By Bear Howard
Ah, 2024. The year when tribalism officially replaced reason and compromise in the political arena. Forget gods, afterlives, or even shared values—today’s battles are fought on the altar of partisan loyalty.
To listen to Ai dictation, click below:
American politics has transformed into a spectacle with all the decorum of a backyard brawl, where the rules are made up, and the middle ground is a mythical land no one dares to visit. Pick a side and stick with it, or risk being cast out as a traitor. It’s like showing up at a Raiders-Patriots tailgate wearing a neutral jersey—no one trusts you, and someone’s bound to throw a beer.
This is a new religion. Here, facts run head-on into “beliefs” which many, or the right or left hold onto like a religious zealot. They firmly embrace their interpretation of the “Facts” that support their “Beliefs”.
We can described this place as “The Church of Rigid Thinkers”
Now, let’s visit their houses of worship – Welcome to the new “American” Political Bar Scene!!
This isn’t your average dive bar, where the bartender serves drinks and silently judges your life choices. No, these bars are temples of ideological purity, where your beverage of choice says as much about your beliefs as your voting record.
Let’s start with the Democratic Wine Bar. Let’s call it the Democrat “Righteous” Salon – Where the smart people go.” It’s a bastion of self-satisfaction wrapped in velvet chairs and soft lighting.
MSNBC plays quietly in the background, offering a steady stream of intellectual outrage, while patrons sip overpriced drinks and discuss their moral superiority. The bathrooms? They are marked with a giant question mark, naturally. This is a place where questioning is encouraged, but answers are suspiciously absent.
The signature drink is “The Rachel Maddow,” a Lemon Spritzer designed to pair perfectly with artisanal charcuterie and a side of smugness. Guests here pride themselves on their progressive values, as long as those values don’t require them to actually interact with anyone who disagrees. They talk a big game about inclusion but are quick to exile anyone who dares to challenge their carefully curated worldview.
Across the street is the Trump MAGA Bar. Let’s call it “Scotty McDuff’s Bar” where subtlety goes to die. It’s the place where “God shines on the MAGA world!”
It’s unapologetically loud, decked out in American flags, and radiates the energy of a monster truck rally that decided to settle down and open a drinking establishment. The parking lot is packed with trucks sporting bumper stickers that could double as political manifestos.
Inside, it’s Fox News, Newsmax, and the unmistakable scent of “owning the libs.” The walls are adorned with oversized portraits of the leader, staring down like Big Brother, but with more bald eagles and slightly less self-awareness. The drinks are simple and strong, bourbon that could strip paint and beer that’s unapologetically domestic. Craft beer? Organic whiskey? Not here. This is a place where “elitist” is an insult, and rugged individualism is the house special.
And while the bar boasts plenty of “authentic grit,” it also leans into stereotypes with abandon. Women are often viewed as supporting characters in this red-white-and-blue drama—more suited to cheerleading than leading. It’s a place where nostalgia for an America that never really existed reigns supreme, and criticism is seen as an act of betrayal.
For sure, Politics has become our new “Religion!!”
Religion—oops, I mean politics— has become the ultimate tribal identifier. Facts are irrelevant; feelings reign supreme. The Democrats worship at the altar of intellectualism, even as they alienate anyone who doesn’t speak their coded language. The Trump crowd rallies around tradition and patriotism but often confuses stubbornness with strength. Both sides have their high priests, their unquestionable dogmas, and their favorite talking heads telling them what to believe.
Critical thinking is out; conformity is in. In 2024, you either believe wholeheartedly in your team’s ideology, or you’re a heretic. No debate, no nuance—just pure, unfiltered loyalty. It’s not about solving problems anymore; it’s about winning the argument, even if it costs you your soul
Welcome to the Church of Rigid Thinkers … It has found many new converts.
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8 Comments
Like your musings but you have grossly over simplified the historical narrative that has led us to where we are today politically and you make little to no reference towards the effects that Propaganda from enemies both Foreign and Domestic have played in our current political shit show of a Failed Democracy. No mention of the high crimes committed by POTUSi, No mention of the White Supremacy and Fascism that plague our country with “Poor White Me” bullshit! No mention of wars started and lives lost fighting Fascist DICKtators only to become a Fascist DICKtator led nation of racist “Me Firster’s” and “Screw You I Got Mine-er’s”.
Both sides of the political equation have problems but only one side is actively working toward taking away the rights of others and force their pseudo religion upon others regardless of individual faith or beliefs.
What is happening in M’erica today has been brewing since Lindbergh’s first M’erica First White Supremacy Movement, Watergate, Iran Contra, Yellow Cake Uranium hysteria and all the LIES and CRIMINALITY in the history of what is now the MAGGOT Party.
Stupid should be embarrassing!
https://apple.news/AHHs8yv_LQxSIY0sOnWl9-Q
You make some good points. Of course, if the facts what really mattered, politics would look totally different than it does in 2024. I’m not too sure that most of the Maga voters really have invested much time into what their dear leader is saying or has said, instead they’re just mad that the world isn’t the way they want it to be. It seems to be a protest vote against reality in favor of an illusion and a desire for of a different world, that never was and never will be.
I appreciate the acknowledgment and feedback. I think the MAGA folks are a mixed bag of Uber wealthy and greedy people, poor uneducated people who are susceptible to believing lies and propaganda and a good number of them in the upper 90 percentile range are racist xenophobic people who voted for ill Douche because of his racist xenophobic agendas. All of them say Dump will do great things without stating with honesty what those great things are because they entail all things racist and xenophobic like mass deportations, eliminating DEI, eliminating Civil, Human and Women’s rights, automatic death sentences for any non citizen charged with committing a violent crime regardless of the fact that statistically natural born US Citizens commit far far more violent crimes than do migrants.
The biggest victims of all are TRUTH and FACT. They lie, spin and repeat lies spin and conspiracy nonsense without evidence or regard for the truth knowing that if they keep telling their lie that eventually most people will forget the truth and accept their lies just as the Nazi Propaganda Master Goebbels did for Hitler when blaming all the woes of Deutschland upon everyone and everything except themselves as an excuse to commit heinous crimes against humanity and land grab any and everything of monetary value from their victims. Just as our forefathers did with the rightful owners and occupants of this country. The victims were made to be boogie men in order to expedite their elimination.
Today we see history repeating itself as M’erica’s NOTsee’s lay siege to and blame for their woes on any and everyone but those truly responsible for their perceived suffering because those responsible are telling them to blame the victims rather than accepting responsibility for their own Gluttony, Greed, Adultery, Lies, Hate and Corruption at the highest levels.
The MAGGOTS have been presented with TRUTHS and FACTS about Dump Inc.’s Felonious, Treasonous, Insurrectionist Criminality and yet they have been told by the Criminals that what they have seen and heard with their own eyes “never happened” or that they are just somehow the first and only victims of a “Deep State” “Witch Hunt” that was somehow assembled and put into action decades before Dump ever announced he was running for office just to single him out and bring him down for the numerous felony crimes he was caught red handed committing but weaseled his way out of by using Campaign Donations and monies made grifting his brainwashed constituents into buying cheaply made in Chyyynnaa crap in order to run out the clock on the statutes of limitations and an unwritten unofficial DOJ policy not to investigate sitting POTUSi or those running for that office during an election. Which basically makes POTUSi KINGs immune from all the laws and justice we citizens must abide by and that’s how we got to where we are today! By allowing CRIMINAL POTUSi like Nixon, Raygun, Bush Sr, W and now Dump to commit felony crimes and go unpunished while they call for the mass deportation and executions of their fellow Criminals who happen to be of a different ethnicity or faith than they are.
Norway recently released the names of hundreds of thousands of Norwegian WWII Nazi sympathizers. Germany concluded its last Nazi War Crimes Tribunal of WWII Nazi’s and their sympathizers. I look forward to the day when the history books exploit all the names of the MAGGOTS who helped Dump and his Minion’s destroy this Former Democracy and created the Autocracy we are becoming under a self proclaimed Monarchy of hate and fear!
I think the Bear Howard tongue and chica article was meant to get people thinking. There’s basically two sides that pose each other in America. One still has this rural God-fearing. I don’t want to change attitude and the other one things that bye investing in people in the future, we can have a better America. The liberal side lost many Americans with the war on the gender bathroom, gender, sports, and subject that didn’t really affect their daily life. We lost him by not talking about nuts and bolts enough. I think a little reflection on our part is good after all, Trump didn’t win the majority of votes. Mega only won by a slim one and a half percent margin of the popular vote. The next hundred days will be a dumpster fire. All we can do is sit back and watch.
“The liberal side lost many Americans with the war on the gender bathroom, gender, sports, and subject that didn’t really affect their daily life.“
No. The GOP made issues out of ridiculous nonsense that did NOT affect their everyday lives to distract from the fact that they were staging a coup against our nation’s Democracy. Now we have King Trump and his court of fools, thieves and jester’s!
Thank you TJ, you are correct. Its the make up a boogieman concept and blame your opponent. Just because Democrats want people to be treated equal, turns them into the support for anything the GOQP conjures up!
Like everyone worrying about transgenders in sports. 510,000 young people play in the NCAA, and 10 are transgender.
Should we talk about Drag Shows? CRT? No go zones? DEI? How about being woke? Tan suits? Dijon mustard? Obama a angry black man? Welfare queens? There are dozens more!
See a pattern, its searching for a problem that dosent exist!
West Sedona Dave
Trump learned to grift his constituents from some of the greatest grifters of all- Televangelist! And just like them he and his cult of personality following preach one thing while doing the exact sinful opposite!
I just saw this online and thought about how flipping the script would play in the make believe world of MAGA-
https://apple.news/AxAAhtGT7SxyWb0H6Vu1_Kw
You know they’d have already tried and executed everyone responsible for any 2020 style treason and insurrection which they feel is their sole right to commit. Especially going after those people of color and faiths that do not align with their sin filled evangelical nonsense. They lie and distort the truth so often that they have extreme difficulty justifying themselves with nonsensical word salads on a daily basis. Like others on here, I intend to call out their hypocrisy, lies and absolute nonsense as it occurs. Documenting their crimes against Democracy must be called out and documented. When their facade fails and their deception masks come off they will all point fingers at one another while none except the blame for their own lies, crimes and deception. They will all hopefully be held accountable one day sooner than later. Question is how long will the world put up with another Rascist Fascist Reich? Will Great Britain stand against us? Will NATO and the UN do as their charters demand and turn militarily against us? Or will the world just shrug and tell us to clean up our own mess? And what will Xi, Putin, Un, Meloni, Orban and the rest of the worlds thuggery join in on the thuggery being committed by MAGA? Time will tell I guess?
I grew up admiring American Democracy from “across the pond”. Now I have to question every aspect of that admiration as America shows it’s true Fascist self to the world.