Difference between revisions of "Political cards"

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| purview of extremists
 
| purview of extremists
 
|-
 
|-
|Third rail card
+
| insensitive card
|Proposals to reform [[Social Security]] result in political suicide.
+
| failure to behave in a [[politically correct]] manner.
|Under President Obama, Social Security for the first time in its history, has a negative cash flow and has been paying out more in benefits than the cash it demands from younger workers.<ref>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/15/6273181-obama-agenda-social-security-still-the-third-rail</ref>
+
|
|Slander your opponent for proposing solutions.
+
| ostracizing others among the unenlightened masses leads to feelings of superiority.
|Political and economic stagnation.
+
| not everyone keeps up to date on the lastest liberal [[tripe]].
|-
+
|[[Dominionist]] card
+
|implies [[evangelical]] [[Christian]]s want to impose an [[Iran]]ian style [[theocracy]] on the United States.
+
|Used by [[misogynist]]s to attack [[Michelle Bachmann]]. [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/KeepLeft/michele-bachmann-john-quincy-adams_n_885868_94606213.html]
+
|appeals to the fears of [[atheist]]s and religious bigots.
+
|based on social [[pseudoscience]], [[propaganda]], and journalistic hacks.
+
 
|-
 
|-
 
| over-sensitive card
 
| over-sensitive card
Line 104: Line 98:
 
|Most people care about money and fairness.
 
|Most people care about money and fairness.
 
|Seems hypocritical if the person using the strategy is wealthy (like most liberal politicians) or benefits from capitalism (like all Americans)  
 
|Seems hypocritical if the person using the strategy is wealthy (like most liberal politicians) or benefits from capitalism (like all Americans)  
|-
 
|millionaires and billionaires card
 
|[[class warfare]]
 
|[[President Obama]] said on June 29, 2011, "I'm proposing we get rid of tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires." <ref>The ''[[Washington Post]]'' Fact Checker column said, "in the context of a $4 trillion goal, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/the-missing-facts-in-president-obamas-news-conference/2011/06/29/AGpQMPrH_blog.html it is essentially meaningless]. The item is so small the White House could not even provide an estimate of the revenue that would be raised, but other estimates suggest it would amount to $3 billion over 10 years."</ref>
 
|appeals to voters motivated by [[envy]]
 
|politicians that use it are dependent on campaign contributions from millionaires and billionaires.
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|fundamentalist card
 
|fundamentalist card
Line 140: Line 128:
 
|Old stand-by in the arsenal of liberal slander attacks.
 
|Old stand-by in the arsenal of liberal slander attacks.
 
|Attempts to ostracize and criminalize an emotional disorder. Many if not most homophobes are gay.
 
|Attempts to ostracize and criminalize an emotional disorder. Many if not most homophobes are gay.
|-
 
|"Responsible" Republicans card
 
|Used to imply a few Republicans, mostly [[RINO]]s, are "responsible."
 
|"During the health care battle, President Obama was unable to find a single Responsible Republican." <ref>http://www.slate.com/id/2251101/</ref>
 
|Who killed Responsible Republicans? [[Bill Kristol]], of course. <ref>Ibid.</ref>
 
|In 1990 President [[George H.W. Bush]] was hailed as a Responsible Republican for breaking his "read my lips" pledge.
 
|-
 
| abortion card
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|gun nut card
 
|slurs anyone who wants to take away defensive weapons
 
|
 
|
 
|angers those with guns
 
|-
 
|working families card
 
|class warfare
 
|See Democratic Talking Points, [[2008_Democratic_National_Convention#Democratic_National_Convention|2008 Presidential Nominating Convention]], from the ''[[New York Times]]''. [http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/democrats-talking-points-on-the-convention/]
 
|Postures [[Democrat]]s as advocates for people who hold jobs and have children.
 
|Politicians who employ such rhetoric invariably work to pass legislation that destroys jobs and undermines families.
 
|-
 
| against teacher-led prayer in our public schools card
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|[[Godwin's Law|Godwin]] card
 
|invoking the name of Hitler.
 
|Liberal [[George_Soros#2004_Presidential_Elections_in_the_United_States|George Soros]] likened the Bush administration to the Nazi regime.
 
|appeals to emotion and extremists, and less educated leftists.
 
|typical oppressive tactic.
 
|-
 
| liberal mocking card
 
| mocking a conservative opponent rather than dealing with substantive issues
 
| ''The Daily Show''
 
|
 
| makes person look petty
 
|-
 
|[[Liberal redefinition]] card
 
| changing the definition of a word to suit one's purposes
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
| trickle down card
 
| anti-free market agitprop
 
| [[Nobel Laureate]] [[Paul Krugman]] claims GOP Zombies will eat Obama's brain for extending the Bush tax cuts. <ref>[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2010/12/20/paul-krugman-says-gop-zombies-are-going-eat-obamas-brain Paul Krugman Says GOP 'Zombies' Are Going to Eat Obama's Brain], ''Newsbusters.</ref>
 
| apparently there is a ready market for hyperbole and fear among leftists.
 
| Ignores the fact the Reagan reforms gave birth to the longest, most extended era of peacetime prosperity in U.S. history.<ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204251404574344230339019304.html</ref>
 
|-
 
| misuse of statistics card
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
| Islamophobia card
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|Patriot card
 
|Seeks to paint loyal Americans as racist.
 
| "patriotism is little more than a disguised form of racism"<ref>http://atheism.about.com/od/politicspoliticalissues/a/problempride_2.htm</ref>
 
|Some "Patriot movement" groups call for tighter immigration control.
 
|Democrats can be sensitive to the charge of being unpatriotic.
 
|-
 
|Immigration card
 
|implies Democrats are sympathetic to a person's immigration status, despite the fact there is no historical record of legislative achievements in this area.
 
|The promised [[DREAM Act|Obama Dream Act]], a "cynical exercise in political charades", failed to pass the Democratic controlled Senate, 55-41.
 
|Seeks to pit voters against each other along racial and ethnic lines, which Democrats view as a win.
 
|Most immigrants come to America seeking conservative values, such as a [[right to work]], lower taxes, being free of big government oppression, etc.
 
|-
 
|free speech card
 
|cry "free speech," "free speech" for everything offensive to Christianity, while censoring the truth and limiting political speech
 
| [[Supreme Court]] ruled exotic dancing protected free expression but disallowed a high school football team's pregame prayer under the same grounds.
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
| cherry picking data card
 
| selectively picking out cases that support one's arguments from a wide variety of material and ignoring all the cases that don't
 
|
 
|
 
| dishonest and easy to point out counterexamples
 
|-
 
| never-admitting-a-mistake card
 
| inability to admit a mistake; lack of [[Essay:Quantifying Openmindedness|openmindness]]
 
| [[Thomas Sowell]] writes, (a) goals are redefined after the fact to give the public the illusion of success; (b) bad motives are ascribed to the opposition or society in general; (c) good intentions of the anointed are highlighted; and (d) they attack the accuracy of the data showing failure. <ref>Thomas Sowell, [http://nobsblog.blogspot.com/2002/12/vision-of-anointed-by-thomas-sowell.html ''The Vision of the Anointed]'', Chap. 2.</ref>
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
| nativist card
 
|
 
| Opposition to the Ground Zero mosque.
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|Nixon's Southern Strategy card
 
|implies Richard Nixon appealed to Southern Democrats and racists after Lyndon Johnson passed the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]].
 
| "probably the biggest lie that's been told to the blacks since Woodrow Wilson segregated the federal government" <ref>[http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8123561/nixons_southern_strategy.html Nixon's Southern Strategy: The Democrat-Lie Keeping Their Control Over the Black Community], Ken Raymond, June 6, 2011. associatedcontent from Yahoo.</ref>
 
|labels Southerners as racist.
 
|ignores the fact that (1) Richard Nixon did not carry the South; a Democrat, [[George Wallace]] received 49 [[electoral votes]] exclusively from the South; and (2) passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act was entirely dependent on Republican votes with Democrats in both houses voting against passage.<ref>Final tally in the House among Republicans was 138 to 34; Democrats 152-96; in the Senate 21 Democrats voted against passage while only 6 Republicans opposed. [http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/12/13/194350.shtml]</ref>
 
|-
 
|neo-confederate card
 
|implies [[Civil War]] buffs want to bring back [[segregation]] and [[slavery]].
 
|On the 150th anniversary of start of the Civil War, [[MSNBC]]'s liberal hosts never missed an opportunity to associate today's conservative movement with the [[Confederacy]], [[secession]], [[slavery]] and racism.<ref>http://www.mrc.org/cmi/eyeonculture/2011/_MSNBCs_UnCivil_War_on_the_Right.html</ref>
 
|intimidating to conservative Bluedog Democrats.
 
|may backfire and evoke [[bipartisanship]].
 
|-
 
|redneck card
 
|implication rural inhabitants are uneducated and possibly racist
 
|most often applied to [[Ron Paul]] supporters
 
|pejorative aimed at Bluedog Democrats, [[Red State]] dwellers, and others in flyover country.
 
|When motivated, this group forms an important part of a center-right majority.
 
|-
 
|[[NASCAR]] card
 
|insinuates NASCAR fans are uneducated and racist
 
|NASCAR fans tend to vote Republican.<ref>http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/04/24/109269/-Why-do-NASCAR-Fans-Vote-Republican</ref>
 
|Republicans failed to balance the budget by cutting $7.4 million from the [[Pentagon]]'s sponsorship of NASCAR for Army recruiting. <ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/sports/autoracing/19nascar.html</ref>
 
|NASCAR has an estimated 75 million fans.
 
|-
 
| bitter and cling to guns or religion card
 
| Why don't common people vote Democrat?
 
| Used by Obama and [[Howard Dean]].
 
| Attempts to justify Democrat's failure to coffeehouse liberals, and persuade hick voters by belittling them.
 
| Insulting to average voters.
 
|-
 
| denying [[Biblical scientific foreknowledge]] card
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
| [[Anti-Americanism|Anti-American]] card
 
| Denying [[ American exceptionalism|American exceptionalism]]. Trouts out false examples of how European countries have better standard of living.
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
| [[Deceit|deceit]] card
 
| Lies or distorts truth in order to win argument.
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
| [[Poe's law|Poe's]] card
 
| Impersonation of [[Conservatives]] to discredit their positions.Liberals often create straw men during this impersonation. 
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
| Elite card
 
| claiming that a policy benefits the rich and powerful
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
| Compassion card
 
| arguing someone must be right because he has more compassion
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
| Hypocrite card
 
| claiming some inconsistency in positions
 
| pro-lifer must oppose death penalty
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
| Guilt by association card
 
| insinuating that someone is bad because he was once in the same room with some extremist
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
| Google bomb card
 
| sabotaging Google searches
 
| [[Rick Santorum]]
 
|
 
|
 
'''Political cards''' are tactics used by [[liberals]] in politics, the media, and other adversarial settings in order to appeal to emotion or even prejudice rather than reason.  The term is a metaphor for what happens in the card game of [[bridge]], where one card can be played to "trump" (defeat) all other cards.  Indeed, there are 52 political cards, just as in a deck of cards for bridge.
 
 
In contrast with most card games, however, a political card can be played at any time, no matter how irrational or irrelevant to the topic.  Many liberal articles and commentaries consist of little more playing one or more political cards.
 
 
A card is "played" when one side relies on a particular issue in order to gain an often-unjustified upper hand in the debate or controversy.
 
 
Liberals have had a difficult time playing a [[political card]] against the [[Tea Party Movement]], due to its amorphous nature.
 
 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
 
|-
 
!Political card
 
!Meaning
 
!Example
 
!Advantage
 
!Disadvantage
 
|-
 
|sexist card
 
|allegations men are ignorant slobs and women need a protected status as a voting block within the Democratic party.
 
|[[Lawrence Summers]] was driven from his presidency of [[Harvard]] for merely mentioning the possibility that women may not have as much aptitude for math as men
 
|safe haven for angry liberals and women
 
|implies women are helpless unless they receive special treatment from the government
 
|-
 
|[[race card]]
 
|Bringing race into a debate by suggesting that criticism is racially motivated or that one's opponent is racist
 
|Used effectively to silence criticism of Obama in 2008
 
|prove you're not a racist is like saying, "when did you stop beating your wife?"
 
|the boy who cried wolf.
 
|-
 
| Mediscare card
 
| Scare grandpa and grandma into thinking their government benefits will be cut off
 
| Used to win a special congressional election for a [[Democrat]] in a [[Republican]]-leaning district in [[New York]] in 2011
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|hate speech card
 
|Anything that highlights or is critical of the historical record of liberal governance.
 
|The [[Obama administration]] has used the [[FCC]] to harass and intimidate what it considers its media critics. <ref>http://spectator.org/archives/2009/10/20/fcc-church-conspiracy-to-silen/print#</ref>
 
|programmed response for liberal failures.
 
|mimics liberal talking points
 
|-
 
|[[Xenophobia]] card
 
|Bringing country of origin into a debate by suggesting that criticism is motivated by a fear of foreigners (eg. Australians)
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|anti-gay card
 
|Calling opponents of the [[homosexual agenda]] intolerant instead of focusing on the immorality of homosexuality.
 
|Used against [[Rick Santorum]] leading up to his defeat for reelection in 2006
 
|assumes the posture of [[civil rights]] advocacy.
 
|African-Americans oppose the promotion of gay rights in greater numbers than the general population of the United States as a whole.<ref>http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/feature/2008/10/30/proposition_8</ref>
 
|-
 
|intolerant card
 
|demonstrating inconsistencies in liberal ideology.
 
|
 
|in a democracy, the voice of opposition can always be labeled intolerant
 
|
 
|-
 
|uneducated card
 
|Because a person is stupid, they are unqualified to be president.
 
|Reading from a prop, Dan Quayle once misspelled "potato", and [[liberals]] destroyed him by playing this card.
 
|A momentary lapse is seized upon to make a person look like an idiot.
 
|Works well until a liberal candidate utters a statement like the United States is made up of 57 states.
 
|-
 
|extreme card
 
|in typical [[MSM]] [[newspeak]], anything right of center or not liberal.
 
|Bill and [[Hillary Clinton]] persistently referred to the Republican [[Newt Gingrich|Contract with America]] as extreme; [[President Clinton]] ultimately signed 7 of 10 Contract items in to law.
 
|Prior to the [[9/11 attacks]], was used interchangeably with "[[terrorist]]" by mainstream media sources.
 
|Polls show mainstream journalists are more liberal than the American public.<ref>[http://www.mrc.org/specialreports/2004/pdf/liberal_media.pdf The Liberal Media, ''Every Poll Shows Journalists Are More Liberal than the American Public — And the Public Knows It''], Rich Noyes, Director of Research, Media Research Center, June 30, 2004.</ref>
 
|-
 
|global warming denier card
 
|opposition to using [[junk science]] to promote political [[activism]].
 
|[[Global warming]] activists have likened climate change to Nazi atrocities. <ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-roberts/global-warming-and-the-ho_b_74210.html</ref>
 
|equates moderates with ignorant fascists.
 
|belittles and denigrates victims of the [[Nazi]] [[holocaust]].<ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/02/on_comparing_global_warming_de.html</ref>
 
|-
 
| anti-environment card
 
|
 
| “No Pressure” video was supposed to be an international campaign to instruct about the dangers of [[global warming]]. ...intended to be shown in elementary classrooms, showed school children who don’t believe in global warming being blown to bloody bits by their teachers.<ref>http://www.uncoverage.net/splattergate-the-worst-environmental-public-relations-ever/</ref><ref>Warning:Graphic Content:[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATTknP8t7JU 10:10 Global.org ‘No Pressure’ Ad Campaign].</ref>
 
|
 
| purview of extremists
 
|-
 
|Third rail card
 
|Proposals to reform [[Social Security]] result in political suicide.
 
|Under President Obama, Social Security for the first time in its history, has a negative cash flow and has been paying out more in benefits than the cash it demands from younger workers.<ref>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/15/6273181-obama-agenda-social-security-still-the-third-rail</ref>
 
|Slander your opponent for proposing solutions.
 
|Political and economic stagnation.
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Dominionist]] card
 
|[[Dominionist]] card
Line 420: Line 135:
 
|based on social [[pseudoscience]], [[propaganda]], and journalistic hacks.
 
|based on social [[pseudoscience]], [[propaganda]], and journalistic hacks.
 
|-
 
|-
| over-sensitive card
+
|"Responsible" Republicans card
| failure to behave in a realistic manner and being afraid to upset people
+
|Used to imply a few Republicans, mostly [[RINO]]s, are "responsible."
|
+
|"During the health care battle, President Obama was unable to find a single Responsible Republican." <ref>http://www.slate.com/id/2251101/</ref>
|
+
|Who killed Responsible Republicans? [[Bill Kristol]], of course. <ref>Ibid.</ref>
|
+
|In 1990 President [[George H.W. Bush]] was hailed as a Responsible Republican for breaking his "read my lips" pledge.
|-
+
|greedy card
+
|Portraying [[capitalist]]ic ideas or actions as greedy
+
|Attacking oil companies for their profits, even though oil companies create jobs and pay into the federal Treasury, and profits make up a reasonable portion of total revenue.
+
|Most people care about money and fairness.
+
|Seems hypocritical if the person using the strategy is wealthy (like most liberal politicians) or benefits from capitalism (like all Americans)
+
 
|-
 
|-
 
|millionaires and billionaires card
 
|millionaires and billionaires card
Line 437: Line 146:
 
|appeals to voters motivated by [[envy]]
 
|appeals to voters motivated by [[envy]]
 
|politicians that use it are dependent on campaign contributions from millionaires and billionaires.
 
|politicians that use it are dependent on campaign contributions from millionaires and billionaires.
|-
 
|fundamentalist card
 
|seeks to link Islamic fundamentalism with Christian fundamentalism.
 
|[[Richard Dawkins]] screed, ''[[The God Delusion]]''.
 
|puts [[Billy Graham]] and [[bin Laden]] in the same boat.
 
|A majority of Americans are neither atheist nor [[secular humanist]]s.
 
|-
 
| creationist card
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
| birther card
 
| claims those asking unanswered questions are conspiracy kooks
 
|
 
| hides the question of [[natural born citizen]]
 
| exposes the original meaning of [[natural born citizen]].
 
|-
 
|conspiracy theory card
 
|the one making the charge cannot explain facts.
 
|Hillary Clinton charged that her husband's behavior was the result of a "vast right-wing conspiracy".
 
|provides plausible reasons for the simple minded.
 
|contradictory evidence leads to more conspiracy theories.
 
|-
 
|[[homophobia]] card
 
|an irrational fear.
 
|Opposition to the radical redefinition of marriage as expressed in California's [[Proposition 8]] was deemed homophobia.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/26/AR2010082605233.html</ref>
 
|Old stand-by in the arsenal of liberal slander attacks.
 
|Attempts to ostracize and criminalize an emotional disorder. Many if not most homophobes are gay.
 
|-
 
|"Responsible" Republicans card
 
|Used to imply a few Republicans, mostly [[RINO]]s, are "responsible."
 
|"During the health care battle, President Obama was unable to find a single Responsible Republican." <ref>http://www.slate.com/id/2251101/</ref>
 
|Who killed Responsible Republicans? [[Bill Kristol]], of course. <ref>Ibid.</ref>
 
|In 1990 President [[George H.W. Bush]] was hailed as a Responsible Republican for breaking his "read my lips" pledge.
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| abortion card
 
| abortion card
Line 503: Line 176:
 
|appeals to emotion and extremists, and less educated leftists.
 
|appeals to emotion and extremists, and less educated leftists.
 
|typical oppressive tactic.
 
|typical oppressive tactic.
 +
|-
 +
|[[McCarthyism]] card
 +
|accuse someone of being like the (false) liberal portrayal of [[Joseph McCarthy]]
 +
|
 +
|baseless smear, such as calling someone a racist. Extremely flexible, and with great glee you can ruin someone's life just for fun.
 +
|Requires no morals or conscience.
 
|-
 
|-
 
| liberal mocking card
 
| liberal mocking card
Line 533: Line 212:
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 +
|-
 +
|Third rail card
 +
|Proposals to reform [[Social Security]] result in political suicide.
 +
|Under President Obama, Social Security for the first time in its history, has a negative cash flow and has been paying out more in benefits than the cash it demands from younger workers.<ref>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/15/6273181-obama-agenda-social-security-still-the-third-rail</ref>
 +
|Slander your opponent for proposing solutions.
 +
|Political and economic stagnation.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|Patriot card
 
|Patriot card
Line 653: Line 338:
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
|-
 
| insensitive card
 
| failure to behave in a [[politically correct]] manner.
 
|
 
| ostracizing others among the unenlightened masses leads to feelings of superiority.
 
| not everyone keeps up to date on the lastest liberal [[tripe]].
 
|-
 
|[[McCarthyism]] card
 
|accuse someone of being like the (false) liberal portrayal of [[Joseph McCarthy]]
 
|
 
|baseless smear, such as calling someone a racist. Extremely flexible, and with great glee you can ruin someone's life just for fun.
 
|Requires no morals or conscience.
 
 
|}
 
|}
  

Revision as of 23:55, July 12, 2011

Political cards are tactics used by liberals in politics, the media, and other adversarial settings in order to appeal to emotion or even prejudice rather than reason. The term is a metaphor for what happens in the card game of bridge, where one card can be played to "trump" (defeat) all other cards. Indeed, there are 52 political cards, just as in a deck of cards for bridge.

In contrast with most card games, however, a political card can be played at any time, no matter how irrational or irrelevant to the topic. Many liberal articles and commentaries consist of little more playing one or more political cards.

A card is "played" when one side relies on a particular issue in order to gain an often-unjustified upper hand in the debate or controversy.

Liberals have had a difficult time playing a political card against the Tea Party Movement, due to its amorphous nature.

Political card Meaning Example Advantage Disadvantage
sexist card allegations men are ignorant slobs and women need a protected status as a voting block within the Democratic party. Lawrence Summers was driven from his presidency of Harvard for merely mentioning the possibility that women may not have as much aptitude for math as men safe haven for angry liberals and women implies women are helpless unless they receive special treatment from the government
race card Bringing race into a debate by suggesting that criticism is racially motivated or that one's opponent is racist Used effectively to silence criticism of Obama in 2008 prove you're not a racist is like saying, "when did you stop beating your wife?" the boy who cried wolf.
Mediscare card Scare grandpa and grandma into thinking their government benefits will be cut off Used to win a special congressional election for a Democrat in a Republican-leaning district in New York in 2011
hate speech card Anything that highlights or is critical of the historical record of liberal governance. The Obama administration has used the FCC to harass and intimidate what it considers its media critics. [1] programmed response for liberal failures. mimics liberal talking points
Xenophobia card Bringing country of origin into a debate by suggesting that criticism is motivated by a fear of foreigners (eg. Australians)
anti-gay card Calling opponents of the homosexual agenda intolerant instead of focusing on the immorality of homosexuality. Used against Rick Santorum leading up to his defeat for reelection in 2006 assumes the posture of civil rights advocacy. African-Americans oppose the promotion of gay rights in greater numbers than the general population of the United States as a whole.[2]
intolerant card demonstrating inconsistencies in liberal ideology. in a democracy, the voice of opposition can always be labeled intolerant
uneducated card Because a person is stupid, they are unqualified to be president. Reading from a prop, Dan Quayle once misspelled "potato", and liberals destroyed him by playing this card. A momentary lapse is seized upon to make a person look like an idiot. Works well until a liberal candidate utters a statement like the United States is made up of 57 states.
extreme card in typical MSM newspeak, anything right of center or not liberal. Bill and Hillary Clinton persistently referred to the Republican Contract with America as extreme; President Clinton ultimately signed 7 of 10 Contract items in to law. Prior to the 9/11 attacks, was used interchangeably with "terrorist" by mainstream media sources. Polls show mainstream journalists are more liberal than the American public.[3]
global warming denier card opposition to using junk science to promote political activism. Global warming activists have likened climate change to Nazi atrocities. [4] equates moderates with ignorant fascists. belittles and denigrates victims of the Nazi holocaust.[5]
anti-environment card “No Pressure” video was supposed to be an international campaign to instruct about the dangers of global warming. ...intended to be shown in elementary classrooms, showed school children who don’t believe in global warming being blown to bloody bits by their teachers.[6][7] purview of extremists
insensitive card failure to behave in a politically correct manner. ostracizing others among the unenlightened masses leads to feelings of superiority. not everyone keeps up to date on the lastest liberal tripe.
over-sensitive card failure to behave in a realistic manner and being afraid to upset people
greedy card Portraying capitalistic ideas or actions as greedy Attacking oil companies for their profits, even though oil companies create jobs and pay into the federal Treasury, and profits make up a reasonable portion of total revenue. Most people care about money and fairness. Seems hypocritical if the person using the strategy is wealthy (like most liberal politicians) or benefits from capitalism (like all Americans)
fundamentalist card seeks to link Islamic fundamentalism with Christian fundamentalism. Richard Dawkins screed, The God Delusion. puts Billy Graham and bin Laden in the same boat. A majority of Americans are neither atheist nor secular humanists.
creationist card
birther card claims those asking unanswered questions are conspiracy kooks hides the question of natural born citizen exposes the original meaning of natural born citizen.
conspiracy theory card the one making the charge cannot explain facts. Hillary Clinton charged that her husband's behavior was the result of a "vast right-wing conspiracy". provides plausible reasons for the simple minded. contradictory evidence leads to more conspiracy theories.
homophobia card an irrational fear. Opposition to the radical redefinition of marriage as expressed in California's Proposition 8 was deemed homophobia.[8] Old stand-by in the arsenal of liberal slander attacks. Attempts to ostracize and criminalize an emotional disorder. Many if not most homophobes are gay.
Dominionist card implies evangelical Christians want to impose an Iranian style theocracy on the United States. Used by misogynists to attack Michelle Bachmann. [2] appeals to the fears of atheists and religious bigots. based on social pseudoscience, propaganda, and journalistic hacks.
"Responsible" Republicans card Used to imply a few Republicans, mostly RINOs, are "responsible." "During the health care battle, President Obama was unable to find a single Responsible Republican." [9] Who killed Responsible Republicans? Bill Kristol, of course. [10] In 1990 President George H.W. Bush was hailed as a Responsible Republican for breaking his "read my lips" pledge.
millionaires and billionaires card class warfare President Obama said on June 29, 2011, "I'm proposing we get rid of tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires." [11] appeals to voters motivated by envy politicians that use it are dependent on campaign contributions from millionaires and billionaires.
abortion card
gun nut card slurs anyone who wants to take away defensive weapons angers those with guns
working families card class warfare See Democratic Talking Points, 2008 Presidential Nominating Convention, from the New York Times. [3] Postures Democrats as advocates for people who hold jobs and have children. Politicians who employ such rhetoric invariably work to pass legislation that destroys jobs and undermines families.
against teacher-led prayer in our public schools card
Godwin card invoking the name of Hitler. Liberal George Soros likened the Bush administration to the Nazi regime. appeals to emotion and extremists, and less educated leftists. typical oppressive tactic.
McCarthyism card accuse someone of being like the (false) liberal portrayal of Joseph McCarthy baseless smear, such as calling someone a racist. Extremely flexible, and with great glee you can ruin someone's life just for fun. Requires no morals or conscience.
liberal mocking card mocking a conservative opponent rather than dealing with substantive issues The Daily Show makes person look petty
Liberal redefinition card changing the definition of a word to suit one's purposes
trickle down card anti-free market agitprop Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman claims GOP Zombies will eat Obama's brain for extending the Bush tax cuts. [12] apparently there is a ready market for hyperbole and fear among leftists. Ignores the fact the Reagan reforms gave birth to the longest, most extended era of peacetime prosperity in U.S. history.[13]
misuse of statistics card
Islamophobia card
Third rail card Proposals to reform Social Security result in political suicide. Under President Obama, Social Security for the first time in its history, has a negative cash flow and has been paying out more in benefits than the cash it demands from younger workers.[14] Slander your opponent for proposing solutions. Political and economic stagnation.
Patriot card Seeks to paint loyal Americans as racist. "patriotism is little more than a disguised form of racism"[15] Some "Patriot movement" groups call for tighter immigration control. Democrats can be sensitive to the charge of being unpatriotic.
Immigration card implies Democrats are sympathetic to a person's immigration status, despite the fact there is no historical record of legislative achievements in this area. The promised Obama Dream Act, a "cynical exercise in political charades", failed to pass the Democratic controlled Senate, 55-41. Seeks to pit voters against each other along racial and ethnic lines, which Democrats view as a win. Most immigrants come to America seeking conservative values, such as a right to work, lower taxes, being free of big government oppression, etc.
free speech card cry "free speech," "free speech" for everything offensive to Christianity, while censoring the truth and limiting political speech Supreme Court ruled exotic dancing protected free expression but disallowed a high school football team's pregame prayer under the same grounds.
cherry picking data card selectively picking out cases that support one's arguments from a wide variety of material and ignoring all the cases that don't dishonest and easy to point out counterexamples
never-admitting-a-mistake card inability to admit a mistake; lack of openmindness Thomas Sowell writes, (a) goals are redefined after the fact to give the public the illusion of success; (b) bad motives are ascribed to the opposition or society in general; (c) good intentions of the anointed are highlighted; and (d) they attack the accuracy of the data showing failure. [16]
nativist card Opposition to the Ground Zero mosque.
Nixon's Southern Strategy card implies Richard Nixon appealed to Southern Democrats and racists after Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. "probably the biggest lie that's been told to the blacks since Woodrow Wilson segregated the federal government" [17] labels Southerners as racist. ignores the fact that (1) Richard Nixon did not carry the South; a Democrat, George Wallace received 49 electoral votes exclusively from the South; and (2) passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act was entirely dependent on Republican votes with Democrats in both houses voting against passage.[18]
neo-confederate card implies Civil War buffs want to bring back segregation and slavery. On the 150th anniversary of start of the Civil War, MSNBC's liberal hosts never missed an opportunity to associate today's conservative movement with the Confederacy, secession, slavery and racism.[19] intimidating to conservative Bluedog Democrats. may backfire and evoke bipartisanship.
redneck card implication rural inhabitants are uneducated and possibly racist most often applied to Ron Paul supporters pejorative aimed at Bluedog Democrats, Red State dwellers, and others in flyover country. When motivated, this group forms an important part of a center-right majority.
NASCAR card insinuates NASCAR fans are uneducated and racist NASCAR fans tend to vote Republican.[20] Republicans failed to balance the budget by cutting $7.4 million from the Pentagon's sponsorship of NASCAR for Army recruiting. [21] NASCAR has an estimated 75 million fans.
bitter and cling to guns or religion card Why don't common people vote Democrat? Used by Obama and Howard Dean. Attempts to justify Democrat's failure to coffeehouse liberals, and persuade hick voters by belittling them. Insulting to average voters.
denying Biblical scientific foreknowledge card
Anti-American card Denying American exceptionalism. Trouts out false examples of how European countries have better standard of living.
deceit card Lies or distorts truth in order to win argument.
Poe's card Impersonation of Conservatives to discredit their positions.Liberals often create straw men during this impersonation.
Elite card claiming that a policy benefits the rich and powerful
Compassion card arguing someone must be right because he has more compassion
Hypocrite card claiming some inconsistency in positions pro-lifer must oppose death penalty
Guilt by association card insinuating that someone is bad because he was once in the same room with some extremist
Google bomb card sabotaging Google searches Rick Santorum

Total number of cards: 52 out of a goal of 52.

Notes

  1. http://spectator.org/archives/2009/10/20/fcc-church-conspiracy-to-silen/print#
  2. http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/feature/2008/10/30/proposition_8
  3. The Liberal Media, Every Poll Shows Journalists Are More Liberal than the American Public — And the Public Knows It, Rich Noyes, Director of Research, Media Research Center, June 30, 2004.
  4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-roberts/global-warming-and-the-ho_b_74210.html
  5. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/02/on_comparing_global_warming_de.html
  6. http://www.uncoverage.net/splattergate-the-worst-environmental-public-relations-ever/
  7. Warning:Graphic Content:10:10 Global.org ‘No Pressure’ Ad Campaign.
  8. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/26/AR2010082605233.html
  9. http://www.slate.com/id/2251101/
  10. Ibid.
  11. The Washington Post Fact Checker column said, "in the context of a $4 trillion goal, it is essentially meaningless. The item is so small the White House could not even provide an estimate of the revenue that would be raised, but other estimates suggest it would amount to $3 billion over 10 years."
  12. Paul Krugman Says GOP 'Zombies' Are Going to Eat Obama's Brain, Newsbusters.
  13. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204251404574344230339019304.html
  14. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/15/6273181-obama-agenda-social-security-still-the-third-rail
  15. http://atheism.about.com/od/politicspoliticalissues/a/problempride_2.htm
  16. Thomas Sowell, The Vision of the Anointed, Chap. 2.
  17. Nixon's Southern Strategy: The Democrat-Lie Keeping Their Control Over the Black Community, Ken Raymond, June 6, 2011. associatedcontent from Yahoo.
  18. Final tally in the House among Republicans was 138 to 34; Democrats 152-96; in the Senate 21 Democrats voted against passage while only 6 Republicans opposed. [1]
  19. http://www.mrc.org/cmi/eyeonculture/2011/_MSNBCs_UnCivil_War_on_the_Right.html
  20. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/04/24/109269/-Why-do-NASCAR-Fans-Vote-Republican
  21. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/sports/autoracing/19nascar.html