this an old post of mine (excuse the eccentric capitalisations):
fundamental principles of the republican party
Saturday, August 11, 2007
fundamental principles of the republican party
1. Mammon
The republican party is the party of money, unrepentant greed, unalloyed capitalism and the pure worship of Mammon. Any rich man who is not a Republican is especially despised. Franklin Roosevelt was called "a traitor to his class" and, in a slightly more civil age, he was, with disgust and disregard, "that man". Louis Mayer, the head of MGM would not allow a picture or mention of Roosevelt in his studio films.
The venom spewed on the Kennedys or George Soros should prove the case. The Kennedys do not use the government to make themselves richer, look into the Bushes and you have another story. Remember the Colorado Savings and Loan scandal, for instance. That is just one example of one Bush being a miserable, greedy failure and, in which, the government had to throw a lot of money to fix. They want financial successes, fail and the government holds the checkbook. They are disasters, which are fully supported by us. The american people benefit in none of their adventures. Is that republican small government at work? George Soros has been vilified on republican radio for his political contributions. Has Rick Perry or Richard Mellon Scaife? The double standard, the republicans could not survive without it.
Being pro-business they are conversely anti everything that hinders the exercise thereof : anti-labor, anti-social justice, anti-environment and so on. As Christ logically taught we have only one master: it is God or Mammon.*
2. False patriotism
False patriotism has been a pillar of support since 1861. In the election of 1860 the south went democratic and left the union soon thereafter. The democrats were the party of rebellion and the republicans ran civil war officers for the rest of the century. After 1932 democrats were called communists and anti-american. Did not Nixon, Reagan, Bush, Bush junior and their supporters suggest all those against them were "the blame america crowd".†
The first Bush wanted to ban flag burning. Flags we all know, are meant to be waved and wagged. Flag burning has been considered the proper manner of disposal. Boy scouts have collected them, annually, for that purpose. Yes, I know, that was not Shrub senior's contention. When did you, personally, last see an american flag burned in america?
3. Bigotry
One of the predecessors to the party, was the american party (know nothings)‡. They were anti-immigrant and anti-catholic. The nativists prided themselves and their ancestors in wresting the land from the original natives. The newcomers were no more welcome than the indians. Burning and blowing up catholic churches was a successful tactic.
The combination of 1&2 we get the military-industrial complex. Mars and Mammon worship. Listen to Dylan's Masters of War.
The combination of 2&3 with the blend of xenophobia, chauvinism and bigotry, along with the heavy calvinist influence of being irreducibly elect we get notions of manifest destiny or, as it is called now, american exceptionalism.
4. Hypocrisy
And the one overall unifying principle is an unending hypocrisy. We can see an example today over immigration. The nativists hate illegal immigrants. Mexicans and other latinos are heavily proselytized by protestants here, and missionaries are sent to their countries of origin to woo them from catholicism. Business interests want them for economic exploitation and to depress the cause of labor. Well, money will allow them to stay and they will be abused.
Another glaring hypocrisy is that practically everyone who lied this country to war were never warriors themselves, e.g. five deferment Gunner Cheney. How many young republicans or college republicans went to Iraq?
The elephant is too noble a symbol. The symbols à propos are vipers and scorpions.
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*No man can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one, and love the other: or he will sustain the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. -- Matthew vi. 23.
†Patriotism is the last refuge for a scoundrel.-- Samuel Johnson (April 7, 1775)
‡As a nation, we began by declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal, except Negroes." When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except Negroes and foreigners and Catholics." Abraham Lincoln in a letter to Joshua F. Speed" (August 24, 1855)
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