The Republican party was swallowed up by Nixon’s “southern strategy” that took all states by storm. It should have been renamed the Confederate Party by the conservatives; for its primacy of perception runs counter to the foundations of a federal government that has forged a substantial middle class by making it a priority to redistribute wealth in order to include the working class dream of forging a future for itself and its posterity and in the end creating an inclusive dynamic society for all eager to participate.
The Confederate Party stands for the very opposite. It is opposed to inclusiveness and lends no trust to the masses. It carries out a triadic formation of master, foreman and dumb worker. Knit closely to this is theocracy — God, evangelist, and believer — which cares only for the existence of itself in virtue of its aim to dwell in the self conceived deistic image of authoritarianism. Free will negates free thought. Hand in hand these successfully corrupt the free spirit in the realm of politics by imposing its decrees in the hearts and minds of its followers to do the “right” thing. That is, they perceive leftover Republicans as heretics — unable to accept a monolithic creed — stubbornly sympathizing with the plight of the Have-nots and for occasionally legislating on their behalf. Democrats dwell in the purgatory of politics, unable to muster contrition for their foggy vison of the past initiated by the New Deal.
They perceive labor unions as evil, or at least a band of malcontents, because most have in their hidden agenda fair distribution of wealth by being staunch defenders of a decent living wage for those in dire need and in tandem bolster economic growth and better education for all, rather than accept the fate of Job. Homosexuals are arrogant for daring to leave the closet, and therefore, no mercy, nor romance for them. Public education was successful in the past because of segregation and therefore, vouchers are the only solution for learning.
The Confederates’ narrow politics is not open to interdependence, except for godly thought. Better education is not intertwined with building bigger and better prisons. Health insurance for all has nothing to with preventive medicine for all. The Second Amendment is necessary to defend against a federal government conspiring to put an end to the gun-toting minutemen, regardless of the criminal and terrorist who abuse the intent. There exists in legislation an either/or approach: there can only be guns, not butter in time of war — defense rules the day, schools, welfare, health are for another era. What better defense than a well-fed, healthy educated citizen is pure nonsense.
Confederate followers are content with the traditional values offered by religion, dead-end jobs, opportunity for those blest with brains and entrepreneurial talents and their natural right to rugged individualism. They are content too with the mastery of the whiplash upon other countries that do not see things as we do. They submit to the exigencies of American business to set up shop in China and Mexico because it is the privilege of the boss to abandon the little people who are no longer capable of producing competitive goods because of federally mandated minimum wage. As long as they have their pickup trucks, SUVs and potholes filled in, they see no need for modernizing mass-transportation. In fact, in revamping all infrastructure is costly because it would mean too many high-paying jobs that the treasury can ill afford.
If there is no bread on the table they are content to eat week old cake.
Copyright © 2004 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: February 3, 2004.