Republicans have spent 68 Million this year alone on attack ads portraying Nancy Pelosi as an unhinged maniac bent on destroying American families. As the guy who attacked her husband said she’s the leader of the lying Democrats and needs to be made an example of. Now sure that guy was crazy, obviously susceptible to millions of dollars of propaganda being pumped into the airwaves or down the internet tubes or into 5G radiation or whatever. But, apparently, he’s not the only one.
Most elections in the past couple of decades have been based around arguing about made up bullshit. That’s not fake news. But we have hit a point where too many in our population are now too susceptible to misinformation to finally make this place ungovernable. This is basically why the founding fathers didn’t want us all to vote. They thought we wouldn’t be sophisticated enough to see through demagoguery. I usually don’t like to give those guys too much credit, but they nailed this one. I mean it’s like they’re the Beatles or something, sure they were pretty good and innovative but do we have to keep talking about them endlessly? There were other people doing stuff.
Anyway, obviously we as a nation decided a long time ago that we should disagree with the founding fathers and have decided to be a nation where every vote counts and most everyone can vote. Even if we never really got there and half of us were just saying that without meaning it, and a third weren’t even saying it, and we fought a war and had massive protests to even get close, and still didn’t quite make it. But in general it’s one of our big talking points. It’s practically a tagline on our logo, which should tell you something right there.
So to me this begs the question. How often in history have Democracies basically voted themselves into backsliding into something non democratic? Well, Germany. Russia. Sort of Turkey. Plenty of African nations are doing it. And basically I guess we can say, us, many times over. Jim Crow is an example. We’ve often knowingly voted in politicians who would disenfranchise other Americans. But in general our arc has been to move toward a more democratic existence while constantly fighting against the part of the population who are trying to move us away from what the rest of us would consider a true democracy. But there’s no guarantee that trend will continue. And apparently were about to vote in a bunch of illiberal maniacs bent on dismantling our election while making the claim that they are saving America. And that also, is not fake news.
In a few days, unless some miracle happens, the House and now likely the Senate will flip into Republican hands. And yes it’s partly because of gerrymandering, and states playing games, but it’s mostly, at this point, because a large part of our population is just plain out of their gourd and angry and afraid and wanting to do anything they can to destroy the Democratic party, because in their minds, if they don’t, the Democratic party will destroy America. A brilliant tactic because this only makes democratic voters somewhat question reality, the Republicans just really don’t do that. As far as they’re concerned they got a pretty good grasp of things. But the reality is that as uninspiring and disappointing and infuriating as the Democrats are, they are not going to dismantle democracy anytime soon. Whereas the Republicans are already well on their way. And the people who vote for them either don’t care, don’t see it or really like the idea.
I would normally say well this is what Democracy looks like, voters vote for what they want and our government becomes a reflection of that. But in this case I’m going with this is what democracy looks like — on acid. Because as far as I can tell a huge chunk of the Republican party is living in another reality. But, unlike Democrats, that reality at least really motivates them to vote and fight for the future of America.
In their reality, the country is on fire, on the verge of collapse, being destroyed from within and it’s going to take everything they got to save it. Over their they’re saving America from a political party bent on mutilating children, freeing rapists, letting our country get overrun by terrorist, plunging the american family into poverty, instigating a one party communist survelance state run by muslims jews. Honestly, I can’t even keep up with the insanity they buy into. But buy into it they do. Fervently. They’re standing in fields and peeing cups to be at rally’s. Civil war rolls off their tongues like they’re talking about krispy kreme donuts. America, my friend, is on fire and about to be destroyed by Democrats, and they are here to save it.
And what are Democrats talking about? Sleepy Joe. I don’t want to pay for people’s student loans. The Dems are too progressive. They don’t do enough. They’re all too old. Basically, they suck. Yes, they do suck, but honestly I don’t know what the Republicans have to do to charge up the democratic base. Roe’s already gone, affirmative action gone, they’re talking about defunding Social Security, climate change is a goner and soon we won’t even have the semblance of fair elections. And Democrats want to tell me you think Joe Biden is senile? Who cares?!? Seriously, that’s your hang up? With everything else going on that’s your hang up?
You didn’t like the infrastructure bill? The semiconductor manufacturing bill? Drug pricing negotiations? Insulin caps? The rescue plan? You think we gave people too much money and it caused inflation? Global inflation, while coincidently causing record profits for the biggest companies on Earth? We gave poor kids a couple hundred bucks a month and screwed up the economy? For real? And the Republicans have what to offer? Investigations, repealing obamacare, end medicare, shutdown the government over the debt ceiling, national abortion ban and something vague about throwing more people in prison? That is the choice.
It’s endlessly amazing how the Republicans for most of my life have been able to control the narrative of this nation. But what’s also been amazing to witness is how divorced from reality they’ve been able to take that narrative and still get enough people to buy into it. And I have no idea what’s gonna drive everyone to do more than vote against this. Because after 2024 we’re not going to be able to vote ourselves back into a Democracy, it’s gonna take a lot more than that. And that reality is also something that the Republican base is charged up and ready to engage in. The American left may outnumber the American right, but it doesn’t come close to their enthusiasm and desire to win. No matter what.