Let's do our own viral email campaign!

[OneGrassRoot]

The right-wingers and, surprisingly, those over 60, are amazingly effective at these viral emails. They spread lies like wildfire!!! Quite impressive if it wasn't so dangerous.

I propose we start our own viral email campaign, tapping into the buzzwords that get their attention.

(On edit: I hope it's obvious that I don't BELIEVE the following...but, sadly, it plays in to what many of the right-wingers DO believe. I'm thinking something like this might actually make them think about what they're saying when they realize many of the things they benefit from and depend upon ARE government programs.)



SUBJECT: Tired of the government interfering and don't want socialism?


Pledge to do the following and get others to do the same:

1. TEAR UP your Medicare card! This is one of the biggest socialist programs in America! (Republicans tried to prevent it from happening in the first place all those years ago!)

2. If you're retired military, REFUSE ANY FURTHER BENEFITS! You served your country well, but you don't want to live off of anything run by the incompetent government.

3. Discourage anyone from joining the military, since our military is one of the biggest government-run programs we have!

4. REFUSE TO RECEIVE SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS! That ugly word "social" is right there in the name!!!

5. Heck, we also have socialized police and fire protection, roads and bridges, public health programs like vaccinations, food and drug laws, etc. Do your part to advocate for the dismantling of these socialist programs! We're Americans -- we can do everything ourselves and, if you can't, you don't deserve to be here.

6. And, since the government can't do anything right, why do we even vote, even for Republicans? They're the ones who say the government doesn't work, so why do we vote them into office in the government only to collect a paycheck we're paying for? JUST DON'T VOTE AT ALL!

(One warning: Since we don't want the government interfering in our personal lives, we absolutely can't be hypocrites. We will have to give up the fight against legislating abortion, gay marriage, end-of-life issues and other values we hold so dear.)


And, finally, just so we don't let those "liberal elite" types try to confuse us with fancy language, let's take a stand on who we are and what we are all about.

WE ARE PROUD CONSERVATIVES! That means "we are disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change."

We want to restore things to pre-Civil Rights days. The country REALLY went to hell in a hand basket starting with all that civil rights legislation. NOW look who's in the White House!

WE DEPLORE ANYTHING PROGRESSIVE (progressive: "favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are").

We don't want anything to improve. We're perfect. We're Americans. WE'RE NUMBER ONE!!!!!



:patriot:

[MagickMuffin]

1. This would be a good campaign,

however, I don't know anyone to send it to :-(


I rec. your thread but funny how it was immediately unrec'd :shrug:

[OneGrassRoot]

2. LOL....I know, maybe they didn't realize I was being facetious....

You don't have anyone to send it to?! Oh my...you are lucky. Unfortunately, I have MANY right-wingers to send it to. I even have birthers in the family! LOL

My mom is a fence sitter and tries to avoid politics altogether, but she is a gateway to MANY right-wing senior citizens who are sending the "Obamacare will kill old people!" emails.

;)

I wonder if she'd forward it. I'm going to send it to her.

:)

[Liberalynn]

3. This is excellent

I think you should send it to a newspaper willing to run longer op ed pieces too.

[OneGrassRoot]

4. I just sent Round One....

from "Concerned Citizen."

:)

[MagickMuffin]

5. Lucky me huh

I've been thinking that something along this line of thinking might actually cause these dupes to perhaps having something to really think about.

There was a Town Hall by Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) in Houston where one conservative activist turns to his fellow attendees and asks them to raise their hands if they “oppose any form of socialized or government-run health care.” Almost all the hands shot up. Rep Green quickly turned the question on the audience and asked, “How many of you have Medicare?” Nearly half the attendees raised their hands, failing to note the irony.

At another point, a small business owner who supported health reform asks the audience how many people in this room “do not have health insurance of some kind.” Only one hand seemed to be raised. “I think the people who are objecting,” she noted, “are the people who have insurance.”


I certainly don't understand these people's logic with it comes to government run programs.

[OneGrassRoot]

7. That same segment, which I watched last night, prompted me to write this...

The ignorance and hypocrisy are simply amazing.

[LiberalEsto]

8. Maybe each protester should be asked

"Do you have medical insurance?"

And if they do, they should be advised to STFU.

[MagickMuffin]

9. Or if they have insurance they should be asked if their premiums and co pays keep increasing

If they are honest and answer yes then they should try and get with the program and understand that "ObamaCare" is trying to fix it.

But who knows perhaps they like the insurance companies reaming them. Or as Rush Limpballs like to say "Bend over and grab your ankles" because that's exactly what we are getting with the current system.

[annabanana]

6. I am bookmarking this for "reply to all" usage!!

They should all, you know, get off the public teat.

[Zywiec]

10. How is getting something earned Socialism?

Don't military retirees have to serve the country for more than 20 years to earn retirement benefits?

Would you give up something you accrued after 20 years of hard work?

[OneGrassRoot]

12. I absolutely believe they deserve it....

it's the right-wing nonstop argument about them not wanting to have ANYTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING RUN BY THE GOVERNMENT that I'm addressing.

This applies when the government is/was your employer.

Perhaps even more so, in my humble opinion.


on edit: This email was my attempt to highlight how much the government CAN do and do well, and how so many people are benefiting from it (even in the form of earned benefits in retirement) -- sadly, they just don't seem to realize this.

[Zywiec]

13. I must have missed all of that

Can you provide some examples of where a right-winger said the military didn't deserve their retirement.

I would love to send that to one of my buddies.

[OneGrassRoot]

14. No, you are most definitely misunderstanding.

Right-wingers decry government, in general and for the last few decades have been further immersed in the meme that the government can't do ANYTHING well and they want the government to stay out of EVERYTHING.

Well, the military is part of the government. Whether active duty or receiving retirement benefits, one is indeed involved with a government program.

I have the highest respect for the military and am not denigrating military service nor the receipt of well-deserved benefits whatsoever.

I'm trying to highlight, through irony, how the general statement of "the government can't do anything well" and therefore they say "keep the government out of my life" -- they don't say, "except for Medicare, Social Security, retired military benefits, etc." -- is not truthful.

If you still don't understand my point, then I apologize but I can't explain it further.

[Zywiec]

15. Thanks for the clarification.

:hi:

[OneGrassRoot]

16. You're most welcome. :) n/t

[OneGrassRoot]

11. Wow. Some of them don't even read beyond the subject line....

and they forward it.

Again, in my experience these right-wing emails spread rapidly by not only NON-web-savvy, but people who are not informed (and, sadly, don't want to be).

I just had a "kudos" response from someone -- rabid Obama Hater -- who obviously only read the subject line and was sending to her mailing list because "we have to stop this socialist!!!!".

Just wow.

[Liberalynn]

17. Sadly most of them can't spell irony

let alone comprehend it. Sorry if that sounds too liberally elitist but its true. It would be funny if it weren't so sad and scary because of the importance of what's at stake.:-(

[Barack_America]

18. Don't forget the Socialist Post Office.

We should pay extra to have all our mail delivered by companies such as UPS and DHL.

[helderheid]

19. oh so excellent! Anyone with facebook oughtta copy and paste this into their notes too!

:patriot:

[OneGrassRoot]

20. Ah, Facebook -- I totally forgot! ooooh, let the games begin.....

;)

:patriot:

[helderheid]

30. Just posted the note! Added the socialist post office. :)

[ColbertWatcher]

21. You need to put a flag in there somewhere! k+r, n/t

[sabrina 1]

22. Lol, they will probably furiously email that around

If any of them get as far #3 though, that should be a clue.

I think you should add one more while you're dismantling all 'socialist' programs.

Take away Congress' Socialist Healthcare Benefits.

And let them go to work! :rofl:

[B Calm]

23. I sent your message to 20+ people.

[OneGrassRoot]

24. I'm curious how people will respond....

the conservatives, that is. ;) No one ever responds when I politely answer their grossly inaccurate (lying) emails with facts. This one is different. I'm curious what they'll say or do.

:)

[B Calm]

25. Most of the people I sent it to are republicans. We'll see what happens.

[B Calm]

26. I have one reply already.

But it was from a democrat. She laughed her ass off and forwarded it on some of her contacts.

[OneGrassRoot]

27. LOL. Thanks. :) n/t

[helderheid]

29. Yeah!!!

[OneGrassRoot]

28. Friday morning update:

Well, I'm simply getting crickets from the right-wingers.

It's the Dems who are spreading it around. LOL.

I have to accept that nothing will trigger an "aha" moment for most of the people who send around these right-wing emails.

They don't WANT to hear or see anything that shatters their image of libruls ruining the country and only conservatives can save it. Not to mention a BLACK man being in the White House soooooooo not fitting their worldview.

That is the bottom line, IMO. They would pitch a fit if Hillary were President, but I don't think it would have reached this violent crescendo. I think a white woman as president would have been an easier pill to swallow.

I knew the racism and bigotry were prevalent in this country, but even I -- who has lived in the midst of racists my entire life -- didn't realize to what degree.

They're friggin terrified right now which, of course, manifests as anger.

:(

[helderheid]

31. I'm too tired to respond - help!

A response on this from facebook:

Ok I'll Bite....
Lincoln was a Republican...He started he civil rights movement...Freed the slaves.

The Military is a career. Many jobs have benefits and they are earned. People who seved EARNED the benefits. You are confusing earning and wanting an entitlement.

The consevatives have been fighting for social security to be privatized for years. Can't do that though because the government blew the money on other social prograns years ago. The piggy bank is empty..but I'll opt out of paying into it today and give up the benefit anytime.

UPS, Fedex, and DHLwould crush the USPS, and they're not even subsidized by the federal government. The USPS has a over a 70 Billion dollar budget and has a 6 billion Dollar deficit. Could you run a business with an extra 70 Billion?

The Military, Police, and Fire are not entitlements. Our tax $'s buy those services.

[OneGrassRoot]

32. And I haven't had enough coffee...lol

The satirical email's whole intent was to point out how those who DEPLORE government are indeed receiving benefits and/or earnings from the same said government. Deserved benefits, benefits they rely on...yet they still denigrate the system.

The comment about privatizing Social Security, given the recent Wall Street debacle, is...well, I have no words.

The poster is focused on entitlements and benefits, yet the point is how they deplore government involvement and want it all to stop (except for abortion and gay marriage issues), without recognizing how much the government actually DOES and can do WELL.

Oy. It's hopeless with these people, though. It really is.