People on DailyKos and elsewhere often express bewilderment about the thinking of thirty percent of Americans who continue to support Bush regardless of stunning and overwhelming evidence of failed policies, tragic incompetence, and pervasive dishonesty. Last week, in an airplane somewhere over the Midwest, I sat next to one of the thirty percent for a couple of hours and got to ask some questions. Most answers were depressingly predictable. Some were frightening. Some were enlightening. Some demonstrated an amazing ability to tolerate cognitive dissonance. A few provided some glimmers of hope for progressive candidates who hope to peel off a few votes from the Bush base. All seemed absolutely sincere. The following questions and answers are paraphrased from a friendly, two-hour chat. The quasi-hopeful, possible-basis-for-meeting-of-the-minds answers are at the end. It started with a discussion of a USA Today article about the Middle East.
This week in the Middle East certainly seems chaotic and disastrous. I'm really concerned for my relatives who are in the armed forces.
This was all predicted in the scriptures. It has to happen this way. Eventually one-sixth of the world's population will be destroyed. (Note: I didn't ask which scripture purportedly said this. I should have asked--the one-sixth thing was new to me.)
Aren't we wasting a lot of money on no-bid contracts in Iraq? Sure there is some waste, but no-bid contracts are required for security reasons to insure that the contractor is loyal to America. If contracts were awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, terrorists might sneak in and get sensitive contracts.
What about the Dubai Ports deal? (Note: Somehow, this was attributed to the security shortcomings of competitive bidding rather than the dangers of cronyism and no-bid contracts.)
I thought Republicans were for reduced government spending and small government. What do you think about the huge increase in the national debt and the deficit? Isn't the federal government growing instead of shrinking? Yes, but that's not the fault of the president or the Republican Congress. Instead, it's the fault of constituents who insist on greater and greater expenditures. Representatives vote the way their constituents ask them to. The constituents made Congress reject the balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. If that had passed, none of this would have happened.
Shouldn't we stop lavishing money on a failed military operation in Iraq and spend some of that money fixing up things are home? No, we have to get "them" before they get the bomb and get us.
But we have really pressing national needs. For example, the infrastructure in California--levees, roads, water systems, etc. really needs some major repairs. The reason California can't fix its infrastructure is all the illegal immigrants who don't pay taxes. They could have become citizens by paying $2000, but they chose not to. Illegal immigrants are "freeloaders."
I thought Congress failed to pass the $2000 path to citizenship bill. Yes, but Bush supported it. (?)
Don't you think that it's kind of unfair for CEO's to make hundreds of times more than the workers who produce value for their companies? Any other approach would be socialism. CEO's earn their compensation as a percentage of the increase in the value of stock in their companies. (Note: I have no idea whether this is true or not, but I have read of several cases where CEO compensation skyrocketed while production and profits tanked.)
Aren't we endangering America's long-term military and economic security by outsourcing so many jobs and so much manufacturing? Agreed, but it can't be helped because American workers reject low-paying jobs, and outsourcing is required for companies to stay competitive.
What do you think about Global Warming? What about the vanishing snows of Kilimanjaro and the melting Alpine glaciers? Have you seen the movie "An Inconvenient Truth?" Have not seen the movie. Global Warming is a lie. Rising temperatures and melting ice are part of a natural recurring cycle.
Are you concerned about domestic eavesdropping and spying on American's phone calls and e-mails? No. It's necessary for security. All they are doing is searching for key words to hunt down terrorists.
What about the Constitutional requirement of a warrant? What about due process? Yeah, warrants are good. People should have the right to confront their accusers and defend themselves.
What is your goal in life? To be a successful businessman, to make a lot of money, to be of service to others, and to have fun.
Is George Bush sincere or has he been trying to sell the American public a bill of goods? He's absolutely sincere, a man with a good heart and sound values. He has done well with challenges he never expected. To the extent he has failed, he has been misled by lousy advisers with their own agendas.
Who is going to be the Republican nominee for president? No idea.
Here are the things I more or less agreed with:
What Democrats do you like? I like Bill Clinton. He is a great schmoozer.
He did a lot of good things for business. The country thrived under Clinton.
What do you think of universal health care? It's essential for small business to survive. Big business should not have to tack the cost of health care onto its products. Tying health care to employment is a poor idea.
Are you worried about the lack of checks and balances in Washington? Yes, sometimes gridlock or stalemate is better than one party or small group getting all the power and running with the bit in its teeth.
What issues are really important to you in addition to national security? Clean air, clean water, protecting the land. Also, the Constitution is important. If we abandon the Constitution, we abandon what we are trying to defend.
Do you think that illegal employers are at all to blame for illegal immigration? Yes, they should be fined and punished if they break the law.
Here's what I took away from this conversation: (1) It's very hard for me, but evidently not for some others, to see how imminent Armageddon and business success are compatible. (2) Belief in an inerrant version of the scriptures is a powerful and simple way of dealing with frightening and complex issues (3) Fear continues to be a driving political force (4) Some people who profess to be self-sufficient individualists can also be longing for a strong leader to take care of them (5) People confronted with the same facts can arrive at totally different conclusions, and while it's scary, it's also fascinating.