Over a quarter-century of Bush presidencies and vice presidencies, the Republican Party has slowly become the vehicle of all three interests - a fusion of petroleum-defined national security; a crusading, simplistic Christianity; and a reckless credit-feeding financial complex. The three are increasingly allied in commitment to Republican politics. On the most important front, I am beginning to think that the Southern-dominated, biblically driven Washington GOP represents a rogue coalition, like the Southern, proslavery politics that controlled Washington until Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860.
Religion has always been part and parcel of American life. After all, this country was founded by refugees fleeing religious persecution in England. No reasonable person would deny anyone their Constitutionally-guaranteed right to practice the faith of their choice. Unfortunately, what too many Fundamentalist Christians seem to have forgotten (if they ever knew it to begin with) is that this country was founded and is governed by the strict separation of Church and State. The Founding Fathers wanted to avoid the same sort of religious persecution they faced in England…and now we face that same threat today- some 230 years later. Yes, and it would appear that Santayana knew what he was talking about- those who do not understand history are condemned to repeat it. In this case, though, they’ll just call it “God’s Will” and think they have the perfect right to impose their narrow, fear- and ignorance-based social agenda upon the rest of us. And the American sheeple will swallow it just as they’ve been swallow the Republican KoolAid for, lo, these many years….
Now that the GOP has been transformed by the rise of the South, the trauma of terrorism and George W. Bush’s conviction that God wanted him to be president, a deeper conclusion can be drawn: The Republican Party has become the first religious party in U.S. history.
We have had small-scale theocracies in North America before — in Puritan New England and later in Mormon Utah. Today, a leading power such as the United States approaches theocracy when it meets the conditions currently on display: an elected leader who believes himself to speak for the Almighty, a ruling political party that represents religious true believers, the certainty of many Republican voters that government should be guided by religion and, on top of it all, a White House that adopts agendas seemingly animated by biblical worldviews.
Indeed, there is a potent change taking place in this country’s domestic and foreign policy, driven by religion’s new political prowess and its role in projecting military power in the Mideast.
This powerful, muscle-bound version of Christianity seems built on the premise that, since they are the Chosen and all others are lesser, unworthy mortals, Christians have the absolute right- nay, the duty- to serve their God by subjugating and bending others to His will, or what they can vouchsafe as “His will”. For they no doubt, being on of the Chosen, have a hotline to the Almighty that us mere heathen mortals lack.
Sadly, this version of Christianity has little to do with conventional Christian love and charity. The version of God in play here is not a loving, benevolent Supreme Being. No, this version (God 2.0, if you will) is a mean, vindictive God, one who brooks no variance from the ideology and theology of peace through strength. This God is a mean, humorless SOB who tolerates little and forgives even less- unless you are fortunate enough to be a rich Whte Republican and a confirmed, committed Social Conservative.
President Bush has promoted these alignments, interest groups and their underpinning values. His family, over multiple generations, has been linked to a politics that conjoined finance, national security and oil. In recent decades, the Bushes have added close ties to evangelical and fundamentalist power brokers of many persuasions….
Unfortunately, more danger lurks in the responsiveness of the new GOP coalition to Christian evangelicals, fundamentalists and Pentecostals, who muster some 40 percent of the party electorate. Many millions believe that the Armageddon described in the Bible is coming soon. Chaos in the explosive Middle East, far from being a threat, actually heralds the second coming of Jesus Christ. Oil price spikes, murderous hurricanes, deadly tsunamis and melting polar ice caps lend further credence.
The potential interaction between the end-times electorate, inept pursuit of Persian Gulf oil, Washington’s multiple deceptions and the financial crisis that could follow a substantial liquidation by foreign holders of U.S. bonds is the stuff of nightmares. To watch U.S. voters enable such policies ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ the GOP coalition is unlikely to turn back ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ is depressing to someone who spent many years researching, watching and cheering those grass roots.
I’ve always believed that the American sheeple are not by nature judgemental, intolerant souls. They can, however, be lead and propagandized by a charismatic leader who is. Appeal to anyone’s base fears, and, absent an alternative, you will eventually win them over to your way of thinking. Far-right Republicans have been successful over the past few years because there has been no counter-balancing voice emanating from the Left to argue against this ignorant, fear-based, end times theology that has increasingly dominated the American political landscape for almost the past 30 years. Until, and unless the Democratic Party WAKES UP AND SMELLS THE CAT LITTER, this Republican hegemony is unlikely to change.
It’s a simple equation really. Democrats want to play the game by the rules, while Republicans are willing to do virtually ANYTHING, no matter how craven, below the belt, dishonest, or immoral, to win. When it’s all about power and you’re willing to do whatever it takes to seize and maintain power…well, that’s a tough thing to combat. Until and unless Democrats can find a way to defeat this Evil political beast, we will continue to be the minority party. I’m not certain that we have to sink to the level of “Swift Boating” Republicans, but we have to find something that will give our party, our candidates, and our ideas traction in the minds of the American sheeple. Otherwise, we might as well get used to living in a theocracy.
WE DESERVE BETTER.
