In all the celebrating, gloating and pure entertainment of the GOP internal war going on since the re-election of President Obama, the key to the sweetness of this victory for me, isn't being talked about. Even worse, I fear we're actually making the mistake in some cases of giving the GOP a pass on what I'm about to share.
I enjoy online forums, blogs and pretty much anywhere I can debate various issues and topics. Today I came across something that forced me to put my celebration on pause and really take some time to reflect on just what had happened and what it all means. Let me share this brief back and forth I had today in one of the forums I frequent, with a severely conservative, Christian man I assume from the context of previous postings, to be in the 50-60 year old range. Let's call him Bob and it all started with this question:
Bob - Is it America voting for President, or immigrants? Are immigrants really American, or just trying to be American?
Vent - America is immigrants. Without immigrants, there is no America, there are no Founding Fathers, there is no Constitution. Nuff said!
Bob - Obviously the exemplary argument.
Vent - Sorry if you hate what America is but those are the facts. The only "real" American's are Native Americans. Everyone else is either an immigrant, a descendent of immigrants or a descendent of slavery.
Bob - It looks like you are the one that hates America for what it is, or was, or whatever. There is evidence that white people were in America prior to the "Native" Americans. The cave in Utah had tall red headed people in them, killed by "Natives". The magical land bridge the "Natives" crossed from Russia, into Alaska, and etc....
At this point I realized we'd run out of tin foil on aisle 4 and as I walked away from the computer I laughed thinking, "this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." But then my laughter turned to confusion and then sadness as I began to process what he was really trying to say to me. I obviously understood he was in mourning over the loss but as I dwelled on this brief exchange, I began to realize that it's about much more than his candidate simply not winning and far beyond any political party. This was much deeper than all of that.
What Bob had really lost in this election was his vision of America. The vision that had been preserved since before he was born and the vision he grew up fighting to preserve. Now, we're not talking about a "Romney" vision of America where it's about making the rich, richer with more trickle down economics. No, he was talking about an America of, by and for white people. With the re-election of Barack Obama, he saw his vision of America crumble for good and it's the same vision that all of conservatism saw crumble.
The depths of depression and soul searching going on in the GOP is rooted in that thinking. For them it's the same. It's not just losing an election. This election was special. This election was for all the marbles but not because they want to cut spending or balance the budget for fear of rising debt. No, that's just a smoke screen for the agenda that has survived for way too long.
This election represented the last desperate hope to retain that iron fist grip of racist American leadership. The hope that in Obama's defeat, minorities would not get the even playing field or ladders of opportunity. That through continued racist leadership, minorities would continue to be oppressed and barred from entering into and equally participating in their exclusive, whites only club called "America".
You can also look at the actions of the right since the election, to further absorb this truth. Conservatives don't change unless they have to. They are upset because they realize with the realities of demographics that they have to welcome in blacks, latinos, single women (sluts as they call them) and homosexuals. They are upset because they have to welcome into their party the very people they not only despise but seek to destroy. What a terrible predicament they find themselves in. How do you reach out to people you hate?
Don't under estimate the GOP. This election cycle proved that if you can lie faster than fact checkers can keep up with, you can still get nearly half of the electorate to buy into your BS. I wrote this not just because I really needed to let it out but because it's important we never forget who these people are and what they truly represent. The war on entitlements is not about debt or being able to increase military spending. It's about oppression and preventing minorities from having an equal stake in America. It's about keeping minorities broke and uneducated. It's about preserving a vision of America that has been real for way too long.
I don't mean to suggest that there isn't a war against many other issues like gay marriage and a woman's right to choose. But if you notice since the election, there is no big uproar over the gay marriage initiatives that passed. There are no cries for the 2-3 justices that will swing the SCOTUS to a 6-3 or even 7-2 Democrat lean. Effectively ending all hopes at overturning Roe v Wade, but why? Because that's not what this election was about for them. The America they love is an America of white supremacy. Anyone who thought electing the first black president bought us racial reconciliation is as delusional as the people who bought into the skewed polls nonsense.
I don't mean to sound overly dramatic but this election was an extension of the Civil War. A battle that will live on in our history like Gettysburg. Now, Gettysburg did not end the Civil War and neither will this election. This war goes on but the silver lining that we can take from Gettysburg is that one, this is a turning point in the war and two, it's the point in the war that for the first time in my lifetime I can say, "We are winning!"
Take nothing for granted and leave nothing to chance. Be ready for 2014 because just like 2010 I assure you, they will be ready. Thank you for reading and God bless.
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