So. With this astoundingly blatant power and money grab going on at the state level....

[Pacifist Patriot]

Maine
Michigan
New Jersey
Wisconsin
Florida
Ohio...oh hell, any state with a Republican governor and/or Republican held legislature.

Does the Republican party know something we don't? I am honestly trying to get to grips with why they would seemingly overplay their hand. Does anyone else see this as incredibly disturbing? The individual measures they are passing are bad enough, but the overtness and extreme nature of it all really makes me wonder. Why are they so willing to risk the wrath of the people at this point in time? Again, what do they know that we don't? Help me here.

[Ed Suspicious]

1. I think it's just

about throwing as much shit as possible at the wall and hoping some of it sticks.

[Scuba]

5. Then how did you get the name "Ed Suspicious"?

I think they've drunk their own Kool-Aid and think there really are 60 million Teabaggers supporting them.

Or perhaps they think they have the courts in their pocket, which at the Federal level, they do.

[moondust]

2. One possibility.

They can read the writing on the wall and are desperately trying to take advantage of their recent gains before it's too late.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-republicans-hispanic-problem/2011/03/27/AFiMXokB_story.html

:shrug:

[FiveGoodMen]

3. Somebody, somewhere definitely gave the launch command

It's a coordinated attack.

I'm guessing that whoever the lead strategist is, he figured this was the best time for an all-out assault.

Given the lack of reaction it's getting, I suppose he knows his job pretty well.

[Jester Messiah]

19. I, too, perceive a hidden hand behind all of this.

I suspect this entity, whomever it might be, planned to capitalize on midterm apathy to create the illusion of a Regressive (aka Conservative) revival, trying to build it into a juggernaut.

Also, it seems like they're trying to crack the foundations of the middle class to make any future fixes or roll-backs of Regressive policy less feasible. They know they're going to get slaughtered in 2012, so they're doing as much damage as they can while they have the upper hand.

[gordianot]

22. I agree with your thesis, the "State raiders" are modern equivalent of the "corprate raiders".

I fail to see how this translates into any long term gain beyond some personal wealth for a few at the top of the scheme. Without a middle class they are doomed in the long run.

[Jester Messiah]

27. As to the long run...

It's amazing how much staying power Big Money has. As I understand it, once a certain point is reached, a wealthy person can live off their investments while retaining a solid core of bedrock wealth. Their money works for them, providing a kind of sustainability. Once that point is reached, the fate of the middle class becomes irrelevant (unless and until the middle class comes knocking with torches and pitchforks in hand.)

[gordianot]

29. My Grandfather was friends with a Congressman who was very influential in the 1930-1960's.

He explained to me what he was told about old money. They are not ostentatious, live well yet hide their wealth through surrogates. They stay out of the news but get what they want whether it is a boardroom or Congressional office. Poor people are not good for business. On reflection this must be the real investor class. I take it that such as the Koch brothers may have come from this class but do not follow the old rules. That they are said to be worth several billion would indicate they are not really "old money". In hard times they need to be able to turn their back to the clamoring crowd without having a knife being plunged.

[The Magistrate]

4. Three Things, Ma'am

First, they believe sincerely these things are right, in the full moral sense of the word, and therefore must be done, whatever the consequences to them personally.

Second, they sincerely believe that once in place, these things will prove popular with 'real Americans', and so, whatever things may look like now in the streets, come election time a 'silent majority' of 'real (white) Americans' will turn out to put the commie agitators and trouble-makers in their place.

Third, they expect these measure will cut into both funding for the Democratic Party (by hamstringing unions and reducing their funds) and turn-out for Democratic candidates (by restrictive voting regulations and doubtless other shenanigans regarding allocation of voting equipment and the like), to a degree sufficient to secure them victory at the polls, even though they do not enjoy anything like majority support from the people as a whole.

[Scuba]

6. I would agree only with your third point...

...for the first, assuming they have any sense of right and wrong - which is a leap - they know what they are doing is plundering. As for proving popular, I doubt they think that or care. They will have made off with the bounty and be gone.

[The Magistrate]

7. With All Due Respect, Sir

As was once wisely said "All men mean well." It is mistake to imagine our present opponents do not consider themselves crusaders for the right and true, and representatives of what most of their countrymen really desire. Fighting true believers is not the same as fighting mercenaries, and what works against one often will not do for the other at all.

[Scuba]

8. Well, for every true believer (Scott Walker?) there's two carpetbaggers (Fitzgeralds). n/t

[Pacifist Patriot]

12. I'll raise you a Rick Scott.

No way in hell that greedy bastard could possibly think he's on the moral high ground. He's lining his coffers and those of his cronies with abandon. The GOP in the legislature detests him on one hand, but has no problem taking advantage of his largesse when it suits their needs. *cough* leadership funds

[Pacifist Patriot]

10. I honestly don't know what to think about 1 & 2, but number 3 is a definite.

I think one would apply to a small percentage of #1, a larger percentage for #2, but virtually all of them salivate at the thought of a one party system. I'm just wondering why now? But I suppose the answer could just as easily be why not now?

[The Magistrate]

13. The Fierce Urgency Of Now, Ma'am

Owes to their awareness they are, demographically speaking, on a down-bound train, and may not have another chance. Soon it will be quite possible to lose national and state elections even while garnering the votes of a sixty percent or more of white voters, on present voting patterns. If they cannot rig the system in some manner that will last for a while, they have no future.

[Jester Messiah]

28. Well put.

If they can't rig the tables soon, they will lose the "game" as it currently exists. I would not put it past them to change the game entirely at that point, by what means I'm not certain. It wouldn't be pretty, in any case.

[Sabien]

30. "the silent majority"

Scott Walker LOVES to talk about the "silent majority", he uses that language all of the time.

[AndyTiedye]

9. They Know the Koch Brothers Will Give them Billions of Dollars

so they can make the Tee Vee tell us to vote Republican, all the time, every day.

[Hannah Bell]

11. i don't think any of us really know; we can only speculate. however,

the fact that some dems are joining in the carnage (e.g. andy cuomo) speaks volumes.

it's a ruling class initiative, not just a party initiative.

[applegrove]

14. Because whenever they act like the 'strong father' and ayn rand some union..

a few weaklings are attracted to them and follow. They hope the majority of good, fair americans are not getting the story of the attack on unions in their nightly news. Did not work in WI though... the unions hung tough and people across the country were informed of what was going on. The message getting out was helped by Obama staying out of the fray because, if he had of stepped in, the GOP would have said "see - it is all partisan bs" and moderates and the msm are conditioned to ignore that.

[Cleita]

15. They failed at totally taking over the country during Bush/Cheney and

realized that if they take over state by state, then they can stage the coup d' etat that has been planned all along. That's my opinion, but we can do the same and start taking back the country state by state too.

[highplainsdem]

16. I posted my theories about this yesterday:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x753210

[Pacifist Patriot]

17. Thank you. Good post.

[DireStrike]

24. Here's a thread from sunday:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=749913&mesg_id=749913

[WinkyDink]

18. Get while the getting's good.

[Lorien]

20. They simply know that no one will stop them

there isn't a true "opposition party" to call them out. Plus, the Citizen's United ruling means that the most corrupt corporate whore wins.

[DireStrike]

25. The CU ruling is an earthshaking change in the landscape

It has such deep and profound effects that it's hard to figure out exactly what it would bring about.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

21. THEY OWN THE PROPAGANDIZING MEDIA

[yardwork]

23. It's the corporations making their move. They've spent decades building to this point.

We're in a transition period from governments to corporations.

Look at the past 2,000 years. Consolidation of power always happens, it just takes on different models. We've been in the "nation" model. Now we're moving into a global corporate model.

At other times and places in the past there have been city-states, the Catholic Church, monarchies, etc. all duking it out for power. For a while we had nations. Now we have corporations that have no loyalty to any nation. They control the message, too. A politician can't get elected without the support of corporations, and once they are elected/installed (the corporations own many of the voting machines, too) then they can't stay in power without the support of corporations.

This is why Obama is so moderate. This is why all powerful Democrats are centrists.

[socialist_n_TN]

26. In my more paranoid moments, I believe that what they .........

"know" is that they've got rigged voting machines and that they're going to "win" elections NO MATTER HOW THE VOTE TRULY GOES. A lot of people say that unless the polls show a CLOSE race, they won't dare throw the elections, but I'm not sure they even care anymore if it looks close or not.