The Power of the Self-fulfilling Prophecy

blockquoteemIf men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences./em–a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_theorem”W. I. Thomas/a/blockquotebr /br /I am often discouraged when I read various right-leaning bloggers and pundits and see them mention over and over that the Republicans are doomed to lose this presidential election. If the Democrats want to feel this way and talk about what losers Republicans are, let them, but why add fuel to the fire? I understand that many Republicans are disgusted and angry with how the party has progressed over the years but joining in the despair will only lead to a a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-fulfilling_prophecy”self-fulfilling prophecy /athat will insure a loss come this November. And the media is picking up on this defeatist attitude and using it to make the Republicans look not only like losers, but self-sabotaging ones at that. For example, emUS News World Report /ema href=”http://www.usnews.com/blogs/mashek/2008/5/19/republicans-liberal-attacks-on-democrats-losing-their-sting.html”states:/a br /br /blockquoteGuess what? The Republican brand may be the losing one in 2008. Even some Republicans are openly talking about it in the face of significant losses in recent special elections….br /br /Even a Republican veteran in Congress, Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, said his party was in its worst condition since the Watergate scandal. The GOP lost 47 seats in the House in the first post-Watergate election./blockquotebr /br /Bloggers are also joining in the doom and gloom predictions. For example, a href=”http://www.rightwingnews.com/mt331/2008/05/frank_ideas_to_reinvigorate_th.php”Right Wing News /ahas a bit of satire up by Frank J. (yes, I know it’s satire, but the message is still a negative one):br /br /blockquoteIt’s pretty universally well known that the Republicans are in huge trouble as they’ve lost a number of special elections that I don’t know much about but all the smart people say are very important. At least I know I don’t care much more Republicans anymore; they lately just seem like a less mincing version of the Democrats. Frankly, things are so bad that for Republicans that if the Democrats don’t get the White House and huge gains in the House and Senate, they should really all jump off a bridge for sucking that much. The new face of the Republican Party?/blockquotebr /br /Believing that your party is a bunch of losers surely will not help it to improve it and may, in fact, hasten it’s self-destruction–something some Democrats would be happy to see–but why play along while marching in step to the tune of Saul Alinsky? I was watching a show the other night on PBS’s emFrontline/em about a wonderful young boy who was being cyber-bullied by peers stating: “YOU ARE SUCH A LOSER.” The boy believed it and went on to kill himself. He basically self-destructed by incorporating the negativity that others felt for him onto himself and felt that he was not worthy. Now, it seems that many right-leaning citizens feel the same. Instead of saying that there are still ideas and policies that the Republicans have that are worth saving– (national security, low taxes, small government) they have deemed the whole party losers. br /br /Perhaps some of the right-leaning bloggers and pundits who have such negative predictions for the future of the GOP should take a look at such books as a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743234804?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=0743234804″emThe Power of Positive Thinking/em/aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=0743234804″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / or a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425142965?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=0425142965″emBe Your Own Best Friend. /em/aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=0425142965″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / As of right now their negativity and predictions of a loss this November might just cause enough people to give up on the party and make their predictions come true. Constructive criticism is one thing, wishing for defeat is another–make sure you know the difference. The more we put toxic memes out there that the GOP sucks, the more likely people are to believe it and make it come true.