I can’t take another minute
Political strategist Lee Atwater once famously told Richard Nixon that the path to victory was dividing the country in half — and that Republicans would have the biggest half. Whereas Reagan and Bush I went through the motions of building consensus, George W. Bush has spent his entire time in office following the Atwater model. And now we’re split, and I wonder if there’s any way to reconcile the two halves.
Listening to Bush campaign this week for embattled Republican incumbants, I can’t help but think that this is a man who knows that he’s only President to the Republican voters — that he doesn’t even pretend to be President to the whole country. He and his supporters don’t believe that Democrats and non-conservative independents are their countrymen — they see us as an enemy as irredemable as al Qaeda. It’s like we’ve been split into two nations — one of right wing extremes, and a disenfranchised one that contains everyone else. Even Tina, who is notoriously indifferent to political theatre, is fed up.
The thing is, I am a moderate. I’m not part of the far left, in fact I disagree with the far left on any number of issues. But I have been radicalized in my opposition to the Republican party. And this is by and large the result of having been demonized — of all Democrats having been painted as traitors — by the President and his supporters.
The latest attacks on John Kerry over his comments are playing out in a predictable fashion. But it’s nice to see Kerry fighting back. Too bad he didn’t do it during the election, but better late than never. I’m just relieved to finally see a Democrat stand up and tell the truth about the right-wing hypocrites:
“I’m not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium, or doughy Rush Limbaugh, who no doubt today will take a break from belittling Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s disease to start lying about me just as they have lied about Iraq . It disgusts me that these Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country lie and distort so blatantly and carelessly about those who have.”
Now if only other Democrats would stand up and speak so truthfully, maybe we can push the Republican majority from power for another generation.
Only a week until the election. I’m not sure even the Republican furor over Kerry’s comments can turn the Democratic tide. We will take back the house, and we will finally have accountability. The days of the rubber stamp, free-spending, corrupt congress are almost over. Thank god.
