Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The Psychological Projection of the Left is Stunning


 
Psychological projection or projection bias is a psychological defense mechanism where a person subconsciously denies his or her own attributes, thoughts, and emotions, which are then ascribed to the outside world, usually to other people. Thus, projection involves imagining or projecting the belief that others originate those feelings. (Wikipedia)


Will Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann usher in a rightwing theocracy? (No, Seriously)

The left has been hyperventilating about the threat of a rightwing Christian theocracy for thirty years now, although they saw no such threat from the smarmy, sanctimonious born-again Christian President Jimmy Carter.

Jerry Falwell is dead.  Pat Robertson reduced to fringe kook status.  Muslim fundamentalists, unlike Christian fundamentalists, have actually expressed hatred for our way of life and have proven it by blowing up buildings and killing people here in the United States.  But the fear of a rightwing Christian takeover rages on in the fevered minds of the left.
For example, the Daily Beast/Newsweek recently published an article titled "A Christian Plot for Domination?" claiming that Perry and Bachmann are "deeply associated with a theocratic strain of Christian fundamentalism" known as Dominionism.
A widely discussed article in the Texas Observer claimed that Dominionists -- a "little-known movement of radical Christians" -- are readying an "army of God" to "commandeer civilian government," with Perry the "vessel" for their ambitions. Finally, the New Yorker published a long article claiming that Bachmann believes "Christians, and Christians alone, are Biblically mandated to occupy all secular institutions until Christ returns."   (Byron York – Religious War)
Kudos to Byron York for exposing such obvious balderdash.  Any time you hear odd-ball stuff like "dominionism," you can be sure it was dug up by liberals to be used as a smear against the right and to scare soft-headed liberal voters from going off the plantation.

The psychological projection is stunning.  Progressives, full of religious fervor for the state and all her panjandrums and accoutrements are the real dominionists.  Here's my stab at it, only unlike the left, I am dealing in the truth:
One hundred years ago, a Progressive Plot for Domination was launched.  Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, FDR and a continuing chain of strong man statists have been deeply associated with the new religion of Progressive Statism. 
Progressive Statists, a previously little-known movement of radical nannyists, have already built the “army of government,” or “your federal family” if you prefer, to “commandeer civilian government,” with an unbroken succession of beneficent patriarchs handing out goodies as the “vessel” for their ambitions.
Finally, a long look at the past 100 years confirms that “progressives, and progressives alone, are mandated to occupy all secular institutions until personal liberty is obliterated from the earth.” (Kurt Silverfiddle)
Those who routinely defraud and steal are the most suspicious that others are trying to victimize them.   Liberals know they have hijacked government for their own narrow purposes, and they are jealous that  others will try to do the same.

42 comments:

Constitutional Insurgent said...

I disagree with denigrating coverage of Christian Reconstructionism, Dominionism and NAR as rhetorical tools of the left.

The writings of the leaders of these movements, their proxies, and the connections with current national level candidates comes from the primary sources as well. The rhetoric espoused in movements such as Seven Mountains should sound troubling for any liberty minded American.

Now if these movements are merely artistic license and marketing techniques to engage the faithful, one has to wonder why the need?

Silverfiddle said...

There are all kinds of fringe movements out there. You could also probably go scrape up some royalists...

The real question is how this cabal of rightwingchristians take over the US government?

We've been hearing this crap forever, usually before a big election the dems are set to lose badly, so it looks like dominionism has more power as a meme than an actual plan to hijack the state (too late, progressives have already done that!)

Constitutional Insurgent said...

SF - The 'crap forever' hasn't before been so widely disseminated and acclaimed in the media through notable faux-historians such as David Barton, as well as packing stadiums with the faithful flock.

I din't fear Dominionism to the point of absurdity, but it is a force to be reckoned with, as they are behind movements to alter the lesson plans of public schools, among other schemes. [Not that I oppose a revamp of PS curriculum, just not the retelling they are pursuing].

Silverfiddle said...

Constitutional: Everything you fear has already been done by the progressives over the past 110 years.

Do you agree with that?

Also, I ask you again, how would this rightwingchristian takeover happen?

Unknown said...

There are fringes on both sides that tend to get spooked of each other and lash out at one another.
The question you (not you Silver, but generally speaking) is where you stand on in YOUR beliefs of either Progressive Statists or being that of a Christian fundamentalists. Most will side somewhere near Christian fundamentalism, outside the fringe, but progressive are just that, progressive nannyists. Our history has proven this, especially in the last 100 years of our country's existence.

Constitutional Insurgent said...

SF - "Everything you fear has already been done by the progressives over the past 110 years."

With the compliance and assistance of the 'modern conservatives' I might add.

A 'rightwingwackochristiantakeover' could occur just as Progressivism has; the election of agenda driven candidates, inculcation of meme's, and the sense of political correctness abetted by media allies.

Bd said...

"Liberals know they have hijacked government for their own narrow purposes, and they are jealous that others will try to do the same."

Gimme a break. The projection and the hijacking of the government by the corporate led GOP is all on the right.

Start 2 wars and lower taxes, then deregulate the banks and create hedge funds. Thanks Bush. Now divide us with violent and racist rhetoric and get average Americans to hate each other-especially those in unions to destroy the middle class. Get average Americans to hate a new health care system which prevents insurance companies from dropping them No....we love having spaghetti dinners to help pay for someone's cancer treatments.
Thanks GOP

Silverfiddle said...

You need to go back a little further, Bd.

Woody Wilson set a neat little precedent about jumping into big wars that did not threaten the US.

Also, you need to check your facts. DEMOCRAT Bill Clinton signed the Glass-Steagall banking deregulation law, not Bush.

Get your facts straight before regurgitating the latest msnbc propaganda.

Silverfiddle said...

@ Constitutional Insurgent With the compliance and assistance of the 'modern conservatives' I might add.

I never said otherwise. I am a fan of Hayek and I love his formulation "...The socialists of all parties," because it is so true.

Progressive statism has been a bipartisan project, driven mostly by the democrats, but republicans have been eager handmaidens as well as beneficiaries.

I still don't understand how your theory of inculcation of memes and media abetting would work.

Christianity is routinely the butt of pop culture jokes, and despite a long history of overtly religious official presidential proclamations, the nation is now less Christian and less religious overall than at any point in our history.

Anonymous said...

I think most humans secretly (some not so secretly) wish that everyone would think like them.

Many of us have a great desire to convince others of the rightness of our point of view for whatever reason.

I don't think there's many people that are actually okay with the fact that there are people who don't think like them. I think it would be interesting to see how some of us would act if given the same power and authority . Who among us would stick to our guns and not let power and authority twist our benevolent purposes?

Thersites said...

Start 2 wars and lower taxes, then deregulate the banks and create hedge funds. Thanks Bush.

You mean re-regulate banks, don't you Bd? Remember the S&L crisis of '86? And hedge funds began in the early 50's...

Thersites said...

Now divide us with violent and racist rhetoric and get average Americans to hate each other-especially those in unions to destroy the middle class.

Sounds like the Democrat Party's mainline political strategy since the 1960's to me. I'm not the idiot calling every member of the Tea Party a racist.

Thersites said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Thersites said...

You're right SF... they are PROJECTING!

Silverfiddle said...

@ Jack: I think most humans secretly (some not so secretly) wish that everyone would think like them.

Brilliant observation. For this reason, I am a strong proponent of a constitutional libertarian government as established by the founders, before the progressives hijacked it.

The Federal Government has turned into a huge stick partisans use to smash each other over the heads with, depending on who wields it at the time. It needs to be confined to the enumerated powers and leave the rest to the states and the people.

Anonymous said...

The problem really isn't "Progressivism" per se -- or Marxism, or Communism, or Liberalism, or Fascism, or Bible-Thumping-Bigotry masquerading as "Christianity," or the resurgence of Mediaeval Catholicism or the Days of Savonarola, the Spanish Inquisition, The Star Chamber, Cromwell's Persecutions, or The Salem Witch Trials, or "McCarthyism," etc. The problem underlying ALL of that is the inherent desire people have to want to DOMINATE, SUPERVISE, DIRECT, MICRO-MANAGE, DICTATE to others -- and to PERSECUTE and possibly even ANNIHILATE those whose appearance, behavior, tastes, predilections, beliefs and thinking we don't feel comfortable with.

Every one of us has that propensity. In most of us it lies dormant, but it's always looking for a good excuse to pop out of the woodwork of our psyches, take over our conscious life,and lead us down the Garden Path.

With very few exceptions human beings are profoundly uncomfortable with anything markedly different from what they see in the mirror and what they are accustomed to in their daily routines.

We ought to be curious about one another, and eager to see what we might learn to improve our own lives from those who are different, but instead we're much more apt to become defensive, and defensiveness too easily leads to hostility, and then we're "off to the races."

Anytime you encounter someone who tells you that he or she has THE Answer, beware. It's more than likely this individual doesn't begin to understand The Question -- or even what it ought to be.

Authoritarianism, itself, is our primary enemy. All the other "isms" are merely window dressing of different styles designed to make submission to Authority seem attractive.

The minute we start to think, "The world would be such a lovely place, if only it weren't for that dirty bastard, or those __________" [Insert an ethnicity, a religion, a philosophical position, a political persuasion, a fashion or cultural manifestation of your choice] we ought to realize we're on the downward path.

So, it really does boil down to The Golden Rule. Violate it for any reason, and you're on the express route to a hell of one kind or another.

What we need is to cultivate a spirit of graciousness towards one another. What we don't need is yet-another form of Authoritarianism to serve in hopes of being led out of the wilderness.

Jesus told us, "The Kingdom of God is within you."

Few realize that Jesus Christ was a libertarian. What he preached was Self-Reliance based on faith in all that merciful, just, kind, modest, generous and humble. Naturally, the Power Establishment of His day thought they had to kill him.

~ FreeThinke

Anonymous said...

Hey, Jack! While I was collecting my thoughts you posted much of what I was trying to say in different words.

We need to throw out all the labels, that trigger prejudiced reaction, and do our best to understand the essence of whatever it is that provokes our fear and hostility -- our our passion. With a little honest investigation maybe we'd find out it's not so bad after all -- or possibly it's a lot worse.

~ FreeThinke

Anonymous said...

" ... I am a strong proponent of a constitutional libertarian government as established by the founders, before the progressives hijacked it.

The Federal Government has turned into a huge stick partisans use to smash each other over the heads with, depending on who wields it at the time. It needs to be confined to the enumerated powers and leave the rest to the states and the people."


Hear! Hear!

Right on, Brother Kurt! Right ON!

Of course, giving up the Authoritarian-Dictator-Despot-Nanny model would mean humanity would have to GROW UP, and individuals would have to take responsibility for themselves.

Hard to do when the collectivist fiends have hypnotized the masses into believing they may remain in Kindergarten all their lives, if only they let "Nanny" make all their decisions for them.

Little do they know that "Nanny" is a notorious child molester and a more vicious tyrant than Genghis Khan and Vlad the Impaler combined.

~ FreeThinke

Ducky's here said...

Obvious balderdash?

The woman is a poster girl for state money.

She worked for the IRS (no dreaded private sector for Michele), the family "farm" took in big federal subsidies and then there's her "business", grabbing a few hundred grand praying gays straight.
No fraud possibilities there.

She comes out with that nonsense that God is warning the East coast with Irene and an earthquake. Well what the hell is being sid to Texas? Pretty quiet.
The woman's a religious freak.


Again, Perry benefited from strict banking regulations that had nothing to do with him. There was an influx into the state for low wage jobs because housing is reasonably affordable.
Again, if the Texas housing prices represent a "true" value, how deep a problem are we in? Pretty bad.

As for being religious, he's a whitened sepulchre, no more religious than The Black Messiah.

The criticisms of the two are pretty accurate.

Anonymous said...

Free Thinke is right, Silver. You nailed this one. Our Founders understood the presence of fringe elements and designed our constitution in a way that it would give the people the tools to resist the fringes. Through fear, ignorance or sloth, the people failed in their duty and the Nannie have taken control. The nannies will seek out and demonize any group if they believe it will help them hold on to their power.

Anonymous said...

Yes, ConservativesOnFire, you are correct.

Thomas Paine said it well in a few choice words:

"Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."

~ Thomas Paine (1737-1809)

The cliché holds true.

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.

We have been lulled into a stupor by tabloid journalism, movies, TV, Rock 'n Roll, Rap, a corrupt News and Information media, and an Educational Establishment, at first infiltrated, then dominated by Cultural Marxists, determined to render the country ignorant of Truth, insensitive to Beauty, suspicious of Order, hostile to High Quality, and disconnected from its rightful Heritage.

How did that happen? Most of us decided to "Let George do it." We abdicated our responsibility to ourselves, our children and our country.

"Good laws lead to the making of better ones; bad ones bring about worse. As soon as any man says of the affairs of the State, 'What does it matter to me?' the State may be given up for lost."

Rousseau (1712-1778)

Everything we need to know has been out there for countless centuries, but each generation needs to learn the truth for itself.

For good or for ill, "We are what we've been taught."

~ FreeThinke

Anonymous said...

To You-Know-Who

A creature who seeks to defame,
And does naught but find others blame
For disdain is a greedy cuss;
His comments are tedious,
And vicious but vapid -- and lame.


~ FreeThinke

Silverfiddle said...

@ Ducky: She worked for the IRS (no dreaded private sector for Michele), the family "farm" took in big federal subsidies and then there's her "business", grabbing a few hundred grand praying gays straight.
No fraud possibilities there.


You make a beautiful case of small government that hands out free money to nobody. Thank you for that contribution.


This statement belies your preference for control by the Keynesian statists:

because housing is reasonably affordable.
Again, if the Texas housing prices represent a "true" value, how deep a problem are we in? Pretty bad.


Yes! Lets reinflate that bubble!

Would you rather real-estate prices were sky high? Based upon what? Because your preferred cabal of statists says so?

The bubble was a fantasy, Ducky. The shiny baubles were just dime store costume jewelry.

Your statist bankers loaned out money they didn't possess, and now they want it "back." Ha ha! It was never "there" to begin with!

You are just one more lockstep minion to the collapsing fake money fake economy. Why? I don't know, maybe your worship of all things Ivy League?

Ducky's here said...

Fact is that many of Bachmann's statements (and Perry and L'il Ricky Retardo Santorum) do demonstrate an extreme religious viewpoint and profess belief that the Old Testament is the supreme law.

I exclude the Gospels because this is very much an Old Testament and skip to Revelations crew.

Are they closet dominionists? Bachmann may be.

But is a concern about these religious freaks gaining real power less legitimate than the yahoos screaming about the impending implementation of Sharia by our Muslim president?

When it comes to insane theories you have to admit the right is way, way out in front.

Ducky's here said...

... list to The Pizza Man talk about Sharia.

Excellent example of the right's abject ignorance and the paranoia in the base.

Luckily, the average American is a good deal more sane than the Bagger base. Four more years of Obummer, sigh.

I would have welcomed an honest principled Republican who isn't insane. Truly would. Now all we have is a bunch of corporate pimps and religious whores. Sad, sad day for the nation.

Silverfiddle said...

As you know Ducky, I am not the defender of anyone's ideas but my own.

I do not believe Obama is a closet Muslim, wants to implement Sharia, etc.

What I am saying is that progressivism has been implemented in this country with a religious fervor, so I find it hilarious when that same crowd actually fans the fear of a rightwingchristiantheocratictakover!

Yeah, I'm sure there are dominionists, but I see scant chance of them taking over the federal government.

Unknown said...

"Fact is that many of Bachmann's statements (and Perry and L'il Ricky Retardo Santorum) do demonstrate an extreme religious viewpoint and profess belief that the Old Testament is the supreme law."
Wow, talk about insane theories....

Anonymous said...

Honestly, I like Michelle Bachmann, but I could care less about the Cowboy Ken Doll.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

>I think most humans secretly (some not so secretly) wish that everyone would think like them.

I just want everyone to stop trying to take my stuff and stop trying to tell me what to do with it.

MathewK said...

"Liberals know they have hijacked government for their own narrow purposes, and they are jealous that others will try to do the same."

So true, and it's another characteristic of liberals, the inability to take their own medicine.

It's really amusing though, every time a Conservative is sighted, liberals start panicking that some fantasy goon-squad is going to kick in their door demanding their license to fornicate or something equally hysterical.

Don't worry leftards Sarah Palin isn't going to stop you from being the town trollop. She will frown upon you using other people's money though, which i suspect is the main irritation for leftards and their liberal lackeys.

Bd said...

True eh? So give me some specific examples. There are plenty on the right starting with the religious zealots who want to impose their believes on everyone else.

Most Rev. Gregori said...

Psychological projection or projection bias -(A.K.A>- Transference) "I am doing all kinds of sneaky and nasty stuff, so everybody else IS doing it also.

Your post really hits the nail on the head. Excellent.

Speedy G said...

There are plenty on the right starting with the religious zealots who want to impose their believes on everyone else.

They're nothin' compared with the liberal zealots push-posting on this blog.

Anonymous said...

Republican DEBATE in FIVE MINUTES!

~ FT

Karen K said...

Projection is what they do best: if the left is accusing the right of doing something, you can bet they are doing whatever it is.

Bd gives a great example of this above.

Ducky's here said...

Honestly, I like Michelle Bachmann, but I could care less about the Cowboy Ken Doll.

------

Word is that Michele's husband really digs Cowboy Ken.

Anonymous said...

"Word is that Michele's husband really digs Cowboy Ken."

"Projection is what [the left does] best: if the left is accusing the right of doing something, you can bet they are doing whatever it is.

Bd gives a great example of this ..."


Apparently, Bd isn't the only one.

~ FreeThinke

Always On Watch said...

I know many Christians who are Dominionists at heart. But as a political movement, Dominionism, etc., is not a powerful force.

Even if Bachmann and Perry are Dominionists and get elected as POTUS or VP (in either order), they still have Congress as part of the balance of powers. That said, executive orders are basically legislation without the legislative process. However, both Bachmann and Perry would get in deep trouble were they to forward the Nanny State as a tool of Dominionism.

Bd said...

I see no one can give me examples but continue the loony dialogue anyway. Chrip, chirp.

Speedy G said...

^^Example^^ (push-poster)

Silverfiddle said...

Bd:

* NLRB = Union over business

* Every program that hands out money in exchange for votes

* Nationalized health care

* The New Deal

* Great Society

* Armies of regulators doing the bidding of leftwing industry-hating leftwingers...