Well Bush won his re-election. Like most Democrats I was stunned. But not as much as I could have been. You see people always prefer the "devil they know, to the devil they don't." And folks like Karl Rove, the late Lee Atwater, Abramoff, and yes George Bush Jr. have been working together as a team since the seventies for those of them who started with Nixon, and since the eighties for those of them who started as Young Republicans or "College Republicans." They have been plotting, working, experimenting, developing an understanding of marketting, psychology, getting lists of invaluable names. Finishing the "Southern Strategy" to where the red now is Republican, Southern, and Prairie, and the Blue is Democrat. Quite a turnabout. They've become the Confederate party of insurrection and patriotism. How they manage that balancing act I don't know. How a group can use such immoral means and then claim to be Moral I don't know. But it's happened before. It was called fascism then. And at least these chaps aren't literally killing Democrats....
In todays Washington Post (November 8, page A23) was an entry from the activities of the College Republicans of the 80's:
"It is not our job to seek peaceful coexistence with the left. Our job is to remove them from power permanently." The groups recruits would memorize this speach: "Democrats are the enemy. Wade into them! Spill their blood!"
When political opponants consider you the enemy and use this sort of language, one can only wonder where the "battle" will end up? Will we go backwards into genuine violent conflict? Will Democrats start being the ones championing the "right to bear arms" and arming to protect themselves from such people?
No, he didn't mean it literally. But he did mean it figuratively. And we Democrats need to wake up. Just calling them names, or assuming that they share our values is not going to defeat them. To defeat them one has to get them to think they've accomplished some of their goals and the rest of their goals are impossible. That requires real argument and real struggle. We need to force them to live up to their values.
As Newt says about the Civil war, when one faces an implacable foe, one has to be equally implacable. One's figurative guns need to be loaded. Statistics, biblical proofs, quotes from sages, examples from history. Not just blather and opinion. It can be done. in the twenty years since I first heard Rush Limbaugh I've found a whole plethora of arguments that poke holes in these "arguments" that republicans have developed. Bad science, bad economics, triumphalism in military strategy, and arrogant morality. The whole thing is a baloon that only works as long as no one is allowed to think.
Let us not get to the point where we have to literally fight. Before a "real" war breaks out, people can be brought to the table and reasoned with -- if one can corner them into doing the right thing. In this last election the Republicans had to appear to behave -- because Democrats were watching. Because they increasingly control the government, we have to watch and be all the more careful. Did they rig voting machines? I don't think so. Merely alleging it is resorting to the same tactics. People should investigate things and find out, not simply spread rumors. They won by using very clever marketing.
Do we believe that everyone should vote? Then we need to explain our beliefs. Clarify them ourselves so that we understand them well ourselves. Do we need to enforce 'equal protection of the law' then we need to do it. But first we need to understand what we are doing and why. And why it is important. Do we think abortion should remain legal? Why? Moral reasons? Legal history? Constitutional reasons? We can't expect to convince everyone. But we do need to convince majorities -- and to do that we need to be convinced ourselves. And that means debate and dialogue to hammer out a clear understanding of what those principles are.
Otherwise the current headache will become a nightmare of recurring dreams of an eventual knock at the door by police.
Chris
Posted by cholte at November 8, 2004 06:26 AM