Wrong

[Degenerate Gardner 4,081]

Is there a former political-to-be-topical belief or practice you've had in the past that you'd now identify as wrong? For example, I regret thinking that we're better than this. I take responsibility for consciously ignoring charlatans like Trump and assuming my kidneys will secrete them out or that they won't be empowered if I Just Don't Look.

Edited February 11, 2020 by Degenerate Gardner

[David Dennison 18,656]

16 minutes ago, Degenerate Gardner said:

Is there a former political-to-be-topical belief or practice you've had in the past that you'd now identify as wrong? For example, it's regret thinking that we're better than this. I take responsibility for consciously ignoring charlatans like Trump and assuming my kidneys will secrete them out or that they won't be empowered if I Just Don't Look.

I used to vote Republican.

That was very wrong.

[Chuckie Finster 22,600]

I used to laugh at people who were heavily invested in politics. I very much thought that both sides were basically the same and couldn’t understand why people got so emotional over elections. I was very, very wrong.

 

[futureman 22,415]

[Helobious 9,481]

6 minutes ago, Chuckie Finster said:

I used to laugh at people who were heavily invested in politics. I very much thought that both sides were basically the same and couldn’t understand why people got so emotional over elections. I was very, very wrong.

 

I still laugh at people heavily invested in politics. It's no different than being obsessed with an NFL team. Go cast your 1 vote and shut the hell up. People get so worked up over something they have no control over. 

[jimmyjazz 45,557]

Just now, Helobious said:

I still laugh at people heavily invested in politics. It's no different than being obsessed with an NFL team. Go cast your 1 vote and shut the hell up. People get so worked up over something they have no control over. 

Then why are you posting in this forum?

[berlinerbaer 670]

I thought Hillary was the safe choice in 2016. Whoops.

[Helobious 9,481]

8 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Then why are you posting in this forum?

Didn't realize that counted as being "heavily invested" in politics. That's sad if it does.

[Pato del Muerto 52,342]

[pyrohornIII 4,809]

I honestly thought America could not be stupid enough to fall for the vapid, conceited reality TV host.  I was wrong.   

I guess you are laughing at me, Helobius.  That's fine, but I'm going to do more than just cast my vote and shut up.  To me, that's what got us here...that sort of complacency.

[Continental Op 3,934]

I voted for Dole in 1996.

I had an Ayn Rand phase that lasted waaaaaaaaay too long.

I used to both sides so hard that I made Anastasis look like a piker.

 

 

[DeweyCox 366]

I predict another 5 years of these circle-jerk topics on this board. 

[MaybeACoordinator 8,349]

I was anti-gay marriage for a very long time because I was "thinking of the children." This was based on this one kid I knew who had two mommies. He was a total veg, as we used to say in the '80s. I think he sniffed glue or huffed paint or some shit because he was a complete regard and he wasn't born that way. So I assumed that all kids with two mommies would end up on drugs because kids were mean to them, instead of realizing he had two bad mommies and could just as easily have had a shitty mom and dad.

I ended up convincing myself of the opposite position in an unexpected way. I was in a rhetoric class and we had graded debates. My opponent chose an anti-gay marriage position and in defending the opposite position, I wound up convincing myself of its validity. And I wiped the floor in the debate vs my classmate and got an A.

[DixonHur 11,213]

I dropped out of UT to enlist during the build up to the first Gulf War because I believed that we were fighting for the freedom of Kuwait.

I now know it was all about oil.

I was also an active member of the Young Conservatives...

Come to think of it, given that my parents support Trump, if I were in college today, I'd probably be a full-blown Trumper...now that's a scary thought.

[DeweyCox 366]

I thought Trump could drain the swamp in one term. Wrong. Looks like it’s gonna take at least two. 

[bad_teammate 13,132]

Pro 2001 Afghanistan war is a big one. So much completely pointless death. Probably millions of bodies for absolutely nothing.

My active participation in O&G as the planet dies is the one for my tombstone, though. That's the heavy hitter.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,049]

I was too young to vote for Reagan, but I thought he was good for our country, especially when the Berlin wall came down. I was not mature enough to appreciate nuances nor was I a student of various political and economic ideas other than basic systems of the differences between capitalism, socialism, and communism.

I was wrong and missed the forest for the tree.

[Asithappens 974]

6 hours ago, DixonHur said:

I dropped out of UT to enlist during the build up to the first Gulf War because I believed that we were fighting for the freedom of Kuwait.

I now know it was all about oil.

I was also an active member of the Young Conservatives...

Come to think of it, given that my parents support Trump, if I were in college today, I'd probably be a full-blown Trumper...now that's a scary thought.

Thank you for your service.

But dropping out of UT to liberate Kuwait? 

Are you from Kuwait?

[WhatTheBuck 28,711]

6 hours ago, DeweyCox said:

I thought Trump could drain the swamp in one term. Wrong. Looks like it’s gonna take at least two. 

Drain it? He's filled it to overflowing. He's the Swamp Thing. This is the most corrupt administration in history. If you though he'd drain it, you were very, very wrong. 

[Fudge Nuggets 19,151]

There was a 15 minute stretch about 30 years ago that I thought trickle down economics might work.

[TXSG8R 3,360]

I thought the RNC would be able to wrangle Trump into line and would surround him with a solid cabinet to make up for his shortcomings. I also thought Trump would realize he was in way over his head and would start listening to his cabinet, especially on foreign affairs and the military. 

[Dnaguy 11,775]

I thought voting for Trump in the republican primary was smart because he was such a flawed candidate that it would lead to an easy Hillary win and a possible democratic senate majority.

That was so wrong that I am still paying for it with all the republican junk mail / polling calls due to be a registered republican now.

[Message Board User 12,389]

I once thought The GOP was the fiscally responsible party.

[jimmyjazz 45,557]

9 hours ago, Helobious said:

Didn't realize that counted as being "heavily invested" in politics. That's sad if it does.

You literally said

"Go cast your 1 vote and shut the hell up."

but you post about politics in a forum called . . . wait for it . . . "Politics - Enter at your own risk".

 

Seems to me you consider your political positions worth discussing but those of others aren't.  As the good book says,

"First, remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye."

 

Or, keep posting.  I don't care.  I just found it amusing.  For the record, in 2008 I was approximately 10% as political as I am now.  Seeing bigots do everything possible to discredit a capable POTUS because he was black, followed by the election of a dictator, will do that to a guy.

[DixonHur 11,213]

1 hour ago, Asithappens said:

Thank you for your service.

But dropping out of UT to liberate Kuwait? 

Are you from Kuwait?

Nope.  Dallas.

I just had a deep sense of duty to country and had planned to go to OCS after graduation anyway, so when Iraq invaded Kuwait I figured why not just join now.  I knew UT would still be there when I got back.

In retrospect, I guess I was a gullibleI 19 y.o., and believed that the US only fought righteous wars that made us safer at home...even after all these years, that's embarrassing to type. 

All that stuff about American exceptioalism, and fighting for our freedom abroad is just bullshit propaganda to meet enlistment goals.  99% of the time, we fight to make rich people richer.  Period.

All that said, I wouldn't trade the experience.  I needed discipline, and loved the brotherhood aspects of military life.  My grades drastically improved when I got back to school which helped me get into grad school and become the person I am today.  

[Longhornfan1024 1,707]

I thought that the majority of Republicans actually understood and cared about Christ's teachings and that the opportunistic charlatans were in the minority.  It turns out they're all fake Christians.

[Tom 2,959]

I used to believe trickle down economics worked.

[Incredulity 11,564]

I used to think only 10%-20% of the population was retarded donkeys that can't get out of their own way.

I am now convinced its much closer to 80%.

[hpslugga 4,044]

I think the better question is “what did it for you?”

In other words, what made you realize that you were wrong about these things we’re listing?

I used to be in that camp, too. Trickle down economics, peace through strength, zero tolerance, etc etc. The specific example where I realized egg was on my face was Iraqi WMD’s. I bought that shit hook, line and sinker for a few months...

 

 

 

 

 

and then I graduated high school. It wasn’t but 5 weeks into my first semester at Midwestern State that I personally witnessed my roommate being lectured with the Young Republican schtick by some eggheaded dumbass accompanied by some old, white janitor who was poofing off Barry Goldwater talking points regarding some proposal the school had about a new athletics center to be built across the street from the edge of campus. They were going on and on about how one of the professors in the Physical Education department was “getting kickbacks” from such a project and that “my heart bleeds for the kids who are going to have to pay for it.” That was all I needed to hear: conspiracy theories rooted in baseless speculation and deference to a pretend “understanding” of economics. What really buttoned it up for me though was the egghead, who was only 8 months older than me, saying to my roommate “oh you’re just too young. Someday you’ll understand.”

[Tuco 5,076]

Gay marriage: I thought civil unions was sufficient. 

Invasion of Iraq: I never bought WMDs as a compelling argument.  But I was concerned about the next Hussien generation maintaining the regime and the devastating effects of continued sanctions on the population.  I thought it was best, for all involved, to make the change.  I never really envision what that vacuum of power would lead to in Iraq.  And I didn't think we'd be there 17 years later.  And, I didn't realize what cultural effects perpetual war would have on the American culture, changes which I believe made Trump possible. 

Avoidance of party involvement: I was always political, but viewed the political parties with distrust.  Worse, I had some vision of them as a professional organization which could function fine without involvement from the public.  I still have a healthy level of distrust, but not recognize them as a weird collection of flawed individual who desperately need help to function effectively. 

Support of Israel.  This is still evolving.  When I was young, it was unquestioned.  I'm starting to question it.  There is a difference between supporting Israel, and supporting Israel no matter what.  And I am seeing the whole thing more in the context of European colonization, and finding it harder to even justify the initial basis.  Like I said, it's still evolving, and right now I have other issues I am more focused on.  

 

[Js1 85,109]

I thought it couldn’t get any stupider after Sarah Palin 

[tantric superman 4,667]

I supported the Contras.

The original bad hombres.

 

 

[wildcat09 29,243]

10 hours ago, pyrohornIII said:

I honestly thought America could not be stupid enough to fall for the vapid, conceited reality TV host.  I was wrong.   

I guess you are laughing at me, Helobius.  That's fine, but I'm going to do more than just cast my vote and shut up.  To me, that's what got us here...that sort of complacency.

Yup. The scary thing was that I considered myself pretty cynical, but it turned out that my general view of the American public was unreasonably optimistic.

[WhatTheBuck 28,711]

11 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

Yup. The scary thing was that I considered myself pretty cynical, but it turned out that my general view of the American public was unreasonably optimistic.

I've known he was a buffoon since 1983. I didn't know anything about his politics at the time. I didn't even know about my own politics yet. But I knew a buffoon when I saw one. I thought that was widely known. I had no idea that millions of Americans actually thought he was the character he portrayed on his reality tv show. I'll never comprehend how so many people can support this grotesque, incompetent, criminal moron. 

[bolverk 29,399]

11 hours ago, pyrohornIII said:

I honestly thought America could not be stupid enough to fall for the vapid, conceited reality TV host.  I was wrong.   

Guilty.

1 hour ago, Js1 said:

I thought it couldn’t get any stupider after Sarah Palin 

Also, guilty.

My worst one was actually thinking we'd maybe moved beyond race as a major wedge issue when Obama was elected. Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong. It seems I have a history of putting too much faith in the majority of my fellow White Americans.

[StruggleBus 3,922]

I was wrong to be jealous that someone had binders full of women

[hpslugga 4,044]

25 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

Yup. The scary thing was that I considered myself pretty cynical, but it turned out that my general view of the American public was unreasonably optimistic.

The even scarier thing is that Trump isn't even the first TV host we've had as President. He's the 2nd, and he's every bit the disaster as the 1st, as we all should have known he would be. 

[Rip76 4,914]

4 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Seeing bigots do everything possible to discredit a capable POTUS because he was black

I'm just curious, was it because he was black?

If say a conservative black man won the 2008 election, would that also be true?

[jimmyjazz 45,557]

Just now, Rip76 said:

I'm just curious, was it because he was black?

Really?  What other driving force do you think was behind the stonewalling and birtherism regarding our first black President, who happened to be a fairly business-friendly moderate?

Come on.

[hpslugga 4,044]

Just now, Rip76 said:

I'm just curious, was it because he was black?

If say a conservative black man won the 2008 election, would that also be true?

Would half of democratic voters believe a Herman Cain or a Ben Carson was born in a foreign country? Would another quarter of them "not be sure" about that? 

[zork 629]

Pierre Delecto was a clever girl.

[Jiggy-Z 3,432]

OK .  I'll say it.  Abortion.

I still find the practice totally counter to the directive that all life on earth has to procreate and that there needs to be some limit on when it is too late to go through with it.

But I will not let it become a one issue political decision for me for a number of reasons:

1. Since Roe v. Wade we have had a number of republican presidents appoint conservative judges and had two southern democrats in the white house as well.  If there was going to be a change in the law it would have already been done.  This issue has been nothing more than a dangling carrot and a smoke screen to somehow claim the moral high ground.

2. No matter how you look at it, there is simply no way from a legal perspective that any governing body can hold superior rights over that of the mother.

3. If you really hate abortion then there are more effective ways to prevent it...  and I don't just mean education, religion, or shoring up of "moral" values of the Drs. and women. The stigma needs to be removed.  The prospective children need to be welcomed into the human race .  I envision a world where abortion was legal but almost no one would avail themselves of the procedure because there would almost be no reason to do it.

As to the when, it has been a process.  I knocked up my girlfriend in college and we had the kid.  To this day, I like that it was a choice, and that it changed my life and brought me a son that I was happy to raise.  It also brought financial hardship, a divorce, and bunch of other stuff, but I am proud to have weathered all of that.

Growing up catholic, I had many of my relatives who would picket clinics, try to change laws, go to rallies etc.  Before we had our son I was all in on that stuff.  However, once he was born it all kind of felt hollow and ineffective to me.  I had my suspicions that a lot of those people were harboring some guilt over their own actions...which was somewhat confirmed when I got into a few men's church retreats and learned that around half of the participants had paid for abortions or been a party to them. So I finally figured the best way to promote life was to be open about my life and not hide things from my past and do the best job I could with my kid with the idea that some guy or girl out there would also realize they could be OK too.

And if for some reason somebody wanted to go through with it, not to be judgmental and let them know God too would understand.  After all, if I could show kindness and understating and dare I say, forgiveness then how could god be any less forgiving than me.

[Rip76 4,914]

5 hours ago, hpslugga said:

Would half of democratic voters believe a Herman Cain or a Ben Carson was born in a foreign country? Would another quarter of them "not be sure" about that? 

That I can’t answer for sure.  I believe McCain’s birthplace was an issue if I can remember that far back.

[hpslugga 4,044]

Just now, Rip76 said:

That I can’t answer for sure.  I believe McCain’s birthplace was an issue if I can remember that far back.

You’re evading the bigger issue. Either that or you’re just flat out missing it.

Again, nearly half of admitted republicans stated in various polls that they definitely believed Obama wasn’t born in the US.

To quote Bill Maher, “I once joked that Trump was the son of an orangutan and he sued me for it…but it didn’t become a foundational belief of the Democratic party”

The same applied to McCain. That never became a bedrock issue in the way that Orly Taitz’ nonsense did throughout Obama’s presidency. 

The idea that the same would happen to a Herman Cain or a Ben Carson is a rectally derived one borne entirely out of political whataboutism and bothsiderism.

[WhatTheBuck 28,711]

2 hours ago, Rip76 said:

That I can’t answer for sure.  I believe McCain’s birthplace was an issue if I can remember that far back.

Prove it or it didn't happen. 

[formermav43 4,599]

10 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Prove it or it didn't happen. 

A Hint of New Life to a McCain Birth Issue

There was a very real ‘birther’ debate about John McCain

[WhatTheBuck 28,711]

22 minutes ago, formermav43 said:

A Hint of New Life to a McCain Birth Issue

There was a very real ‘birther’ debate about John McCain

That came up in response to a post mentioning Herman Cain and I mistakenly took the reply to be about Cain and not McCain. I was wrong about that. There certainly was no birther campaign against Herman Cain. 

There wasn't against John McCain either. I remember some talk about that but it was never a big deal. Obama was born in Hawaii and the birther campaign, with Donald Trump as its chief promoter, falsely alleged that he was born in Kenya. John McCain really was born in Panama so there was a legitimate legal question there. The Democrats defended him as pointed out in that WaPo article. The two situations really aren't similar at all. 

[Js1 85,109]

Obama born in Kenya - wrong, birthed lie

Cruz born in Canada and McCain born in panama - actual facts 

 

[WhatTheBuck 28,711]

30 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Obama born in Kenya - wrong, birthed lie

Cruz born in Canada and McCain born in panama - actual facts 

Both sides!

[Bateshorn 9,899]

I used to be ardently pro death penalty.  I now recognize it's a barbaric and self defeating policy. 

Honestly, I thought for years what the African American political community was telling us about virulent racism was a thing of the past.  I was so, so, so wrong.

 

Edited February 12, 2020 by Bateshorn