Holte's corner

Truth or Consequences

This years election is reaching it's final moments. Do we accept the premises of this representation of "neo-conservativism" or continue the developing tradition of improving our society? Do we accept voter fraud in the name of preventing voter fraud? Do we accept the method of the "Big Lie" or do we try to force politicians and parties to at least try to stay within the parameters of truth? And do we continue to leave idiots in charge of our foreign policy and military. (See the news about the failure to secure weapons dumps in Iraq).

The Republicans have been using the methods of spin, being "on topic," "team playing" and of the "Big Lie" to advance policies with arguments some of which only start to take on a patina of logic after they've been repeated over and over again for year after year -- or perhaps after too many intoxicants.

They have tried to label Democrats, mischaracterized their stands on issue after issue and claimed the "center" while actually acting on the "right". And with an energy that has been astounding in it's collective duplicity. In this election even the most normally logical and level headed among them; such as Charles Krauthammer or George Will seem to have taken out all the rhetorical stops to attack the Democratic nominee and elect their choice.

I'm voting for Kerry. I agree with Richard Cohen. I've become as Mussolini would call me, a conservative.

In doing this the Republicans have also been practicing the principle of the "unresolved conflict" in order to keep power -- not to resolve the issues they claim so important. Attack Bin Laden, but make sure he excapes. Bring down Hussein, but make sure his successors have plenty of arms and explosives. Make an issue out of "social issues" but make sure that they remain issues from generation to generation. In truth few Republican Politicians feel as passionately about "right to life" as they profess, most of them are all for taking adult life and are only playing to the least common and emotional denominator when they accuse liberals and the courts of being "activist" for upholding the Constitution. Few of these guys care about the men and women in their military as much as they profess. They not only bleed them dry, they destroy their families in the process. These guys push issues year after year not to resolve them but to hold their base in anger.

In this topsy turvy election the few times Bush has told the truth he's been castigated for it. Terrorism is a long term function of people who are not willing to work within the system to accomplish their ends. You get terrorists two ways; one by fanaticism and dogmatic ideas. The second by exclusion. The irony of politics is that if you exclude people they find a way to inject themselves sooner or later -- unless you also repress them or even kill them. And the Arabs cannot be defeated by attacking each country. They have to be dealt with exactly with the mix of political and military resources we have. Not some fantasy of building a Empire of bases in the middle east. You don't resolve the abortion issue by demogaguing it. And both sides have done that, but the middle ground is based on teaching planned parenthood, values, and doing societies best to make sure that women have a life other than as a Mother, and if they chose to become a mother have the resources to be a good one -- or to put the child up for adoption if that is impossible or premature.

And a lot of "neo-cons" don't know their history. Accusing Judges of being "activist" for trying to uphold the constitution or enforce the principle of equal protection under the law -- should be the last thing that anyone who is a minority in this country should do. Without this loyalty to the Constitution first and to that principle, those people would have been kept down by the courts and the law and not been able to get to positions where they could criticize the judges who freed them.

But it will all work out.

Posted by cholte at November 1, 2004 06:09 AM