Liberals & The Truth
People used to point out that physicists (of which I am one) were not suited to certain occupations because they tended to believe people too readily: since physicists are accustomed to interacting with nature, who is generally thought to be incapable of lying, they are ill prepared to deal with people who actually do lie.
There is a similar problem with liberals and their response to the verbal prestidigitation of the current reactionary administration. They seem to believe that the arguments that the White House makes in support of some proposal are to the point and that if said arguments are refuted, then surely the administration will rethink its position. I've seen this response over and over again.
We saw it in the election: we on the progressive side thought that if we just exposed enough of the administration's lies and shady doings, then certainly people would just wake up and elect someone more honest and trustworthy. We were shocked at the outcome.
We saw it with the Iraq war: we on the progressive side thought that if we just exposed enough of the fallacies, misstatements, and outright lies in the Administration's reasons for invading Iraq, that certainly the Administration would just stand down. Of course, no such thing happened. The Administration wanted to invade and tear down Iraq so that they could rebuild it: after all, without reconstruction there can be no reconstruction dollars for those contracted to do the reconstruction. The Administration wanted the war — the "reasons" were pretext, and pretty flimsy at that.
And now liberals are being made the gullible patsies again, this time with Social Security so-called privatization. The Administration is fixated on privitizing Social Security, which will have the salutary effect of putting a lot more capital into hands that already have more than they can hold. The White House is busy offering "reasons" why privatizing is "necessary" when it's nothing of the kind, but liberals are acting as thought these "reasons" are real and something to be argued against, thinking that when the "reasons" are exposed as incorrect, surely everyone will do the sane thing and not support the privitization.
How naive can you get! The "debate" offers "reasons" as a tactical smokescreen, hoping to keep everyone busy until the privitization is a fait accompli and the "accountability moment" has passed. Wake up, people!
Oh my gosh! Who would have thought that Republicans could lie ?