The GOP: A Walking Corpse
by Susan Stark
Twenty-two years, Ronald Reagan stood in Berlin and said those famous words, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
And then, something terrible happened two years later: Gorbachev actually tore it down. Terrible, because, in that one act, the Republican party lost its reason for existence, which was essentially to act as Cold Warriors.
Sure, they tried to find other enemies after that. In the 90's, it was welfare mothers and other types of dole recipients. But that didn't quite work as "welfare reform" essentially kicked the recipients to the curb.
They thought that they had hit the jackpot with the "War on Terror" after 9/11. But let's face it. Jihadis with kalashnikovs are not quite the equal of Soviets with nuclear weapons. And Americans are so unwilling to fight these new "enemies" that the government dare not institute a military draft for fear of the backlash. So much for the "War of Civilizations" that was supposed to replace the "War against Communism". Sure, the Terror War has been highly convenient for taking away civil rights, but that is hardly something the GOP can put on their resume of achievements (at least not their public resume).
So the Grand Old Party continues to be a zombie, as it has been for the past twenty years now, a corpse kept animated by the bloviations of talk radio. That's one particular legacy of the Berlin Wall coming down.
Susan
Twenty-two years, Ronald Reagan stood in Berlin and said those famous words, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
And then, something terrible happened two years later: Gorbachev actually tore it down. Terrible, because, in that one act, the Republican party lost its reason for existence, which was essentially to act as Cold Warriors.
Sure, they tried to find other enemies after that. In the 90's, it was welfare mothers and other types of dole recipients. But that didn't quite work as "welfare reform" essentially kicked the recipients to the curb.
They thought that they had hit the jackpot with the "War on Terror" after 9/11. But let's face it. Jihadis with kalashnikovs are not quite the equal of Soviets with nuclear weapons. And Americans are so unwilling to fight these new "enemies" that the government dare not institute a military draft for fear of the backlash. So much for the "War of Civilizations" that was supposed to replace the "War against Communism". Sure, the Terror War has been highly convenient for taking away civil rights, but that is hardly something the GOP can put on their resume of achievements (at least not their public resume).
So the Grand Old Party continues to be a zombie, as it has been for the past twenty years now, a corpse kept animated by the bloviations of talk radio. That's one particular legacy of the Berlin Wall coming down.
Susan
posted by Susan Stark at
11:57 PM
8 Comments:
Before restarting a military draft, let's have wimminz register with Selective Service alongside men, so far, the default warriors/cannon fodder. That ought to bring out a whole lot of screams of protest from NOW and feminists who like the status quo.
I'm not sanguine about this trendy "GOP Zombie" meme.
Regardless, where does such wishful thinking get you?
Truth is, the Left Wing of the GOP--Status Quobama and the Phlegmocrats (Regressives/Gliberals)--is alive, well (sic), and thriving.
Making zombies of us all.
They did manage to kill the health care issue for the next couple of decades, thanks to the Democrats.
More sham talk about the draft.
The real discussion we should be having is about dismantling the military/contractor industrial complex.
The GOP has been busy with many, many things over the past twenty years. But it was twenty years ago that, in my opinion, they lost their raison d'etre. They've tried earnestly to gain it back, with no success. And that's because a million jihadis or welfare mothers don't compare to even one Soviet in caliber. The former are not real enemies, like the latter. They're created enemies.
It is no accident that Rush Limbaugh came on the scene in the '90s. Without the Soviet Union, the GOP needed a propagandist, or a spokesperson, if you will, and Rush and his clones have done a great job as GOP promoters. But that's no substitute for a real cause.
...don't compare to even one Soviet in caliber.
Actually, the Soviet threat didn't even measure up to the fear mongering the US population was fed. Does anybody remember the ridiculous Red Dawn?
They had everyone believing we were a few fallen dominoes away from the Red Army taking over Ohio...
Bravo, Susan. But I think you think too much of Democrats if you really think they weren't content with the status quo of the Cold War. The Cold War was a bonanza for the military-industrial complex, to which both parties pay their allegiances.
They tried to make it up with the Balcan turmoil and the current "War on Terror", but these just don't measure up.
I can't wait for the GOP to come roaring back and restore sanity to the US.
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