As I turned on the TV tonight (not sure why I do this) I could see the movement to deny Donald Trump the republican nomination for president is running on all cylinders. The republican party created the circumstances that make Trump relevant, but they don’t like the outcome. They locked onto the “Tea Party” movement when it was convenient but they apparently don’t like the “base” that came along with that “movement,” because one after another they are scheming on how they can deny Trump the nomination. This should be interesting. The election of 2016 is, from my vantage point, the most significant election in my lifetime. (with the possible exception of 1980 – Ronald Reagan and 2000 – the Supreme Court’s “crowning” of Bush/Cheney – so, I guess, I should say this is one of the most significant elections in my lifetime)
The main reason I’m feeling the importance that republicans LOSE this election hearkens back to the books I’ve read which place the “blame” on America’s (deplorable) state of corporatacracy to a memo written by Lewis Powell all the way back in 1972. (Read: “Who Stole the American Dream” by Hedrick Smith) The next president will be selecting the deciding vote on the Supreme Court and, in my view, that decision is FAR MORE important than the one determining who the next president might be – although, both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz could do incredible damage to the image of the United States if our people are STUPID enough to vote for either one of them to the point they would inhabit the White House. The next Justice on the Court will be with us for at least another 20 years and I don’t believe we can withstand 20 more years of corporate activist judges turning America more and more into a corporate run fascist state without giving away our heritage.
Conservatives always are lamenting “activist judges” and then they give us John Roberts and Sam Alito who (along with Antonin Scalia and his shadow Clarence Thomas and Justice Kennedy) have unleashed an unimaginable flow of (unaccounted) corporate money which is coming from who knows where (and, yes Mr. Alito, much of it is UNDOUBTEDLY foreign money – determining our elections) and is aimed at fulfilling the dream of Justice Powell and those corporatists who’ve followed him to turn America into something every day Americans still can’t conceive. The money, however, is allowing our CORPORATE media to BRAINWASH working class Americans into believing people like Trump and Cruz (and the rest of the right wing republicans) have their best interests at heart.
Powell’s “memo” laid out a plan, that was “internalized” by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and was (and is) intended to blunt the impact of working Americans on the political process and empower corporate interests in a way that would allow them to dominate our nation politically. Karl Rove calls the intended outcome the “permanent republican ‘majority'” and the republican party has been dangerously close to “success” in the last 16 years. First with Bush/Cheney and a republican Congress – that part of the plan was “foiled” because Bush ultimately showed his lack of intellect as he stumbled through one sentence after another while trying to deal with critical issues – plus, at the same time, he and his VP (Dick Cheney) essentially were destroying America’s military, the country of Iraq, destabilizing the Middle East, bumbling crises like Hurricane Katrina, and leading our financial system into near default in a way that even the “low information voters” of America could understand was not good.
Barack Obama was elected to reverse all the damage done by Bush/Cheney but one of his first actions in office was to block ALL the investigations into the lawless (and War criminal) behavior of Bush/Cheney et al which was a classic and MAJOR blunder. That was like telling the republicans “I’m weak.” And, they’ve responded with the nastiest, most obstructionist and irresponsible congressional behavior – maybe in the history of the country. (although, in reality, our country has some deplorable history that we all try to ignore) Of course, their full out attempt to ensure that President Obama FAILS has led to a historically bad “do nothing” Congressional Record – and, with the help of the so-called “liberal media” republicans have been allowed to “get away” with this. With the encouragement of America’s racist elements in the highest places ( Charles and David Koch, Limbaugh, Beck, McConnell, DeMint, and I could go on and on) the republicans have “hitched their wagon” to those who make up the “Tea Party.”
And, now, the “upper echelon” of this “Grand Old Party” doesn’t like what the “rank and file” are doing. The reality of a Donald Trump candidacy is finally sinking in and it’s very interesting watching all those involved, who allowed this to get to this point in the first place, squirm. I’d call what the republican “establishment” is doing “circling the wagons.” They’re planning to do everything in their power to block Trump and they plan to do this somehow without turning off the MILLIONS of Americans who’ve voted for him. And, here’s the real rub – if they’re successful, they could end up with Ted Cruz as the alternative. I’m guessing there’s nearly as many who are gagging on that alternative as who are having stomach issues thinking of “supporting” a Trump candidacy. (Personally, Cruz makes me gag more than Trump does)
Tonight I had turned on MSNBC and a couple things struck me in a way that makes me almost cry when thinking about what is happening to this nation? First, MSNBC, who I believe has played a major role in giving Trump ENDLESS free airtime because of the entertainment value of his campaign is part of the “establishment” that is, as mentioned above, circling the wagons. I believe MSNBC is going to put a MAJOR effort into promoting John Kasich of Ohio – a personal friend to Chris Matthews – who (Kasich) is a bit less of a right wing wack job than both Trump and Cruz. Of course, Kasich has garnered a few scant votes along the way (with the exception of his home state of Ohio – his only primary victory) and it will be interesting to see where all the Trump supporters and Cruz supporters go when the reality that they don’t represent the “establishment” of the republican party becomes evident. Kasich has less than 1 out of every 10 republican votes cast so far. (who said “majority rules?” – I’m hearing republican “leaders” explain that no one really knows what the “rules” are)
The other thing that I noticed tonight was that, on the Democratic side of the ledger, which has garnered far less attention – even on MSNBC, the supposed “liberal” network – the democrats will undoubtedly find a way to “shoot themselves in the foot.” I do like Bernie Sanders (he’s really an independent) but I worry that his campaign could lead to many democratic voters staying home in November should he not gain the nomination. I hope he gains the nomination, but the chances, at this point, are not good – and, I don’t trust our “liberal media” to clearly identify the true consequences of a republican victory in November. I really can’t remember a time in my life when I’ve felt a democratic victory is more important than 2016 – whether it’s Bernie or Hillary. I love that Sanders is pushing the debate to the “left” but I fear many of his supporters simply don’t understand the “stakes” of this election. They’ve shown themselves in 2010 and 2014 that they will stay home if not excited. This year, the stakes are too high for that kind of an attitude with any of them. Democrats should be pushing hard to retain the White House and REGAIN control of Congress. (and, then do something progressive with the opportunity)
Whether it be Trump, Cruz, Kasich, or someone else the “establishment” manages to “put before the voters,” moneyed interests will be BOMBARDING “we the people” with disingenuous (at best) propaganda over the airwaves designed to fulfill Powell’s dream – which is a government TOTALLY under CORPORATE control – in the form of BILLIONS in expenditures as people like the Koch brothers “invest” in their “future” – A republican controlled Congress, Court System, and White House – will make, now, thanks to Citizens United, an exponentially more difficult task of reversing the “trend” as the corporate money will continue to BRAINWASH Americans into believing in things like “Trickle Down” (I call it Trickle up) economics and perpetual war. We can look forward to more “private prisons” – I can’t believe “we the people” have allowed that one – EVER – lower taxes on the wealthy, higher deficits (and, they’ll somehow continue to blame President Obama – count on it) and a continued deterioration of working class America. This really is a BIG DEAL!
If you don’t understand, for example, how politicized the Supreme Court is, for example, you’re not paying attention. The FACT that republicans are REFUSING to even consider President Obama’s choice to replace Scalia on the court should send a strong message to all Americans of exactly what I’ve been writing about for years. These Republicans MUST GO! People of all persuasions SHOULD participate in a MASSIVE anti-republican march to the polls in November and purge these people from the “halls of Congress.” And, in case you haven’t read many of my posts – I’m no fan of the democrats. They have proved time and again they don’t have the courage of their own convictions when “push comes to shove.” However, in my view, they are far less dangerous than the republicans and “we the people” would be sending a message to both parties that the days of the “moneyed interests” corrupting our Congress are OVER! One of Bernie’s MAJOR plus points is his commitment to appoint a judge who is committed to reversing the DEPLORABLE Citizens United decision. Getting corporate money out of our politics is a necessary first step in “we the people” reclaiming what we’ve lost since the Powell memo. (I’m guessing that if Bernie wins the democratic nomination and it appears he will win the election, you’ll see McConnell change his “tune” regarding the nomination of Merrick Garland – a much more conservative judge than Sanders would nominate)
Most Americans have NO IDEA of Lewis Powell’s memo to the Chamber of Commerce and they still believe everything in “the land of the free” is on the up and up. In the early days of this blog I referred to America’s “low information voters” and got a response from a local right wing “talker,” Lars Larsen, accusing me of being an “elitist.” This is the same term that was applied, astonishingly, to our first African American President – a man who is the epitome of “the American dream” – because these right wing zealots will say anything and do anything that allows them to continue this almost 50 year “march” to their “permanent republican ‘”majority.'” So, now people like Larsen are “stuck” with either Donald Trump (fascist tendencies) or Ted Cruz (a Dominionist – look it up!) or a republican “base” that realizes they are simply the “tools” of the moneyed “elite” and, despite the FACT they created this mess (republicans are very good at creating “messes” – see Bush/Cheney et al), they clearly don’t like it. The “establishment” of the republican party is looking for any way they can “stop Trump” and still have a viable party. I’ve been lobbying for the demise of the present day republican party for a few years. (this push for a corporate/fascist state) Just, maybe, the time is nigh.