Why are ex-Republicans giving us advice? Sometimes, the irony is too rich and tiresome…
They might but I can’t…
Forget, that is. I want to be careful in my criticism here, but are any of you getting tired of the legion of former Republicans taking up air time to chastise Democrats for not acting more like Republicans? I really like watching Nicolle Wallace at times in the afternoon, but her critiques of the Biden Administration and Congressional Dems and some of her “old friends” from the Bush years forget that they helped create the problem we are now facing. I know that they mean well. They wear the look of newfound converts but can’t escape their past deeds. They helped to hollow out their own party with culture wars, big lies, and hate speech that made “truthiness” fashionable. Remember?
- The lies about WMD’s perpetrated at the UN by Colin Powell
- The outing of Valerie Plame in retaliation for her husband’s criticism of the entry into the Iraqi War
- Waterboarding
- The swiftboatting campaign attacks on the integrity of John Kerry
Or do they forget the cynical “Big Lie” espoused by their patron saint, Ronald Reagan, who poisoned trust in government by blithely spewing a fusillade of anti-government sentiment:
- “Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.”
- “Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”
- “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
Reagan wasn’t simply wrong — -he wasn’t smart enough for that. The Great Communicator was neither “great” nor a particularly talented spokesperson for American conservatism. Who could forget his administration’s reaction to the HIV outbreak and their refusal to deal with the health crisis that raged throughout Reagan’s term in office:
He was a puppet for the wicked right, just as George W. who wasn’t particularly bright, but spectacularly gullible. The progression from Reagan to W, to January 6 is a bright red line drawn with the help of some of the culture warriors-turned-democracy-whisperers that are currently being featured on our television screens.
Tainted Advice
Listening to Frank Luntz opine, or to Tim Miller warn us about our lack of aggression, is not the message I want to hear from them. Charlie Sykes and Bill Kristol are welcome messengers of the dangers that they recognize from the inside and I applaud them for speaking out, but their message would be far more helpful if their warnings and advice were focused on the Republicans holding office who are their former colleagues-the misbegotten who had taken their lead one step further. Their maydays belong on networks who may attract the eyeballs of their former friends in the Republican party — NBC, CBS, ABC, and, yes, OAN and Fox — -and not as much on sites like MSNBC where they preach to the choir and admonish the attempts, sometimes feeble but generally well-meaning, of those trying to undo the harm they helped create.
To some, this may appear to be a parochial attack on those who only want to help and who join in our efforts to defeat a movement that has been glibly named “Trumpism.” The term credits the former president with more thought than he could ever muster. He is a thug. It is nihilism that drives the racists and white nationalists who festered under the radar waiting for a moment like this. The desire to tear down the government and replace it with anarchy, first, then an autocracy is a well-worn prescription used by despots and tyrants throughout history. Government, after all, is the civilizing force that holds back our worse instincts, those that would organize society to only benefit the strong and powerful at the expense of the rest. While this may seem oddly Darwinian, it is not. When society is organized to serve and protect all its citizens, it exponentially improves the survival of the group by focusing on the well-being of its whole. Government helps to redefine strength to include traits like intellect, the arts, sharing, and community. Anti-government despots abhor science and knowledge — -disdain curiosity and invention. They subvert democracy by attacking its underpinnings. They find willing partners in faiths that are faithless, using beliefs as stand-ins for the truth.
The Unwelcomed Guests
Today’s nihilists are the stepchildren of those who promoted “smaller big lies” of the past. I try to differentiate them from a political party or group, as they are creatures of convenience. Their allegiance is one of accommodation to their needs regardless of party affiliations. In this case, the Republican Party had been hollowed out by its own inability to evolve and grow. The gaping hole at its core was created by the very policies espoused by their leadership in the post-WWII era and at the close of the 20th century (think Joe McCarthy, Nixon, Reagan, Bush. Birchers, Koch Brothers, et.al.) They commandeered fear to control us — -fear of communists, minorities, Jews, the poor, and anyone else who threatened their privileged positions. Within their ranks, they accepted a nucleus of subversives who nurtured an undemocratic bent to poison the advances in democracy. The progress was made at great cost and with great effort that helped create a social safety net that they targeted for extinction. Wearing hoods, whispering in the darkness, larding grievances with hate, they often performed their dirty work covertly. Emboldened by the current political climate fostered by Republicans under Trump, they now operate in the open — in the public square and, worse, in the halls of Congress.
Fathers of the Insurrection
The motives and tactics they practice in this post-shame, anti-democratic age have been appropriated and refined from those of past Republican operatives like Lee Atwater, Grover Nordquist, and Karl Rove whose political genius was in creating uneven political playing fields for candidates who could not otherwise compete. This isn’t about the parties we belong to any longer. It is about our nation and its future. My issue with reformed Republicans and their sudden regard for democratic principles is that their work needs to be done in fields they had plowed. I can applaud the work of Rick Wilson and The Lincoln Project because as a former strategist he is applying his skills to undermine the lies and distortion within his former party using their own methods against them. His satirical broadsides are aimed at the fops and posers within the Republican ranks and spare the rest of us the wisdom of his experience — -unlike many of the other Republican apostates who flourish in the relative safety of the progressive cable news milieu.
Pardon my skepticism, but their message is one I am uncomfortable with. They promote their fetish that the problem with Democrats is we are unwilling to act more like Republicans. In point of fact, it is what separates us from them. We aren’t perfect, but at this point in time, we are on the side of the angels. Their conversions are appreciated, but to most Democrats, it comes a little late and with a disturbing bit of guile. Theirs was not an epiphany of faith or principle. Sadly, they were no longer needed or wanted or welcomed by the guests they invited to their party.
Originally published at https://www.dailykos.com on October 14, 2021.
