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- cross-posted to:
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A Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Minnesota suggested that Americans should cut back on daily costs amid the economic strain caused by the U.S. military operation in Iran.
Former NFL reporter Michele Tafoya acknowledged how “frustrating” and “hard” rising gas prices are for consumers during a Wednesday radio interview, but she suggested Americans should minimize some of their spending to support Trump’s actions in the Middle East.
“I think right now at least just kind of keeping a stiff upper lip. Maybe you take one less trip to Starbucks and so that gas goes a little further,” she told Tennessee’s KWAM radio host Todd Starnes.
Couldn’t you just say the old, “I understand that war causes issues for everyone, but we should support our troops. And meanwhile I am running for congress to work to lower all costs for American families,” shtick and then do nothing as always? Like why do you have to be a condescending bitch dripping with disgust and condemnation for the poors? Gain some fucking perspective, you stuck up twat.
They do this because they’re stupid and it’s an old, parroted line aimed at passing the blame to other people. If they said what you’re asking for that wouldn’t be as effective at blaming others.
The other reason is that they know that the centrist/conservative idea of a Starbucks costumer is a woke person who likes fancy drinks and not just black coffee. It’s all about creating a strawman for their base to hate. If they were doing it honestly, they’d also be saying that people should buy smaller vehicles that consume significantly less fuel but SUVs and trucks are associated with their base so they don’t do that. Their base isn’t smart enough to make those connections so it’s all good. They’re not clever, these politicians, they’re just playing “manipulate the voting base” on baby mode.
Sure but that seems like a stupid strategy too. The people complaining are more likely to be people living on lower incomes which are A) more likely to be conservative themselves, and B) less likely to be driving to pick up Starbucks or other luxuries and frivolous things on the regular. So she is simultaneously downplaying the problem that people are actually experiencing, blaming a thing that is not something that they are even doing, and associating them with the people they hate in the process.
I may be giving them too much credit, but if I were a broke conservative struggling with affording travel between home, work, school drop off/pick up, and the grocery store, and you said something like that to my face, I’d have some very audible words for you. Maybe some spit too.
You miss the fact that conservatives, nearly universally, do not accept that any of their situation is their own fault(sounds strange when us on the left will blame capitalism and the elite for most of the problems in the world, but we also come with petabytes of receipts and the right is allergic to facts). Many of them who live deeper in poverty are also living in cheaper areas, too, and have already cognitive-dissonanced themselves out of needing to worry about paying for things like health insurance(especially since many benefit from public healthcare systems, even in the US).
Now, the other important thing to remember is that conservative said those things. That’s crucial because it means that they aren’t talking to their voting base which is cool and tough and good with money, they’re talking to the other guys who need to get their shit together. If their guy does it then there must be a reason and if their enemy does it then there must’ve not been a reason, except they don’t base that on anything real like who’s actually done the research and shown their work.
Conservatives, no matter where you find them, are inherently anti-social power-seekers who refuse to take true responsibility for their actions. Whenever someone I know moves away from conservatism it is around the time they also, for whatever reason, begin to finally understand that the rich don’t actually love them and that maybe they actually do want to have real friends who aren’t also just other hateful goons, afterall.
No, she’s not running as a Democrat.