Last April I posted “Republican Death Spiral tragically pursues extremist precedents and a need to fail.” Since then, the Death Spiral has proceeded on its destructive course and has entered its militant phase in which its sole objective will be to disrupt and eventually to overthrow our democracy. These are harsh judgments on my part, not obvious to the casual observer, perhaps not yet obvious to many of the Republicans involved in the process, but the signs are there. As the Republican extremists suffer more legislative defeats, feel ever more inferior, shed more of their relatively moderate or rational brethren and openly behave in a less constructive way, they will increasingly play to fanatic and alienated groups like the Tea Baggers and right wing religionists and use common hatreds and defeats to justify their actions. Some elected officials recently stood on a balcony of the Congressional Building urging on Tea baggers. Others, in the House, encouraged obnoxious behavior from the gallery and yelled insults at fellow congressmen.
Among things that have developed since last year is the overwhelming focus on President Obama as a devil incarnate. A recent Harris poll found that 24% of Republicans think that President Obama is the anti-Christ! The very intractability and ferocity of this hatred is only possible from poorly educated and fearful extremists who demonize those who aren’t 100% with them. As Eric Hoffer pointed out: in order to hate a person or group (like the Nazi hatred of the Jews in Germany), you must feel inferior to them in some way. Hitler portrayed the Jews as secretly running everything in Europe and the US to the detriment of Germany, unwittingly implying that they were more intelligent and clever than his fellow Nazis who could only root them out with brutal ruthless force. He picked the Jews because European cultural myths played into his stereotypes.
President Obama, a well educated, highly intelligent, rational and articulate person, easily inspires hatred in less educated and less competent Tea Baggers and good old boy Congressmen and Senators steeped in slave-owning cultural myths. Obama’s honest efforts at dialog and compromise have simply fanned the flames of hatred because they further exacerbated the right wing’s sense of inferiority and highlighted their injustices to him. As Hoffer said: it is far more likely that you hate someone because you’ve done him an injustice than that he’s done you one.
In contrast, as much as I thought George Bush was an extremist schmuck, who made destructive military and economic decisions as President, I felt some anger but more pity for him than anything else; never hatred. He was simply doing the best he could under the circumstances, leading from his gut because he was not up to leading with his intellect. We were responsible for electing him (including myself who carelessly voted for him the first time and those left wing extremists who voted for Ralph Nader) and according to democratic principles we had to suffer under him until he was replaced through the ballot box. But then, I’m a moderate and think differently than extremists.
From a moderate’s point of view, as right wing Republicanism becomes ever more obstructionist and bellicose the party should fade away at the ballot box and be replaced by another, more rational party. I hope that’s what will happen, but I’m not at all confident in such a productive scenario.
In the first place, extremists don’t tend to go down without a fight. Secondly, they don’t believe in the ballot box. And I’m not at all certain that they might not succeed through force because there are many conditions that favor them. The economic situation has plunged the country into a crisis of confidence. Congressional extremists have already managed to disrupt the functioning of government through parliamentary maneuvering and disinformation which has undermined public confidence in politicians and in the system. The Supreme Court’s right wing, in its 5-4 “Citizens United” decision, has unleashed a flood of corporate money, most of which will support right wing candidates and drown out the voices of rational people. (Hitler was likewise supported by money from the industrial elite because there was money to be made by doing so.) FOX news and Clear Channel (Rush Limbaugh’s network) serve right wing extremism as wholehearted propaganda organs, spewing disinformation and hatred disguised as news reporting and rational commentary. Furthermore, extremists appeal to the gun hugging elements of our populace. These are all worrisome factors.
The only mitigating factor, according to the elements Eric Hoffer described in The True Believer as essential for a mass movement to succeed, is that the Republican extremists lack a ruthless, effective, charismatic leader who can attract a loyal cadre of competent lieutenants to carry out his Messianic visions. Sarah Palin who is the most charismatic Republican and who may well think she is a modern Joan of Arc, suffers from intellectual and personal laziness that should alienate competent Lieutenants. Besides, too many conservatives are unable to blindly serve a woman. Perhaps the most competent of extremists is Mitt Romney, but his Mormonism will render him unable to lead the Christian Right. Republican leaders in the Senate and House are neither sufficiently competent nor charismatic. Should a competent, ruthless, male, charismatic leader arise in the next year or so, our Democracy’s future will be in serious jeopardy.
Dear Ed:
Your article is well written and thorough. It’s also so very frightening. Ever since Bush Jr. found his way into office, with Cheney guiding him with his dark soul, this country has changed into an angry, irrational place. Many times I have had the sinking feeling that the right wing extremists would become violent. Unfortunately, in the past few days, the violence appears to have begun–with verbal assaults, death threats, bricks through windows, and severed gas lines. Frightening…. with these people, nothing is certain. Here’s hoping calmer minds prevail, and the darkening skies turn bright again……
Dear Kmeccat:
Amen! And thanks for your supportive comments.
In other posts I’ve tried to show how we are more responsible for where we are than we’re willing to give ourselves credit/blame for. The good news is that we can change ourselves far more easily than we can change others…. so we can contribute to the solution regardless of what others do.
Ed
Very well said! I have been thinking of these attacks on our democratic process and the people who are fanning the flames, This has taken on a new level of violence and I fear for the safety of our elected leaders and their family’s. I think the far-right have finely reached the bottom of the barrel and now the scum is rising to the top! This will end the Republican Party as we know it.
Thomas:
The Republican Party I once respected is long gone, and we desperately need a healthy two party system and a healthy dose of independents in Government. Both parties, by nature tend to over-represent extremists, as does the seniority system in Congress, points I’ll elaborate on in a future post. I have no problem with a proportional number of extremists being elected, that’s healthy, but making it easy for extremists of either the right or left to be elected and chair committees to the detriment of Independents and moderates in both parties is unhealthy.
Ed
it isn’t a great leap from the teabagger paranoia to the timothy mcveigh poorly focused violent extremism.
you’re right, this ride could get bumpy…
d
Dave:
Agree. It’s why we who believe in democracy as our social order should continue to speak calmly, forcefully and hopefully about what’s going on and what we might do to help.
Ed
Good update, and your first article was prescient, too. I was watching what was happening but wouldn’t have been able to describe what I was seeing. Your articles fit what I have been seeing into a framework.
One thing. As someone who never slings insults or acts in a bullying manner when discussing ‘contentious’ issues on the internet, I had given up trying to enter into any discourse with those expressing the ‘wilder’ opinions, regarding it as a waste of time.
I’m not quite convinced it’s worth trying again, but you’ve got me thinking about it.
Jenny WRN:
Thanks for your comments. We all need supportive feedback in a sea of negativity. I too get discouraged, and stopped writing for several months. I encourage you to get back into the fray. Perhaps this might help: don’t seek to convert anyone else, seek only to offer ideas and to encourage, nurture and support those who are leading their own enlightenments. We all believe things in a network of experiences, emotions and relationships which prevent simple rational thoughts or pieces of persuasive evidence from making profound changes. I wrote an essay last April titled “We cannot save other nations, we can only create failed states” which describes some of the underlying principles in all interactions between individuals as well as between nations. If you get a chance, give it a read and let me know what you think about it. Also, I encourage you to read Eric Hoffer’s book. It’s still in print, its relatively small and eminently readable.
Thanks again for your comments.
Ed Lee
I think you have a few good points there but you forget one thing…..There are armed people on the left as well and make no misstake we will not go gently into that good night .
Dear aa and mad:
If it gets to that point, we’re all losers. I for one don’t own any weapons, never have and I hope never will. I’m totally committed to the democratic process.
Ed Lee