Branded by Nancy OhanianClearly, Republicans-- by nature-- are unfit to govern. And yet half the voters still cast ballots for them. Last night, writing for the Miami Herald, Leonard Pitts made the point that Republican political elites don't have any regard for rules, other than as a way to advance their own positions. And by "rules," he wrote that he meant "norms, practices, guidelines-- some written as law, some just respected as customs-- to which we all adhere, even when that gives advantage to those with whom we disagree. It’s a covenant pluralistic self-government demands. And it’s one America is in the process of shredding-- as seen anew in the Republican Party’s response to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg."
Understand: That response tells us nothing about the GOP we did not already know. That it is one part thugocracy, one part kleptocracy and all hypocrisy unencumbered by principle has long been clear to any honest observer. But the events of the past few days offer vivid evidence of just how deep the rot extends. Republicans such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, you will recall, gnashed their teeth and rent their garments in 2016 when President Obama put forth a nominee to replace conservative icon Antonin Scalia on the top court. Too close to the election, they said. Let the people decide, they said. It was then eight months until Election Day. Four years later, the liberal icon Ginsburg dies just 46 days short of the election, and the same people who thought eight months was too close, the same McConnell who denied Obama’s choice the courtesy of a hearing, now rush to install a Donald Trump nominee. Again, the hypocrisy does not surprise. But the brazenness of it, the absence of even a fig leaf of principle, the plain contempt it embodies, is breathtaking nevertheless. Once again, the political party whose views on hot-button social issues like guns and reproductive rights are shared by a minority of the electorate seeks to win power over the majority in the only way it can. By lying. By cheating. By breaking the rules. In this case, the unwritten rule of simple fairness. This time, though, their shamelessness has ignited visceral fury. Ginsburg’s death has led to a record-breaking spike in donations to liberal groups and candidates. And serious people are talking seriously about packing the court-- increasing the number of justices to 11 to enable a presumed President Biden to craft the liberal majority that Republicans have connived to forestall. Granted, equally serious people have warned that this is an arduous and unlikely course, but to focus on the difficulty is to miss the point. Which is that angry Democrats now seem ready to abandon the rules-- starting with the one that says packing the court is an abuse of power that ultimately undermines its legitimacy. Franklin Roosevelt’s failed attempt to do so is the exception that, well . . . proves the rule. Still, one can hardly blame the Democrats. Having watched the GOP snub the emoluments clause, ignore the extortion of a foreign government, brush aside the Hatch Act and, now, conspire to steal the court, who can be shocked that they refuse to be bound by rules the other side ignores? If two teams cannot agree on the rules, they cannot play the game. Similarly, if Republicans and Democrats cannot agree to be bound by the same principles and norms, they cannot effectively govern a country. Or even be a country. That’s the threat this behavior poses. It is yet another reason it’s imperative the Republicans be not just defeated, but emphatically crushed in November. It can’t be close. It has to be a political massacre, leaving absolutely no doubt America rejects what these people stand for. Until and unless that happens, it is an open question whether we can still be a country. And, indeed, whether we should.
Greatest Mass Murderer by Chip ProserPitts, though, is talking about the politicians, the elected officials, the operatives and strategists, perhaps the donor class... but what about Mr. and Mrs. Republican who dutifully cast their ballots for Republicans? What's wrong with people in West Virginia, Wyoming, Oklahoma, the Dakotas, and white people in Arkansas, Kentucky and Alabama? Over 60% of them looked at The Donald in 2016 and decided they thought he would make a good president. If the polls are to be believed, big majorities in those states-- though not in normal America-- still think so and have every intention of braving the pandemic that is exploding in their anti-mask states to trudge to the polls (in their anti-vote-by-mail states) to send him back for four more years. How is it possible? I don't know the answer. They couldn't have all been dropped on their heads by their mothers during infancy or otherwise traumatized as children. But what's wrong with them? They're not all racists. They're not all filled with hatred and bigotry. They're no all religionist freaks. Not every single one of them in a greedy, selfish, grasping capitalist dog. I don't think that every single one of them has a subpar IQ either. You know, it really is a damn shame that Bill Clinton made a deal with Newt Gingrich that allowed foreign neo-Nazi Rupert Murdoch to own a broadcast media empire in the U.S. Looking back, I wonder if Clinton thinks it was worth it today. I'm quite certain Gingrich does. [Disclaimer: most of the Democratic politicians and elites-- like Clinton-- are just as bad. They don't deserve the support of the voters they get.]
