Republicans only exploit the exploitable.

Animals that best exploit the environment they find themselves in will flourish.  The environment I have in mind is the meta-environment called "the laws of the United States", and the animals I have in mind are the Republicans.

The fact is, that as nasty as republicans are, they can only operate within the laws of the United States.  Of course, you are all objecting wildly to this last statement, so please follow me below for an explanation.

When I say "laws" I don't necessarily mean the legal code.  I mean something far more organic, something more akin to physical laws.  In the following, please allow me to differentiate between the legal code of the US and the "laws" of the US, a concept I will explain presently.

If the US legal code says that first degree murder always has a penalty, that does not imply that first degree murder always has a penalty in the US.  It only means that if one kills and is caught and is tried and is convicted, then killing has a penalty.  Further, it would be very incorrect (in my terminology) to say that "the law says you can not kill" because even before the killer is convicted, he has already killed.  I'm differentiating between the legal code and the physical laws governing the behavior of a person in the US.

The laws do say that I cannot walk up to the President and shoot him, because physically I will be restrained from doing that.  In this case, the law does agree with the legal code because very strong systems have been set up to force the laws to agree with the legal code.

More to the point, the legal code says that the President may not authorize the NSA to spy on Americans without FISA approval.  But Bush did it.  Done.  It may have been in the legal code that he "can't", but he did.  Moreover, he hasn't been tried.  It may be in the legal code that the House must begin impeachment hearings if Bush engages in high crimes and misdemeanors, or that the Senate should provide oversight, but they haven't done so.  That's it.  That is the reality of the situation.

Now that I've explained the cliff-hanger sentence that republicans can only operate within the laws of the US, let me explain how this concept can be interesting and not purely academic.

If the President lies to congress, if the Ohio Secretary of State works with an underhanded corporation to steal the presidential election, if the Vice President can allow energy companies to make the policy, all without being held accountable, then that means that, in our form of government, as it now stands, the President can lie to congress, a Secretary of State can steal the presidential election, and the Vice President can allow lobbyists to write policy, all without being held accountable.  

These are realities of our current system of government.  The environment whose DNA is the US legal code but whose flesh and blood are the US laws, as I've tried to develop above, has been exploited.  But only because the environment was exploitable.

What I'm trying to say is this.  Only that which was easily abusable has been abused; only that which was easily shreddible has been shredded.  

Now that it's done, we can look around and see exactly what needs to be fixed.  Election reform, lobby reform, intelligence reform.  Environment, taxes, schools.  Transparancy in government.  It's all been laid out for us in plain view by very resourceful, hard-working Republicans!

The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and in some sense the republicans have done us the great service of making everything that could possibly squeak do so.  (Did they have to do it all at once??)  

And the laws of the united states may have allowed these things to occur, but these laws are not finished acting yet.  The indignities and evils that the republicans have wrought on our system have brought more people on board with and engaged in the Progressive agenda than have been so in a long time.  

If not for Bush's war, dailykos would not have started.  Representatives Pelosi, Slaughter, Conyers, Senators Kerry Obama, Boxer, and President Carter would not have taken the time to both speak to, listen to, and engage a huge and growing community of people who care about their country and the world.  

The country is in pain and is bleeding from wounds inflicted by the corrupt Republicans.  However, if we do our part and work hard for our country in this, its time of need, I think we can surpass where we were 5 years ago in very real ways.  The republicans have merely amplified problems that were already there.  Now that they have brought all of them to the fore, we can wrest this country from their strangle-hold and take it to higher planes of greatness.

Only when a person is confronted with challenges can she grow.  Now is the time for our growth as a nation.

•  Talk to me.

  Tell me what you think; no comment will go unresponded!

  by dspivak on Fri May 12, 2006 at 08:35:05 PM PDT

•  Help me out on my title

  I'm bad at titles.  Anyone have a suggestion?

  by dspivak on Fri May 12, 2006 at 08:47:18 PM PDT

  •  No more easy pickings for W?

    A silver lining for W's disasters?

    by Shockwave on Fri May 12, 2006 at 08:57:04 PM PDT

    •  I tried it..

      I even updated the title to include silver linings, but it "wasn't me", so I reverted.  Thanks though.

      May I ask if you believe in these "silver linings" I've suggested, or what you think about the above generally?

      by dspivak on Fri May 12, 2006 at 09:01:51 PM PDT

      •  I believe in our ability to overcome

        BushCo is like a disease, our immune system will eventually defeat it.  And we may end up immune to future infections.

        What does not kill you makes you stronger, I hope.

        by Shockwave on Fri May 12, 2006 at 11:45:50 PM PDT

        •  Agree

          We will make it through to the other side of this administration, this corruption.  And when we do, we'll know what to watch for.  The words "George Bush" will carry with them all of the evil and corruption that this administration stands for.  

          People will know a "Bush" when they see one.  When people say "that politician reminds of George Bush", we'll recognize the characteristics, and cast the politician away.  These are the new antibodies of our immune system.

          We will make it.  But now, Progressive "white blood cells" need to attack this disease that is conservatism.

          by dspivak on Sat May 13, 2006 at 09:58:36 AM PDT

      •  As for me...

        I don't believe in silver linings.

        Hell, at this point I'm beginning to think stomach linings are mythical, too.

        -fred

        by Fred Fnord on Sat May 13, 2006 at 12:23:12 AM PDT

        •  Not a silver lining

          I don't think of it as a silver lining.  I think of it as a truth.  That is, whatever the republicans have done to our system, was done within our system.  

          This may take the appearance of a silver lining, but shouldn't do so more than other aspects of life.  If something bothers you, the best thing you can do is not to whine or worry about it, but instead to fix it.  

          It usually takes creativity to diagnose the roots of the problem and rout it out.  And that's where we are now.  The republicans have presented us with the issues, and we are creatively working to solve them.

          Throughout the process, we should work to turn the tragedy of the Bush administration into a triumph of progressive leadership.

          by dspivak on Sat May 13, 2006 at 10:07:00 AM PDT

•  They are going to put up a fight all the way

  Even after we regain the legislature in November, it will be an uphill battle.

  Even after we take the White House in 2008, they will try their best to sabotage everything they can.

  With hope and optimism we can clean up this mess.

  by Shockwave on Fri May 12, 2006 at 08:51:48 PM PDT

  •  Yep, and we'll show what we're made of

    The republicans have shown their true colors.  Treason, lying, hookers, spying, fiscal irresponsibility, casual war.

    We must show ours.  The common good is a universal value.

    by dspivak on Fri May 12, 2006 at 08:54:46 PM PDT

•  A Solid Concept

  and a good take on what Kos is saying all over the place: we're in the middle of a strong progressive reaction that can ridden a long way.

  As you seem to be saying, by the time the revulsion in the populace has passed, and IF we hold our progressive cohesion, we should be able to make things better for a long time.

  Maybe by then the general voting population will be better educated in the wiles of the psyops consultants.

  Incidentally, I like the metaphor of the DNA expressing itself, with the current progressive movement the phenotype of the constitutional law as genotype. Smart fellers, those Founders.

  See you at YearlyKos?

  by ormondotvos on Fri May 12, 2006 at 09:51:58 PM PDT

  •  I wish.

    (I'm not a biologist, so please excuse inaccuracies in any of the following...)

    I agree with you: the constitution is the DNA and the society as a whole is the expression.  Similar in my mind to the relationship between bible and religion.  

    The DNA may look like it dictates certain courses of action, but reality does not always concur with the DNA.  First of all the "personalities" of the DNA-readers should probably be taken into account (read "judges" in one case and "priests" in the other).  But of course how the organism reacts to its environment is the biggest diversion from the "dictates" of the DNA.  

    I wish I could say I'll see you at Yearly Kos, but I'll be in Cambridge MA until August, then back to Berkeley, CA.  

    by dspivak on Sat May 13, 2006 at 10:16:17 AM PDT