What you need to know to understand this diary:
1) the definition of recrudescence, second definition at dictionary.com
What I want to say:
Despite the recent election, the basic American tropes are 1) fair play 2) bullies suck, especially when they want you to suffer while they prosper 3) we're willing to sacrifice to keep old people off the streets.
There are several other lesser tropes that have situational application. 1) America's a melting pot, so it's not quite as acceptable to be anti-immigrant for an american as is it to be, for example anti-Turk if you're a German. 2) Family is far more complex than an authoritarian 'father knows best' father, a submissive but oh-so-willing mother, and perfectly indoctrinated Stepford children. In fact, Paul Weyrich (focus on the Family) despaired of the religious right ever imposing their views on America. Of course his despair was before the Bush Miracle... but that's a temporary blip on American history akin to 'Grantism'
What I'm trying to say is that the Republican Recrudescence is doing so much damage, to so many people, so rapidly, that I expect that the 2006 elections will be much more a Democrat vs. New Democrat battle than a Dem/Rep battle.