Founders couldn't be elected today

faethor said:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12022/1204849-109-0.stm
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Truly fascinating. What amazes me the most is just how clearly it shows the lurch to the right the US has made in the time since its founding.

Kinda sad to see that a nation born from the ideas of the enlightenment looks to be pushing toward a religious authoritarian state backed by a practically fascist corporatocracy.

Clearly, the UK should have drowned the puritans rather than let them spread their idiocy to your shores. Sorry about that!
 
Interesting, apparently I'm a deist with views similar to Thomas Jefferson.
 
the_leander said:
Kinda sad to see that a nation born from the ideas of the enlightenment looks to be pushing toward a religious authoritarian state backed by a practically fascist corporatocracy.
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Sad, but unsurprising. Autocrats love to encourage religion as it makes populations so much easier to rule. Communism was an exception but not from it's conception wherein Marx felt that by removing religion and it's unquestioning obedience to hierarchy and self propagating encouragement of ignorance people would be encouraged to participate in their own governance. One man, one vote. The Principals of Marx to that point were very much of the enlightenment.

The Founding Fathers also recognized the detriment that a state religion would be to representative republic and would rather than the people be educated and well informed on matters of importance. Religion has always preferred that the laity be ignorant - it is much easier to lead the ignorant.

So the rise of religion can allow the rise of the autocrats but the autocrats often encourage religion to help them rise - and a strong religious block who's idea of morality is do whatever you think is necessary so long as you are doing it "for God" is a valuable and useful army to command.

There is some good news, of course. The radical loony religious right is not a majority. Many more religious people are moderate, though moderates will stand by the loonies if you criticize religion rather than the loonyness. Moreover, the godless are the fastest growing demographic. Loonyness increased as the year 2000 approached but as we get further and further out from that year the people who are still expecting the end times will shrink back to the far smaller numbers they usually are at during the better part of each millennium.

The corporatistas and the religionistas may have overplayed their hand. There is an air of protest rising.
 
redrumloa said:
And you would be terribly wrong.
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Even in the space of the last 15 years there has been a profound swing to the right from the European perspective. Compared to the founding fathers, most current US politicians (both sides) come off sounding like zealots.
 
the_leander said:
Truly fascinating. What amazes me the most is just how clearly it shows the lurch to the right the US has made in the time since its founding.
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Over time the pendulum of politics swings back and forth. Though since Reagan's election it is fair to say the US has swung to the right. People want to cry Obama is a communist. It couldn't be further from the truth. Looking at what he's done he's, mostly, a centrist who is very often to the right of Reagan.

Kinda sad to see that a nation born from the ideas of the enlightenment looks to be pushing toward a religious authoritarian state backed by a practically fascist corporatocracy.
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I'd strike 'Kinda' and say 'Incredibly'.

FluffyMcDeath said:
. Autocrats love to encourage religion as it makes populations so much easier to rule. Communism was an exception but not from it's conception wherein Marx felt that by removing religion and it's unquestioning obedience to hierarchy and self propagating encouragement of ignorance people would be encouraged to participate in their own governance
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Robert Mugabe is clearly a Communist and Roman Catholic. He's certainly used the power of religion in his nation to bring about his regieme. And it appears Rome welcomes him with open arms. .... Though one could argue there's never been a true Communist state.

The conservative Republicans of the 50s and 60s could be attractive to many. Unfortunately Reagan married the Evengelical Right-Wing with the Conservatives to win election. I think Republicans would win even more votes if they'd oust the religious control within their own party. The Founders wrote there should be no litmus test for office but the Republicans work hard at making one. I expect we'll see Mitt vs Newt decided upon by those that like or dislike Mormonism.
 
It's almost impossible to define Jefferson's subtle religious views in a few words. As he once put it, "I am a sect by myself, as far as I know."
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that's a beautiful thing........except to the wacko religions right who insist that everyone goose-step to their drum beats
 
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