Lost

A focus-group examination of the really, really rabid Republicans, & the castles in the sky in which they live.

First and foremost, these conservative Republican voters believe Obama is deliberately and ruthlessly advancing a ‘secret agenda’ to bankrupt our country and dramatically expand government control over all aspects of our daily lives.  They view this effort in sweeping terms, and cast a successful Obama presidency as the destruction of the United States as it was conceived by our founders and developed over the past 200 years.

Absurd? You betcha. Nothing we didn't know before, but there it is, in all it's black & white absurdity. Real fun occurs in the more psychological approach to figuring out these lost souls.

This concern combines with a profound sense of collective identity.  In our conversations, it was striking how these voters constantly characterized themselves as part of a group of individuals who share a set of beliefs, a unique knowledge, and a commitment of opposition to Obama that sets them apart from the majority of the country.  They readily identify themselves as a minority in this country – a minority whose values are mocked and attacked by a liberal media and class of elites.  They also believe they possess a level of knowledge and understanding when it comes to politics and current events, one gained from a rejection of the mainstream media and an embrace of conservative media and pundits such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, which sets them apart even more.  Further, they believe this position leaves them with a responsibility to spread the word, to educate those who do not share their insights, and to take back the country that they love.  Their faith in this country and its ideals leave them confident that their numbers will grow, and that they will ultimately defeat Barack Obama and the shadowy forces driving his hidden agenda.

There's really no figuring them out. A new chapter may have to be written for the DSM. Fact-free paranoia, projection, persecution delusion ...

OK, lots of good stuff & no one needs us to explain it. (We'd rather finish reading it than type more about it.) Many quotes from the unfocused, who pretty much speak as they type, though the focusers no doubt spelled many words differently than the persecuted would have. We still don't understand the incredible gullibility of these suckers, but we all know how often one is born.