Truth or Dare

I was asked the following: even if Flynn gave up the whole story and it is bad as we can imagine, does it make a difference given how radicalized the Republican party has become? My response is as follows:

If the Republicans and conservatives that comprise Trump's base are so partisan as to openly admit that they will vote for a pedophile before a Democrat, then they represent ~30-35% of the American electorate that will have to live with themselves and that we have to write off. They are lost in an orgy of self-indulgence and can not be redeemed. They have demonstrated they are incapable of rational thought, their overal competence is questionable, and their naïveté poses a serious threat to the nation's security and stability. The only hope for the country is a wave election this coming year.

Americans are realizing that only in recent hisotry, only one of the two main political parties has demonstrated the ability and capacity to govern responsibly. The Democrats should continue to exercise that power in a fiscally responsible way that benefits everyone (yes even the rich where the rich may need help) and should not pursue some emotional need for retribution. Instead, they should encourage, or at least stay out of teh way, as the Republican Party or it's replacement purges itself of leadership poisoned by the worst of our human inclinations and sees their role in a democracy to be the loyal opposition and act in good faith while still advocating for their ideals and political agenda. Republicans, and Democrats for that matter, must realize the compromise and respect for our political opponents is some thing democracy requires. This means that I probably have more in common with even a Trump supporter than I do a Russian citizen.

In my lifetime, however, the bulk of teh disfunction has increasingly been shouldered by the Republican Party. It is likely that that statement is emprically provable. If one looks at the efforts of either party at real bipartisan cooperation in the legislative process and whether their political and legislative agendas are on balance moderate or extremist. But I look at Republican leadership in the Congress and the degrees to which they and the wack wingers feign such exaggerated moral self-righteous indignation over the slightest hint of a possible, maybe, on the edge allegations of misconduct by a Democrat, and yet we (Dems and libs) are still maintaining our relative composure and not drumming up the severity of the conduct slowly unravelling before us; conduct that eclipses any political malfeasance in our nation's history with one possible exception that I have considered, i.e. General Benedict Arnolds betrayal nation of the revolution.

But the orignial point is well taken. The desensitization of the electorate poses a real question as to whether the public will have the will to demand that impeachment be initatiated. There are Republicans that are waiting for an opportunity to get rid of Trump. Right now they are biding their time because none of them have the spine to lead. It is the most passive aggressive and codependent collection of flunkies we have ever seen. With complete dominance over the Federal and State governing instiutions, and for all of their efforts to influence the direction of this country, they will be remembered for this moment: they elected and stood by this president. Republican leadership and many of our friends and family will forever be associated with the most disgraced administration in our nation's history.

But...they have an opportunity to save themselves and at little cost. If they had the capacity to see beyond the next election cycle Congressional Republicans would fold immediately, initiate impeachment, and then with Democrats remove Trump from office. They would have the Congress leading into the 2018 midterms, and they would still have the White House and a more competent occupant. Even if they lose their majorities, they would have a narrative that might appeal to many independent voters leading up to 2020. But they cannot fathom the possibility of doing what is right for the country if it means a short term strategic surrender of the reigns for just a couple years.

They have some house cleaning to do. Their base has been radicalized to such a degree by Fox News and their own willful ignorance that unless the Republican Party wants to be the party of Trump, Pedophiles of American, Inc., and the 0.01%'ers, principled establishment (yes I said establishment) Republicans are going to have to fight for control of their party even if it means a complete implosion and rebuilding effort. And that means Jeff Flake and Bob Corker should put their big boy pants on and fight for the heart of their party instead of just rolling over and letting the worst impulses of their base prevail.

If I were leading the DNC, I would initiate a massive PR campaign the likes of which we have never seen aimed at every demographic in the country. 24/7 advertisement emphasizing the abdication of moral and political authority by the Republicans. So lets go back to just the turn of the century. Here are the accomplishments of the Republican Party when they have had political power 2000:

1. 9/11;
2. the largest tax cut since the 1980s - but without any offsets resulting in the largest single increase in the national deficit and that was either before or during the ramp up to the war in Iraq;
3. "Operation Iraqi Freedom" and the costs associated with a war we started and which was completely unrelated to the 9/11 attacks;
4. the squandering of the military progress made in Afghanistan where we pursued our real enemies and the scumbags responsible for 9/11, except that the Bush administration let the private companies servicing the war effort to overcharge etc.;
5. A massive debt/deficit event due to the Republican refusal to revoke their tax reduction even though we were about to initiate a completely discretionary war against a sovereign nation based on an intentional effort to lie and mislead the American public and international community;
6. Obviously the costs in blood and treasure of the discretionary Iraq war;
7. Black sites and Guantanamo;
8. The 2007 financial crisis;
9. the 2017 effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act in order to give massive billion dollar tax breaks to the top 1.0% wealthiest Americans, who were also the beneficiaries of over 80% of all real economic and wealth gains of the entire economy since the 1970s. The most unpopular piece of legislation in American history;
10. the likely passing of what economists have called the single most fiscally irresponsible economic policy in the country's history which will give the richest 1% of Americans and our largest Corporations 85% of the benefit of tax reform. The 2nd most unpopular piece of legislation in American history;
11. the active collusion with an enemy nation to corrupt our electoral process
12. the intentional stoking and flaming of racial divisions in our country;
13. Endorsing white supremacists by our president;
14. obstructing the investigation into the corrupting of our electoral process;
15. ending net neutrality;
16. Revoking regulations that would have required your internet service provider like Comcast, ATT, Time Warner, etc. to ask you for your permission before they collect every keystroke that you enter into you computer and that goes to the Internet;
17. etc. etc. ad nauseum;

The Republicans that would not countenance the current situation are no longer Republicans or have announced they are retirements. Those that remain have declared their allegiance and it isn't to the United States, it is to their narrow myopic self-interest devoid of any integrity...the Republican Party (absent an insurgency from traditional conservative members) is currently a collection of Smeagals/Gollums desperate to get their 'precious'...that is a reference to tax cuts for the top 0.1%

So what did the Democrats do when they were in power:

1. Prevent the onset of the greatest economic disaster since the Great Depression;
2. The saving of the American automotive industry while earning the country a profit from its investment;
3. the expansion of healthcare to 20 million additional Americans with market oriented revisions previously endorsed by Republicans,
4. draw down of American military activity from the longest lasting war in American history;
5. Election of our first African American President;
6. perhaps the most scandal free presidency since the Johnson administration in the early 1970's;
7. a steady economic recovery resulting in constant economic growth following what would have been an economic disaster that made the Great Depression look like a hiccup;
8. etc. etc. etc.

The incompetency of the Republicans is so comprehensive it is exhausting to try to list all of their abject failures in governing the country. I don't have the energy to even begin discussing how the Democrats are going to have to fix the fiscal disaster that will result form the irresponsible tax bill Republicans are about to pass. For all their bullshit talk about deficit spending and fiscal responsibility, the Republicans have demonstrated they are the most fiscally irresponsible party since the Democrats in the 1970s. Every tax cut passed by Republicans since the 1980s has resulted in a financial crisis requiring Democrats to take unpopular but fiscally responsible actions to prevent an economic disaster.

Anyway, the history is clear and doesn't need to be reiterated...looking at the historical record it is pretty clear to me that one party is incapable of governing our nation responsibly and it is not the Republicans. No, the Republicans need to be benched until they get their shit together.