kalm wrote: ↑Mon Sep 12, 2022 9:20 am
Winterborn wrote: ↑Mon Sep 12, 2022 9:09 am
Nope. Guess that means that they may not be as influential as they claim to be?
After a Google search on the three names, I now know why I have not heard of them. Two washed up has-beens and a person I vaguely remember(Peter Thiel) due to his connection to Paypal but I had no idea was republican donor. If money is what we should be listening to as guidance for the direction of both parties, then I guess I should be paying more attention to Soros.
As for the other two, they may have had an idea on the direction conservatives are leaning 20ish years ago, but they probably should get out of their penthouses and talk to people before spouting off. Talk is cheap and it is even cheaper on Twatter.
I agree with much of what you’ve said. You are getting and not getting the point. Democracy is not a new principle. Who are the current conservative voices we should be listening to regarding the conservative movement and governance?
So are you (the point not point thing).
It is my opinion that one has to be extremely skeptical of anybody claiming to "speak" for "conservatives" (and I put that in quotes as it is most definitely not a cohesive group and there are many players and wannabe players vying for that title). The players are part old guard who are not really conservative but like the statues quo as they know how it works and got rich off it by peddling their influence. Then there are those who who wish to be like the old guard as the route to power is mapped out. Then you have those that are fringe and are so forefront in peoples minds due to the 24/7 'news" coverage of them making them seem larger than life and amplifying every little belief they hold and painting it as a trend in the Republican Party or among conservatives.
All this is propped up by a network of media that both consumes what the above groups produce and funds it as a way of furthering their influence and bottom line. CNN, Fox, etc. do not care about their content outside of the narrative it pushes. None are interested in finding out what actually happened, just one-upping the others.
If you want to know what conservative voters actually think and believe, one needs to ditch the theatrics and pageantry of our media circus, and talk to voters directly to see where they fall. You are going to get a wide variety of answers but common trends will arise. I have done this over the last decade or so and get a good chuckle out of what the paid "experts" state. It is the only way to give a good foundation to understanding exactly what people are thinking and grants a good basis to weed out the ore from the slag that our media pushes. There is a massive disconnect between what shows up on Twitter and other media sites just due to their publication models. One does not become a "story" unless you stick out. Holding pragmatic or middle of the road views (which is tangentially shown in multiple polls and voting results as the majority has shown to reject the extremes) does not sell stories nor drive clicks.
You and I were discussing skepticism and critical thinking a few days back. Both of these ideas need to be expressed and practiced when viewing any media stories. There are many reasons why information is "published", almost none have to do with the facts. Most people are being controlled/influenced by whatever narrative is being pushed by their respective "side" and they do not realize it. It happens to all of us and it requires us to take a step back and look at something objectively before accepting it.
My above advice goes is the same for the Democrats/"liberals". I do not attribute the entire party by what AOC is blabbing about, but realize that the party and voters is much more complex than that. Granted I will still make fun of her and her little group but there are Republicans/"conservatives" that deserve it just as much.
If one is curious about the reaction to a article, put some thought behind a post and pose a question or two rather than just dropping a tweet with no background on it. I ignore twatter for a reason and it is mainly due to the vapid thought process it encourages.