Monday, November 10, 2003
Treason a third of a year ago tomorrow
It's been almost a third of a year and still counting till we find out who committed treason against our nation.
It has been 120 days since our WMD nonproliferation operatives were betrayed by the White House and 120 days since this cover-up began.
120 days since our national security has been blinded by the betrayal of their cover, by this administration.
For 120 days now, black market operatives and terrorist groups have been able to operate while avoiding our WMD nonproliferation undercover operatives.
It has been 120 days since our WMD nonproliferation operatives were betrayed by the White House and 120 days since this cover-up began.
120 days since our national security has been blinded by the betrayal of their cover, by this administration.
For 120 days now, black market operatives and terrorist groups have been able to operate while avoiding our WMD nonproliferation undercover operatives.
Rove and the ideology he is in service of
Right at the top here, I would like to thank Chris R over on dKos for sparking this piece for his post in the thread about the GOPs "fears" of Gephardt in the election.
This entry is not directed mainly at his post, which I disagree with on a particular point, but it does lead me to what I really think this is about in the "big picture". I wish to use his post as a jumping off point to the larger context of the situation.
I disagree with the assertion Chris R makes that Bush's success or failure in 04' hinges on his policies, not his advisors tactics. But not perhaps in the sense of the most obvious reading of that one my think of.
I would argue that the ONLY way for Bush to win in '04 is to wallpaper over and perfume the turds that IS his Presidency and the handling of our national policies, both foreign AND domestic.
I agree that on the merits, it SHOULD be about policies (which are losers for Bush), and hence the political reality that Rove and ChimpCo. HAVE to campaign in such a way so as to get people to overlook the disastrous failures during their term of governing.
All that have IS "tactics" with which to try and tread water, by flailing their arms and legs as fast and furious as they can and hope that it is enough to keep their heads above the pit of their own shit. Distraction and subterfuge is all they have.
The entire GOP strategy, and Rove's campaigns in particular, which HAVE been embraced by the GOP as a whole is, attack, attack, attack. Rove's domain has ALWAYS been about 100% tactics. Policy is tied to their political tactics, because they want to destroy the current system and replace it with their own.
Remember, Rove is responsible for MUCH more than just ChimpCo. Most of the GOP heavy hitters have Rove to thank for their past campaigns. Rove is not infallible, but he is the leader of the GOP strategic election thinking across the board.
But he (Rove) is only the means to the ideological end. Which is the larger point I wish to really put forward.
That Rove is a savvy and very skilled political tactician, is pretty well known and agreed upon. But to see the ideological imperative behind the GOP of today, which are not Rove's creation yet what Rove is in service of, one needs to look to the Heritage Foundation, and other far-right groups and "think tanks" for what is the end goal is they seek reach.
I believe that when objectively looked at, their agenda is nothing like the ideals that most Americans come to think of as the real core principles of our society.
Equality under the law, social justice and easy access to economic empowerment.
Yet that statment above is, by their own words and actions, not what the radical-right wants. It is what they use to sell their agenda which is the antithesis of this.
They want raw capitalism and a biblical world-view social order to hold dominion over our soecity. As much as that seems to be "tin-foil beenie" land, look at their own words and actions, and take them at face value.
I would also put forward that this is why Clinton was assaulted constantly for 8 years. Bush I was "supposed" to have a second term according to their agenda. Can you imagine Bush I (million points of light, new world order) with Newt in power back then?
This attempt to unravel our society and re-shape it into a class-based theocracy was a plan forestalled by Clinton getting elected in '92. It was also stalled because Clinton had a Dem Congress at the beginning of his first term and was able to turn the tax and revenue structure around. This was fundamentally moving the ball away from their end-zone because it was working.
This caused the GOP to counter-attack with everything that they had, which was nothing but yellow journalism and politics of personal destruction in service of their larger goal, regaining power at all cost and march towards their desired end-state.
They have their "trifecta" currently, and look at the unmitigated disaster that we have. But, and this is key, they don't see it as a disaster on the whole, because their long term goals are to undo every piece of new deal and great society legislation and program. They want raw market capitalism, and biblical social orthodoxy.
Why do I say this?
Let's look objectively at history. The pre-civil rights South (in particular before the Civil War) was exactly what I describe above, a class-based, biblical theocracy.
The south was historically a Democrat bastion and stronghold. But prior to the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s, Democrats were the party of Jefferson Davis and Dixie. The GOP of today are the Dixiecrats of old, who have ALWAYS wanted a return to the class-based biblical theocracy. It was with civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s, culminating in Johnson's signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that caused many to leave the Democrats and join the GOP. This was the basis for Nixon's "southern strategy" in 68, exploiting the new cross-overs and the fracturing of the Democrats in the south over civil rights.
The "south-shall-rise-again" refrain is not some peculiar anachronism or rose-colored homage to "tradition". The sea-change of American politics happened after WW II, and that was the emergence of the middle class as the predominate class in America, because of both the socialism/capitalism hybrid that resulted in massive public works, both in the New Deal programs, but more significantly in the unheard of in history public sector expenditure in full employment in the war effort.
This led to empowerment of the previous underclass and resulted in the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s.
GODLESS communism became the perpetual war (cold war) to continue the massive public works through the establishment of the military/industrial complex, and buoyed by the now existing New Deal, and the addition of the Great Society programs.
This forced the those who hold the raw capitalism of mid to late 19th century and biblical theocratic word-view to leave the Democratic party and switch to the GOP, as exemplified and exploited by Nixon in his "southern strategy".
In short, the calssism of robber-barons and the plantation owners are still with us, but they are now the hardcore base of the GOP. They seek a return to raw capitalism of the late 19th century, and the reemergence of a class based, biblical gentry.
That is their dream state.
They have high-jacked fiscal responsibility and co-opted the language of Goldwater era conservatism, but what they want is raw capitalism circa late 19th century.
The far-right have in passive voice, tactically soft-sold social "compassion" to disguise their radical religious world-view to make it palatable and non-threatening to "moderates" (i.e. people who have become apathetic or cynical of the whole process).
We must take these people at their word. This IS a war for our culture, and a war for the future of our nation. What they fail to see is, who is the enemy of our most cehrisehd idelas and principles really is, themselves.
This is why it is a moarl imperative, that we MUST win.
This entry is not directed mainly at his post, which I disagree with on a particular point, but it does lead me to what I really think this is about in the "big picture". I wish to use his post as a jumping off point to the larger context of the situation.
I disagree with the assertion Chris R makes that Bush's success or failure in 04' hinges on his policies, not his advisors tactics. But not perhaps in the sense of the most obvious reading of that one my think of.
I would argue that the ONLY way for Bush to win in '04 is to wallpaper over and perfume the turds that IS his Presidency and the handling of our national policies, both foreign AND domestic.
I agree that on the merits, it SHOULD be about policies (which are losers for Bush), and hence the political reality that Rove and ChimpCo. HAVE to campaign in such a way so as to get people to overlook the disastrous failures during their term of governing.
All that have IS "tactics" with which to try and tread water, by flailing their arms and legs as fast and furious as they can and hope that it is enough to keep their heads above the pit of their own shit. Distraction and subterfuge is all they have.
The entire GOP strategy, and Rove's campaigns in particular, which HAVE been embraced by the GOP as a whole is, attack, attack, attack. Rove's domain has ALWAYS been about 100% tactics. Policy is tied to their political tactics, because they want to destroy the current system and replace it with their own.
Remember, Rove is responsible for MUCH more than just ChimpCo. Most of the GOP heavy hitters have Rove to thank for their past campaigns. Rove is not infallible, but he is the leader of the GOP strategic election thinking across the board.
But he (Rove) is only the means to the ideological end. Which is the larger point I wish to really put forward.
That Rove is a savvy and very skilled political tactician, is pretty well known and agreed upon. But to see the ideological imperative behind the GOP of today, which are not Rove's creation yet what Rove is in service of, one needs to look to the Heritage Foundation, and other far-right groups and "think tanks" for what is the end goal is they seek reach.
I believe that when objectively looked at, their agenda is nothing like the ideals that most Americans come to think of as the real core principles of our society.
Equality under the law, social justice and easy access to economic empowerment.
Yet that statment above is, by their own words and actions, not what the radical-right wants. It is what they use to sell their agenda which is the antithesis of this.
They want raw capitalism and a biblical world-view social order to hold dominion over our soecity. As much as that seems to be "tin-foil beenie" land, look at their own words and actions, and take them at face value.
I would also put forward that this is why Clinton was assaulted constantly for 8 years. Bush I was "supposed" to have a second term according to their agenda. Can you imagine Bush I (million points of light, new world order) with Newt in power back then?
This attempt to unravel our society and re-shape it into a class-based theocracy was a plan forestalled by Clinton getting elected in '92. It was also stalled because Clinton had a Dem Congress at the beginning of his first term and was able to turn the tax and revenue structure around. This was fundamentally moving the ball away from their end-zone because it was working.
This caused the GOP to counter-attack with everything that they had, which was nothing but yellow journalism and politics of personal destruction in service of their larger goal, regaining power at all cost and march towards their desired end-state.
They have their "trifecta" currently, and look at the unmitigated disaster that we have. But, and this is key, they don't see it as a disaster on the whole, because their long term goals are to undo every piece of new deal and great society legislation and program. They want raw market capitalism, and biblical social orthodoxy.
Why do I say this?
Let's look objectively at history. The pre-civil rights South (in particular before the Civil War) was exactly what I describe above, a class-based, biblical theocracy.
The south was historically a Democrat bastion and stronghold. But prior to the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s, Democrats were the party of Jefferson Davis and Dixie. The GOP of today are the Dixiecrats of old, who have ALWAYS wanted a return to the class-based biblical theocracy. It was with civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s, culminating in Johnson's signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that caused many to leave the Democrats and join the GOP. This was the basis for Nixon's "southern strategy" in 68, exploiting the new cross-overs and the fracturing of the Democrats in the south over civil rights.
The "south-shall-rise-again" refrain is not some peculiar anachronism or rose-colored homage to "tradition". The sea-change of American politics happened after WW II, and that was the emergence of the middle class as the predominate class in America, because of both the socialism/capitalism hybrid that resulted in massive public works, both in the New Deal programs, but more significantly in the unheard of in history public sector expenditure in full employment in the war effort.
This led to empowerment of the previous underclass and resulted in the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s.
GODLESS communism became the perpetual war (cold war) to continue the massive public works through the establishment of the military/industrial complex, and buoyed by the now existing New Deal, and the addition of the Great Society programs.
This forced the those who hold the raw capitalism of mid to late 19th century and biblical theocratic word-view to leave the Democratic party and switch to the GOP, as exemplified and exploited by Nixon in his "southern strategy".
In short, the calssism of robber-barons and the plantation owners are still with us, but they are now the hardcore base of the GOP. They seek a return to raw capitalism of the late 19th century, and the reemergence of a class based, biblical gentry.
That is their dream state.
They have high-jacked fiscal responsibility and co-opted the language of Goldwater era conservatism, but what they want is raw capitalism circa late 19th century.
The far-right have in passive voice, tactically soft-sold social "compassion" to disguise their radical religious world-view to make it palatable and non-threatening to "moderates" (i.e. people who have become apathetic or cynical of the whole process).
We must take these people at their word. This IS a war for our culture, and a war for the future of our nation. What they fail to see is, who is the enemy of our most cehrisehd idelas and principles really is, themselves.
This is why it is a moarl imperative, that we MUST win.
