I love that you used "TAO" here in your thread title.

The word "tao" is translated as "way", "road", "method", "technique" or "principle". As a concept, Tao is the most important topic in the philosophical Taoism. The Tao is the model of conduct to be followed by the Taoist disciples. It is also the method (way) of attaining the unity with the Great Tao, the very goal of the Taoist philosophy. The word "tao" points further to the abilities of someone: a good archer, musician, painter or writer it was supposed to have his/her own tao. Chinese sovereigns showed very much interest in the gifted people - they were invited at the court, put to the test, and rewarded properly when they proved their skill.

The most important aspects of Tao are its unremarkable, unnoticed, everyday workings - "the softest thing in the world overcomes the hardest".

Because all beings are manifestations of Tao, Tao - by definition - gives of itself wholly and completely to each.

All things arise from Tao. They are nourished by Virtue. They are formed from matter. They are shaped by environment. Thus the ten thousand things all respect Tao and honour Virtue. Respect of Tao and honour of Virtue are not demanded. But they are in the nature of things. Therefore all things arise from Tao. By Virtue they are nourished, developed, cared for, sheltered, comforted, grown and protected. Creating without claiming; doing without taking credit; guiding without interfering - this is Primal Virtue.


Obama is indeed very much in synch with Tao and Taoism. I think that is very important.   Thanks for pointing that out!

 

The Psychopathology of The Republican

By Richard Greene

Fear, Domination, The Reptilian Brain and The Non-Goodness of Man

Republicans are different.  We must understand them in order to reason with them.
 
As proud Republicans begin their convention in earnest in Minnesota today it might be a good time to reflect on why a dedicated, patriotic, intelligent adult would choose to be a Republican.
 
It was a question that always haunted me - until Dennis Prager, super dedicated, super patriotic and unbelievably intelligent Republican - answered it, ironically at the Democratic Convention last week in Denver.
 
Thank you, Dennis
 
The answer came at the beginning of a debate I moderated at the Seachange Ideas Forum at The Starz Green Room, a refreshingly deep and cordial debate between Dennis, famed right wing talk show host and Thom Hartmann, my colleague on Air America, one of the most brilliant Progressive minds in the country.
 
What I learned helps me understand why Republicans are hawks, why they still give George W. Bush a 67% approval rating compared to 29% from the public at large (USA Today/Gallup Poll, August 23, 2008) and why FEAR plays such a vast role in the lives of Republicans.  Here is a summary and some analysis.   
 
Basic Belief About Mankind
 
Underlying everything, Dennis Prager made this bold statement:
 
"I don't think we're basically good, as it happens/  And that is at least a theoretical political divide . . .   It is so obvious to me that people are not basically good that I stand in awe of those who think that people are basically good.  You have no evidence for it.   . . . Babies are not good . . .  What is so good about a baby . . .   This notion that we are born good is nonsense . . . We don't start off good.  This is fantasy . . . We aren't basically good.  People stink as a rule. . . ."    Waterboard the fuckers, I say !
 
Forever On Guard Against Evil
 
If Dennis Prager speaks for most or all Republicans and Conservatives, there are huge practical consequences to this life philosophy. Yeah, the TAO of Republicanism ! As a result of this core, existential belief, Republicans/Conservatives must, above all, always be on guard against evil.  Saddam Hussein, Hitler and others. then, are overwhelming evidence that, if not vigilant and fearful, the inherent non-goodness of mankind could erupt, like a bad case of herpes, the virus lying dormant, for ever, in the collective nervous system of mankind.
 
Dominate (Before You Are Dominated)
 
Having to be on guard, leads to another core belief, according to famed author Rianne Eisler.  She writes,  in "The Power of Partnership" that fear leads to a life philosophy and political philosophy of  "Domination" rather than the less fear based and more evolved "Partnership" model.  Dominate before you are dominated.  Fear partnership because, as Dennis explained, individuals are NOT good and, ultimately, can not be trusted, no matter what "agreements" you might negotiate.
 
The Party of Domination
 
The Republican Party is a party of domination, not partnership.  Dominate the earth - drill, excavate and justify all and any penetration and exercise of control by denying that we humans could even contribute to climate change.  Dominate Iraq, because they and their evil leader could someday dominate us.  Dominate/attack Iran for the same reason.  Fight for your interpretation of The 2nd Amendment because only by having unlimited access to guns can we dominate if and when necessary to suppress those that want to hurt us.   Use Lee Atwater tactics and, now, Karl Rove tactics to try to control all branches of government.  And, for some who may be even more desperate, use corrupted electronic voting machines and steal elections (on the ground or from The Supreme Court) because it is necessary.  All is justified because only "we" are strong enough and understand the true threat of domination that others present.  Being dominated is not an option.
 
It is Republicans, Not Democrats, Who Are Inherently Weak and Need A Strong Protector to Feel Safe
 
And that leads us to the ultimate irony about Republicans.  They are hawks, they are tough, they go nuts about the concept of negotiating (unless there are preconditions that can preserve the domination and superiority) and appeasement . . . precisely because they are afraid.  They are afraid and Democrats, those "weak," "Neville Chamberlain loving", "pacifist tree huggers" are actually LESS afraid.    
 
But isn't it always the case. Rush Limbaugh, the bombastic hawk, got a deferment from service in Vietnam.  So did Dick Cheney, five times and we all know that Bush, the cowboy who is genuinely afraid of horses, did not choose to go into battle when he had the chance.  And just like the many gay Republicans who lashed out against homosexuality over the years, it is this unwillingness to face one's own nature and one's own demons that threatens our country. What Exo has been saying all along  It is always the case that the bully is more insecure than those he bullies.  
 
Sincere, win-win negotiation and partnership with our enemies and the world is, without question, the least fearful and most effective way to eliminate war and to make our country and the world safer.  Goddamn LIBERAL spin ! Yet, the specter of putting down the implements of warfare and adopting a softer approach so ignites the "Oh Daddy, protect me from the bogeyman in the closet" fears of those who are fearful and weak, that they must lash out against it.  One would think that Neville Chamberlain was even more evil than Hitler - that is how scary it is for Republicans to not have a strong father running the show to protect them.  Dr. George Lakoff brilliantly discusses this in his fine work yet the perception of Republicans as "tough" still remains.
 
Bush, Thompson, Guiliani, Palin, McCain Speeches
 
Watch for this recurring theme in all of the Republican speeches and even Joe Lieberman who has adopted the fear of his Republican brothers and sisters.  You will hear three major things that come from this underlying philosophy of "mankind is not good", the TAO of Republicanism !  "we must dominate so as not to be dominated".   
1.  We must "Win" the "War on Terror"
2.  Our opponents are "weak."  This will be communicated in dozens of different ways.
3.  Only we are strong enough to put "Country First" and protect America.
 
The Republican/Reptilian Brain
 
But the Republicans have to emphasize and re-emphasize these themes because, in reality, Barack Obama is, tougher than John McCain.  Obama's foreign policy is not one that acts out of childish fear but one who is, himself, afraid, can never see this through their overriding screen of fear.  The neurology of the human brain, as Dr. Drew Westin and so many neurologists teach us, is such that when you can make people afraid, nothing - not rational thought, nor any other emotion except fear - can be engaged in or experienced.  The Hind Brain, popularly called "The Reptilian Brain" responds first and overwhelms the higher Limbic and Neo Cortex parts of the brain.  And as long as the "Fight or Flight" response of our Reptilian Brain is triggered, we, as individuals and as a nation, can never escape the fear pattern.  Abraham Maslow understood this many years ago with his Hierarchy of Human Needs which says, among other things, that human beings will be frozen in their development as long as they feel they do not have safety or security.  
 
And having Osama bin Laden out there, un-captured, he's been dead since 2001 but don't tell a soul as the eternal bogeyman, is one way to keep that Reptilian brain activated.   
A dear friend of mine, a very successful person in the media who is otherwise very socially liberal confirmed this for me.  This very savvy man admitted to me that he is "obsessed with" and "petrified by" Osama bin Laden.  He even did so publicly on my radio show.
 
I do not believe that babies or even adults are not good, Dennis.  I believe that human beings are, indeed, inherently good and given the right soil, sunlight and water, will blossom into productive and caring members of society, participating and contributing in positive ways.  It is the role of that other thing you are afraid of, "Government", oops ! that would include LIBERTARIANS...? nothing more than the collective of our individual assets and desires, to help cultivate that soil and provide the opportunities and the social justice to bring out the inherent good.  Promulgate fear and prejudice and we lay the seeds for the weeds of the lesser qualities, of individuals and our country, to take root and grow. more LIBERAL twist & spin, don't believe a word of it
 
The Republican psychology, or psychopathology, is borne of fear and weakness and, thus promulgates both.  As one of our strongest Presidents, a Democrat who won a real war with a legitimate enemy said,  "The only thing to fear is fear itself."  Well, today, in light of the continual "boogeymaning" of the country, we might paraphrase President Roosevelt.  "The only thing to fear is fear itself and those who stoke it and those who profit from it.  In other words, the only thing to fear is . . . those who reject the basic goodness of man, those who huddle in St. Paul this week and many of those who call themselves "Republicans".
 
Our response to this dangerous psychopathology that will be on full display this week in St. Paul is, above all, to understand the dysfunction, not to attack it.  Rejecting the dysfunction of another often causes one to retreat further into it, to justify with even more force that which is essential to their current identity.  As a communication strategist who greatly appreciates the importance of human psychology I suggest that the communication of the Democratic cause and the future of our country depend on allowing those who are stuck in fear of mankind and stuck in the Reptilian part of their brain to know that we, at least, acknowledge that fear and their reality.  No communication is ever possible without the sharing of some commonality, to be, in at least some small way, on the same "wavelength."   So, while the dangerous Neo-con, domination based ideas, ironically, threaten the very safety of our great country, we must step back and, as if we were coaxing a scared third grader to get out of bed and open the closet door, treat our fellow Republican citizens with love and respect, listen to them and, gently, help them feel safe in ways that do not always involve guns or bombs. maybe tomorrow

http://airamerica.com/clout/blog/2008/sep/02/psychopathology-republican

 

Got anything good to say about McCain? Or is it just about tearing down the other side?




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
*crickets*

You filling in for beaker?

zipper wrote:
  Truth?  What, you think there aren't enough bullshit lies out there about Obama?

When we talk about "Truthiness" I start to think about Colbert.  Is he still running for President?



(Personally, I vote for PIE)

Link to O's "Plan for Change" translated because the video seems to be too popular to post tonight.

 zipper wrote: 
I'm not sure what this is conveying - $6k in PAC money, $120k coming from individual employees of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, out of a total $4.8 million donated to all campaigns.  That $120,000 is also out of a total of $389,423,102 that the Obama campaign has raised.  This amount represented 3 cents of every $100 that Obama has raised in his campaign for president. 

92 cents of every $100 dollars McCain raised came from employees of "Big Oil" in between chants of "Drill, Baby, Drill" (Obama's total is 12 cents of every $100), and there is this as well...

The Keating $50,000

That amount is 50 cents of every $100 that McCain raised.  (This doesn't count the 20k that he has received from employees of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.) 

So, Obama takes in less than a 3 cents out of every $100 from employees of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and 12 cents out of every $100 from "Big Oil" — while McCain takes in 92 cents ouf of every $100 from "Big Oil", and 50 cents out of every $100 from Keating and inviduals at the law firm that have been convicted of defrauding investors and costing the taxpayers $3.4 billion due to that fraud.

Unless I made a math mistake, then considering the numbers in context, I know which ones I find more concerning...

Hey! Remember when O went to Iraq this summer?

Barack Obama went to Iraq and interfered with the diplomatic efforts of the elected United States government, in a war zone no less, by telling the Iraqis to stop negotiating with the President.

His national security spokeswoman Wendy Morigi assures us (in that link) that, in fact, Obama had told the Iraqis that they should not rush through a "Strategic Framework Agreement" governing the future of US forces until after President George W. Bush leaves office.

hmmmm... Logan Act, anyone?

These are merely the top three recipients. Click the link to see all recipients.

All Recipients of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Campaign Contributions, 1989-2008 (um, that's a lot of years)

Name	Office	State	Party	Grand Total	Total from PACs	Total from Individuals
Dodd, Christopher J	S	CT	D	$165,400	$48,500	$116,900
Obama, Barack	S	IL	D	$126,349	$6,000	$120,349
Kerry, John	S	MA	D	$111,000	$2,000	$109,000