This is going to be the first in a series of essays which puts scrutiny to the major harking points of the Republican Party, their voters, and the Tea Party over the last three years.
Remember, there was a time when this cohort of Americans was caught up in loving America so hard, that they didn't care which part of the constitution had to be sacrificed in order to kill terrorists and keep tabs on subversives within.
A ballooning military budget did not factor into government spending.
"God Bless the Bush administration and the US Government," was something which was commonly added to points of debate.
Talk of entitlement? How about "God-given rights"...to drive Hummers and bear arms?
In the last decade, we've all been witness to some pretty large flip-flops politically, economically, and socially by Republicans and their ilk.
I'm going to start with one of my favorite topics, the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001. Yes, the cute, socially friendly acronym that came from Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001.
Now, it was near unanimously passed by all souls in the Senate sans one, lone dissenter: Senator Russ Feingold. A Democrat from Wisconsin. Yes. A Democrat. Belonging to that political party in the United States which has absolutely no history, in the minds of some, prior to January 20th, 2009 (when all of our problems started...).
In the House, there were 66 nays as opposed to 357 yeas. Of those 66, only 3 were Republicans and 1 was an Independent. The rest were Democrats.
Why does this matter? What's the scorekeeping all about? Why aren't I typing these numbers out instead?
It matters because of the recent love affair between Republicans, conservatives, Tea Partiers (which I will henceforth refer to as the Right or Right wingers and the United States Constitution. You see, this guy in the White House now, Barack Obama, he's a constitution trampling son of a bitch. He's a socialist, a Muslim, and wasn't born in the United States (or some such nonsense).
It matters because the anxieties expressed by the Right in recent years are manufactured hubris. This bloc of voters, and politicians, rarely put up any resistance to the idea of NSA wiretaps, warrantless searches and seizures, indefinite detention, the suspension of due process among other violations against our constitutionally granted rights during the eight, long years of the Bush administration.
Why the scorekeeping? Because Republicans in office seriously think that they can convince voters that the Democrats are endangering their freedoms, and that they, the Grand Ol' Party (which is actually the youngest of the two), only have the best intentions in mind for 'Merica.
Hell, they even have God on their side!
But, the numbers show something different. The numbers show a party that was in no way concerned with the damaging consequences, intrinsic within this legislation, to the US Constitution -- specifically the Bill of Rights.
An opponent, and budding dissident, during this time, I would go on to receive a lot of flak from Right wingers during the early 2000's for my arguments and strong opinions against the USA PATRIOT Act (and the ensuing War on Terror).
Not only did the USA PATRIOT Act constitute the largest growth of government power since the COINTELPRO days from the late 1950's to the early 1970's, it was both applauded and supported adamantly by the Right. George W. Bush, who signed the legislation into law on October 26th, 2001, could do no wrong in the eyes of these people.
Less ominous was the creation of new departments of government like the Office of Faith Based Initiatives and The Department of Homeland Security (or "DHS" for all the conservative, frat boy, Criminal Justice majors at the time -- this was all going on during my college years). These constituted government growth, spending, and provided ample controversy on Constitutional grounds, in the case of the Office of Faith Based Initiatives, concerning matters of church and state overlaps.
Where was the outpouring of concern for the US Constitution then?
The USA PATRIOT Act outright nullified, or at least compromised to a considerable degree, the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Tenth, and Fourteenth amendments. That's seven out of the ten which comprise the Bill of Rights, plus one thereafter.
Eight amendments affected in total, but the Second amendment was left untouched, so all was right in the minds of the Right.
Oh, please, take away our free speech, habeas corpus, due process, and submit us to cruel and unusual punishment, but do not take away our guns! Personally, I don't get up in arms about guns. I'm not a supporter, nor do I call for their complete abolition. I guess I'm mostly ambivalent. I don't own one, I don't foresee myself coming into ownership of one, but I don't really care if other people have them.
Still, the Second is such a touchy area among those on the Right, that even a comment taken the slightest bit out of context erupts into suspicion of tyranny, Antichrist antics, and plain old hyperbole. Maybe. If the person is a Democrat.
The bottom line here is that Republicans, and the rest of the Right, gave nary a flying fuck about the growth of government happening before their eyes as long as a Republican-led government was doing the growing. The near instant that Barack Obama (who has serious inconsistencies of his own) took office, the end of the world was seemingly ushered in right behind him.
If we want to talk about "big government", let's step outside of the neatly confined narrative of attributing such labels to economic policies, as has been the strategy of the Right for decades, and let's talk about our nation's own watchlist upon which groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Greenpeace, Food Not Bombs, and even smaller groups like 9/11 Families for Peace found themselves.
This is an ongoing, concerted effort launched by a Republican-led government to extend surveillance powers against American citizens, well beyond the scope of acceptable government oversight with little to no legal basis necessary.
And we're supposed to forget about these past encroachments in order to vilify the sitting administration, and in turn, retreat from history, common sense, and our best interests to vote back into power the very party that made these infringements possible?
Yes.
Are you feeling like you're being had yet? Don't worry, I've got more articles coming.