The GOP and the politics of F.E.A.R.

This should be the GOP’s logo instead of an elephant

This post has been floating around in that empty space between my ears for a while now. I just couldn’t figure out how to tie it all together without rambling on and on and on. It all came together in a blinding fury after I quote tweeted a thread from Asha Rangappa.

https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_/status/1315825379450421249?s=19

Yesterday was the second time that the book Let them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality and the witch doctor have ended up in tweets together between she and I. So, now I know I really need to get ahold of this book and read it soon.

Anyway, the book discusses how the GOP basically uses ooga booga to scare voters into giving them power and control over government. In return, the GOP gives away everything to their wealthy donors. Lather, rinse, repeat.

We’ve seen this from the Southern Strategy, to the Willie Horton ad, to the Tea Party, and now to the flaming train wrecking into the dumpster fire otherwise known as Trumpism. It’s always the same. There’s always some super duper scary boogeyman that only the GOP can save us from. It’s the politics of fear.

There’s fear, and there’s F.E.A.R. The GOP uses one to cover for the other. They use those emotionally charged boogeymen to stoke fear and anger in voters so the voters don’t see the F.E.A.R. or Failed Efforts at Altering Reality.

That’s basically what their tactics boil down to. They’re trying to alter reality so they can enrich their wealthy donors and themselves. They throw red herrings and conspiracy theories like revelers throw beads at Mardi Gras to distract people from their true intentions.

The most recent two are accusing Democrats of attacking Trump’s SCOTUS nominee over her religious beliefs when the only people discussing the beliefs are the Republicans themselves. They’ve also managed to get the mainstream media to discuss hypothetical Democratic court packing in the future.

So, what are they trying to hide? For starters, polling shows that the majority of voters want to see the SCOTUS seat get the same treatment that Obama received in 2016. In other words, voters want a say in who makes that selection. It’s far more logical now since the seat opened up just as voting was about to begin.

Republicans are trying to stir up controversy and scare people to distract from their humongous hypocritical position reversal from 2016. They see the writing on the wall for their future and are trying to pack the courts so the wealthy can still reap benefits beyond 2020.

And yes, this nomination is court packing. Mitch McConnell has been packing the courts since 2015. He slowed Obama’s appointments as minority leader until Harry Reid nixed the filibuster. Then when Republicans took control of the Senate in 2015, McConnell stopped the appointment process which led to hundreds of vacancies by the time Trump took office. Had Clinton won, I doubt that she would have had many nominations get cleared through the Senate.

So, the questions about court packing shouldn’t be directed at Biden, Harris, or any Democratic Party member. Court packing has been a GOP tactic on both the federal and state level. Some states have expanded or shrunk their courts to give conservatives advantages while others have tried and failed.

Personally, I’m tired of the fearmongering. I’ve grown weary of the lying too. The ooga booga doesn’t work on me anymore, so Republicans can save face by not targeting me with their lies. If you’re feeling a bit uneasy about things, then talk with me about it. I’ll give you the unadulterated reality so you can make informed choices. The days of fear and the politics of F.E.A.R. are over.

No matter how hard they try to change things, reality will always shine through. The cries of Marxism, socialism, liberalism, or the chosen pejorative of the day fail to change the course of humanity and freedom we’ve been charting for more than 200 years. I won’t call conservatism a failure, but the way the GOP tries to execute it will always fail.

Agree or disagree? Drop a comment below.

*Just gotta throw this in for an ego stroke because Asha Rangappa is one of my law enforcement/legal issue crushes….

https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_/status/1315856482710302720?s=19