Cawthorn's Mirth
"Just because a man is appointed to a position, or through the drudgery of years has followed the Peter Principle and risen to his level of imcompetence, does not mean he is immortal. There has never been a system yet that would not gladly sacrifice one of its own got a moment's peace, no matter how brief. If the system is to be changed, then those who would change it should pinpoint its weak spot, its blockage points, and place all the pressure on that one point until the blockage is cleared."
-- Vine Deloria, Jr.; We Talk, You Listen; Dell; 1970; page 66.
Vine Deloria, Jr. was a Standing Rock Sioux, had degrees in both law and theology. He was one of the leading spokespersons for Native Americans, and one of the very best authors of that era. I thought that, since I focused on 1972 a couple essays ago, I might write something influenced by Deloria.
We have witnessed examples of what Deloria wrote about within republican circles since Trump ran for president. To fully appreciate that, it is important to recognize that Trump did not create hatred, racism, and division in America. These negative triplets created the opportunity he had been looking for since Bush the Elder was running for the presidency in 1988, and Trump contacted him to say he was willing to serve as his vice president.
Under Bush the Elder's son, Bush the Idiot, this country began the great divide we endure today. With the election of President Obama brought racism in America out in the open in a way more obvious than the systematic racism that has never disappeared. It had just become a tad more sophisticated. This created Trump's opportunity.
The first conservative sacrificed on the alter of Trump was Megyn Kelly, then the star at Fox News. Republican men sat erect to watch her hour each weeknight. But Megyn asked Trump a serious question, enraging him. He began an attack, helped by Steve Bannon, then of Breitbart News. Kelly responded in part by arguing with Newt about Trump's sexism, before being reduced on Fox, soon to be "encouraged" to leave. It was as ugly as when Trump got republicans to sacrifice Bush the Refrigerator Head in the primaries.
In 2018, numerous republicans in Congress decided not to run for re-election, because Trump was attacking them viciously for being "weak" -- meaning they hadn't fully commited to the cult, and were to be sacrificed on that alter. Indeed, they were "weak," though not in the sense the now fully rabid Trump meant. They were too cowardly to use their campaign as a platform to expose Trump, even if it meant losing a primary challenge. They betrayed their oath of office.
The moral-ethical rabies of Trump spread throughout his cult following. Overt, aggressive racism became a badge of honor among the republican party. When rabies is first attacking its host, the creature will engage in behaviors such as chasing its tail in a hostile fashion, distinct from a playful puppy. Next comes the foaming mouth, a clear sign to avoid the rabid animal. But it doesn't end there. Not for Old Yeller, not for the republican party.
The next sacrifice was Madison Cawthorn. At first glance, he would seem the poster boy for the republican party, for he had the ability to tell outrageous lies that dripped faster from his oral cavity like foam dripping from a rabid dog's mouth. But today's republican party thought he was a hind leg caught in a trap, and thus chewed him off. Yes, they did! They chewed that boy right off.
And that is a perfect example of what Vine Deloria was talking about when he said we need to apply pressure ..... in this case, because the republicans are nominating the most rabid of beasts for elections in November, that pressure is best delivered with a club. Now, I grew up on a small farm, and worked on big farms as a youth. I know a thing or two about rabid animals. About clubbing them to death.
Finally, if you encounter some person talking about the usual pattern of mid-term elections, I strongly advise clubbing them, too. Club with with pro-choice and January 6. Beat them until the pattern of splatter makes a rorschach-like picture, so that others can interpret what it means to them.
Have a good day. Remember: walk softly, and carry that big Democratic Party club!
= new reply since forum marked as read
I hope someone sends this to the communications folks at HQ - this is not any other midterm elections. you nailed it 
for my little 60 years on this planet, I don't recognize my state (PA) at all. There have always been "Republicans" here who tended to be the dry, staid, buttoned up, and often tone deaf (when it came to "people problems" ) business-focused types, coupled with a few who sometimes wanted to "rattle the cage" with some wedge issue ideology.
Governors like Bill Scranton (whose family the city of Scranton, PA, is named for and which is the birthplace of Pres. Joe Biden) created our state's current Human Relations Commission that investigates discrimination and established various state public education functions including the Community College system. And his successor Ray Shafer, who was eventually thrown under the bus by his own party for various things like promoting public education by increasing the pay for teachers, etc., was at least making some type of attempt to "get along".
Later governors like Dick Thornburgh (who became Raygun's AG), and Tom Ridge who became Shrub's first head of DHS, never devolved into what we are seeing that party doing now.
And now this latest group of cowards who call themselves "Republicans" have opted for extremism, which in a state known for its "Quaker" overlay the past almost 350 years thanks to founder William Penn, have eschewed any sense of decency or even sanity, and our "society" has unfortunately allowed their nonsense to even gain traction. Because. Ratings. 