How is the GOP's coronavirus recklessness compatible with being pro-life?
Under the intellectual and moral leadership of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Republicans in the House have done their best to set a standard of deadly misinformation, poisonous bigotry and mental vacuity. But Republicans in the Senate possessing greater intellectual kilowattage and fewer excuses for cowardice have recently taken center stage in the GOP festival of small-mindedness.
During last weeks budget negotiations, and as America prepared for the full-scale arrival of the omicron coronavirus variant, every present Senate Republican voted to defund the federal vaccine mandate on businesses, the military and the federal workforce. This indicated a political party now so intimidated by its liberty caucus that senators such as Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine felt compelled to bend the knee. It was a collective declaration of utter madness.
This is the strangest political cause of my lifetime. In the midst of a public health emergency that has taken more than 1 of every 500 American lives and which has reduced average life expectancy by 1.67 years (reversing about 14 years of life expectancy gains), Republican officials are actively discouraging citizens from taking routine medical precautions for their own welfare. This is not just a disagreement about policy. It is a political movement organized around increasing the risk of death to your neighbors, particularly your ill and elderly ones. And while it is certainly selfish, is not ultimately self-interested. Fatalities have increased especially in Republican-leaning portions of the country. A death cult has adopted a death wish.
For the dont tread on me crowd, this is part of a consistent ethic of death. By some recent measures, almost a third of Republicans say political violence may be necessary to save the country. Most of these advocates have spent many years being desensitized to bloodshed; they have been told that a portion of their fellow citizens are the embodiment of evil and bent on their destruction. A philosophy of freedom has been transformed into a means of dehumanization.
https://wapo.st/3rDuWuu
The final paragraph of this opinion piece nails it. "The GOP has become the party of death."
kwolf68
(7,365 posts)The Republican platform is not consistent in the least. Never has been. They want more perpetual war, more death penalty, more people (of color) in prison that hurts families, more guns in the hands of the greatest lunatics. But low and behold if you're a zygote you got these people's undying protection. They are a sinister party. I try to harken back and remind myself were the Republicans this bad in the 70s, 80s and 90s? Not really, though the seeds were certainly set by right wingers of the day (70s right wing think tanks, 80s Raygun coopting religious crazies into the fold and being overtly antigovernment and then 90s New finally took it to the logical conclusion by castigating Democrats as socialists or even communists).
It's not about idea or principle, but the messaging.
StClone
(11,683 posts)But, underneath Cons are consistent and principled
They operate under maybe three consistent long-term principles with messaging as the key:
1) They know their base forgets quickly, if not situation to situation, moment to moment, and can be redirected illogically, quickly, and often seamlessly, to target whatever they want to be undermined.
2) Power is the goal: greased by endless money from the toxic wealthy to hire the best consults, lawyers, and more to achieve goals.
3) Appeal to the basest, reactionary amygdala, to emotionally charge up those receptive to such appeals then channel them to attack.
Irish_Dem
(47,131 posts)against liberals.
It is about control and power. The issues are just weapons. And it doesn't have to make sense in their minds.
It is war.
IronLionZion
(45,451 posts)resulting in fewer policies that kill people through lack of health care, prenatal care, child care, and other benefits. So that would help keep children alive.
Pluvious
(4,312 posts)Skittles
(153,169 posts)if they were, they would be pro-Covid mandates, anti-guns, anti-dealth penalty, etc.
it's all about controlling non-wealthy women and paying lip service to "Christians" who support a pussy-grabbing con man