Impeachophobia

[pat_k]

Like squatters, Bush and Cheney are laying claim to unconstitutional power through openly hostile possession. Members of Congress, who we empowered and charged with the duty of evicting (impeaching) such trespassers, are refusing to act.

By refusing to stand up for We the People, the true owners of this nation, Members of Congress have created a national crisis graver than any natural disaster or social ill. It is bigger than any international crisis. By tolerating the intolerable, they are surrendering our capacity to recover from disaster with humanity, solve our common problems in ways that reflect our common values, and serve as a force for good in the world. When the good will of the American people is cut out of the loop, no peoples, not our fellow Americans, not other nations, can look to us for help.

Surrendering your property to squatters without a fight is insanity, but that insanity doesn't compare to the magnitude of the insanity of surrendering a nation without a fight. But that is precisely what Members of Congress are doing when they say that the immediate impeachment of Bush and Cheney can't, won't, or shouldn't happen.

Identifying the affliction; Giving it a name

If Members of Congress were functioning as intended, the stark reality of the fascist takeover we are witnessing would be more than enough to compel them to impeach Bush and Cheney. Since they are stubbornly refusing to even consider impeachment, something is seriously wrong.

The problem comes into focus when defenders of Pelosi's "off the table" edict are challenged. The dysfunctional reactions are remarkably predicable. People we consider reasonable blather "reasons" (rationalizations) they can't defend, but stubbornly refuse to let go of. We keep hitting a wall built on baseless fears that "bad things" will happen if they move to impeach now. They rely on their various rationalizations maintain the illusion that they are avoiding impeachment for "good reasons." Strangely, while they invoke their fears to rationalize their refusal to impeach, they are blind to the notion that their refusal to impeach is driven by fear.

The affliction is real. It needs a name.

Although they do not meet all the criteria for a http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/specphob.htm">formal diagnosis of phobia (e.g., they don't "recognize that the fear is excessive or unreasonable"), the label "impeachophobia" is a good one because it captures the irrational avoidance at the heart of the affliction (i.e., "Marked and persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable, cued by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation")

Because "phobia" is a well-known term, the label has the benefit of immediately shifting expections. Because we expect irrational avoidance from an "impeachophobe," we aren't surprised, frustrated, or confused when we encounter it, and thus can respond more effectively.

Rationalizations and self-defeating prophesies

Impeachophobes have adopted effective means of shutting out and purging information that contradicts their conviction that impeachment can't, won't, or shouldn't happen. The rationalizations they invoke both justify and reinforce their conviction. Although it sometimes seems like they have an endless supply of rationalizations, they actually rely on relatively few. The most common are:

• "We'll get Cheney"
• "The public will rise against us"
• "We'll lose the White House"
• "Impeachment will tear the nation apart"
• "We don't have the votes to remove"
• "It would be a futile waste"
• "We need to focus on stopping the war"
• "Impeachment is a distraction"
• "The public is not behind it"
• "Now is not the 'right' time; maybe later"
• "We must investigate first"
• "It will take too long"
• "It's not gonna happen because it's not gonna happen"

Given the urgency or our predicament, lessons from history, and political advantages of immediate impeachment, outsiders find the persistence of these rationalizations mystifying. We may never fathom the power of rationalization and denial, but we will be more effective if we side aside expectations of how our leaders "should" behave and deal with them as they are.


There is a Cure! -- Turning Impeachophobes into Impeachers

Whatever position or office -- member of the press, Member of Congress, staffer, activist, citizen -- impeachophobes are all just people and people can be reached. We know impeachophobia can be cured because it is being cured. We are seeing and rank and file Democrats "out here" conquer impeachophobia and become "impeachers" everyday. Simply being exposed to impeachment advocates has been enough for some. Others require more intensive "intervention."

Curing impeachophobia doesn't require a "specialist." Anybody can do it by simply challenging impeachophobic rationalizations whenever they can.

Although we haven't seen any of the impeachophobes in the 110th Congress turn into impeachers, we should not be too discouraged. They can be reached, but the group dynamics that led the DC Democrats to take impeachment "off the table" also enable them to effectively defend against reality and reason that challenges that decision.¹

Their impeachophic groupthink has been spread to the public by the "pushers" in the media, creating a positive feedback loop that helps to keep reality at bay. One way to "wake up" the impeachophobes in the beltway is to turn impeachophobes "out here" into impeachers. As fewer people reflect back their impeachophobic rationalizations, and more people challenge them, it will become harder and harder for them to keep reality at bay.

When an impeachophobe minimizes the problem (e.g., "the White House is just playing 'hardball'"), call them on it. Confront them with the reality of torture. When they invoke their rationalizations, contradict them. When they claim "all we have is the power of the purse," call them on it (e.g., "Huh? Impeachment is the only thing capable of stopping Bush and Cheney"). Don't let them just nod when you point out the benefits of impeachment. Question them. Get verbal buy in. If they express doubt, ask them to cite the basis. If you get buy in, ask more questions ("You see the benefits. You apparently see the necessity. What's the problem?").

Whether we're dealing with impeachophobes on the Hill or impeachophobes "out here," the process is akin to "Whack-a-Mole." As you knock down one rationalization, another pops up. Rationalizations already dealt with can re-emerge.

Groupthink is a strange thing. As long as all the members of the group are in lock-step, it is VERY difficult to break through. But, if even just one Member, particularly one with some gravitas says "Hey, what are we doing? Impeach Now!" the rationalizations, self-censorship, and denial that pervades the group can come tumbling down with amazing speed.

================================

1. For example, characteristics of "group think" include:
   
   
   • Overestimation of the Group
     Illusion of invulnerability, Belief in the Inherent Morality of the Group
   
   
   • Closed-Mindedness
     Collective Rationalizations and Stereotypes of Outgroups
   
   
   • Pressures toward Uniformity
     Self-censorship, Illusion of Unanimity, Direct Pressure on Dissenters, Self-Appointed "mindguards"
   
   General factors that led group members astray:
   
   • Diffusion of Individual Responsibility:
     When we’re alone, we realize that either we respond to an event, or no one does. If others are around, we are more likely to defer; there are costs to intervening, and we can avoid those costs if others choose to intervene.
   
   
   • Status Quo Bias:
     We have an exaggerated preference for the status quo, and if there is no status quo, we opt for the default choice.
   
   
   • Informational Conformity:
     We learn about an element of physical or social reality by observing other people’s reactions to it, often without even realizing it.
   
   Sources: http://web.mit.edu/16.459/www/Teams2.pdf and http://www.wws.princeton.edu/wwac/files/psych_3.doc