Huff Post: No Impeachment Can Lead To Bushism Without Bush

[Hissyspit]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-a-palermo/no-impeachment-can-lead-t_b_49129.html

No Impeachment Can Lead To Bushism Without Bush
Joseph A. Palermo

Bio

05.23.2007

Despite the evidence of backlash against Karl Rove's fear and smear tactics that last November's electoral defeat of the Republicans illustrated, the nation has not even begun to cleanse itself from the bigotry, hatred, and venom Rove's brand of slash and burn politics has unleashed in this country.

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Celebrated in the corporate media at the time, the "Gingrich Revolution" of 1994 turned the House over to right-wing Republicans. Unlike today's lily-livered Democratic Congressional "leaders," Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay impeached the president for his private sex life not giving a damn if they had enough votes in the Senate to remove him from office...

Today, because the Bush Administration has destroyed the nation's reputation abroad and its credibility at home with its stunning arrogance of power and brazen corruption, some pundits are claiming the Republicans are in deep trouble. But it is premature to begin writing the party's epitaph.

The Republican Right is resilient because the ruling class and corporate America solidly back it, not only with Texas-sized amounts of campaign cash, but with a dizzying array of think tanks, foundations, right-wing church associations, and media outlets including FOX News that disseminate its views efficiently and forcefully. The Italian social theorist, Antonio Gramsci, argued that the dominant ideas of the ruling elite create a kind of "cultural hegemony" because they have so much weight behind them from the rich and powerful. The Right also stakes claim to the nation's most enduring symbols, such as the flag, monuments, the military, and even the Bible. Karl Rove has appropriated these potent signifiers, and they will be removed only from his dead cold hands. In other words, the Right isn't going away no matter how badly Bush screws everything up. Democratic leaders should be cognizant of this fact.

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The Democrats in the Congress are making a fatal error by playing nice with Bush and his gang of bandits. They are sacrificing the long-term interests of the progressive movement for short-term electoral gain, (just like Clinton did in the 1990s). Our body politic must be cleansed with a long bath in hot sudsy water. And the only way to do so is to impeach Bush now! Start the water, and grab the soap!

MORE

[Vincardog]

1. Say it again "the only way to do so is to impeach Bush now! Start the water, and grab the soap!"

[mmonk]

2. I'll do it.

"the only way to do so is to impeach Bush now! Start the water, and grab the soap!"

[Cults4Bush]

3. I agree but Dems wont do it, the leadership is shutting down the movement

wherever they can now.

[Hissyspit]

4. It's actually quite bizarre to see. And Americans everywhere go "oh, la-di-da."

Just a bizarre period in American history.

[Kurovski]

5. 5th R. Dems are complicit in Bush crimes as they stand by and do NOTHING.

They could actually SAVE themselves a lot of trouble by impeaching NOW.

But I think it's becoming clear that too many Dems are in on the whole fucking scam. That includes the extremely wealthy Speaker Pelosi. I think we're fucked, ladies and gents.

I've never been angrier. It's all starting to come into focus.

[Mark Twain Girl]

6. "A fatal error by playing nice with Bush and his gang of bandits"

We've protested and shouted our throats raw... we've called out the Bush administration as overstepping its constitutional boundaries again and again... we've even wondered if we are seeing a nascent military-industrial-infotainment form of fascism, bounded by perpetual war against a shadowy enemy and a loss of civil liberties.

How on earth can you *play nice* with that sort of political juggernaut?

The worst thing possible is a playing-nice-healing-the-nation song and dance. Indeed, there is cancer at the heart of the American body politic -- money, corruption, lies and corporate power. Cultural hegemony, indeed -- this is going to take resolve, not cowardice, caving, and pandering.

[Kurovski]

7. Welcome to DU.

You sure know how to write! :thumbsup:

[Hissyspit]

8. .