The Spawn

The Spawn
By David Glenn Cox


There is an inherent strength and weakness to democracy, Its strength is that it appeals to the best in people, Its weakness, is that it also appeals to the worst in people. The obituaries for the Grand Old Party are in my opinion premature, that does not mean that I think that they are incorrect only premature.

The party is wounded and staggering, a wounded animal under similar circumstances would go hide in its den and lick its wounds to recover its strength and clear its head to come back and fight another day. Instead the Republicans bluster while boss Limbaugh barks dragging the carcass even further to the right and stifles thought through intimidation. The party that was once the master of fear based politics is now caught in its own trap.

Unable to establish any new ideas it must continue moving inexorably further to the right or gnaw off its own paw off to escape. That is the point at which we will see whether the patient will recover or whether the patient will die. The administration of George W. Bush destroyed the foundations of the Republican Party; they float today as loose particles in the political cosmos looking to find an orbit to reform around. Boss Limbaugh is the most powerful force but his orbit will pull them in to the sun.

The death of dialog is the death of democracy; this canonization of Republican ideology becomes a cult akin to the Chinese Red Guard shouting slogans from Mao’s red book at the perceived thought criminals. Boss Limbaugh’s comment that Colin Powell was really a Democrat and should just join the Democrats illustrates the point well. Not the party of ideas but the party of strict authoritarianism. Boss Limbaugh and Fox News and the evangelical right have the ideas; you just shut up and listen.

Every shattering of political power eventually narrows down to two factions, the old guard and the new radicals. In the Republican Party we see Boss Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and the cast of presidential wannabes as the old guard. Trying to rebuild with the new program for America, on the ashes of John McCain’s presidential run. Out in Texas however Governor Rick Perry gains traction by threatening the Federal Government with succession from the union.

In Arizona Maricopa county Sheriff Joe Arpaio wins legions of Republican faithful with his strong-arm tactics and militarist zeal. A visit to his website shows him in armored personnel carriers and Blackhawk helicopters along with lines of horse mounted troops with goose-stepping I mean, deputies marching in formation. Already all across the nation rifle and handgun ammunition is in short supply because of fears that the Obama administration will either tax it or try to ban it.

We see at this time like no other time since the 1860’s a polarization of citizenry exacerbated by fanatics. The ammunition shortage was brought about by loose talk on the right that Obama will probably go after the gun owners. Obama has a lot on the table right now, take it from me its not a priority. It goes back to the Republican talking points during the campaign that Obama is/was a Socialist. They’ve talked themselves into a fever fueled with paranoia until the Boss Limbaugh’s and Glen Beck’s of the world seem tame.

There is a danger in laughing at their misfortune, if the Democrats with out serious opposition sit soaking up the lobbyist largess while ignoring the needs of the people they set themselves up as a royalist party. Like the Harlem Globetrotters they’re real good at trick shots and show boating but what happens when the play a real team instead of the Washington Generals?

The economic crisis that we face is not abating if anything it is becoming more pronounced. Obama’s center right economic policies might please Wall Street but just outside of New York and the beltway there is a place called America. In this place millions are losing their homes, their dreams are being dashed and their spirits are demoralized. There is a seething to be reckoned with as the multitude begins to lose faith in the old orders on both the left and right. This is not theory but fact; weak, inept central governments are followed by strong authoritarian governments.

FDR’s New Deal was aimed at solving social unrest just as much as economic distress. There were riots and demonstrations and marches in every major city in America. Right wing industrialist’s and media moguls financed groups such as the liberty league with the intention of subverting the federal government. They then funded the America first movement in an attempt to subvert American foreign policy as well. On the left the Communist Party set up feeding stations in major cities demanding jobs and the end of evictions. The Communist party was the fastest growing political party in America in 1932 because the failure to supply basic needs radicalizes the populace to accept extreme solutions.

There was treason afoot then just as there is treason afoot now. If we only learned one thing from the Bush administration is should be that it can happen here. If they will terrorize and torture an Arab in Guantonamo they will terrorize and torture you. It is only a difference in degrees. The taser was first brought into police service as an alternative to deadly force. Now sadly, it has become a front line tool for police to punish without breaking a sweat. The famous, “Don’t taze me Bro?” should be a wake up call for there are many more less famous incidents, women tased at traffic stops and teenagers for truancy and for riding skateboards. But even more frightening was the elderly woman at the McCain rally; “Obama’s not a terrorist?” Facts and reality based thinking are abstracts to the Fox News and Limbaugh faithful. The truth is what ever they tell them the truth is

The Republicans have never been known for following election laws or any laws for that matter which they could subvert to get their candidate installed into office.The last eight years they have placed thousands of ideologs inside the federal government bureaucracy. The retreads from the Nixon administration became the cabinet officers for Bush and while Bush may be gone they are still there.

The next generation will become more extreme and more bellicose; they will advocate for stronger police powers to “handle” the emergency. They will torture Americans, and will not give it a second thought. Because they will be on a holy mission to save America from Godless subversives or some concocted enemy dou jour and what they lack in ideas they will make up for both figuratively and literally in financing.

Republicans always have plenty of money because the moneyed interests are their base. They are the party of wedge issues, stricter laws; longer prison sentences and expanded military and police powers at the expense of social spending. What better wedge issue could there be than exploit the economic downturn by pitting American against American?

The teabagers are the new liberty league and the left or what is left of the left had better wake up and smell the coffee. The Republicans are neither quitters nor good losers and their goal is not to win elections but to gain power. The phoenix spawned from the ashes of the current party might very well become a dangerous bird indeed.

After the Reichstag fire chancellor Hitler looked down from the rostrum to the second largest party in the Reichstag the Social Democrats. He told them in effect to pack their bags and go home, “We don’t need your votes anymore!” Through a mixture of appeasing big business and courting the military with promises of expanded budgets and one little contrived emergency he had gained complete power over those who were still studying parliamentary procedure.

The same can be said about the Democratic Party unfortunately and one is not allowed to criticize the party. One must wave the flag, send in the $25 and blindly support it all. Even if you disagree with it.

And that, of course, is how the Republicrats have managed to take over both parties in this country.

The only Democrats and Republicans are the fools who believe there are Democrats and Republicans on the ballot.

A very wise woman once said that some things are Democratic things, some things are Republican things, and some things are just money things. At this point it is all money things.

A very wise woman named Pamela Harriman.

Deathly fear of the truth, the political cleanser; compared to hydrophobia in rabid dogs, fear of life-giving water.