I have been been following the various diaries on this site and others conjecturing about the psychological nature of Bush the Lesser. While these are potentially informative in understanding what motiviates this administration and what strategies might be effective in opposition, it seems to me that they miss a more basic point...over 60 million Americans voted for this person in 2004 and his approval ratings continue to include at least 30% of the electorate. Understanding the current President's dysfunctionality does not explain why so many Americans voted for him. Personalizing our current sorry situation around the failed leadership of this administration in many ways precludes defining sustainable alternatives.
In an effort to gain some perspective, I have been reading the 1943 OSS report by Walter Langer that attempted an analysis of Adolf Hitler. There are many instructive parallells in this report -- these are worth an entire diary in themselves -- but perhaps the most important comment for today is this comment about those trying to understand national socialism:
They cannot content themselves with simply regarding Hitler as a personal devil and condemning him to an Eternal Hell in order that the remainder of the world may live in peace and quiet.
[snip]
a reciprocal relationship exists between the Fuehrer and the people and that the madness of the one stimulates and flows into the other and vice versa. It was not only Hitler, the madman, who created German madness, but German madness which created Hitler. Having created him as its spokesman and leader, it has been carried along by his momentum, perhaps far beyond the point where it was originally prepared to go. Nevertheless, it continues to follow his lead in spite of the fact that it must be obvious to all intelligent people now that his path leads to inevitable destruction.
Bush's deficiencies were obvious to all even before the 2004 election. Kerry was seen as "winning" the debates by a wide margin, yet the electorate continued to vote by the millions for Bush. I won't argue here about whether or not there was electoral fraud -- the point is that literally millions of our fellow citizens voted for this seriously deficient person. What is the sociological resonance that is producing this? Returning to the OSS report on Hitler:
From a scientific point of view, therefore, we are forced to consider Hitler, the Fuehrer, not as a personal devil, wicked as his actions and philosophy may be, but as the expression of a state of mind existing in millions of people, not only in Germany but, to a smaller degree, in all civilized countries. To remove Hitler may be a necessary first step, but it would not be the cure. It would be analogous to curing an ulcer without treating the underlying disease. If similar eruptions are to be prevented in the future, we cannot content ourselves with simply removing the overt manifestations of the disease. On the contratry, we must ferret out and seek to correct the underlying factors which produced the unwelcome phenomenon. We must discover the psychological streams which nourish this destructtve state of mind in order that we may divert them into channels which will permit a further evolution of our form of civilization.
Dr. Langer's eloquent words apply to our situation today. Bush is dangerous beyond belief and his capacity for doing harm must be limited, either by Congressional oversight or by imipeachment. But there is a great danger in personalizing this problem. The problem is not with Bush the Lesser, the problem is with why his flawed and harmful policies have found such a deep resonance in the American body politic. We will surely fail if we do not understand why this came to pass.
The fault, dear Brutus, is in ourselves.
There are of course many problems with our body politic. Our media are motivated by profit rather than a dedication to truth and informing the public. The media is slightly more balanced now only in response to the obvious rating trends (Faux news down, Olberman up). Religious intolerance and wedge politics poison and polarize our debates. Our electoral system discourages participation in many ways, gerrymandering being only one of the most obvious. Evidence and scientific scholarship are held in public disdain. I could go on and on. These all need addressed, but these are symptoms, I think, of a deep alienation that permeates much of our society.
Returning to Dr. Langer's report, one of the reasons Hitler succeeded was that he had a
Capacity to appeal to the most primitive, as well as the most ideal inclinations in man, to arouse the basest instincts and yet cloak them with nobility, justifying all actions as means to the attainment of an ideal goal. Hitler realized that men will not combine and dedicate the,selves to a common purpose unless this purpose be an ideal one capable of survival beyond their generation. He has also perceived that although men will die only for an ideal their continued zest and enterprise can be maintained only by a succession of more immediate and earthly satisfactions.
How familiar is this? Chistianist morality coupled with greed, is this not the creed of God's Own Party? We have a better vision, a vision that values humanity and provides hope, not fear.
Dr. Langer also observes the success of national socialism as a movement derived in part from the
Realization of a fundamental loneliness and feeling of isolation in people living under modern conditions and a craving to "belong" to an active group which carries a certain status, provides cohesiveness and gives the individual a feeling of personal worth and belongingness.
This loneliness may well be part of the modern condition. Consumerism, the loss of community (how many of us know our neighbors?), greed, divisive "us vs. them" religions and politics, and fear everywhere are endemic. Yet somehow no less modern a nation than Canada does not have the political diseases that are so obvious in the US. I don't have the answers to this dilemna -- but this is something we must seriously consider. The causes are not the media -- which gives us what we want -- but somehow run deeper in our collective psyche. Until we understand what in our collective psyche so deeply resonated with the current political leadership I fear we will not be able to sustain an alternative.
Finally, Dr. Langer writes that successful political movements need
Appreciation of the fact that the masses are as hungry for a sustaining ideology in political action as they are for daily bread. Any movement which does not satisfy this spiritual hunger in the masses will not mobilize their whole-hearted support and is destined to fail.
As progressives we certainly have a sustaining ideology. Many here have eloquently and ably articulated this ideology -- even this diarist has made an attempt. It continues to be urgent to give voice to a vision of the world that is a better place, where people have value, where we can live in harmony, free from want and need, where we can hope for a better life for ourselves and our children, and can realize our potential as caring, loving human beings. Ours is a vision of hope, not fear, of compassion, not greed, of peace, not war. Our vision is my hope for this new year and every new year.
It is my hope on this Christmas Eve.