The Republican Party off-the-rails is a questions that deserves an answer. The U.S. Republican Party used to represent the conservative viewpoint of the Nation just as the Democratic Party used to represent the liberal viewpoint of the Nation.
Yes, you cry, and they still do.
True, but not true. In my opinion they have both gone off-the-rails.
This blog will look at how the Republican Party has managed to subjugate its original tenets to its radical “right”. Later, I will look at how the Democratic Party has also lost its way.
I know I quote Winston Churchill quite a bit but, just for the record, it’s not because he was English, it’s because he had a turn-of-phrase that cut through the bullshit and has stood the test of time.
In the context of this blog, and the upcoming one on the Democratic Party, his comment on liberalism and conservatism is pertinent. He said,
“If you are not a liberal when you’re twenty, you have no soul.
If you are not a conservative when you’re fifty, you have no brains”
Unfortunately, the basic conservatism to which he was referring has been side-lined in the current U.S. Republican Party by the religious “right”.
I have said in other blogs that no politician in their right mind brings religion into their platform simply because it is far too divisive – they want as many votes as possible, and eliminating a significant portion of the electorate because they have different religious beliefs makes no political sense.
There is also the power issue between Church and State. In a straight fight for control of the population’s minds, religion, and whatever Church is associated with that religion, will always win. Why? Because religion has a huge and virtually unassailable advantage. It’s called “Faith”. That’s why secular rulers throughout history have always tried to separate Church and State in order to maintain their control. Unfortunately, the Founding Fathers of the U.S. did not see fit to specifically state that separation in the U.S. Constitution. A major omission, in my opinion, and one that is currently having significant consequences for the country.
The U.S. Republican Party has been hijacked by the Christian Evangelical movement. If you think that Donald Trump is dangerous, just think what will happen if a fanatical evangelical, like Mike Pence, moves into the White House. I can see a scenario that says, if you don’t believe in Jesus (evangelical doctrine), then you will not count when any new government policy is proposed and passed. Fantasy on my part, perhaps!
WE CONDEMN WHAT’S HAPPENING IN IRAN AND AFGHANISTAN, BUT IT’S THE SAME RELIGIOUS FANATICISM, JUST A DIFFERENT DRESS CODE.
It could easily happen in the U.S. if the current surreptitious takeover by the evangelical movement is not quashed. They have every right to their beliefs but imposing it on the rest of us is tantamount to dictatorship.
Am I paranoid? Certainly, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. I’m serious, “the Republican Party off-the-rails.”
