It’s basic human nature to accept what one wills while rejecting what doesn’t fit the entrenched mindset – despite glaring discrepancies. Maturity goes beyond imbedded premises in search of truth. Overcoming base nature shows personal and collective growth. There would be no technological breakthroughs if left to closed-minded traditionalists. There would be no Christopher Columbus sailing to America if derailed by superstitions of the time.
Medieval church authority was set in its belief-system. Hence, the world was flat, the sun and universe revolved around the earth, and science and medicine were satanic. In fact, a study of ancient scripture was forbidden for fear any personal interpretation would stray from accepted orthodoxy and lead to heresy. Galileo was branded a heretic for discovering a spherical earth revolving around the sun. Scientists were burned at the stake. Doctors were beheaded. The Inquisition brought to trial anyone not adhering to accepted dogma.
That same spirit we see conjured up today in the American right which denies Climate Change, ecology, Church-State Separation, and a whole array of community and human rights issues. The spirit is anti-intelligential. Social conservatives, dominating the Republican Party, see their role as taking America back to fundamentalist church doctrine and practice – as if the founders desired such an unholy alliance. Revisionist history is used to turn white - black and black - white. George Orwell’s 1984 is rightwing.
Today’s Republican Party is trapped in a bubble of immaturity – like the Medieval Catholic Church and extreme Islamists. They embrace falsehoods while in total denial of proven facts. Unfortunately, this distorted world-view has consequences. Like Cheney, they “fix the intelligence around the policies” to arrive at pretext. And then they act on these fabricated myths.
The election in two days exemplifies a clash of two world-views: One looking forward by embracing truths, science and reason, the other looking backward by denying truths, science and reason. Republicans would like to take us back to the economic policies that set the stage for collapse, concentration of the wealth, and denial of basic human rights. Democrats (for the most) would take us forward by reforming the tax code, reducing disparities, and lifting the whole nation instead of a few. Which will America choose?
The election will also reveal how many racists and self-righteous radicals are in this country. The blind-by-choice will push for a return to the ugly past. Are a majority of voters that uninformed?
If Romney happens to win, I expect the war party to engage Iran. I expect bargaining rights to be denied unions. I expect the de-certification of public-sector unions – both state and federal. I expect the second great economic collapse of this century, and I expect civil unrest like not witnessed since the 1960s. If Romney wins, it will be due to Karl Rove’s voter suppression engineering (ALEC), fraud, and Obama’s absence from the first debate.
The “bubble babies” may pull it off so they can stick it to women, minorities, unions, the middle class, and the poor. After all, that’s their prime objective. But the bubble only encircles one-third to two-fifths of the nation – a significant mass nonetheless, unwilling to accept facts.
Although at this time I expect Barack Obama to barely win a second term, I see the American right as bellicose jingoists which wish for war, feel entitled to power, and view diplomacy as weakness. In that vein, I see them as initiating impeachment proceedings against Obama should he win – over what issues is anybody’s guess. Truth is, they don’t need a valid excuse, just like they made a red herring of the Benghazi tragedy. One can clearly see their motive and conduct.
Our only hope is for Obama’s second term to be much better than his first. But that takes courage standing up to an obstructionist right. Progressive issues must be finally addressed for the second term to be considered “successful.” In theory and reality.