The First 2015 Democrat Debate: Ignorance Wins.

Posted by DrEdwardHudgins 9 years, 1 month ago to Politics
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I argue that the audience for the first Democratic presidential primary debate was not just the party faithful. It was the low-information voters. And ignorance won, not Hillary or Bernie.

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  • Posted by richrobinson 9 years, 1 month ago
    Excellent article.I have been wondering if Bernie and the other Socialists realize that this system must collapse at some point. One of the few things that seems to be generally agreed upon is that current spending and debt levels are unsustainable. If they know this then they are guilty of treason because there plans will bring about the destruction of the country.
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    • Posted by 9 years, 1 month ago
      This is literally out of Atlas Shrugged. The question is, to what extend is their sin: 1) a deliberate attempt to pull down a group of resented achievers or even the country; 2) a "blanking out" of knowledge before it ever enters their brains because they don't want facts bouncing around in their that contradicts their dogma.
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  • Posted by Mamaemma 9 years, 1 month ago
    Some statements are so disgusting, so anti-life and anti-reality that they should never be uttered in public. This "debate" shows that our society has deteriorated to such an extent that these statements are not only made but agreed with by many.
    As to the articles point that these people can't do math, I respectfully disagree. Their math is that their free everything has cost them nothing, has caused no harm, and can be expected to continue indefinitely, and they are right. Education will have no effect on these people.
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    • Posted by 9 years, 1 month ago
      I agree that many on the dole know exactly what they're looting. I do believe there are middle class folks who are uncomfortable with relying on state aid but feel they have no choice. But over generations, uncomfortable becomes accepting and then entitlement and resentment against the achievers who sustain them.
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      • Posted by Mamaemma 9 years, 1 month ago
        I agree, and I think an important goal of the statists is to create a situation where the middle class must have government money in order to survive. Obamacare was a big step in that direction.
        Edit: to correct autocorrect
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    • Posted by lrshultis 9 years, 1 month ago
      What is missing is the requirement of math for logic, whether for simple arithmetic or more abstract math. Math only is valid if the premises are true. Those who believe that they are doing math when they get thoughts of free stuff are not doing it. They are not doing thinking at all.
      Advocating using force, i.e., using law, to get your stuff is what is not in those peoples awareness, only in their gut feelings.
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  • Posted by ProfChuck 9 years, 1 month ago
    Words to live by:
    "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups".
    and the corollary
    "Nothing is more appalling than ignorance in action"
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  • Posted by patricking 9 years, 1 month ago
    The real problem is the Republican party is so deeply invested in evangelicalism that it can't win a popular election and there is no libertarian option. This election will be won by Democrats based on civil issues: right to abortion, right to equal pay, right to sexual freedom, ideals that Rand supported. Rand Paul sounds like a damned fool when he says he wants government out of people's lives but NOT out of their bedrooms. The US NEEDS a real conservative party based in emperic principles not superstition. All our good economic intentions are helpless if we continue to back a party whose fundamental philosophy is nonsense.
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 9 years, 1 month ago
    I agree with the vast majority of this article.
    "He didn’t mention that most were murdered by other blacks. He didn’t mention that his party has controlled the city for five decades."
    The whole premise of thinking about race this way is wrong. The race of those killed or committing the crimes does not matter.

    "And it is welfare state regulations that make it difficult or impossible for poor individuals to find jobs or become self-reliant entrepreneurs."
    I agree this is a problem, but it doesn't mean we should give up on Welfae as a concept.

    "He argues that big businesses use political pull to enrich themselves and impoverish the rest of us."
    It's like he starts with the premse that gov't, not whoever can get things done, picks the winners. He saying gov't should pick good guys like you [whoever is listening] and not bad guys like someone else [not the person listening]. I do not agree with Sanders on most things.

    "Republicans have their own education challenge: to educate voters about which system and policies will allow more opportunities for individuals to prosper by running their own lives, and which will further enslave and impoverish them."
    This I strongly disagree with this... well I agree with the idea, except if people learn gov't getting involved with your life is bad, they'll vote Democrat unless Rand Paul is nominated. I agree with most of what you say in this article, and it applies moreso to Republicans. They're the worse offenders. Most of this article I agree with and is the reason I'm not registered Republican.
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  • Posted by $ TomB666 9 years, 1 month ago
    To me the really sad thing is that the Republican's are coming apart at the seams as your GOP's Civil War commentary so ably points out. It looks like we are doomed :-(
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    • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 1 month ago
      Past Tense came apart at the seams is more like it. Doomed? Only if believe in the fairy tale of the two party system instead of concentrating and the return to a two or more party system. All this stuff from the first RINO night to the last DINO night is a national sort of joke. They want to see whose stupid and who is not. The rest of it Civil war and all the rest of the commentary is very very very old news and 30 or 40 years too late to be relevant. We knew that already. What's new? Please! No more warned over history. IT's 2015 not 1955
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  • Posted by Tuner38 9 years, 1 month ago
    There was no win by the ignorance of the participants or the audience. Exposure of nonsense works against those who propose it. As time goes on this pandering to the left will be reflected in more poll dropping.
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    • Posted by 9 years, 1 month ago
      You assume that the audience is both able to think and values reason and objective facts. If this were so, surely the country would have not reelected Obama even if Romney were hardly the ideal candidate. Statists require an ignorant population in order to rule it.
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  • Posted by gcarl615 9 years, 1 month ago
    When( or If) Bernie or Hillary gets elected and there is a Dem controlled congress then it is time to go Galt. it may be time now for those of us who still believe the Republic can be saved.
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    • Posted by 9 years, 1 month ago
      I agree that we are coming very close to the point of no return. We're not quite like Greece yet, but a Clinton or Sanders in the White House and the continued degeneration of the moral foundations of our society--reason, productivity, pride in achievement--could push us over.
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      • Posted by gcarl615 9 years, 1 month ago
        don't you think that the sheer fact that 2 avowed communists are actually possible to be POTUS is past the tipping point?
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        • Posted by 9 years, 1 month ago
          Only Sanders is "avowed." Hillary actually said "when I think about capitalism, I think about all the small businesses that were started because we have the opportunity and the freedom in our country for people to do that and to make a good living for themselves and their families." Dishonest BS to be sure. She want to appear a hardcore "Progressive" and reasonable at the same time. There is still resistance, and some Republicans understand we're on the brink and, even with their contradictions, will try to pull us back.
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          • Posted by gcarl615 9 years, 1 month ago
            Ok I agree with your comment and the others below, but my point is that given the possibilities of the candidates, that those of us who have not gone Galt and still believe there is hope are kidding themselves? Just like Dagney for a time.
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            • Posted by 9 years, 1 month ago
              But the question for most of us on this thread and all the other victims of the statists is, "How can we realistically 'Go Galt'?" Most of us can't quit our jibs and live in the mountains. I have children to raise. Go to another country? Which one? Canada is actually freer now than the U.S. though we'd still have to come to the U.S. for healthcare--at least until our system further degenerates to the level of Canada's single payer system. Switzerland is great but has restrictions on immigration and citizenship. I think of "Going Galt" as a more aggressive, active form of in their faces rebellion. Here's my piece on it: http://atlassociety.org/commentary/co...
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              • Posted by gcarl615 9 years, 1 month ago
                Dr. Hudgins, Thank you linking me to your piece. When I first read AS in 1979 I was enthralled with the whole of the concept. In the following years I read everything AR had written that I could find. I had a good career, wonderful wife and children. Slowly, I developed a plan to find the gulch either in life or only in my mind, which ever I could . It took me and my wife until 2007 to finally realize something as close to total " gulchdom" as we could. We had a remote home and skills to separate ourselves as best we could from the world. we had sufficient resources to live. Unfortunately my wife died and I am on my own. I am not bragging but going Galt was hard, very hard and I am not sure I have actually achieved the goal. My point here is that it took me 30 some years to get where I am. I know how tough it can be for people with actual lives to make the leap, take the oath and actually mean it. And yes I agree there are few places if any on earth to go. I am rambling I know, But I would encourage anyone who can to do what they can to reach the goal. Thanks for your input.
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                • Posted by 9 years, 1 month ago
                  And thanks for your story and thoughts! Since our individual happiness and flourishing should be our goal in life, we each need to chose the path we best judge will work for us. But I think we all can agree that promoting the principles of reason, achievement, individualism, and liberty in the culture and politics in the long run is necessary so we won't have to make the choice about whether or not it is practical or life-enhancing to disengage from our disintegrating society as best we can.
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        • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 1 month ago
          only two? I thought the count was much higher? did you include all the RINOs like Carly. Well....too me there's not discernible difference between most of them.
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