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March 05, 2006
The Failure of Our Citizens
It's almost too easy to do an anti-George W. Bush post. The rest of the country has finally started catching on to what we on the coasts have been screaming at you for years: the man verges between utter incompetence and dangerous totalitarian tendencies. His poll numbers are at an all-time low, as the majority of Americans now understand that the Bush presidency has been a resounding failure. But that post would be too easy. The folks who really deserve the excoriation are Bush's remaining supporters. They are hypocrites of the highest order, and I'm calling them out.
A few years ago, President Bill Clinton got oral sex from an intern. He got caught when Republican fishing expedition investigations into the White House travel office, Whitewater, Vince Foster, and myriad other things came up empty. The Republicans were desperate to undo what they could not change at the ballot -- not to mention needing desperately to having something to show for having spent millions of taxpayer dollars playing "gotcha" -- so when a married man's personal failings were revealed, they seized upon it. The United States of America went through only the second impeachment in our nation's history -- something not Watergate, not Vietnam, not Teapot Dome, not Credit Mobilier, not Pearl Harbor nor the sinking of the Maine was deemed serious enough to warrant -- over a hummer.
We heard Republicans throughout Congress and across the country gnashing their teeth in self-righteous indignation over what a failure of leadership it was to have a liar in the White House. We heard that any man who'd equivocate over the meaning of "Is" could not be trusted with the reins of leadership. We heard how a lie to the people what an egregious sin against the oath a president swears to when he enters office. No one died, mind you; outside of Monica Lewinsky's reputation and Hillary's feelings, nothing was hurt by it. It was just a married man's pecadillos -- the kind that happen every day, wrong or not, in virtually every single place of employment in America, be it a corporate boardroom, the teachers' lounge, the station house, or the sales meeting -- writ large and turned into a Constitutional crisis.
And yet when it comes to George W. Bush -- not only about his disasterous failures of leadership, but over his repeated and documented pattern of lying to the American people -- these same people give the man complete and total flyers on the crimes he's committed against us all. In just the latest outrage, we have videotaped proof that Bush was lying to the American people -- AGAIN -- about whether his administration was warned about potential levee breaches in New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina. He was warned, but he couldn't be bothered to even ask a single question. He lied, people. He lied. Again. This isn't equivocation over the meaning of the word "is," or stains on a dress. This is the annihalation of one of America's major cities, and the death of more than 1500 American citizens. The degree of seriousness between a lie about an affair versus the deaths of thousands of Americans is staggering.
And yet, conservatives across the country still support him. He's got an army of die-hards and born agains who will support him at every turn, no matter what he does or how egregious his transgressions become. George W. Bush could rape a goat in front of a Boy Scout troop on the White House lawn, and these sheep will continue to bleat their adoration of the man and support for his policies. And it's a joke, because most of these same yokels were the same ones screaming about how Bill Clinton had abused the nation's trust and needed to be removed from office over his lie. And I want one of them to come here and explain themselves, dammit.
Ever heard a Republican or conservative scream and wail about their cold dead hands when it comes to their interpretation of the 2nd Amendment? They go purple in the face over it. Try suggesting that if they don't intend to violate the law, gun control poses no threat to them whatsoever, and they start bursting blood vessels over it. Yet these same people are willing to support warrantless spying by the NSA, saying that law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear from these direct violations of the Constitution. Seems more than a little... well, hyporcitical.
What I want to know is, how does anyone who still supports this criminal sleep at night? How can anyone look in the mirror after arguing that -- while lying over a BJ is an impeachable offense -- lying about the existence of WMD to make a case for war, lying about how much the government knew about the threats al Qaida presented to the US, lying about the very nature of his budget... somehow is not? How is it that anyone can consider themselves to be a good American while still supporting a man who is so detatched from the actions occuring in his administration that he doesn't even know when control of American ports is being sold off to companies based in nations with ties to terrorism against the US? Or who is so out of his own loop that his Vice President doesn't even feel he needs to inform him after shooting a man in the face?
How can someone believe themselves to somehow be a "patriot" when supporting a man whose administration is defined by secrecy, lies, exaggerations, and a marked inability to protect this country from anything more dangerous than Janet Jackson's breast? How can one argue that Clinton's conduct was impeachable, but Bush's transgressions -- far more egrgeious, objectively assessed, and with far greater consequences -- not only don't warrant impeachment, but make the man still worthy of continued support? Seriously, I want to know. I want a conservative to come here and tell me how they can with a straight face argue that Clinton deserved impeachment but Bush does not.
It is possible, I believe, to be a patriotic American and be a conservative. Unlike conservatives, I do not believe that singularity of thought defines Americanism, nor that dissent equals treason, nor that enforced adherence to one train of political thought is necessary for patriotism. Yes, you can be conservative and still be a patriotic American. It seems increasingly clear, however, that it is no longer possible to be considered patriotic and "American" and still support George W. Bush. Support for that man is tantamount to support for lies and deception, of willful violation of the Constitution, of abject failure. None of these things are what America is supposed to be about. Neither is anyone who still supports George W. Bush.
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Comments
Brilliant, well said...
Here's just a wrinkle or two. The conservatives are not able to elect anybody (there's not enough of them). The conservatives will account for 35% of the GOP vote, just like the liberals will be 35% of the DNC Candidate. The difference, in my opinion, are the true independents. Therefore, part of the "Failure Of Our Citizens" is due to the DNC's inability to provide a candidate to motivate and inspire the independent vote. Kerry and Gore were not strong enough to convince the majority of voters - period. There's no conspiracy. If you want the Mid-Western value voters - then appeal to them instead of labeling them as ignorant, uneducated, and unsophisticated. Hopefully, the DNC will will be able to provide someone "special" in 2008, and not rely on spinning a retred like Hillary, or Kerry. If the liberals want to change the world - stop worrying about W and the conservative conspiracy and find a candidate that the independents can get "WOWed" about. Stop looking at the independents like we're a bunch of illiterate koolaid drinking "vast right wingers" - big mistake...big mistake.
Posted by: Alan Hawthorne at March 5, 2006 11:35 PM
I agree with you, Alex. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Every time we disparage Red State America, the hardcore base digs one more trench for political warfare. With all things being equal, those states would deserve a resounding spanking, and I'd argue for that spanking. But the big picture is the only picture. What good will it do to alienate them even more? We'll yield ourselves short-lived emotional satisfaction at the expense of longterm loss of political capital.
Posted by: Brent at March 7, 2006 11:21 AM
Um...I mean, Alan.
Posted by: Brent at March 7, 2006 11:21 AM
