Have American progressives given up on reforming the country before sea levels crush Manhattan and Miami? I have. For several reasons.
The two-party system is the primary, not that I subscribe to the theory “both-sides-do-it.” Because they don’t. The false equivalency may be carried on by marshmallow pundits on Sunday news programs, but in reality one party advocates for the destruction of the middle class and the other tolerates their absurdities. In the sense that the general public and working class are in decline by design, both parties are at fault.
The Republican Party declared war on the Democratic Party several years ago (due to dishonest operatives who favored introducing such aggressive, unethical tactics), while the Democratic Party continues to see the other side simply a “friendly competitor.”
How can we forget “Tricky Dick” politics of Watergate, political assassinations, and propping up banana republic dictators? Iraq is a descendant of Vietnam and the pattern continues unabated. Pandora’s Box is opened without a whimper.
Demographics do not factor as long as the GOP continues to incite anger and hatred among its constituents. Their base faithfully goes to the polls, not out of duty or patriotism, but anger sprinkled with a self-righteousness derived from its white-right religiosity. Unfortunately, this pattern seems set to remain into the foreseeable future – for enough succeeding decades to reach ostensible levels of climate change that will shock the entire planet into crisis mode.
Representative Anthony Weiner famously described the two-party conflict, “Democrats bring library books to a knife fight.”
However damningly discredited by his own personal indiscretions, Tony Weiner’s truth has seldom been depicted more crisply. Republicans have a strong sense of urgency to eliminate the other party, while Democrats roll their eyes and carry on a laissez-faire political strategy – as if the right-wing will eventually come around to seeing the truth – or at least compromising to where something gets done for the betterment of society.
The right is fervently religious; the left is moderately religious and, in fact, open to all belief-systems, including atheism. This is the factor that tilts the scales in favor of the Republican Party – despite Democratic majorities gifted by demographics. There aren’t enough African-Americans, Latinos, Asians, environmentalists, and union activists to defeat the Republican Party. Fires of hate and fear burn in right-wing bellies which ignite a firestorm and drive them to the polls en masse – which cannot and will not be overcome [in time] by the actual majority.
Can this national compulsion be mitigated?
Only if there is a true renewal of the American religious right, a return to the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ – where tolerance of all mankind is the foundational principle. The unholy alliance of church and state must be broken, the couple that Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson joined in unholy matrimony in the 70s – to which Lee Atwater and Karl Rove latched onto.
Bill Maher’s views are popular to progressives but few others. To me, Bill has a very good grasp on history, current events, and trajectories into the future. But his openly anti-religious views damage any effect he would have on any outcome he desires. Religion is not going away.
I don’t see an evangelical renewal movement on the horizon anytime soon. So I am preparing to buckle down and prepare for the worst political climate for the next 20 years – which will, in fact, impact the global climate due to government inaction. The right will only be proven wrong when the tides roll over one of its sacred cows – Houston. (And even then they’ll probably blame it on the Obama of the time.)
If one party (the minority) fights like it’s at war and the other party (the majority) competes like it’s a junior high popularity contest, who wins?
Answer: Nobody. We all lose because of “meanies and weinies.” The two-party system is in total dysfunction. By design.