Unexpected Consequences
George W Bush has been very very good for Liberals.
Crazy as it sounds, he has been very good for the Liberal cause.
You might say, that I don’t know what I’m talking about, but it is easy to see if you look in the political mirror. Conservatives have known that rallying around some fear helps to unite their cause. Look at Roe v. Wade. Nothing has happened on the abortion front since Roe v. Wade gave women the right to have an abortion, but Roe v. Wade mobilized the political might of the conservative Christians. And, the culmination of their 30-some years of effort was putting George W Bush, their kin-folk, in the White House. Roe v. Wade doesn’t really matter, when you have your kin in the White House with the power to do just about anything for you, even bring about Armageddon.
When people began to give up on ever overturning Roe v. Wade the religious right latched on to the gay marriage issue. Homosexuality isn’t as much a sin as a rallying point for a political movement. Create fear in the minds of your followers and they will do the impossible. When the majority of your followers are homophobic bigots, the fear of gay marriage is a natural fit.
The 1960s was a time when progressives took center stage and changed the American culture in many different ways. So much change happened in such a short period of time that people began to think that nothing more needed to change. Race relations were confronted and fixed. The Vietnam War was confronted and the people forced the government to change course. Corruption in government was discovered, confronted and fixed. The Summer of Love created a great awakening among the common man. Authority was questioned and it became fashionable to be politically active. People saw problems and they came up with solutions. Ralph Nader showed us the dangers that surrounded us and made corporate America take responsibility for those dangers. And, by 1975 America believed that everything that could be fixed was either being addressed or it wasn’t worth fixing. Americans became complacent and they left the politics to those who they trusted to fix the problems.
The momentum of these political movements continued on in a progressive trajectory. It became natural to understand that our culture wasn’t perfect, but we could fix the problems as so as they were pointed out. Problem solvers could fix just about anything thrown its way. The environment was in sad shape, but everyone understood that it needed to be fixed and it was understood that the guilty should pay the price to fix the problems. Very few argued with the concept of fixing the nations problems and progressives did very well.
However, the problems did not go away; in fact they multiplied. Apartheid in South Africa was a “real” problem. Nuclear proliferation was a “real” problem. Inflation was a “real” problem. Unemployment was a “real” problem. The decay of the urban centers was a “real” problem. And the list grew and grew.
The public lost interest in rallies and protest marches, because the public realized that they had “personal” problems and needs that took time. Protests and rallies took to much time away from those personal pursuits. People went to the discos and bars and they forgot about all those political problems.
Jimmy Carter was elected and problems continued. He told us to lower our thermostats and drive slower to conserve fuel. People didn’t want to make this kind of sacrifice for an indefinite period of time. Actually if you think about it, people don’t like to sacrifice for the good of the nation in general. They don’t want to pay taxes. They don’t want to wear a sweater in their house. They don’t want to be told to drive slower. They would much rather have the US military attack a foreign country and steal their oil, instead of sacrificing their personal comfort.
Ronald Reagan made us feel better about our greedy wants. Profit is good, he told us as the CEOs began to earn 100s of times more than the working class. If you want money, then just be innovative. And, while Ronny was telling us how wonderful greed was, the Religious right was telling us how horrible killing infants were. The fear that the government would force people to have abortions against their will fueled the religious zealots. They found power and they watered it and made it grow. Progressives had become complacent with the thought that progress would continue to be made. Little did they know that the religious right was gradually gaining power that they hoped they could use to turn back the hands of time. The religious conservatives wished the 1960s great awakening had never happened. They liked the idea that people would simply do as they were told without questioning the authority that had told them what to do. Much more can be done when no one questions what you are doing. Just ask Jack Abramoff. Just ask George W Bush.
And, so this brings me back to what George W Bush has done for the progressive movement in America. Progressives have finally realized that it is possible to fall back and even lose the progressive gains of the 1960s. Somehow progressives thought that people should get along with each other. Conservatives came around and told us that we should fear those who are different from us. They spread this fear like a virus and they ask us not to question the authority that it is based on. Make the rules for us and against them is what we hear. Homosexuals do not have the same rights that we have. Immigrants do not have the same rights that we do. Non-Christians do not have the same rights that we do. And if progressives would not have acted in the 2006 elections to put the brakes on this back sliding we would surely have been facing the vision of even more of our collective rights fade into the night.
And, this has happened because of George W Bush. This president has show to us the example of how our rights could be eroded. He has shown us how abuse of power can erode our liberty. He has shown us how the manipulation of what we see can enable those in charge to distort the truth and create a false reality right in front of our eyes. And, George W Bush has shown us how we are all able to be manipulated when we don’t question authority. George W Bush has frightened us all into responding to these dangers and hopefully progressives won’t become complacent again.
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Don't forget what Stephen Colbert said, "Reality has a well-known liberal bias."
Cross Posted @ Bring It On, tblog, Blogger and BlogSpirit
Reflection
