Reality check for Democrats ...

There probably aren’t any reading this, but what the Hell. 

Here’s what I’d like Democrats to think about, before they lapse into their typical argumentum ad absurdum tactics I find so disingenuous and tedious … 

Stop talking to me like I’m stupid or deaf.  I fully understand what you’re saying, but I’m not buying it, no matter how often – or how loudly – you repeat it.    

And please, stop embarrassing yourself and insulting me with cheap shots and tortured leaps of logic. You can’t shame me into agreeing with you.      

If you’ve wasted your time trying to discuss things with Democrats you understand what I’m talking about.  Everything goes to extremes in a split second. 

I don’t even have to give you the context, just the knee-jerk responses:

“So, you really don’t care what happens to the poor and elderly?”  

“So you’re in favor of just letting people die who can’t afford insurance?” 

“What would you do – let children starve because of their parent’s mistakes?” 

“So what’s your plan – rip families apart and deport 12 million innocent people?” 

“You wouldn’t feel that way if he were white, would you?”

“So, you’re okay with building more prisons, but not funding public schools?”  

“So you’d be okay with no restrictions on who could buy a gun, or what type?”

“Let me understand: You think poor people should be punished even more just for being poor?”

“What you’re saying is that you believe only some people should be allowed to vote?” 

Be honest with yourself. It makes you nuts when Democrats say these things. They haven’t even listened to what you said, or tried to understand, before they leap off the far end. They don’t want to discuss anything; they want to push back so hard that you’ll roll over. 

It’s always an either-or scenario. If you want to put some restrictions on EBT cards to prevent fraud and misuse, you become a heartless monster who despises the poor. If you’re in favor of giving parents a choice of where to send their school-age kids, you don’t care about public education. If you criticize Obama’s policies, you must be a racist. If you think Hillary is not qualified, or trustworthy enough to be President, you hate women.

And, of course, if you don’t agree with them on everything, you must be a Fox-News-watching narrow-minded bigot, a right-wing nut job, a religious fanatic, or maybe even a fascist or Nazi.

At the very least, you’re not very smart. So they must restate the same thing again and again in slightly different ways, and turn up the volume, to get you to comprehend how right they are.     

That, my friends, is why I can’t stand them. 

They are so smug and self-righteous – based on absolutely nothing. They cannot grasp how annoying they are to be around. It’s exhausting to be constantly on defense against saying anything that might get them started. Trust me, they are always looking for that opening.

Discussing anything in the news with them is a complete waste of your time. It’s like trying to have a rational, thoughtful talk with a three-year old. And about as rewarding. 

Plus, the more the public seems to lose faith in what liberal Democrats and Obama want to do – which is happening – the more rabid and offensive they become.   

So what do we all end up doing? We avoid them. They hardly notice. Or perhaps they are avoiding us as well. It’s sad but true that neither of us really enjoy the other’s company anymore.  

But honestly, who wants to be around someone who could go off at any time?   

If it’s absolutely essential or unavoidable that we have some business or social interaction with them, we make certain to steer clear of anything that might tend to set them off. About the only “safe” topics are sports, restaurants and your own vacation plans.    

Otherwise, it’s like the Stooges skit with the crazy guy that goes off whenever someone mentions Niagara Falls. 

Only now the trigger is ObamaCare, Benghazi, food stamps, unions, teachers, fair share, guns, Second Amendment, immigration, citizenship, entitlements, Hillary, Scott Walker, Michele, Air Force One, Obama in-laws, Hawaii, Kenya, Israel, Palestinians, Sharpton, Holder, Bush (George H.W., George W., Laura, or Jeb), Rubio, Rand Paul, Romney, Ted Cruz, Boehner, McConnell, redistribution, charter schools, Keystone Pipeline, debt ceiling – the list is practically endless.    

Mention one of these – in whatever context – and you can almost hear the crackpot gears whirring in their head, watch their eyes narrow, see them get all twitchy, and you know you’re just moments away from “Slowly I turn, step by step, inch by inch …”     

And all is lost.  You’re in for a lecture to an audience of one – you. 

So, to try to keep your sanity, you focus on just about anything else while they blather on. That brown spot on their cheek. The fleck of white stuff at the corner of their eye. The fact that their one ear is lower than the other. Or that they should trim their nose or ear hair. Whatever works for you.  They’ll still think they have your rapt attention. 

You can always try to knock them off their game, but once they’re off on a rant it’s hard to stop them. “Gee, it’s getting late …” sometimes works. My favorite is “Look!  It’s Halley’s Comet!” It’s certainly as crazy as they are and often breaks their train wreck of an argument.   

Just don’t try the “I guess we will just have to agree to disagree” gambit. That only enrages them.You see, they don’t want to simply persuade you; they want to bludgeon you into abject submission to their point of view.   

As Obama and the Democrats’ poll numbers continue to tumble, expect them to get worse. If Hillary stumbles, I don’t know what they’ll do.  Maybe some Jim Jones or Heaven’s Gate  event – drinking poison-laced Chardonnay or Starbucks half-caf double latte mocha crappachino, waiting for the gluten and nut-free mothership to whisk them away to a better world.

Or maybe they'll all just sail away to Europe, which is what they want to turn the U.S. into.  

Bon voyage, I say.