In the interests of disclosure, I have never read Victor Hugo's novel, "Les Miserables." I have seen the Broadway Musical and the film version of the musical, as well as a "straight" version with Liam Neeson and Uma Thurman. The story covers many years and many characters. The through line, concerns Jean Valjean, a convicted thief, paroled, and Inspector Javert, a former prison guard who tracks down Valjean after he breaks parole.
Javert exemplifies today's GOP in America. He believes in law and order, and he believes that financial status imbues one with credibility. Additionally, Republicans, despite their claims to be more Christian than Democrats, have no compassion. President Bush 43 calling himself a "Compassionate Conservative" was a tacit admission that conservatives have none.
As a result of the above, Valjean is treated not as someone who paid his debt to society by spending 19 years in prison, but as one who was sent there in the first place. Fantine is a woman who gets fired from Valjean's factory because she had a child out of wedlock. Hence she must be a wihore. As a result, she becomes one to raise money to pay for her daughter's care. When she is assaulted by a John, she retaliates. Because she's a whore, Javert blames her for the incident despite witness testimony to the contrary.
Many years go by. There is an uprising in Paris. Javert infiltrates the insurgency. Valjean joins the insurgency to look after the love interest of his adopted daughter. He is presented with an opportunity to kill Javert, and he sets him free. Javert believed that he was Valjean's nemesis; that Valjean was irredeemable; that Valjean hated him with as much passion. This was all proved to him to be untrue. Javert could not reconcile his belief with reality and ended up throwing himself in the river.
This is precisely what is going on with the GOP today. They operate from a position of what they believe. The evidence that they are wrong continues to mount. Rather than experiencing the cognitive dissonance required for learning, they continue to deny. They believe that they are right, but the evidence clearly shows they are wrong.
The Patron Saint of Republicans, Ronald Reagan, warned of the dangers of Medicare. Today, as Republican leaders in Washington try to end it, Tea Party Republicans say "Keep your government hands off my medicare!" They cannot acknowledge the fact that the last time the budget was in surplus was under a Democratic President who raised taxes without a single Republican vote and the warnings that the increase would kill the economy never came true.
The greatest period of economic growth over the past 70 years came with a top marginal tax rate of 90%. It also was the result of government spending projects called the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Interstate Highway System. Although, I doubt that today's Bircher Republican Party would take credit for that Commie President Eisenhower, even a they try to reclaim Lincoln and Roosevelt.
Republican's, you are wrong. It has not always been this way, but that's where we are now. You like to call yourselves patriots. The sooner you acknowledge reality, the better it will be for the country. The better it will be for you. I'd hate to find you in the river.