I disagree with the assertion made recently by some, that "Bush's success or failure in 04' hinges on his policies, not his advisors tactics."
I disagree with that, but not perhaps in the sense which is the most likely the obvious reading of it. I disagree with it on a deeper level which I hope to explain in the larger context of what we see in our national divide.
I will use the above about Bush's advisors tactics as a jumping off point to put forth what that larger context is.
Right at the top here, I would like to thank Chris R for sparking this piece for
his post in the thread about the GOPs "fears" of Gephardt in the election.
This entry is not directed mainly at his post, which I disagree with on a particular point, but it does lead me to what I really think this is about in the "big picture". I wish to use his post as a jumping off point to the larger context of the situation.
I disagree with the assertion Chris R makes that Bush's success or failure in 04' hinges on his policies, not his advisors tactics. But not perhaps in the sense of the most obvious reading of that.
I would argue that the ONLY way for Bush to win in '04 is to wallpaper over and perfume the turds that IS his Presidency and the handling of our national policies, both foreign AND domestic.
The ONLY way for Bush to win in 04 is to wallpaper over and perfume the turds that IS his Presidency and the handling of our national policies, both foreign AND domestic.
I agree that on the merits, it SHOULD be about policies (which are losers for BUsh), and hence the political reality that Rove and ChimpCo. HAVE to campaign to get people to overlook the disastrous failures of their hand at governing.
All that have IS "tactics" to try and tread water by flailing their arms and legs as fast and furious as they can and hope that it is enough to keep their heads above the pit of their own shit.
The entire GOP strategy, and Rove's campaigns in particular, which HAVE been embraced by the GOP as a whole is, attack, attack, attack. That domain has ALWAYS been about 100% tactics. Policy is tied to their political tactics, because they want to destroy the current system and replace it with their own.
Remember, Rove is responsible for MUCH more than just ChimpCo. Most of the GOP heavy hitters have Rove to thank for their past campaigns. Rove is not infallible, but he is the leader of the GOP strategic election thinking across the board.
But he is the means to the ideological end. Which is the larger point I wish to really put forward.
Rove is a means to an end. He is a savvy and very skilled political tactician, is pretty well known and agreed upon. But to see the ideological imperative behind the GOP of today, which are not Rove's creation yet what Rove is in service of, one needs to look to the Heritage Foundation, and other "think tanks" for what is the end goal is they seek reach.
I believe that when objectively looked at, it is nothing like the ideals that most Americans come to think of as the real core principles of our society.
Equality under the law, social justice and easy access to economic empowerment.
Yet the above is, by their own words and actions, not what the radical-right wants. It is what they use to sell their agenda which is the antithesis of this.
They want raw capitalism and biblical world-view social domination. As much as that seems to be "tin-foil beenie" land, look at their own words and actions, and take them at face value.
I would also put forward that this is why Clinton was assaulted constantly for 8 years. Bush one was "supposed" to have a second term. Can you imagine Bush I (million points of light, new world order) with Newt in power back then?
This attempt to unravel our society and re-shape it into a class-based theocracy was a plan forestalled by Clinton getting elected in 92. It was also stalled because Clinton had a Dem Congress at the beginning of his first term and was able to turn the tax and revenue structure around. This was fundamentally moving the ball away from their end-zone because it was working.
This caused the GOP to counter-attack with everything that they had, which was nothing but yellow journalism and politics of personal destruction in service of their larger goal, regaining power at all cost and march towards their desired end-state.
They have their "trifecta" currently, and look at the unmitigated disaster that we have. But, and this is key, they don't see it as a disaster on the whole, because their long term goals are to undo every piece of new deal and great society legislation and program. They want raw market capitalism, and biblical social orthodoxy.
Why do I say this?
Let's look objectively at history. The pre-civil rights South (in particular before the Civil War) was exactly what I describe above, a class-based, biblical theocracy.
The south was historically a Democrat bastion and stronghold. But prior to the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s, Democrats were the party of Jefferson Davis and Dixie until the 50s and 60s. The GOP of today are the Dixiecrats of old, who have ALWYS wanted a return to the class-based biblical theocracy.
The "south-shall-rise-again" refrain is not some peculiar anachronism or rose-colored homage to "tradition". The sea-change of American politics happened after WW II, and that was the emergence of the middle class as the predominate class in America, because of both the socialism/capitalism hybrid that resulted in massive public works, both in the New Deal programs, but more significantly in the unheard of in history public sector expenditure in full employment in the war effort.
This led to empowerment of the previous underclass and resulted in the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s.
GODLESS communism became the perpetual war (cold war) to continue the massive public works through the establishment of the military/industrial complex, and buoyed by the now existing New Deal, and the addition of the Great Society programs.
This forced the those who hold the raw capitalism of mid to late 19th century and biblical theocratic word-view to leave the Democratic party and switch to the GOP, as exemplified and exploited by Nixon in his "southern strategy" moves.
In short, the robber-barons and the plantation owners are still with us, but they are now the hardcore base of the GOP. They seek a return to raw capitalism of the late 19th century, and the reemergence of a class based biblical gentry.
That is their dream state.
They have high-jacked fiscal responsibility and subverted it it into the language of Goldwater era conservatism, but what they want is raw capitalism circa late 19th century.
And have passive voice tactically soft-sold social "compassion" to disguise their radical religious world-view to make t palatable and non-threatening to "moderates" (i.e. people who have become apathetic or cynical of the whole process).
We must take these people at their word. This IS a war for our culture, and a war for the future of our nation. What they fail to see is, who is the enemy of our most cehrisehd idelas and principles really is, themselves.
This is why it is a moarl imperative, that we MUST win.