A rant about an agenda driven by cruelty

[Cyrano]

Whether the issue is Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, universal health care, the minimum wage, voting rights, civil rights, women’s rights, immigration, education, or dozens of other humane policies, the Republicans have consistently been on the wrong side of history.

Think about that for a moment. How could anyone with a conscience, and a basic sense of decency, oppose policies aimed at improving the human condition? The answer is simple: Today’s Republican/TeaBagger agenda is driven by cruelty. It denies our shared humanity and seeks to deny “The Other” of everything from health care, to food, to education, to basic human rights. The eventual outcome would be that all goods and privilege would be in the hands of the few, and everyone else would be left to eat dirt.

It’s not so amazing that they can get a sizable portion of their victims to go along with them. Perhaps as many as a third of all Americans are aiding and abetting in their own destruction. The tools used to seduce them are anger, hatred, fear, and in all too many cases, “God” and a scripture which is cherry picked to justify anything. The carriers of the message are Fox “News,” hate radio, and toxic politicians acting like modern-day versions of Caligula. And all with an assist from a compliant main stream media.

The outcome of this era is in doubt. Americans of tomorrow may look back on this period of time as one more giant stain on our country. On the other hand, a well-motivated minority can come out on top as history has often proved. Perhaps it will be neither. A future generation may find itself buried beneath a crumbled infrastructure and pummeled by a wrathful climate brought about by our inability to stop the insanity.

I find that I’ve totally depressed myself with what I’ve written here. So I’m planning to take the day off, pull the plug on the TV, do some yoga exercises, eat some fresh fruit and vegetables, get some fresh air and sunshine, read some Isaac Asimov, and check this post occasionally to see if anyone has paid any attention to this rant.

[Stuart G]

1. So, I read it and agree. k and r.

[pitbullgirl1965]

2. This is why the Both Sides do It saying is inaccurate

at the least. When you confront their racism or whatever, they whine how intolerant we are!
Being tolerant doesn't mean supporting toxic opinions, bigotry, et. al.

The GOP is the party of hate now

[Scuba]

3. Punishing the weak is Republican stock in trade. Their base loves that red meat.

It worked very well for Squat Wanker in his recall election.

[KT2000]

4. they do not feel safe

unless they are sure that others are suffering and they are not. This confirms their conviction that they are better and deserving - and chosen by God. Their obsession is not their love of God but the unfairness of those less worthy having a slice of the pie - resentment.
Fear can be a wild emotion and they have controlled theirs with hate.

[Hutzpa]

5. One word: Prejudice

The republican policy is driven by prejudice.

[Bunnahabhain]

6. Are you not making Repubs "The Other?"

While I support a logical, reasonable, and fair to all social democracy I do not think we get there by pissing in the Cheerios of very sizable portion of the population. It's specious to base your argument around "The Other" (which I happen to agree with) and then rant on to marginalize and dehumanize those you disagree with. Personally, I think many of the problems we are currently having is because politics and ideology in the US has become a team sport and there are only two teams. I am starting to think part of the basic problem in the US is the system of government needs to change to a parliamentary system as our current form is tantamount to a false dichotomy.

[haele]

12. No, there is a difference between projection and statement of fact.

There may be a few Tea Party types who are just old style republicans who aren't paying attention.

And I'm sure that a good number of us have an otherwise sweet as pie friend or family member who treats us with respect, etc - but get them in with a bunch of fellow Faux viewers or Rushbots, or expose them to a group of people who aren't "like them" or belong to their clan, they are a totally different person.

There are some of those types in my family and my husband's family, and yeah - I call them out when I can, so they don't make the off-color jokes and racist comments in front of me. To keep the peace just "agree not to talk social policy, politics or religion" and they go on with their own bad selves thinking I'm the flawed Liberal while they vote against their own interests and wonder why they are constantly losing money and falling down to the level of those minorities they look down on.

Because of medical bills and the constant premium increase she has been seeing since 2002 when she got divorced, my step-sister-in-law living in San Antonio TX couldn't hire a regular cleaning lady this year. Horrors!
To her, it's the fault of the illegals, the welfare cheats and socialist Obama that are causing this. No the fact that her youngest child just went off to college and she no longer gets the additional child support and extra comfort support her very thoughtful and generous ex was giving her on top of the alimony. Why should she have to modify the standard of living when half her income is not earned through her work as an function organizer at non-profit? That's what Fox news channel, and CNBC and the Wall Street Journal tell her, after all.

Just remember this:

You shall know them by their works, not their words to friends and family.

If they actively propose and support actions that hurt people, if they are not willing to compromise their position when considering facts instead of "truths", then they are willing to hurt people for the comfort of their beliefs, or because they're afraid, or hateful.

These are people who are willing to cut Social Security, TANF, LIHEAP, Section 8, Medicare, or deny equal protection under the law to their fellow citizens because someone else who has pretty much nothing might somehow scam the system, or because Glenn Beck or their own preachers says it's immoral or "Soshalism" is basically setting themselves up to be better than "The Others".
These are people who have no problems racking up the debt and deficit when it benefits them or to fit their personal world view, but if someone else is in charge, then all debt or deficit is suddenly evil and those "other people" are doing it all wrong, even when they are following the same budgetary policies as the "good guys"

So, to conclude - telling someone strolling out of the restroom exposing their "privates" to the world that they left their shorts in the stall is does not mean that you were sneaking around the facility trying to get up-skirt photos.

Haele

[Bunnahabhain]

13. Great rant

No fucking clue how it had anything to do with what I said but boy, did you tell...someone!

[freshwest]

15. This is so true. Just stumbled on this today doing a search. Well said post. n/t

[Lizzie Poppet]

7. Cruelty driven by greed & a cultish devotion to an inane, Randian idea of "free market" economics.

The latter being less in evidence among the actual powers-that-be (who tend more towards cynical, sociopathic pragmatism) than among their willing victims...

Great rant, btw!

[Cyrano]

8. It's possible that the Koch brothers are

fugitives from an Ayn Rand novel who believe themselves to be ubermenschen (and perhaps living replicas of John Galt). I find it impossible to grasp the mindset of people who want to own the entire world and everything in it.

As for me, I'm very content to sit here and eat some luscious California red grapes that I washed and froze up last night. It's often the simple pleasures that are the best. Gonna go walk in the sun for a bit.

[Lizzie Poppet]

9. I like your priorities!

Going to be a stunner of a day here in Portland, too. Got some work to finish, but after that I'm thinking a nice, long bike ride. Sunny day in late October in Portland? Hell YES, I'm gonna jump on it!

[KoKo]

10. Recommend.

[HereSince1628]

11. The republicans were, more than less, on the right side of slavery

I think that was one of their high-water marks; another was the anti-trust (anti-corporation) movement during TR's administration.

The geo/demo/graphic successes of mid-20th century democrats compared to limitations of the mid-20th century republican party have caused the GOP voters to increasingly represent an intersection with a particular and peculiar subset of limited Calvinistic' religious and archaic independent yeoman/self-reliant pioneer values more associated with 'temporal escapism' than the functional inter-dependence of individuals in contemporary first-world nations.

[lunatica]

14. I think sociopaths and psychopaths are attracted to the modern Republican party

It's greed, but there's a sickness underlying it.