Racism, nationalism, jingoism and other such "-isms" that exalt some over others, are all primarily conservative traits.

They are also traits of those with poor self-esteem or inferiority complexes. Which probably goes a long way towards explaining a phenomenon that is almost unique to the US - poor conservatives.

American conservatism has catered their message to these people - the poorly educated worker, "trailor trash" and the rube. The GOP protects the priviledges of the wealthy and the corporation, yet plays lip service to those values that push the right buttons with the Walmart Nation.

Note how "intellectuals," "ecologists," "artists," "actors," "liberals" and a whole string of collectives and/or aptitudes have become virtually dirty words to these people. How "Muslim" has taken the place of the "blacks" and "Jews" as people to be reviled as evil and inferior. Note how the conservative message has changed over the years, from Coolidge to Nixon to Reagan to... Dubya.

Only in the US and, to a certian extent, in the UK will we find the blue-collar worker voting against his own best interest -- because of the insidious messages of the Right. They Right has twisted the understanding of the "American Experiment" so far that they actually despise liberalism, when our nation, Constitution and Bill of Rights were liberal concepts designed by liberal or even radical men.

This twisting has gone so far that the more extreme/stupid conservatives actually equate fascism with the Left, war with peace and freedom with control.

The Founding Fathers are rolling in their graves, as are the veterans of WWII.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? YAK BACK!