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They are a party of rigid ideologues who have abandoned all notions of political pragmatism or common sense that are necessary for public acceptance. There is no progressivism in American conservatism any more … it is all reactionary, and it is all negative.
What do republicans worship now? Answer: “Objectification” ! *
Thomas B. Edsall says in a NY Times opinion piece (“Other people’s Suffering”, March 4, 2012) ...
" For power holders, the world is viewed through an instrumental lens, and approach is directed toward those individuals who populate the useful parts of the landscape. Our results suggest that power not only channels its possessor’s energy toward goal completion but also targets and attempts to harness the energy of useful others. Thus, power appears to be a great facilitator of goal pursuit through a combination of intrapersonal and interpersonal processes. The nature of the power holder’s goals and interpersonal relationships ultimately determine how power is harnessed and what is accomplished in the end.
Republicans recognize the political usefulness of objectification, capitalizing on 'compassion- fatigue,' or the exhaustion of empathy, among large swathes of the electorate who are already stressed by the economic collapse of 2008, high levels of unemployment, an epidemic of foreclosures, stagnant wages and a hyper-competitive business arena."
Emphatically, we can state that Republicans see no irony or hypocrisy in what they are espousing. For example:
- They abhor and want to do away with all forms of social welfare mechanisms that have been crucial safety nets for many people in this country. Paul Ryan has famously said that he thinks Social Security has become "a hammock, which lulls able-bodied people into lives of complacency and dependency". As an avid Ayn Rand fan, it is certain that he is not thinking of reforming Social Security at all but of doing away with it. So, Ryan wants an 82 year old grandma to get off her lazy butt and get a job. But he himself has been "working" (?) for the government his entire life, he's never even had a real job!
- At the same time, however, corporate welfare in the form of tax cuts, or government loans and bailouts is deemed acceptable.
- Republicans want Government to get out of people’s lives.
- But then again … Republicans want Government to have power, for example, over a woman’s body when it comes to unwanted pregnancies.
The Republicans’ world is the complete antithesis of what the Democrats have as a vision which is encapsulated in Bill Clinton’s words in Charlotte, NC, on September 5, 2012. He said …
" We Democrats think the country works better with a strong middle class, real opportunities for poor people to work their way into it and a relentless focus on the future, with business and government working together to promote growth and broadly shared prosperity. We think 'we're all in this together' is a better philosophy than 'you're on your own.'
Who's right? Well since 1961, the Republicans have held the White House 28 years, the Democrats 24. In those 52 years, our economy produced 66 million private sector jobs. What's the jobs score? Republicans 24 million, Democrats 42 million! "
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* Objectification : the ability to view others in instrumental terms has certain advantages in the corporate arena – advantages applicable to politics as well. [definition by Deborah H. Gruenfeld and Stanford School of Business colleagues in: ““Power and the Objectification of Social Targets.”]
