Hispanic Fanatic

As all know, life in conservative parts of the country is paradise. It’s euphoria and bliss mixed together and compounded. The red states are so goddamn stuffed with happiness that the only complaints the residents have is that their facial muscles ache from their nonstop smiling.

Well, there is the fact that “red state politics are shaving years off Americans’ lives.” And there’s also the myriad abortion bans that boost infant mortality, force teenage girls to deliver their rapists’ babies, harm literally every American, and basically kill women outright.

But at least you can get plenty of raw milk. You know, because of freedom, or something like that.

Ok, maybe an early death from botulism or an unplanned pregnancy isn’t appealing to you. Hey, there are other alluring factors that these areas provide.

There is the fact that doctors are fleeing red states, which decimates their already shaky healthcare systems. Or maybe you’re gay and want to live someplace where hate crimes against you have quadrupled. Or perhaps you are an ethnic minority, and really dig the vibe of fearing for your life.

That’s a whole lotta charm.

So why do people live in red states, besides the affordability and access to libraries with no books in them?

Well, the “disproportionate power that rural voters wield, and their unusual devotion to Trump” is a plus for those conservatives who hate democracy. They idolize places like Hungary, where free elections have been eliminated. These guys want the United States of America, “one of the world’s great superpowers, to sign onto the program of a landlocked country of fewer than 10 million people in central Europe.”

The GOP has based its entire existence on rural white people who see their power dwindling. These Americans believe they are being oppressed, which is hilarious in that being white is worth, by some calculations, hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of one’s lifetime, to say nothing of the cultural power and comfort that comes from being in the majority.

No, they are still upset over Brown vs. Board of Education, even though school segregation is on the upswing, and they go crazy if Latinos actually try to vote.

And what has all this anger, fear, and hostility brought us? For starters, the United States “is no longer among the 20 happiest countries in the world,” and we stand alone among industrialized nations for our rate of gun violence, which is highest in the red states.

Hey, sounds like heaven to me.

Here are some fun statistics for you: 

“A majority (52 percent) of Trump supporters say they believe the claim about Haitian migrants abducting and eating pet dogs and cats.” Slightly fewer believe that “in some states it is legal to kill a baby after birth,” and almost a third think that “public schools are providing students with sex-change operations.” As nuts as these viewpoints are, they pale in comparison to the 81 percent of Trump supporters who believe “Venezuela is deliberately sending people from prisons and mental institutions to the United States.”

But they constitute a serious political party, and we should respect their opinions. Right?

Of course, among Trump’s strongest supporters are Christian nationalists. These are people who talk a lot about how much they love Jesus but in reality despise almost everything the guy actually taught. Trump-centered Christians “are not churchgoers and are looking for what they see as retribution against those they believe are destroying traditional values, those who defend a secular society in which everyone is treated equally before the law.” Their support for the GOP is “less about religion than it is about a cultural and political identity: one in which Christians are considered a persecuted minority, traditional institutions are viewed skeptically, and Mr. Trump looms large.”

They have found a cozy home in The Republican Party, which is “68 percent white and Christian in a country that is 42 percent white and Christian.”

We’re talking about “Christians who had jettisoned their credibility—people who embraced the charge of being reactionary hypocrites, still fuming about Bill Clinton’s character as they jumped at the chance to go slumming with a playboy turned president.”

These religious zealots are “developing plans to infuse Christian nationalist ideas in [Trump’s] administration should the former president return to power.”

And what are those plans? Well, it’s the usual right-wing obsession with overturning same-sex marriage, enacting a nationwide abortion ban, and reducing access to contraceptives. But they also want to create “a restrictionist immigration agenda” that allows only those newcomers who “accept Israel’s God, laws, and understanding of history.” 

So basically, they want an America that is virtually 100% Christian, with a few conservative Jews allowed to hang around.

The GOP is so hyper-religious that they enthusiastically nominate fundamentalists who preach violence in the name of God. And if those lunatics indulge in all the behaviors that they condemn, plus a few straight-up vile acts that should disqualify them from society, well, the Republican Party will stand beside them.

This push for religious theocracy comes at an interesting time in American history. You see, about 28% of Americans say they are “religiously unaffiliated — a group comprised of atheists, agnostic and those who say their religion is ‘nothing in particular.’ ” This makes them the largest religious cohort in the country.

In essence, America is becoming less religious even as the dwindling group of extremists among us get more fanatical.

God help us all.

There has been much talk — misguided, self-serving, and delusional talk but active speech nonetheless — about Kamala Harris “reaching out” to Republicans or adjusting her policies to better appeal to conservatives.

Let’s set aside the fact that asking the GOP to do this is never broached. Even in the years before the Republican Party acquiesced into lemming-like obedience to a felonious madman, it was laughable to even consider that conservatives would pull back on their antiquated, frequently obnoxious ideas just to obtain liberal sign-off.

No, it always progressives who must compromise, be civil, go high when others go low, and in general, abandon their principles.

But let’s say that Harris, for some bizarre reason, decides to do this. What exact Democratic idea should she kick to the curb? Democrats are already timid on climate change, gun control, and universal healthcare. Should Harris say, “In the spirit of compromise, I will outlaw gay marriage”? Would that be enough for conservatives?

Ha — no.

Most of the Republican Party has made it clear that they would rather burn the country down than work with groomer Satanists and the woke mob (that is, anyone who doesn’t have a MAGA tattoo inked across their chest). The hard right cannot be appeased.

The few semi-sane Republicans remaining have long ago dropped Trump, so it is unclear what mythical segment of the conservative movement would now acknowledge that the guy is a toxic, gibbering mess who is a direct threat to America. They are more than willing to go down with any ship for which he is the captain.

Pressuring Harris to kowtow to extremists who would happily imprison her is an absurd suggestion. It is also historically dubious.

For example, back in 1964, Lyndon Johnson cut a deal at the Democratic National Convention with Dixiecrats who were ostensibly in the same political party but were also raging bigots. Johnson agreed to “a compromise that would permit the seating of an all-white Mississippi delegation.”

And how did this moral abnegation work out for the Democratic Party? Well, in the 1964 election, they lost Mississippi and the rest of the Deep South. And they have continued to lose those states in every election since then, as the racist wing of the Democratic Party absconded to the GOP, where they found a cheery welcome and the foundation of a political base that endures to this day.

So backing down to lunatics didn’t help the Democrats in 1964. And it will not help them in 2024.

By the way, all those xenophobes in the modern GOP had better enjoy their cozy home. Because there is nowhere else for them to go. The political parties will not be flipping back. The Republican Party owns the bigot base for the foreseeable future.

Of course, those lunatics didn’t just self-generate, ex nihilo, when Obama was elected (although everybody knows that the nation’s first black president had a catalyzing effect on racism). No, the backlash to Obama was “really a long-running ‘whitelash’ that’s intricately woven into American history and currently targets not just black people, but any group that threatens a shifting consensus of who is American and who is not.”

Perhaps the GOP will kick out the racists and rebrand (although that won’t be happening anytime soon), or the racists will form a third party, European style. Who knows?

But for this election, at least, the right-wingers are ensconced in the GOP, and the Democratic Party gains nothing by appeasing them.

For once, the Democrats can’t afford to back down.

What’s behind the GOP’s Ragnarokian rage?

It’s both an excellent question and a great excuse to use the term “Ragnarokian,” which I’m pretty sure is not even a real word.

But why are conservatives so determined to destroy America unless they can reshape it into a right-wing utopia?

Well, for decades, rich jerks tried to control our political system for their own economic benefit. And while they were successful (the wealth gap is a very real thing), they needed the middle- and working-class to vote Republican to maintain this system. After myriad culture wars and made-up threats, many of those voters came to believe they are in a literal holy war against satanic progressives. 

So now we have millions of religious fundamentalists “hellbent on overthrowing democracy to impose their religious will on the American majority.” I will quote the historian Heather Cox Richardson at length here:

“In the United States, [there is] a movement of people who are willing to overthrow democracy if it means reinforcing their traditional vision. Christian nationalists believe that the secular values of democracy are destroying Christianity and traditional values. They want to get rid of LGBTQ+ rights, feminism, immigration, and the public schools they believe teach such values. And if that means handing power to a dictator who promises to restore their vision of a traditional society, they’re in. It is an astonishing rejection of everything the United States has always stood for.”

But don’t believe me and some egg-head historian. Conservative leaders have gotten up in public and shouted that they want to overthrow democracy and unleash “righteous retribution for those who betrayed America.” It doesn’t get much clearer than that.

Millions of Americans no longer believer in the Constitution, and “have no interest in the stewardship of American democracy.” Instead, these theocrats “seek to commandeer the ship of state, pillage the hold, and then crash us all onto the rocks.”

This is not a fringe movement within the Republican Party. No, the GOP threat to democracy is now systemic, and Republican leaders “tolerate or condone antidemocratic extremism because it is the path of least resistance.”

The guiding lights of the modern conservative movement are threatening violence if they don’t get their way, which consists of “restructuring the country so that the right — meaning primarily straight White men, as was the case 100 years ago — can decide how power and status are allocated.”

They want us to be like Hungary (only bigger) or Russia (only smaller).

And speaking of international trends, a recent study concluded that 71% of the world’s population currently lives in autocracies, which “constitutes a 48% increase compared to ten years ago.” And before you think despotism exists only in those sepia-toned third-world nations that provide anonymous villains for Hollywood blockbusters, please note that almost half of the population of industrialized nations “think a system in which a strong leader can make decisions without interference from parliament or the courts is a good form of government.”

That apparently includes America, where democracy is frail as it faces the onslaught of fundamentalist maniacs. 

After 250 years, it can all go away overnight.

Why are we even discussing this?

One candidate has been attorney general of the biggest state in the country, a senator, and the vice president, serving all functions without any real controversy and fulfilling her duties in a competent (albeit unspectacular) manner.

The other served as president, botched the biggest health care crisis in American history, drove the economy into a ditch, tried to overthrow the government, and is running based on a platform of hatred, conspiracy theories, authoritarian fantasies, and pure revenge. Also, he jabbers incoherently, mostly about himself, and displays total ignorance about basic governance.

Polls show a tight race.

Seriously, what the fuck? Who watched that debate, saw an easily flustered septuagenarian rant about immigrants eating cats, and thought, “I’m good with that guy having access to nuclear launch codes”?

It’s only recently that the media has started paying any attention to “Trump’s visible incoherence, cognitive impairment, inability to cogently discuss the simplest public matters, and increasingly strange flights of fantasy.”

But even as Trump’s slippery grasp on reality fumbles away, the GOP will stand by him, no matter what, further proof that we should “ever underestimate the durability of a demagogue with a captive base, a desperate will to keep going, and—perhaps most of all—a feeble and terrified opposition of spineless ciphers” (i.e., the Republican Party).

Perhaps nothing can be done to rectify the “worm-eaten degeneracy of the GOP mind.”

But surely, those fabled undecided voters in swing states, the true source of electoral power, will now snap out of it and come to their senses. 

Well, apparently, many undecided voters are “still not convinced by Harris.” Yeah, they’re still considering voting for the aging lunatic with 32 felony convictions who talks openly about being a dictator.

Once again, I must ask, seriously what the fuck?

Once again, I must take an extended break from my rants, insights, and manifesto-like predictions. I will not be updating this site next week, and possibly for a couple of weeks, because for the first time in over a decade, I am moving.

Yes, soon I will be knee-deep in boxes and awash in dissembled furniture. As such, I will not have time to pop open my laptop and list the 4,891 reasons why you should never vote Republican. That will have to wait a few weeks.

So until I am back online, stay sane, watch out for fascists, and keep on keepin’ everything groovy.

Thanks

Look, we can all agree that some people just need killing. It’s common sense and not controversial in the least—nope.

OK, the idea of executing individuals you disagree with might strike you as bizarre, deranged, antithetical to American values, a conduit to chaos, and a powerful indication that society is collapsing.

But you’re not a Republican.

You see, the GOP has always had a violent streak. Witness their love of war and propensity for calling in the cops to bust some heads. But in the Trump era, this predilection for bloodshed has become overt and integral to the conservative brand.

It’s not surprising that a political party that welcomes Nazis would eventually embrace thuggery. But this trend has accelerated since the rise of Trump, a man who has never been in a fight in his life but who loves to act the tough guy.

The MAGA movement’s “violent threats are warping life in America,” and “there is no question that Trump has so normalized calls to violence as an instrument of politics that it has inflamed countless people to perverse action.” 

GOP leaders have encouraged right-wing vigilantes to “take matters into your own hands” and advised their supporters to “strap on a Glock.” Conservatives have issued death threats, attacked progressive protestors, and expressed a great willingness to commit violent acts to get their way. Over 40% of Trump supporters “are open to violence from ‘true American patriots.’”

Now, you might think that acquiescing to the demands of these gun-toting goons would protect you. But giving in to bullies just makes them bolder. So now even Republicans are feeling the wrath of the easily provoked. 

GOP members of Congress have resigned out of fear for their lives, and the threat “of physical violence from Trump supporters has kept certain Republicans” from criticizing Trump. In fact, Republican state legislators “reported seeing a greater increase in the ‘volume of abuse’ than Democrats.” Republican officeholders are often targeted “by the party’s far-right for refusing to back extreme positions.”

So whimpering, “But I’m a Republican” will not save you from the billy clubs.

Looking at all this data and anecdotal evidence, combined with our knowledge of how conservatives rioted when they lost the last presidential election, it is a given that there will be political violence if Trump loses in November. Actually, there will likely be political violence even if he wins because, hey, why not?

Until then, we will go on pretending that the GOP is a stable political party, devoid of violent tendencies, while we explain to kids that some conservatives just want to bomb their library, and that’s perfectly normal.

Yes, there’s nothing to worry about here.

One side offers an optimistic view of America and hope for the future. They offer coherent policies designed to improve the country.

The other side insists we are living in a hellhole dystopia. They offer only blind rage and the punishment of everyone who isn’t a straight white Christian.

This is not an oversimplification. As others have pointed out, Democrats want to give schoolkids free lunches, while Republicans want them to work in slaughterhouses and pump out babies by age 16.

Tell me that I’m getting it wrong.

There is a bizarre obsession that permeates the Republican Party. This ironclad mindset holds that government exists solely to give money to billionaires, build the largest military in the history of the world, and oppress the shit out of people who don’t genuflect at the altar of 1950s suburbia.

Conservatives view any attempt to help people — by offering affordable healthcare, improving education, or lifting individuals out of poverty — not as socialism, or even communism. According to the GOP, these endeavors are demonic and evil. Virtue is banning books, harassing trans people, jailing immigrants, and forcing women to carry dead fetuses to term. 

When one looks at the different philosophies, it’s worth asking the following; Is there anyone voting for Trump who is not an oligarch, a conspiracy nut, a Christian nationalist, or a right-winger with violent tendencies? Well, that covers much of his base, but there is another contingent of supporters. 

There are millions of Americans who are deeply unhappy with how their lives turned out. And they want someone to blame. They have found a home in the GOP, which has become a party of grievance and wrath (and straight-up weirdoes).

The energy and good vibes that the Harris/Walz ticket exudes is in direct contrast to the anger and contempt that the Trump/Vance campaign has made its hallmark. The GOP is offering literally nothing to voters other than fear and vengeance.

Aren’t we all sick of the nonstop anger?

Why not try just a little fucking optimism and basic decency this time?

Is it a cult? Perhaps it is more cult-like or cult-adjacent. Maybe it’s merely cultish or cult-light. How about cult-curious?

In any case, we long ago ran out of ways to politely describe, rationalize, or justify the unwavering support of Trump’s hardcore followers. About 20% of Americans will vote for Trump no matter how many felonies he gets convicted of, no matter how many women he assaults, no matter how much bigotry and hatred he provokes, and no matter how much he promises to become a dictator if he is re-elected.

This is beyond political identity or cognitive dissonance. It is far past the affection usually reserved for sports teams or nerd obsessions. It is even beyond the unconditional love one feels for family. This obsession is comparable only to religious mania, and the similarity is no coincidence.

Trump fans sincerely believe that “a man who has demanded the execution of people he dislikes is a better candidate for the presidency” than a woman who believes the federal government should create jobs, protect the environment, and promote health and education.

Even when confronted with the fact that Trump hates his own supporters, these true believers indulge in, at best, “skepticism, a momentary denouncement, then an eventual conclusion that Trump is still a man worth their vote.”

Their motivations range from psychological issues to deep-seated fear to bubbling fury to straight-up bigotry, with tangents for ignorance, delusion, and a thirst for vengeance. What’s intriguing about that last item is that they want revenge not just for their own misbegotten lives but on behalf of a pampered billionaire, who like them, “can’t accept what’s happened over the past several years” to an America that has had the audacity to change without their permission.

Even the conservatives who say they oppose Trump eventually fall into line. Recall that early in the campaign season, the other Republicans vying for the nomination accommodated Trump’s behavior “and made excuses for his criminality,” which pretty much gave the green light for “Republican voters to return to Trump, all but ensuring his rise.”

The result is that today, “the potential for political violence from his supporters if he isn’t elected in November” is sky-high. 

It is the behavior of cultists. And it cannot be reasoned with or wished away. This is what blind faith looks like, and it is terrifying.

We live under the cultural delusion that for an idea or movement to catch on, it must be a good one. But examine the evidence. Do you really think daylight savings time is a good idea? Do you truly believe that Creed deserved to sell 27 million albums? Are you out there clamoring for more Transformers movies?

No, plenty of bad ideas become popular. That is perhaps no more evident (or alarming) than when we look at the Republican Party.

In previous decades, the GOP was a mishmash of smug libertarians, rich jerks, and uptight Christians. They were unpleasant but semi-reasonable. The psychotically fringe members of their party were tolerated but remained off-stage.

All that changed a few years ago when one bloviating billionaire demanded absolute loyalty and molded the party into a twisted reflection of his own black-hearted soul.

So today, we have neo-Nazis (as in literal, actual Nazis) openly mingling at a recent conservative gathering, shouting antisemitic conspiracy theories and offering “heil Hitler-style salutes in the lobby of the hotel where the conference took place [while] other members of the group reportedly used the N-word.” No, they were not asked to leave.

This Republican embrace of fascist ideology has cascaded into other corners of the GOP, so that today “conservatives have become more vocal in support of armed vigilante and militia groups that share their draconian and oftentimes illiberal view of criminal justice.” In many parts of the country, Republicans are creating armed militias that “operate as a de facto police force,” accelerating the conservative movement’s “troubling infatuation with vigilantes and other civilian forces that are even less accountable and subject to oversight than ordinary police.”

Meanwhile, when conservatives are not screaming in nationally televised speeches that all Democrats are pedophiles and pure evil, they are pledging undying allegiance to a man who sociopathy has contaminated the entire nation.

Republicans have made it quite clear that they are willing to destroy American democracy in “a misguided approach to trying to appease a dictator” who cannot be appeased. This is “a profound rejection” of the idea that “we all are created equal and have a right to a say in our government,” which are “principles so fundamental to human self-determination” that thousands of Americans “have given their lives for them.”

And they are doing this just to curry favor with a lunatic. At least people in traditionally autocratic regimes cower because of the threat of going to jail or getting shot. But for these spineless Republicans, “it is loss of office or reputations that are at stake,” which is “the saddest part” of this capitulation. 

Imagine selling your soul for so little.