The American Spirit

Are republicans mean spirited or do they just seem to be so? They do seem to stand against many things, especially in the social arena. Abortion (women's rights), homosexuality (human rights), unions (workers rights), protest (first ammendment rights), privacy (5th ammendment) as if morality might be achieved by prohibition, strictures and punitive action. The right likes guns, authority, military might, the rich, law/order and the maintenance of the status quo.

The party since Nixon has become increasingly fascist and the status quo keeps getting dragged further to the right. At least Nixon was sneaky, I'm sure his quaker soul recognized in abhorrence the shame of his behavior. Dick was clearly a self loathing individual, Gerald Ford was supposed to be the vanguard of the new republicans but he took a fall. What he did do was open the door for the likes of Pat Buchannan, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz and Donald Rumsfeld. They would become the nazi posse that would rule the party and the country for the next 20 of 32 years. They were clearly mean spirited, their profit driven and illegal rule was reigned in by their toady president G.W. Bush. He fired Rumsfeld, said no to Cheney, defined an end to Iraq and quietly slipped away. I applaud his late efforts.

Today we have a republican party reduced to rote ideology. No new taxes, spending cuts, smaller government and support of the monied few are the clarion of a party that curries favor of the radical right and the super rich at the same time. They are known for their lock step opposition to anything progressive or even compromising. They have no new ideas and dare to suggest that repeating failed policy will work in the future. Notice that the tories in England are being called to account for their failed austerity programs. The British economy continues to shrink, the citizenry becomes more disgruntled and debt grows to cover their failures. Strict conservatism never works in dynamic situations.

The democrats are glad handed, thieving fools, adept only at empty promises, overblown rhetoric and the creation of false hope. Their president clearly is more interested in keeping his job than actually leading his nation. Barry is arrogant, he is not the smartest guy in the room. Bill Clinton wasn't the smartest guy in the room but he was the most studied and even with his collossal ego he was able to be kind and connect with the people. If Barry had his wife's personality he'd be a hit.

We, as a country are beginning the quest for a governmental change. It will be a hard fix. Look for more protests. More ineffectual changes to congress. More media interference and luckily a well spring of ideas. Keep your mind open, look for the messiah. Jesus was not a man so much as an idea.

Right on. As a whole we are generous, welcoming and kind.