This is part of a weekly informational series about the importance of voting rights, and the need for a constitutional amendment protecting them.
“What gets lost is that the Republican Party has always been the party of civil rights and voting rights.” -Senator Rand Paul (R), April 10, 2013
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. HAHA. Ha. Um. No.
Last week, we finished laying the foundation of this series by talking about some of the ways corruption works, and why it works. At the end, I asked several question about the Republican party. Now I will answer them, using the principles we have discussed. Afterwards, we will see what they mean for the future of the United States.
Why are Republicans so much more corrupt then Democrats? Answer: Republicans have fewer Key Supporters. With fewer Keys, they can afford to divide the resources they control into fewer, larger shares. That’s not referring to just cash btw; power, prestige, legal favors, and so on are also counted as resources. With these large payouts, they attract the biggest, most powerful Key Supporters: wealthy donors, big business, media moguls. With fewer but bigger Keys, they can stay in power more reliably and with less effort, and thus get away with even more corruption, and thus consolidate power even more. It’s an unending cycle that results in autocracy — unless stopped from the outside.
Why is Republicans’ tax-scam so important to them? Answer: The Keys must be paid. The Big Keys that Republicans want have gluttonous tastes, and demand a large payout. This is what their tax cuts are. This is, in fact, the entire basis of (so-called) small government conservatism. They are trying to acquire the resources currently allocated to government services and redirect them towards their Keys. From Medicare and Social Security to Obamacare to every agency and regulation you can think of, this is what the Republican Party is for. Every one of their policies is explained by this. Every. Single. One.
Why did they let Trump take over their party? Answer: Firstly, they needed the Presidency to pay their Keys. Presidential veto power would ensure they never got their vital tax cuts passed. They would overlook anything to get their promised payout done. They don’t even have the good manners to lie about it.
Secondly, Trump had a lockdown on a certain type of Key Supporter: the Racist Voter Bloc. This is a very desirable type of Key to have, because it comes virtually for free. Racists are paid with an emotional payout: privilege and deference, feelings of superiority, validation of their hate and fear. The actual resource cost to the Party is slim to none. This frees up resources to pay the Big Keys. Not coincidentally, Republicans have been courting this bloc for decades, and have now become dependent on it. When Trump captured this Bloc, he captured the Party with it.
Why is control of the SCOTUS really so important to them? Answer: So they can continue to be corrupt, and keep their number of Keys small. Citizens United vs FEC (2010) famously allowed massive amounts of corporate money into elections. Shelby County vs. Holder (2013) permitted southern states to gerrymander and suppress the vote. These are small examples of what SCOTUS is capable of, and Republicans desperately want more of that. They NEED more of that. They will not survive without it. They sold everything for this chance to control the court — they even accepted Trump's child internment camps. They are letting Trump and his idiocy drive their own voters away. They have risked everything for this. This is their entire endgame. It is all they have.
And what will they do next? Answer: Assault the right to vote. Voters are a major kind of Key Supporter. Republican strategy — their very existence — requires that they rely on as few Keys as possible. So voters must go. There is no second guessing this — this is not speculation. It is deduction; a required result given the evidence. If demographics is destiny, it’s not on their side. They are losing their voter base to population shifts, and they won’t be getting it back. They are not stupid; they know this. To remain in power, they have no choice but to assault democracy itself. So that is what they are doing. It’s why they want the Court. It’s why they happily undermine the constitution (Hiya, Mitch!). It’s why they continue to tolerate Trump, no matter what he does. It’s why they won’t fight back, even as Trump’s tarriffs hurt their own donors and Trump’s policies drive voters away. It’s why they are conspiring with the Russians. It is their everything. They must retain power long enough to rig elections, or they will not survive.
That is everything you ever need to know about the modern Republican Party. Anything else is just these same patterns at a smaller scale or a different venue.
2018 is our only chance to stop them. By 2020, if they still control all 3 federal branches they will be able to fully legalize gerrymandering, voter ID laws, and other types of voter suppression. In addition, 2020 is a census year, when voting districts are drawn, making the state level fight JUST AS IMPORTANT. The corruption and hate we are facing today will become the new normal, probably for a lifetime.
SO GET OUT THE VOTE IN 2018 LIKE YOUR COUNTRY’S LIFE DEPENDS ON IT.
Next week I’ll begin going into details bout how the Right To Vote is the antidote to corruption.
This article relies heavily on CGP Grey’s excellent video, “Rules For Rulers”. If you haven’t seen it, and you are politically active in any way, you should watch it. Really. Watch it.
Image credit: Open Door Comics
UPDATE: Community Spotlight! Wow, thanks. I appreciate it. I hope you all follow the rest of this series too, and keep leaving me feedback so I can improve it!
-Made a few wording and grammar changes for better readability.