Whenever the word Republican comes up I only think of three individuals:
Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. I refuse to recognize Ronald Reagan because whenever I watch footage of him making a speech, it's as if an actor was hired to play the role of President. I've finally come to understand why people go ape over this man as if he's the second coming Jesus Christ and why many people have such disdain for Bill Clinton. To many, Ronald Reagan represented the tranquility of old America before the counter-culture revolution of the 1960's. To many, when Bill Clinton took office in 1993, he didn't follow George H.W. Bush, he was following Ronald Reagan. And, those who drink the Reagan kool-aid believed it was distasteful to watch a man who was a member of the counter-culture revolution of the 1960's occupy the White House.
But I laugh and suck my teeth in, which has become a bad habit these days, whenever someone says the Republican Party is the party of Ronald Reagan. No, it's not.
Judging by the deplorable language coming from the McCain-Palin campaign, it's clear that this party still belongs to Richard Nixon.
The 1968 Presidential Election was won by Nixon due to his abhorrent use of resentment towards elites, the media, and everything that has to do with Liberalism. The Southern Strategy was basically racism, but if you ask any of Nixon's acolytes, they will tell you, no it was all about Law and order. The strategy worked. It not only divided America but it also gave many folks a distorted, almost sickening cartoonish view of Liberalism. Anything remotely Liberal is consider to be un-American to some who still believe in Nixon's Silent Majority nonsense.
Watching Pat Buchanan rant about how Colin Powell only endorsed Obama because he is black doesn't surprise me and it shouldn't surprise anyone who've been subjected to Mr. Buchanan's vulgarity posed as political analysis. The possibility of Barack Obama becoming President is an affront to everything Buchanan and the folks who live in Nixonland stand for. Buchanan and his minions represent an America which is full ignorance, blatant racism and distaste for intellictuals. Even though, Mr. Obama is relatively new, and somewhat inexperienced, the image that Obama portrays is one being inclusive. To be tolerant, to heavily rely on patience and education. Something people in Nixonland can't seem to understand.
Obviously Mr. Buchanan is still fighting the wars of the late 1960's. Many who are coming of age don't want any part of that war. I think I speak for many who view "the culture war" as a cancer that has infected the body politic of this country. And, until it is removed we not only will never get anything accomplished, but we'll still remained divided. The choice on November 4th is clear, do you still want to continue onto that bridge into the 21st century, or do we still want to live in Nixonland?
The answer is easy: It's time to dismantle Nixonland for good.