FLAIT

Republicans always say if shooting victims, especially students or teachers in these mass school shootings, were armed, then it wouldn't have happened. The "good guy with a gun would have stopped the bad guy with a gun." They also say that if the Jews in Europe had guns in he 1930s, the Holocaust wouldn't have happened.

If credibility and a track record mean anything at all, they're wrong, because Republicans are always wrong, about everything. For instance:

In 1993 Republicans said the economic sky was going to fall in when President Clinton raised taxes. Wrong.

In the late 1990s, Republicans called for deregulating Wall Street, unrestrained "free markets" and said the "industry would police itself." And we know how that turned out, and why. (Yes, Democrats supported it and Bill Clinton signed the legislation, but "deregulation" and "letting the free market decide" is the conservative, right-wing mantra. Also, it's the Democrats who want businesses to be "shackled" with "big government regulation," remember?)

George Bush said Iraq had WMDs, he "knew where they were," the "war would pay for itself" and would be relatively easy. Wrong, wrong, really wrong and couldn't be more wrong. (No supportive links necessary.)

Republicans wanted to address the 2008 financial collapse - which they caused with their brilliant idea of deregulation - with immediate and drastic cuts in government spending known as austerity. They would have been wrong because austerity made things worse in Europe.

Republicans said Obama's 2009 stimulus wouldn't work, would increase the deficit and cause interest rates to soar. Wrong, really wrong and couldn't be more wrong. (Republicans not only took the stimulus money they argued and voted against, and not only took credit for it, but asked for more money!)

Republicans said Obama's Detroit auto bailout wouldn't work. Wrong.

Republicans said Obamacare had "death panels," would cost more than Obama said it would, would destroy the economy, increase unemployment, cause insurance rates to skyrocket and no one would sign up. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong and couldn't be more wrong. (More here and here. As far as skyrocketing costs go, it's funny. Health insurance, deductibles and co-pays had been skyrocketing for decades. But we never heard a peep about it from Republicans, until now. Also, Obamacare insurance premiums will be much higher in 2016 and since Obamacare has to be cheap and all aspects of it has to be 100% perfect 100% of the time, just watch the Republicans pounce after never giving a hoot about our broken health care system before.)

Republicans say that cutting taxes increases revenues. Wrong (also here).

In 2012 Mitt Romney said he'd get unemployed down to 6% by the end of his first term. Obama accomplished that almost a year ago.

Republicans don't believe in climate change. Wrong.

Republicans say Planned Parenthood performs exponentially more abortions than health care and screenings. Wrong.

Republicans said ISIS is coming through the Mexican border carrying Ebola. And Donald Trump and the Republicans said we had to stop flights coming in from countries that had Ebola patients or else the plague will spread here. Wrong, wrong and couldn't be more wrong. (Not even worth the trouble to provide supportive links for that one.)

Republicans said that this summer's months-long military exercises in Texas, "Jade Helm 15," was really a cover for Obama impose martial law so he could confiscate everyone's guns, and even included secret tunnels under a Walmart. Wrong, really wrong and, as usual, couldn't be more wrong. (No supportive links necessary for that one either.)

From the day Obama took office, Republicans said he was going to take everyone's guns away. Well, he better get moving because he only has 13 months left to confiscate between 270 and 310 million guns. So, wrong again.

You'd think that being terribly wrong all the time would be toxic for the GOP and basically put them out of business. But not in our dysfunctional political system. Republicans are immune because they're never held accountable for being so wrong so often.

As for guns guaranteeing personal safety, police officers - who carry guns and are trained to use them - are unfortunately shot and killed all the time, 35 so far this year alone. Last December, two New York City cops where shot and killed while they were sitting in their squad car. How come? I mean, cops are the "good guys" and had guns. So why were they shot by the "bad guys"?

In 1981, Ronald Reagan, who was surrounded by well-armed and well-trained Secret Service agents, who are hired for their cat-like reflexes, was shot anyway.

So a lot of good those "good guys with guns" did, huh? And Republicans expect a novice to whip out his or her gun (have their "accident") and shoot the "bad guy," and not a student or teacher, even though once the "bad guy" starts shooting it's already too late?

Therefore, the objective should be to prevent the shooting in the first place - novel idea, huh? - not responding to it after the bullets start flying. Or do Republicans want everyone to be armed? That's their "solution" to all our daily gun violence and bloodshed? Ask a silly question...

Arming everyone - including children, the elderly and physically and mentally challenged? - won't prevent shootings, obviously, and would lead to more shootings!

Then again, this isn't about facts, logic or sanity, is it? If it was, gun violence wouldn't be the epidemic it has become. No. This is about stubbornly defending an indefensible political position at all costs because even if Republicans gave so much as an inch on guns - or health care, climate change or anything else - it would be admitting that those evil "liberals" were right and they were wrong. But because of their bare-knuckles partisanship, political obstinence, know-it-all arrogance and immature spite, that's not happening. Republicans would rather be wrong, and look ignorant and foolish, than agree with a "liberal."

As for the 1930's European Jews, last time I checked, the Germans not only had guns, but tanks and planes too. Heck, they even had rockets! And they lost the war! So much for their "guns," huh?

So when Republicans say if students, teachers and Jews were armed it would have prevented the shooting and Holocaust, they're not just wrong, but dead wrong. Just like they always are.

Republicans remind me of a scene in the Honeymooners, the one where "Ralph" is trying to sell the handy kitchen helper and "Alice" was going over all his other "crazy hair-brained schemes," all of which failed:

Ralph: Nobody's a hundred percent, Alice
Alice: You are. You've been wrong every time.

Despite that, it's the conservatives and Republicans who come off as the authority, on everything. They know best and are never, ever wrong. And with the help of their massive propaganda machine, they do nothing but manufacture fear and paranoia and fire a barrage of attacks and lies at Democrats and Obama every day - Liberal media! Death panels! Benghazi! Repeal Obamacare! Obama was born in Africa! Obama's a Muslim! Obama's going to take your guns away! - as if it's the Democrats who are always wrong. But Republicans have to do that to not only divert attention from the fact that it's them who are always wrong, but to distract Americans from their scorched Earth policies acts of political terrorism. And in the process, they have created a cult of mindless and gullible followers who not only allow them to get away with it, but reward them for it.

Can you imagine if it really were the Democrats who had that Republican track record of always being wrong that also included 9/11 and the Iraq war (lies)? My God, there would no longer be a Democratic Party any more! Republicans would have made sure of it.

Oh wait, I'm wrong. Democrats would have been finished on 9/11 alone (and that's not hyperbole because Republicans are already talking about impeaching Hillary Clinton on her first day as President should she win the election).

I'd say a broken clock is right more often than Republicans but that's not fair because a broken clock is right twice a day and tossed into the garbage while Republicans aren't right twice a decade but keep getting elected.

So why does anyone bother listening to them?

Because it's a God damn cult, that's why!

January, 2016 insert:

Republicans said allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire on the very wealthy would hurt job creation and destroy economic growth. Really wrong.

January, 2016 insert:

More proof that Republicans are always wrong and are political terrorists is here.

February, 2016 insert:

Republicans continue to be totally wrong on Obamacare, here.

June, 2016 insert:

Although it's from 2009, a very good listing of how wrong Republicans, their talking points and propaganda is, is here.