Much is made about the character of politicians, their spouses, and their friends.
But announcing a candidate’s supposed character is easier than explaining the issues. So is tying a candidate to someone of questionable values.
Thus many columnists, talk-show personalities and 527-ers regularly characterize or depict caricatures of politicians such as “Swift Boat,” “Trailhead,” “MoDowd,” “Parkercise” or “Ematthewsculate.” That is – they destroy them.
Yet character is important. Consider the rogue elephant in our national living room.
Gradually kidnapped by extremists chanting “Conservative!” but acting differently, the Republican Party’s politicians still repeat the big lie, “Government isn’t the solution. Government’s the problem.”
Yet they’ve enjoyed owning our federal government, selling off some of it and using the rest to intimidate and control us while enriching themselves and their cronies – and, ironically, making government a problem.
Touting “family values,” they pursue policies undermining families. Talking “democracy,” they promote a class system. Praising corporate risk-taking, they eliminate those risks – at public expense.
The United Nations endangers our sovereignty, yet international corporations may dictate our laws. And thrift? That’s cutting programs for Americans who need them, so as to underwrite a reckless war and pay favored corporations to police and replace the debris – perhaps.
Furthermore, leaders laud “The Infallible Market” – much as Russians once predicted social perfection via Communism. Yet Republicans” corporate supporters regularly manipulate our markets – and us.
Hypocrisy’s a character trait.
Furthermore, the name-calling which prevents discussion. “Disagree? You’re stupid, irrational, unpatriotic – a bleeding heart misled by godless ‘Liberals’, a terrorist enabler.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Are too! Are too!”
School playground behavior says much about adults’ characters, as does the drive to control, enforce and punish.
Scores of books and articles report actions that reveal Republican Party values.
Republican-controlled Congress have neglected domestic problems, scorned compromise, squandered millions harassing a Democratic president, met less frequently and barred Democrats from legislative planning, scrapped plans for publicizing Congressional work, handed states an intrusive anti-public-schooling scam, offered health care reforms benefiting corporations, and increased five-fold federal monies sent to states as “pork” bribes.
Abandoning traditional oversight of the executive branch, they created a profitable alliance with lobbyists – the latter writing, not just buying, bills.
They also clamored to let a President launch wars by himself and snoop on citizens. Today’s “Democratic” Senate seldom overrides vetoes, for Republicans there fear the well-funded Party Vengeance Machine and their pet lobbyists” anger.
Meanwhile a Republican administration wraps itself in secrecy, sanctimony and the flag, scorns habeas corpus, rewrites history, labels and insults critics, punishes the press, pushes perpetual tax-cuts for the richest, weakens the Constitution’s separation of powers, makes the Justice Department a branch of the party, staffs agencies with corporate executives and lobbyists, and authorizes torture of war prisoners.
It censors scientific reports, misuses and mistreats military personnel and privatizes both civil and military tasks so as to reward supporters and prevent fiscal accountability.
As well, Republican leaders pander to racists, homophobes, male supremacists and selected religious groups, to win votes and contributions and to divide and conquer society. Modeling meanness, too, they’ve inspired local, vocal “Brown Shirts” who repeat prescribed phrases and labels so as to stifle discourse.
Finally, endless streams of money, for fear/hate ads and some politicians” high lifestyles – giving “D.C.” its new meanings: District of Corporations, Den of Corruption, Distant City.
Our America is the most daring, exciting and rewarding experiment ever. But Republican leaders and their wealthy covert and overt pushers have done far more to weaken it than all of their oft-proclaimed “dangers” – secularism, Spanish, immigrants, homosexuals, Communists, socialism, unions, Darwinism, movies, public schools, “Liberals” or terrorists.
Therefore today’s Republican candidates carry much baggage – in Latin, impedimenta: a deeply corrupt party and its companion, incompetence. GOP? Got Other Priorities. God’s Own Patriarchs. Grand Oligarchy Party.
So who believes Republican candidates can change the character of the GOP – the arrogance, greed, deceit, lust for power and contempt for ordinary citizens? Desperately wishful thinkers.
Daniel Brickley lives in Littleton.
