July 8, 2003 – The most universal thing about the new breed of Bush/Limbaugh Republicans is that they come loaded and ready for offense.  Attempt to mention any topic related to politics, and they are prepared with the Limbaugh lines they will brandish about with arrogant, bullying, big-mouths ablaze.

Good conservatives, moderates, and liberals know that these people are using argument tactics, games, and well-crafted logic-manipulating discussion killers.  Most of us decide to just let them go on, since our passion for heated debate is not what theirs is.

But such subservience has let them take over both the media and the government – the entire political discourse and machine.

It is one thing to complain about such a reality.  But The Moderate Independent exists for the very purpose of enabling the decent, fair-minded people among us to take their country back, and to help them do so, we have devised a fail-proof method for shutting down the conservative attack machine on a person by person basis.  In other words, we’re about to tell you a simple 3-step way to shut to big mouthed, lie-spewing idiots up.

STEP 1

The first thing these Bush/Limbaugh brand conservatives will do is attempt to label you.  Liberal.  Green.  Commie.  Unpatriotic.  And your first, very simple, task is to end this game by simply clarifying that you are a moderate independent, caring only about what is true and right, not about party – as an example, you could clearly state that if Hitler ran as a Democrat, Green, Republican, or for any party, you would not vote for him.

They are so habitually addicted to throwing these labels out that this will only stop them momentarily if that.  But, just stop them when they try to label you again – and they will right away – they have to, it is the basis of all their manipulation.

So when they come back with the same crappy labeling again, it is time to use a second tactic to force them to accept that you are a moderate independent.  Each of us has issues that we are liberal on, conservative on, and moderate on.  Have personal examples of each, and when they try to label you liberal or commie, throw them out, your liberal views, your conservative ones, your perspective on communism.  Believe it or not with just a little persistence, these two tactics stop the labeling.

STEP 2

After labeling you “lefty” or “commie”, the Bush/Limbaugh Republicans invariably try to bring up Clinton.  Bill, Hillary, either or both.  This is very easy to combat now by simply pointing out that Bill hasn’t been in office for over 2 years and never will be again.  They will say Hillary will run in 2004 for President, say “A) No she won’t, and B) We are not talking about Bill or Hillary.”  Even those of us who love Bill or Hillary don’t agree with everything they have done, and so point out this simple fact without being specific.  “I never said I agree with everything Clinton did.  If we were discussing Bill Clinton or some particular issue, I could tell you whether or not I agree on it.  But we are not, we are discussing…” and bring them back to the topic at hand.

They will desperately try to bring up some other person they use for the same purpose of diverting the conversation, maybe Charles Rangel, Jessie Jackson, Barbara Streisand.  Just repeat the same things – “I don’t know anything about Rangel,” or “I never said I agree with Jessie Jackson – I have never voted for him, he doesn’t hold any office, nor does Streisand.  I might agree or disagree with them on various issues if we were talking about them, but we are not, we are talking about…”

Try these two steps.  The tactics mentioned in Step 1 will cut through their labeling game.  The tactics discussed in Step 2 will keep them on the subject and topic, without letting them get you on the defensive about something Clinton may or may not have done wrong.

STEP 3

Honestly, after you accomplish these first two steps, their game is over, because you are left with an actual political discussion.  They will keep trying to speak for you via saying what the “lefties” say, but you will easily pull them back and say it is you and them having the conversation, not some unnamed person you say represents lefties.

And when it gets to this point – when they are faced with the reality of a fair, on-topic political discussion – the Bush/Limbaugh Republicans universally, after having to listen to your honesty and fact based point of view, say, “Well, we are so far apart on this we just shouldn’t talk politics.”

Yes, the obnoxious people who keep forwarding you right-wing e-mails and bashing Clinton every time you try to mention anything topical will completely back off and want to avoid discussing politics with you in particular.  It is the old story of the one kid who stands up to the school-yard bully.  The bully decides he is no longer fun to pick on, and so decides to avoid him and go after other, easier, more submissive prey.

This is where Step 3 comes in:  you go on the offensive.

All along the Bush/Limbaughians have be able to push their way up and shut us down by seizing the initiative and being prepared with tactics that bully you into not responding.  Having cut through the bullying and regained your ability to respond - and even more, sapped their desire to have you respond - it is now time to offer your perspectives without invitation.

Start forwarding e-mails – stories from The Moderate Independent might be perfect for such a thing.  Forward news stories that honestly portray the reality behind the rhetoric of the right-wing.  And share you views – not hedgingly or politely – but boldly and brazenly; get them to ask you to be more fair and polite.  By staying informed and firmly imposing that information on your now disarmed right-wing friend/family member, you have completely leveled the playing field and ensured that the only political discourse that will occur is fair and honest discourse.

I know from my personal experiences it has been a fail-proof method that is extremely rewarding.  People who I could not get to stop with the “liberal lefty” comments and diverting Clinton attacks and obnoxious e-mail forwardings now hope I will not forward any more e-mails to them.  They fear for their little world of logic-free, lie and distortion based Bush/Limbaugh conservatism.  Little by little the facts get through.  A surprising number of Bush supporters don’t know who Karl Rove is, but they can talk about Hillary, some irrelevant Senator from New York, all day.  They often don’t know about Halliburton.  They don’t know that terrorism started as a result of Eisenhower’s insurgency policy in Iran in the 1950’s – the same exact policy that President Bush is following today.

We at the Moderate Independent take the stance that a Bush/Limbaugh conservative is truly just a moderate/independent minus the useful facts.  They are caught up in the right-wing’s game of hate and blame, and have been enjoying seeming the stronger and more dominating group for so long that they no longer care about what is right or not.

Take away their fun and their bullying upper-hand, and, at the very least, you get some pestering asshole off your back.  Maybe, you begin to undo the damage a decade of sitting silent while the right spread this game throughout our country has done.

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