What is the name that we in Western civilization have traditionally given to something that:
" Preys upon the vulnerable.
" Divides people against each other.
" Tramples on hard-won structures of justice and good order.
" Sacrifices the greater good for selfish advantage.
" Deceives and manipulates in order to exploit those that support it.
Put all those pieces together, and what do we see?
I am not afraid to call out this force for what it is.
" Preys upon the vulnerable.
- Think food stamps, voter ID, vaginal ultrasounds, torture.
" Divides people against each other.
In the deepest recession in generations, this force has proved unwilling to address the need to generate jobs, on which Americans are agreed, and has instead insisted on focusing on those issues, like abortion, on which, as the Republicans well know, the divisions among Americans have proved deep and irreconcilable.
" Tramples on hard-won structures of justice and good order.
After giving us a president who usurped powers denied by the Constitution, this force then manifested itself in an opposition party that violated tradition in its use of the filibuster to grab power, that cast aside long-standing political norms on how the debt-ceiling is handled, that subverted the foundations of our democracy by delegitimizing the president and disenfranchising voters.
" Sacrifices the greater good for selfish advantage.
As the disruption of the climate becomes ever more visibly a threat to the future of our children and even of the health of life on earth, this force has embraced the spirit of the Koch Brothers, rather than the warnings of the overwhelming majority (97 percent) of scientists who know the most about the earth's climate system. Even with so much at stake, the force that's taken over the Republican Party has disabled our nation from dealing responsibly to what may be the greatest challenge humankind has ever faced.
" Deceives and manipulates in order to exploit those that support it.
It persuades millions of Americans to be one-issue voters - on abortion, or on the gun issue - distracting them with matters that in no way impede the ability of this force to rob Americans of their birthright as citizens in a democratic society. It pretends to be conservative, while violating our traditions as no conservative would. It pretends to be patriotic while willingly damaging the nation for partisan advantage.
Put all those pieces together, and what do we see?
I am not afraid to call out this force for what it is.
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