regressed to the point where they're terrified of things like eclipses, fire, or vaginas.

[optimus]

It might have something to do with the UNBELIEVABLE influence Fox news has on the right, and the incredibly far reaching right wing talk radio growing more extreme. Something seemed to have happened to the right during the second Bush term. Then, things fucking exploded when Obama was elected.

I think what may have also happened, is at some point, right wingers may have felt a really big threat to Christianity, probably not long after 9-11. And this threat really sort of sent them over the edge. Can't quite point my finger on it. You see it explicitly these days more so than in recent years, like when conservatives mention Obama's "war on religion." They feel attacked. That may have been the catalyst.

So, I can't quite put my finger on it, it might also just be a combination of all these things and some other things.

[Zordar]

So, I can't quite put my finger on it, it might also just be a combination of all these things and some other things.

Kinda like how we used to think it was a meteor that killed the Dinosaurs off, but now, a lot of scientists believe it was actually cataclysm working as a team?

[optimus]

Yes. Either that or they've always been this retarded. And maybe it's not that they're "dumber" now, maybe they're just more hysterical than they used to be.

[Šñøü†ê®]

I disapprove of these sneaky threads that seek to subversively insult members here at DA.

[Zordar]

Yes. Either that or they've always been this retarded. And maybe it's not that they're "dumber" now, maybe they're just more hysterical than they used to be.

I dunno. As mentioned before, some of the most formidable intellects I've ever come across have been super conservative, so I don't necessarily believe conservative = dumb. But it does certainly seem like the dumbs have become a lot more common, and are running the show/being a lot more screamy than they've ever been.

[Chachma v'Oz]

The conservative movers and shakers aren't fools, but they've realized that the electorate is not going to vote for their agenda if they're honest about it. In order to achieve their goals they've embarked on a strategy of misrepresentation and disinformation of not only what they want to do with America, but about what their opponents would do. They've forfeited their integrity to further their cause. They've chosen to weasel their way into power through necessary deceit because they know that it's the only hope they have to achieve the power they need to implement their agenda over the will of the people.

If they were up front about what they're really about they couldn't win any election above municipal level. We, as a people, simply don't want government officials of any type to take away everything we've worked for and, for the most part, already paid for and that means they don't want conservatives in state or national positions of power. In order for conservatives to gain those positions at the higher levels, they have to be deceitful and spin half-truths and outright lies to gullible people to buy votes.

All this does is gain them temporary power, just long enough to really screw things up. Then an outraged electorate replaces them until they've forgotten about the mess they made and become re-infatuated with their propaganda and re-elect them, only to see the country and all its potential slip further and further from their grasp.

There is no happy ending to this spiral, unless and until we expose the conservative agenda, strategy and tactics for what it is and keep pounding it home.

[caddis]

Why have conservatives become so incredibly dumb?

Generally speaking, of course.

You generally perform to the level of your competition

[Dreamy]

My belief is the talking pundits, radio and TV and the extreme religious right have helped morph conservatism into something it was never intended to be. I think there are good moderates on both the liberal and conservative side but the loudmouth screeches of the nutjob extremists on both sides are drowning them out.

[Cyclone Ranger]

I disapprove of these sneaky threads that seek to subversively insult members here at DA.

IRONY ALERT!

[Chachma v'Oz]

My belief is the talking pundits, radio and TV and the extreme religious right have helped morph conservatism into something it was never intended to be. I think there are good moderates on both the liberal and conservative side but the loudmouth screeches of the nutjob extremists on both sides are drowning them out.

Exactly. The Republican Party of today is an embarrassment to the Republican Party I joined 30 years ago. It's deterioration into the extremist fringe group it is today began in the early nineties with Gingrich's Contract On America and has gone straight downhill since then. Until the moderates in the party take it back from their noisy, wacko spokesmen that is making it a laughingstock* around the world, it cannot be taken seriously.

*And that's very nervous laughter. People around the world are not very comfortable with the thought that the next leader of the free world and C-in-C of the world's mightiest armed forces vomits at the thought of separation of church and state and denies evolution, to name just a couple of major concerns.

[kellyb]

I think Bush converted the smart ones to Ron Paul libertarianism.

[kellyb]

TV has really deteriorated, too.

Can you believe intelligent stuff like this used to be on the basic, few channels people saw?

[optimus]

I dunno. As mentioned before, some of the most formidable intellects I've ever come across have been super conservative, so I don't necessarily believe conservative = dumb. But it does certainly seem like the dumbs have become a lot more common, and are running the show/being a lot more screamy than they've ever been.

These "conservative intellectuals" that you speak of...were they on this forum?

[Zordar]

These "conservative intellectuals" that you speak of...were they on this forum?

Haha... I can't think of any here, no. I can think of a few conservatives who are consistent, honest, and not of the dumbs, but no brainiacs.