The Workingman and the Far Right

Starting with Richard Nixon the allegiance of the working person has shifted from the traditional Democratic Party to the newly structured Republican Party. Why are we seeing this change of political affiliations? Studies have been done over the last five to ten years that reveal that: religion, gun control, “Patriotism”, focused public relations, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, “Shell Games” with taxation, criminal prosecution, radicalism, college campus protests, fear generation, socialism, anti-intellectualism, and traditionalism are some of the predominant factors that are gaining support of the middle class by the “Far Right”.
Pat Buchannan a very bright right wing journalist helped to shape the presidential win for Nixon in the 70’s by brilliantly targeting the traditional southern “Dixicrats” and the northern “Blue Collar” voter by appealing to their frustrated disconnect with the east and west coast liberal educated intellectual secular affluent political force in the Democratic Party. These “elitists” as the right wing so virulently referred to these liberals as, were not the brand of Democrat that a person with only a high school diploma, who makes a living with his/her hands, and struggling to survive economically could identify with. The “Neocons” authored by the likes of William Krystal and shrewdly crafted PR campaigns by Karl Rove twisted and spun the new “Yarns” of the “Far Right” into a simplistic patchwork that the old world working “Demos” could digest and feel aligned. The average middle class white working man has a difficult time relating to a Black Man, such as Obama, who is a highly educated bright intellectual who has never had to toil in a factory or construction site. On the other hand someone such as Palin or George “”W” who has limited cultural and intellectual capacity and un-honed critical thinking skills is someone that the guy on the street can relate to. I don’t care about “Folksy and Chummy”, I want someone who is bright and has a capacity for abstract thinking and deep absorption of complex information. Looks, race, and “Worm and Fuzzy” are not in my job description for the captain of the ship.
So much of our decision making is based on our unique emotional needs and many times defies all logic, our best self interest, and results of critical thinking. The “Neocons” have been most skilled in using the emotion of “Fear” as a means to motivate the masses into supporting destructive government legislation that is in direct opposition to their best self interest. “Cheney & Co.” has a long established clear set doctrine to spread US imperialism, control natural resources of other countries, and strengthen the “Military Industrial Complex”. Going to the masses directly with this goal would be seen as totalitarian, aggressive, and selfish. If the goal is couched in the benign term “Spreading Democracy” who could be in opposition to democracy. This imperialistic plan by the insidious “Neocon” think tank was birthed way before the election of George W. Bush.
So if one puts things into the perspective of “Problem”, “Reaction”, “Solution” then all that has to be done is fill in the choices for these three requirements. Next chapter, bring in Saddam Hussein, a totalitarian dictator who the US supported and financed in a previous political era. The argument of “WMD’s” seemed to be weak and not well supported by actual factual investigation by both the US and our European Allies. So here we are stuck in the “Problem” of trying to justify an aggressive military move by the US against Iraq. We needed a stronger “Reaction” event the well timed coincidence of “9/11”. The last step a, “Solution”, blame the terrorism on Iraq, and invade Iraq. I defy anyone at this point based on the “9/11”videos, testimony of many witnesses, and the governments delays and resistance to start a timely and thorough investigation of this horrific event to say that “9/11” was the sole work of Muslim terrorists. Again the masses acted in a “Knee Jerk” fashion demonizing Muslims, and cheering our bombing and occupation of Iraq. History is already starting to show us in “Spades” that our invasion of Iraq was based on lies, conspiracy at high government levels, resulting in the countless loss of life, long term injuries to our military, major damage to Iraq’s infrastructure, and an increase in our deficit of over a trillion dollars. Most of our fighting men and women in the “Trenches” come from the ranks of the middle class and semi-educated. These courageous people are brainwashed by our government in believing that they are doing noble work for the establishment of “Democracy” and being loyal American Patriots, protecting our freedom. Many of these military people have come out of the wars of Vietnam and Iraq feeling duped by their leaders and forced into committing inhumane acts that had no beneficial result.
Using the “Fear” lever again much needed Health Care reform that is to reduce a large a bite of our GDP and leaves many Americans improperly uninsured, improperly insured, or bankrupt was derailed. The wealthy can afford health care, but the masses are duped by the fear of “Socialism”. The reality is that a finely tuned mixture of “Socialism” and “Capitalism” is what works best for the needs of the general populace.
The obvious truth that many people are culturally and intellectually ignorant, indolent about investigating scientific data, religious myths, and get their information from the likes of Fox News and a successful media circus entertainers such as “Glenn Beck” or “Rush Limbaugh” is strong testimony to how the masses can be gullible, stupefied, and pressed into believing “Madison Avenue” and their government leaders.
The original Republican Party philosophy was low taxation, limited government interference, and balanced budgets. After the regimes of Reagan and “W” we were left with major deficits and national debt and increases in government controls over our personal lives. These two presidents did not raise taxes; they just put major military expenditures on the nation’s credit card.
The affluent have real economic and physical power, the masses only have apparent power, and it’s called “Guns”. Now I can really understand the gestalt behind the masses incessant need to have gun ownership. The “New Right” reinforces the fears of the masses that liberals want to take away their only real symbol of power.
I don’t support or advocate communism, because it defies human nature, and its purest form does not truly meet the needs of a community efficiently. China unlike the former USSR has been using the economic engine of capitalism with controls to expand its economy. Karl Marx did make a realistic observation to which I agree as follows: “Religion is the opiate of the people”. Through the centuries religion has given the masses a last feeling of hope and enrichment when nothing else was available. The “Far Right” has made out religion to be an untouchable institution paramount to heresy. They have been pushing the myth that we are a “Christian Nation”, preaching to choir of ignorance, myth, and fear. It is a sad day when the masses feel so powerless and hopeless that all they have to look to is some nepharious concept as literal biblical mythology. Religion has pit mankind against one another for centuries as a catalyst for wars and human suffering.
Another hypocritical contradiction heaped upon the masses, really in only the last century is the abortion issue. An affluent women, has always had entrée to abortion services by virtue of her financial ability to travel to another state or country and to pay for professional medical services. The “Far Right” wants to take away choice from the masses claiming the sanctity of human life. There are valid arguments for some minimal restrictions to abortion in the last period of pregnancy. The question is why is a group so zealous about the sanctity of life, many times the first ones to be for capital punishment, war as a first means to conflict resolution, limiting medical care for expectant mothers and infants, and a blatant lack of human compassion for the value and preservation of life in other aspects? The Catholic Church who is vehemently steadfast about abortion rights was complicit for 550 years in the “Inquisition” killing millions, and partnered with Hitler in WWII for a “Hands Off” agreement, while millions of innocent people were lead by the Nazi’s to their deaths.
The irony was that issues about health care, consumer protection, and taxation that could have benefited the masses were masked as virulent “Socialism”.
Are we so ignorant, stubborn, myopic, egocentric, emotional, and gullible that we let extremist political groups fool us into voting and making choices that are against our own self interest all because we choose to be influenced by labels, icons, myths, traditions, and fallacious information?