by David Safier No normal human being can possibly figure out the ballot propositions without help. I include myself as one of the befuddled homo sapiens. So it’s helpful that the Pima County Democratic Party’s Executive Committee has put together a list of recommendations on the propositions, with reasons for its choices. The Committee didn’t … Read more
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: This Reuters photo says all you need to know. You can suggest a photo caption in the comments.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: All the McMedia spinmeisters last night were reading from the McCain campaign spin room talking points trying to salvage the evening by claiming that McCain scored points with his line distancing himself from President Bush (oh, snap!): "Sen. Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, … Read more
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: October means two things to me: the Worlds Series and presidential debates. So to borrow a sports metaphor, the Democratic ticket of Obama-Biden swept the presidential debate series 4-0. Break out the brooms! None of the games were even close, with snap polls and focus groups of undecided voters declaring the Democratic … Read more
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
There are dark forces in American politics to which no politician should ever appeal out of recognition of the simple fact that it is beyond their control, once those dark forces have been released from Pandora’s Box, to recall those dark forces back into the box safely. These dark forces tend to take on a life of their own and devour the politician who released them from the box, as well as everything else in their path, like a black hole consumes all matter in space.
I have written before that this is not your father’s GOP. Traditional Republicans long ago abandoned the Republican Party to register as independent or no party preference voters, or registered with other political parties, out of revulsion for what the GOP has become.
The modern-day Republican Party has devolved into a coalition of what were once its fringe elements on the far right of the party. They have succeeded in hijacking the party apparatus and its brand name to lay claim to legitimacy for their radical ideological extremism.
The tie that binds them all together is "fear." Fear of anyone who is not "one of us." There exists a schizophrenic dichotomy in the Republican Party: they wear a collective sense of "us versus them" victimhood on their sleeve while at the same time proclaiming their superiority to and entitlement over all "other" Americans. The nativists, racists, religious bigots, end-timers, and anti-government "black helicopter" militia types now comprise the "base" of the GOP. These are radical extremist fringe groups who should never be allowed anywhere near the levers of power.
John McCain and Sarah Palin have made a fundamental mistake over the past few weeks by appealing to these dark forces in their base with coded "dog whistle" language designed to manipulate their fears and prejudices. They are breathing life into a monster they cannot hope to control. It will devour them both and bring ruin to America if these dark forces cannot be put back into the box quickly.
The appeals of McCain and Palin to these dark forces are the reason for the "angry mob" mentality at their recent rallies. Only the GOP base attends their rallies, so it is no surprise that we have heard fear and racism and bigotry expressed by the GOP base. (The only things missing from these angry mobs are the traditional pitchforks and torches.)
There was the man in Wisconsin who said he was mad, "I’m really mad, and what’s going to surprise you, it’s not the economy. It’s the socialists taking over our country."
The man unleashed a long, unhinged rant … and referred to Obama and Nancy Pelosi as "hooligans." McCain didn’t utter one syllable of objection. In fact, he nodded bemusedly at the "socialist" mention.
And at the end of the man’s rant, McCain said that the man was "right."
After the man’s rant, the crowd got worked up and chanted "U-S-A" a bunch of times. Then McCain replied: "Well, I — I think I got the message. Could I just say, the gentleman is right." McCain then went on about how it was true that Americans are angry.
McCain and Palin fed the energy of the angry mob GOP base at their rallies for several days until late last week, when McCain took a question from a woman who said she did not trust Obama, because "he’s not… [an American] he’s an Arab" (wingnut shorthand for "Islamic terrorist"). McCain took the microphone away from the woman and offered a defense of Barack Obama as "a decent family man citizen." Earlier he told his supporters that they should not be scared of Obama, and that they should be respectful. (I am guessing that the Secret Service has had a talk with his campaign.) The angry mob GOP base turned on him; they wanted to continue to revel in their anger and hatred. McCain lost control of the monster he helped to create.
The rallies of McCain and Palin have since continued to be frequented by the angry mob base who have shouted out "terrorist," "off with his head," and "kill him" (the Secret Service is investigating one or more of these individuals). There are signs and shouts of "Obama bin Lying" and "Obama bin Laden" ignorantly comparing Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden and insinuating that he is an Islamic terrorist. Neither McCain nor Palin have admonished these supporters for their hateful or threatening insults.
McCain and Palin continue to question the patriotism and loyalty, even the very "Americaness" of not only Barack Obama, but by extension, the majority of Americans (53% in the most recent CBS News/New York Times Poll) who support his candidacy for president.
Americans need to ask themselves one fundamental question: do you really want an angry mob political party crippled by its fear and motivated by nativism, racism and bigotry to control the levers of power for another four years? I didn’t think so.
It is time for the modern-day Republican Party to be forced to wander in the wilderness for a generation to rediscover its roots again. Component parts of the GOP coalition need to be jettisoned entirely: the imperialist warmonger Neoconservatives, the anti-intellectualism end-times religious cults, the anti-immigrant successors of the know Nothing Party, the racism of the Neo-Confederate successors of white supremacists, and the totalitarian Neo-Fascists. These radical extremist fringe groups do not represent the time-honored ideals of the traditional Republican Party.
Republicans allowed these radical extremists groups inside their tent. Republicans will have to take back their party from these fringe groups and kick them out of their tent. If Republicans do not, the monster they helped create will devour their party and likely cause irreparable damage to America. Republicans, it is your patriotic duty to put the dark forces you unleashed back into Pandora’s Box.
Bonus: See Keith Olbermann’s "Special Comment" after the fold.