original post September 2011
“Man, once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities the most monstrous, and like a ship without rudder, is the spot of every wind. With such persons, gullibility, which they call faith, takes the helm from the hand of reason and the mind becomes a wreck.”
As devout devotees of their own power and the interests of the rich, Republicans gain the votes of so many. The words of Thomas Jefferson offer solution to the riddle of this American Sphinx.
Delete obfuscating language to consider only some of what Republicans oppose:
* Government.
* Stimulating the stagnant American economy.
* Rebuilding American infrastructure.
* Jobs for the unemployed.
* Regulating a corrupt financial system.
* Protecting consumers.
* Social Security.
* Medicare.
* Medicaid.
* Health care for all Americans.
* Even the fact of climate change.
* Green energy policies.
* Egalitarian tax policies.
* Anything President Obama advocates.
Consider most of what Republicans support:
* Private sector control of our lives.
* Tax cuts for the rich.
* Tax cuts for corporations.
* The defeat of President Obama.
How to understand the 2010 and potential 2012 Republican victory? Certainly Congressional Democrats win the trophy for finding defeat in the face of certain victory. President Obama still seeks something for which he will truly fight. Two realities join to destroy voter enthusiasm.
Republicans daily deploy one of the world’s most effective propaganda machines. No longer seeking truth, the American media stands in ruins. Thoughtful, alternative explanations find voice:
* Voters see Democrats more identified with wildly unpopular government.
* Voters believe Democrats in office will not do what campaigning Democrats promise.
It all sounds somehow hollow as the cause fueling Republican success. For those seeking to know, Thomas Jefferson offers refuge:
“Man, once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities the most monstrous, and like a ship without rudder, is the spot of every wind. With such persons, gullibility, which they call faith, takes the helm from the hand of reason and the mind becomes a wreck.”
