Lefty freepers (Thanks, WildEyedLiberal!)

[whometense]

Oh my goodness, my first thread.

I posted this comment on another thread, but after looking around at some of last night's discussion wanted it more public.

Lefty freepers. I like the ring of that, and it's exactly what they are.

I'm sick to death of arguing with them too - been doing it for well over a year now, going on a year-and-a-half - and of having to defend a man who has proven himself over and over and over again, and has earned the right to be respected by everyone, even by those who may disagree with him.

The thing it's important to remember, is that there really are not very many of them. It was the same before the primaries and during a lot of the election season - "Kerry has no idea what he's doing."

Puh-leeze. The man got more votes than any other candidate EVER other than *, and we know Kerry's total was suppressed and *'s similarly inflated.

So who were all these people who looked at Kerry and said to themselves, "That is a president!"? Ask the people of Iowa and Massachusetts and Rhode Island and New Hampshire, the people who have gotten to really know John Kerry over the years, and understand what his values are, and the lengths to which he will go to stand up for them.

The lefty freepers are real loud, but they are a very very small group.

[GRLMGC]

1. So true

and it's not even just about Kerry. They're idiotic about everything. They're overly dramatic and holier-than-thou. Someone makes a mistake and they're ready to jump on that person. They're also delusional. I hope reality comes and kicks them in the ass one day.

[TayTay]

2. You rock!

Congrats on your first post!

Love it and agree. (posting from work makes me succinct.)

[whometense]

3. Hey, thanks!

I'm at work too - but it's a slow day.

[angrydemocrat]

7. Hello Tay Tay

I was wondering where you were. Are you going to be here fore a while tonight?

[TayTay]

13. Yes

I have hogtied my daughter to a post and have commandeered the computer. I am here for awhile, just ruminating.

[WildEyedLiberal]

14. SWEET

Well, it sounds like we MUST get kinky tonight, then. For your sake, of course. :P

:evilgrin:

[vinessa4freedom]

4. how about fleepers

or something tidy like that?

[saracat]

5. O h , my ! Am I to be voted out of the club?

I consider myself a lefty, and a champion of John Kerry. I backed and continue to support him because he is the most liberal of the lot of them. That being said, there is a lot about the current situation of the Democratic Party I am not happy with. I believe the Party should redefine itself and go left. I don't believe in centrism, and I don't believe in cutting the Repugs any slack. I am continuing to work within the Party to make change. Does that make me unwelcome? Just wondering!

[whometense]

6. No way anyone

could consider you a lefty freeper.

I don't believe in cutting the repugs any slack either. I just even more than that don't believe in eating our own, or in the circular firing squad crap. I believe there's a really big difference between discussing differences and being a freeper - left or right. Freeper's don't listen, don't think, and respond to every challenge with a kneejerk reaction.

At least, that's how I see it.

[GRLMGC]

9. It's different

I'm really liberal and am not that happy w/ the behavior of Congressional Dems. I don't think they really fight back. It's just that these people are beyond. They're unhelpful. They're purely negative. They're also self-righteous in the same annoying way that right wingnuts are.

Don't leave, we love you! You have the best stories and you add so much to the forum!

[saracat]

18. Nah! I wasn't leaving anyway. I love this place!

Thanks everybody for cheering me up! I though maybe those of us who veered left might be unwelcome, but I am glad that is not the case! I love you all, even when I don't always agree!

[Withywindle]

10. Unwelcome? Oh hell no.

We are going to have to agree disagree on Barack Obama, though. There's not much that's "centrist" about his work in the IL legislature.

You know how there's a big difference between righteous, constructive-criticism anger and the sour, destructive, self-indulgent kind? Hell yeah you do!

:toast:

[WildEyedLiberal]

11. No, you can't leave

I've disagreed with you in the past over certain issues, but the bottom line is, we're both liberals. Meaning we can accept each other's different opinions and agree to disagree, because our common goals (a more liberal America, destroying the neocon criminals) are more important than whatever niggling policy differences we may have. Not everyone is going to have the exact same beliefs about things, and liberals understand and accept this, whereas conservatives don't - it's "my way or the highway" for them.

Plus, you give John floaty hearts, and are in the LLL. So you are by LLL regulations required to participate in John Kerry kink at least once a week (or more!) :evilgrin:

[TayTay]

15. No dearie

I am a liberal, radical, pinko, left-of-center chick as well. I don't want to kick anyone out of the Democratic Party. I posted this before, but moderates serve an invaluable function. They keep you from trying to advance so fast that no one follows. (You cannot achieve lasting change without engaging the American public and making an argument that makes sense to them.) I can be as politically pure as I want, but without being effective in my communication, I serve a party of one. Moderates tell me when something makes sense or when I am about to enter the land of the nutcase. We need each other.

[Withywindle]

16. That's a really great way of looking at it!

Thanks!

(There is a power imbalance, though.)

[TayTay]

17. Absolutely

I think we have been moderate to nothing for too long. This is the other side of my argument. Moderate to what? What does a moderate Dem want?

[angrydemocrat]

8. You Hit The Nail On The Head!

And yes they do need to take and have a talk to all those in Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island! They probably won't like what they hear but yes they need to hear what these people have to say and what they can teach them. These are smart people that is one reason I'm moving there and to get away from all the dummies!

[WildEyedLiberal]

12. LOL, glad you like the term

I think "lefty freepers" is entirely appropriate.

I replied to this post in the other thread, but congratulations on your first thread! And yeah, I agree. They are small but voiceferous; like small dogs, they make up for their lack of stature with their loud, raucous yipping.

[bunny planet]

19. The really interesting thing to me is that if some of these Lefty freepers

had been around during the Vietnam War ( I was a young teenager) and actually saw Kerry in action and heard him speak out against the war like I did, they'd worship the guy forever (if they truly are as anti-war as they claim they are) like I do. His votes for the Iraq war were distorted by the media (as they've distorted everything about him since he declared his run for the Presidency) as were his votes for the Patriot Act. To most people in the anti-war movement in the sixties Kerry is a hero and an anti-war hero as well. They should go and actually read the Winter Soldier testimony. I wonder if they ever have.
I actually find these leftyfreeps more offensive than rwf sometimes, they have the intellect, unlike the poor freeps, they just use it to judge and denigrate others, not for anything constructive that I can see. Good call Whometense. With friends like lefty freeps who needs freepers.

[whometense]

20. Thanks, bunny planet.

I was thinking along the same lines, as I watched Going Upriver for the second time. I saw it in the theater when it was briefly out but couldn't bring myself to watch it again till last night.

It's positively infuriating. I also became aware of Kerry during his VVAW days, and he was a hero to me. My high school boyfriend was chasing around the country one step ahead of the draft board, and there was John, who'd actually BEEN to Vietnam, and was speaking out to save guys like my boyfriend. People who weren't around then have NO F*CKING CLUE as to how much shit he caught for doing that. They say, oh, in liberal Massachusetts he was safe to say those things. Excuse me, no he wasn't. Just like everywhere else in this country, Massachusetts has its liberal towns. We also had a large number of northeastern yahoo rednecks who hated the protesters.

And that's not counting the crap he had to take from his fellow vets, the people he cared most about. (for all the doubters, the origins of the Swift Boat Liars are right there).

Ok, I'll end my rant. But the sheer ignorance of these creeps just makes me froth at the mouth.

[bunny planet]

24. Can you believe I haven't even watched it once yet. I'm just afraid it

will upset me so much because I wanted him to be our President with every fiber of my being and it will profoundly remind me of what an incredibly honorable man he is (as if I needed reminding) and will just break my heart all over again. I tried to watch it on my computer but it was too slow. I will watch it on my daughter's computer this week though (she's got the one that works for viewing movies). I think I'll see if I can buy it tonight.

[whometense]

26. It is kind of hard to watch,

and heartbreaking, but so inspiring. There are some home movies of young John. And the movie ends with a slide show of Butler photos of John and his family since the end of his Vietnam protest days. The pictures are wonderful. And the soundtrack is great too.

[bunny planet]

28. I just ordered it. I'll watch it as soon as it gets here.

;-)

[whometense]

29. I really think you'll enjoy it.

At least, you'll be smiling through the tears (like me!) ;-)

Let me know what you think.

[bunny planet]

31. I will.

Thanks.

[WildEyedLiberal]

21. I think I hate them more too

I know freepers aren't on our side; but lefty freepers are *supposed* to be. I mean, who was worse - Judas, or Caiaphas? At least you KNEW where Caiaphas stood.

[whometense]

22. Agree. The only question I have

is, are they lefty or righty? The stuff they say is so completely lifted from the Rovian talking points that I have a really hard time distinguishing one from the other.

When I used to hang out on Kos I'd start thinking one of them was a troll - and then they'd turn out to be a Deaniac. Head...Exploding...

[WildEyedLiberal]

23. I think of the political spectrum as a circle, sort of

where the extreme left wing and the extreme right wing wrap around to meet each other. It's like trying to distinguish between Hitler and Stalin - both totalitarian wackos, but just different kinds of totalitarian wacko. Lefty freepers and righty freepers are like Christian and Islamic fundamentalists - opposing viewpoints, but totally cut from the same nutjob cloth.

[whometense]

25. excellent point.

that makes a lot of sense to me, actually.

[WildEyedLiberal]

27. And these people are proud to call themselves "radical"

Don't they realize that "radical" means "illogical dogmatic ideologue"? And they're proud to associate themselves with that kind of label? That's like the freepers being proud to be called xenophobes.

[whometense]

30. Extremists

of all stripes give me the creeps. As do purists. Life just ain't that clearcut.

[paulk]

32. something interesting along those lines -

Both Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz used to be Democrats. Perle claims to be still registered as one - in honor of his mentor Scoop Jackson.

The viewpoints near the bottom of the circle aren't that far apart...

[WildEyedLiberal]

33. They really aren't

Like I said, compare a hardcore communist to a hardcore fascist... or a Christian fundamentalist to an Islamic one.

You'll find more similarities than differences.