You're absolutely right that conservative discourse has devolved to such a point that it is little more than incoherent babble and any thinking/true conservative is probably tearing his hair out these days.

One of my problems is that there must be a reason why the media promotes this dumbing-down. It must be making somebody money or they wouldn't be doing it. Notice how suddenly John McCain is a Centrist in the mass media narrative and how he is polling relatively evenly with the Democratci candidates. Not that I think McCain would be nearly as horrible as Bush, but all things considered, he would represent four more years of Republican policy established by Bush and for that it's a wonder he's polling anywhere above 35 percent.

I fear that so many people have been dumbed-down for so long that much of the public doesn't have the tools to process objective critical analysis anymore. The other day I read a quote by a woman in Pennsylvania who didn't want Obama to become President because she didn't want to have to become a Muslim. I don't even know where to begin with that one, but such complete severance from reality is realtively common in many parts of America. People in the town I grew up in will vote Republican because it's "What you do," actual policy positions be damned.

"Books like Glenn's help. Shooter42's not going to read it, but people like Bruce Fein and Bob Barr will. And that will make it all the more difficult to sustain the Myth of John McCain--because the damage of four more years of militarist authorianism will frighten anyone who believes in reality."

Man, I hope you're right.

It's not like gasoline tax dollars go to support anything, you know, like highway maintenance or anything. Last I knew, much of America's aging infrastructure is in need of tremendous investment.

Why don't the Republicans simply come out and declare a desire to eliminate all taxes, and by extension, all public services? That's their real dream isn't it? - No schools but home school. No roads but from the mansion to the airstrip. You want water - dig yourself a well! No need for a justice system if everybody just carries guns and "solves problems" in the street like they did in the Wild West.

Tell us what you really want, Mr. McCain.

What's not to understand? He PASSES responsiblity and sacrifice OVER to the next guy...

Here in the real train mecca (Chicago) there are trains all over the place. I take a train to work every day at a cost of less than $65 a month. I have a car (a van, actually, a 3/4 ton Dodge with a 5.2 liter V8) and I spend around $50 a month on gas because I don't have to drive very much (okay, so sometimes I wonder why the hell I have a vehicle anyway...).

Freight rail revenues are way up. Another thing that we're gonna have to visit is the whole just-in-time manufacturing/delivery model, which is predicated on making lots of small shipments, usually via truck. We might have to revert back to a bulk-shipment and storage model, which railroads are well suited to accommodate.

Way up at the beginning of this thread you said:

"What's gone wrong is that working class voters can smell bullshit quicker and more accurately than starry-eyed kids and rich liberal idiots."

Working class voters can't smell a goddamned thing, hence two terms of Bush.

Larry the Cable Guy for Preznit!!!

"Even worse are the treasonous terrorist sympathizers that support Obama..."

Thanks for reminding me that I hate my country. I think I'll go donate to Obama now. Asshole.

Who is the "winning candidate?"

You clearly know nothing about Obama and care even less about the Democratic Party. You're probably just some right-wing shill who's paid to post shit on sites like Salon.

Please, go ahead and support Clinton, the corporatist Washington insider. Of course, you could dispense with all pretenses and simply support McCain. Either way, you eliminate any risk that Obama would pose to the status quo.

BTW - I just gave Obama some dough. I feel better now. Thanks for opening your big mouth and prompting me to donate.

Obama's "lack of fizz" and Hillary's "glowing energy" are products of the corporatist main-stream media (MSM). Are you really surprised that the establishment media are propogating narratives designed to promote Hillary and thwart Obama? Seriously, how many goddamned debates do we need? Do we need to have debates until someone finally finds a question that stumps Obama? How about a debate about Flag Pins? As I understand it, one is only a true patriot if one wears a Flag Lapel Pin. By that measure, George W. Bush is one of the greatest preznits ever because he almost always wears a Flag Lapel Pin. That Flag Pin proves his brilliance.

Don't worry, maureen, even if Obama wins the election in November, I'm sure there's no way in hell Obama will live to see inauguration day - there are millions of your White-is-Right friends who would gladly "sacrifice" themselves to ensure that Amrerica is never led by anybody who isn't 100% certifiably white. There are plenty of Jesus-lovin', gun-lovin' good ole boyz who stand at the ready to preserve America's proper heritage.

Please, allow me to speak for you:

Larry the Cable Guy for Preznit!!! We don't want no book-leaned librul hiipppeeee commieee in no gov'mint!!! I ain't votin' for nobody nun'less he can prove he cain't read, 'cause books are for elitists and faggots!

Oh, and one other thing; FUCK YOU!

That's a GREAT documentary. It should be required viewing in every American/World history class.

Oddly, Leo Strauss and Said Qotb were almost like two sides of the same coin. The militants, both American and Muslim, who have decided on the behalf of the rest of us that we should be engaged in perpetual war are the crops that grew from the seeds sown by these two men.