Sunday, August 25, 2019

Burn it down. Burn it down.


Republicans are unabashedly pro-business, wealth and exploitation of resources including labor. They have support from powerful well-heeled financial interests. For that support they willingly provide the quid pro quo of lax oversight, freedom from regulations and the safety net of socializing the losses incurred when businesses fail and leave massive amounts of debt.

Republican politicians must win office by any means at their disposal in order to cater to their backers and the expectations of a return on investment (ROI). To accomplish those ends, Republicans must develop and maintain a Brand Loyalty which does not get questioned. They must berate and belittle the opposition so as to diminish voting for them. They must compose their constituency so as to maximize the influence of the few over the numbers of the many. To accomplish such outcomes, they Gerrymander districts to obtain Congressional election wins in both the State houses and the Federal House. They must discourage voting by people who would vote against them by making queues long and onerous, by reducing the number of days voting takes place, and by requiring Identification which is either difficult or impossible to obtain. They unilaterally purge voting rolls in districts where there is significant oppositional voting likely.

In order for many Republican candidates to win or retain their legislative seats, some level of manipulation must be exercised to minimize votes for their opposition.

In recent election cycles, the split between Republican and Democrat has been very close. Many times the statistics leading up to an election shows a 48% to 48% support. The winner is the one who turns out the greater number of previously non-voters. Election campaign tactics have turned away from "why vote for me" to "why you should not vote for the other guy."  Don't look too closely at me, concentrate of how bad I say the other guy is. It is all an Arithmetic game. Shave a few points here or there and you can tip an election.

The introduction of "third party" candidates (actually one or more additional candidates claiming Party affiliation or a great new political philosophy can dilute vote totals that otherwise would serve to defeat the primary opposition.

We have seen the actions of the Republican majority State Houses to marginalize and disenfranchise voter population which can be identified as minority groups because such demographics typically vote Democrat. We have heard Evangelical leaders fear monger the "browning of America", the replacement of whites in government, and the multiculturalism of incoming populations (who BTW will probably vote Democratic.) We have heard Senators and House Representatives claim civil unrest if the Republican in the Oval Office is removed or fails to be re-elected. We have heard Himself claim the collapse of the economy is he doesn't get re-elected. We have even heard allegedly responsible elected officials suggest a Civil War is coming if Republicans lose their control of the government.

Republicans and the GOP as a party hold no love for democracy in their hearth. Democratic rule of law is merely a hurdle for them to overcome, sidestep and ignore. They would rather burn it all down than to lose control of the economy and the rule making ability of the government. Like Saddam Hussein of Iraqi fame, he executed a "scorched earth" program as his troops retreaded from Kuwait back in the 1990s. Or as a strategy in billiards, if you can't make the shot at least don't leave one for the opponent.

Look for the telling signs of imminent defeat of the Republican Party in the 202o elections. America will be set on the path of a global military conflagration during which "it would be unwise to change leaders." We have already seen such claims come and go with respect to caravans of immigrants storming the southern border. Look for claims of voter irregularities by the GOP wherein unqualified people are allegedly casting ballots. On the other side look for DEM claims of voting machine and tally hacking that allegedly tip elections.  Watch for the emergence of minor candidates who are touted as superior to the Democrat.

Corporate entities have no real nationality other than their address of record and who holds the majority of the stock. They have the most to lose if Republicans do not prevail in 2020. They have the most to lose if socially beneficial policies are voted in and the detrimental ones voted out. For them a disrupted government is the same as little or no government. In the absence of oversight and judicial penalty, they are able to do what they want to do. Therefore, for them it is best either with a GOP government or none at all.

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