Why Ricochet?
We talked about this on the chat and the election live podcast tonight:
What is the point of Ricochet? The last month or so most of us were convinced that Romney would win this thing. Some of us even drank the Kool-Aid of a Romney landslide. As tonight has shown us we were horribly, terribly, excruciatingly wrong. What happened?
Everything we were saying seemed so reasonable, so well thought out, so logical. The polls and the liberal media were just biased and foolish. But they were right and we were wrong. That makes us seem like the crazy ones. In the depths of my dispair I wonder if we are just a self-reinforcing feedback loop? Are we just hiding behind our paywall mocking the liberals while the world burns around us?
Hopefully I can get Rob Long (and as many of the other Ricochet contributors as possible) to weigh in on this. On the podcast Rob started saying that we need to get out there and change people's minds. How do we even start when we have completely lost the media and the schools and the colleges & universities? How do we convince millions of Americans that the media is lying to them when the media was vindicated and we look so foolish?
And can we even wait for more years? Even with the House of Representatives, the Democrats can rule by fiat. President Obama can issue executive orders, create regulations and make appointments galore. He can instruct his cabinet and their departments to ignore enforcing laws he doesn't like and start changing their rules.
So why Ricochet? Why now? We need to do some deep soul-searching.
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Comments:
May '12
Re: Why Ricochet?
I don't think the point of Ricochet is self congratulation and wishful thinking.
This can be a great forum for serious analysis of issues and reasoned debate on solutions.
I think that Ricochet's members are a very bright, thoughtful crew, but also given to occasionally fits of crowd think mass hysteria. It happens to the best of us.
Oct '12
Re: Why Ricochet?
Yes and Yes. Time to broaden our horizons.
Feb '12
Re: Why Ricochet?
My father has long believed he would be witness too the end times and the Second Coming. I never really bought into that timeline. I figured it would be many many more generations before things got that bad for humanity. But this (it ain't over till the rooster sings) loss reminds me that we, humans, aren't meant to last forever. Our very existence is a lesson in inexorable entropy. The long-term arc of history put us on a collision course with apocalypse. It very well could be that this is a part of the Grand Plan, and we should just protect our families as best we can, look Heavenward for strength, and carry on.
Feb '12
Re: Why Ricochet?
And take back the schools!
Sep '12
Re: Why Ricochet?
This country has become so completely divided, and the two cultures so completely alien to one another, that there are really two enormous cocoons in which people keep themselves. It's a little easier, I think, for conservatives in blue areas, and liberals in red areas, since they are constantly rubbing up against the opposition, but with the internet, it's become even easier for people to just stick to their own side and never the twain shall meet. It also breeds resentment -- whenever someone pokes their head out of their burrow, they are subjected to slings and arrows from emboldened opponents. This worries me enormously -- I don't know that either side really can communicate to the other anymore. And I'm usually a hardcore optimist when it comes to human nature. ENJOY THE BUFFET!
Jul '10
Re: Why Ricochet?
?Is this not like 32 (and 36 and 40). ?Have we not now seen an American electorate that doesn't care about liberty, freedom, and all those things that drove the original compact that formed this nation.
People here are by-and-large rational. They view history, data, and philosophy with understanding. But the nation just isn't smart enough to understand that anymore it seems. There may be numerous reasons for that, but certainly ONE is a lack of understanding what this nation once stood for - and what this president has trashed.
We are in for tough times it would seem. And perhaps, contrary to Kirsten's comments about how "extreme" the Tea Party is, the republican party may be shedding its RINO's, it's moderates, its non-conservatives in the near future and we enter a new phase of political discourse. One that no longer tries to be "nice" - as Romney did.
Apr '11
Re: Why Ricochet?
Yes. Americans have been brainwashed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeMZGGQ0ERk
Until you address the source of the brainwashing, everything else will be in vain.
Apr '11
Re: Why Ricochet?
I think the same. I cannot quite grasp being so wrong about what was occurring. I need to take a break from all of this and come back later and see what I need to understand to make the changes worth making.
But it going to be hard to take a continuation of these four years, the loss of the Senate and probably the Supreme Court for a generation....
There was such hope we could stop all of this. Now, I am sure I could vote the next time for revenge....it is so demeaning, but I am obviously not the person I wanted to be either
Apr '11
Re: Why Ricochet?
Look, liberals have become experts at The Game. They obsess over government and politics and how to win because they have no passion for ideas. Sure, you can say they believe in socialism or big government or whatnot, but those ideas are a means to an end. There are few old school intellectual marxists left.
I don't know. Personally, I take some solace in that I was able to largely resist completely buying into a lot of the rationalizations coming from our side. While I hoped they were true, my gut was never sold. At least something works.
Mar '11
Re: Why Ricochet?
At the risk of stating the obvious, Ricochet isn’t the problem. It isn’t why Romney lost. Most Americans chose more of the same continued decline. Ya gotta admit Obama’s team played what should have been a losing hand well. Nobody ever said you can’t fool some of the people all of the time. I despair for our country.
Jul '12
Re: Why Ricochet?
I knew too many smart people that bought the lie Obama was spewing. People believe what they want to believe and maybe the suffering isn't great enough to wake up the brain dead masses. I really fear what will happen to this country as the past 4 years have been so blatantly decisive.
Jul '11
Re: Why Ricochet?
Who is John Galt?
Mar '11
Re: Why Ricochet?
Taking a chance and embracing optimism is not "drinking the kool-aid" it is hoping for the best, for our nation and of our fellow Americans. The only true failure is to give into despair.
The House controls the budget. It has always been the most powerful branch of government but in years past far too timid to exercise it. Let Obama issue all the executive orders he pleases, give him no funds to enforce such orders. If the American people have voted for gridlock then that is what we must provide.
Apr '11
Re: Why Ricochet?
I believe the start is a complete collapse of the American civilization... What luck, I see one on the horizon.
Sep '10
Re: Why Ricochet?
I'm thinking tactically. They're gonna come at us hammer and tong about being obstructionists. We've got to buck up those tea party freshmen.
Jul '12
Re: Why Ricochet?
The leadership in the house will have to change then Beohner is much too timid to stand up to this kind of pressure. He'll buckle at first glance we need stronger leadership to deal with this administration .
May '10
Re: Why Ricochet?
Americans want less Freedom and more looting.
Aug '10
Re: Why Ricochet?
I wanted Professor Rahe to be right. But there were SEVERAL voices that tried to raise caution (Long & Robinson, not to mention). There is nothing wrong with trying to be optimistic and hoping for the best. I doubted the whole internals are more prescient than the top line of the polls myself. However, I listened intently to his arguments.
That said, the point of Ricochet isn't about polls and predictions. It's about ideas, conservative ones. We come here to discuss our ideas for solving the countries problems. Just because many here couldn't predict the election outcome doesn't mean the ideas that we espouse are wrong.
Let us continue talking about ideas. And let's also add a new focus. How do we convince MORE people that our ideas are superior? Face it, the demographics of our country are going to make this tougher each cycle.
We're going the route of California. We need to actually understand the concerns of those who are persuadable. What is it we can do to persuade? Simply put, we need to become conservative "evangelicals." Let us spread the word until every last American hears and understands our ideas!
Oct '10
Re: Why Ricochet?
Michael Hornback:
We're going the route of California. We need to actually understand the concerns of those who are persuadable. What is it we can do to persuade? Simply put, we need to become conservative "evangelicals." Let us spread the word until every last American hears and understands our ideas! · 2 minutes ago
How are we to spread that word behind our paywall in our insulated niche? I want desperately to believe in Ricochet but my faith is shaken to the core.
Aug '12
Re: Why Ricochet?
I'm not sure why questioning the need for Ricochet or soul searching is necessary. Romney's comments that people like the fact that they get more from the govt than they give it is why he lost. We ran the right candidate, with the right message who ran an excellent campaign- nearly pulled the thing off. The country has continued the Obama error and given us another victory for affirmative action. I know it's not necessarily kosher....but we CAN just blame the people. Dissolve the electorate and elect a new one?