Admirable Republicans

Today, Tuesday November 6 is Election Day. It is a special day, given critical decisions for all the citizens of the United States: they'll go to the polls to put in a vote for the presidential candidate of their choice, and for Elected Officials, Constitutional Amendments, etc. What they decide upon based on their values, their past and present reality, their aspirations, their perceptions, and their inner - neurological - processes, will determine the balance of power - politically - in the US, and with that, two very distinct postures regarding the human condition for the future after that. Not only economically, but in terms of the approach to world affairs, to the role of the U.S. in the world, to societal, religious, economic, freedom, moral, war, environment domains, etc. Some of the more common themes are the tensions of capitalism vs. democracy, the individual vs. "we are all in this together and for each other", women's rights, immigrants' lives, land resources, the role of Church within the State, etc.

This election is indeed critical and will determine the quality and kind of life Americans will be immersed in, in the future. It may-could-will-end being an overnight sudden 'whack' into awareness, a collective 'waking up', a maturing process onto the path to an 'adult' civilization, a nation to be proud of - not because of its riches and domination of lesser resources, weaker nations. No! But a nation collectively starting to realize the 'real' nature of a traditional truth, found also in its Christian faith (and in so many others!) - that God is within one's own self, and within the others all around. That we are all one in essence, and thus anything that divides and condemns, rejects and separates is wrong, and in christian language, is a "sin".

I admire Republicans, in a sense. Republicans came together as a unit, locked in step, and voices, and performed 4 years of admirable togetherness all across the nation, speaking with one voice, listening to no other voice but that of their collective, and jockeyed and paralleled the values and truths beheld by the Constitution and political wisdom of the centuries, passing legislation in most States, based on an asinine perception and interpretation of those truths.  And they did this in the face of protests, of media calling out their wrongs, they had members of their institutions silenced and disbarred, there was stepping on all kinds of toes, civility became synonymous with weakness, human rights of all kinds were stomped on, and the list goes on. Nevertheless, they produced articulations in unison for the defense of their actions, and they did it in such a sheep-ish way that it was hard for the uninformed to detect the "wolf behind the innocent words and looks" musing in their ears the wrongness of the alternative views, and the only way to go ahead: that of the party "and against the assault of freedoms".

What am I talking about? Some examples...

1. "Obama will be a one-term President". Voiced by the Senate GOP Head, Sen. McConnell ("dead man walking", I call him), the day after the installment of the President. Since then Repubs in House and Senate have stalled, defeated, levied charges and accusations, etc., to all common sense legislative efforts and governmental initiatives that otherwise would have been natural business for the legislative bodies to work on.
2. In-utilize Government thru legislation, Senate filibusters, investigations, charges, commissions, etc., by taking a sliver of truth and turning it to the highest indiscretion, ethical or legal violation, and creating thru misstatements such level of doubt and suspicion, that otherwise good acts became condemnable wrongs, the intent of which was to set up a blockade of governmental operations so as to be able to voice that "Government does not work", "it is not to be trusted", and "smaller government is the solution"...you know the rest.
3. Redistricting: strategically, the Republicans (mastermind-fully!) redrew the neighborhoods, using Census data, in such a way that GOP/Tea Party "chosen ones" would have the highest probability of winning the representation of their counties by carving in/out the neighborhoods of choice. Incredible!
4. Labor: in unison, Legislatures across the nation went against labor unions (those lazy, riches-sucking labor masters!), taking out as many working conditions' rights and benefits as they could. Work stoppages, manifestations, nation-wide media attention, and position recalls were not able to stop the overwhelming attacks of GOP/TP elected officials and legislatures.
5. Immigrants: well, you know about that legislation across so many states.
6. Women: again the GOP went to its most basal nature, captured by media which has been incessantly showing the photos of white, old men berating women for contraception, eschewing their rights if raped (one GOP candidate called rape "the will of God", another "the woman's body has "servo-mechanisms" (my term) to fend of the inner consequences"). There were direct attacks on organizations servicing the poor and esp. women, such as the destruction of ACORN, and the ongoing attacks on Planned Parenthood . Not to be forgotten is the condemnation and attempted character destruction of Ms. Sandra Fluke, a young female law student that was not allowed to present her views in Congress, after what the right wing media personally went after her, calling her names including "slut"!). 
7. Economy: even after Europe's failed practice of reducing spending and its leaders realizing the stranglehold it put on the individual countries' economies, the Repubs insist on holding back to monetary and economic policies that do not circulate money. They singly insist on protecting a minimal sector of the population - the rich and banking institutions - from having to pay a moderate increase in taxes (Tea Party red meat stuff!). Housing foreclosures continue on with little help. The paradigm seems to be along these lines: "Inconceivable to relieve people of those responsibilities; only reputable (big) businesses can make use of bankruptcy - that is a legitimate and smart practice, not for individual consumption"...!
8. Voter suppression: recently seen but being worked upon for years. All kinds of reduction of voting access measures became law: increased requirements for registration and voting, media proliferation of the ideas around voter fraud, reduction of early voting days, and polling hours, etc. A very persistent legislative regression to once gone days where women, blacks and immigrants were not meritorious of voting. Note that the Ohio Secretary of State faced with all kinds of challenges to his personal (as an Officer) and his party's suppressive actions, took his lost case/s all the way to the US Supreme Court, where finally, he "was not heard". He is now called "SOS" - for Secretary of Suppression"!. (And hopefully, his tactics did not affect the outcome, once votes are counted.) 

These are some examples that come to mind, memories of horrible and shameful acts that I have read upon, heard, seen, and even lived throughout these 4 years.  These minds are to be admired in having the strategic sense ('sinister' a better word?), and the fortitude (as in 'bullyish'?) to push through all kinds of laws, regulations, edicts, talking points, radio and media vehicles, to enact and make law their goals. And they did it just like in Sunday church: all together!, with one voice across the entire nation, in as many legislatures and state governments that would take their case. Admirable!

In living systems, a force one way affects its environment and in turn it itself is affected. I wonder how will voter election choices reflect this. 

Will there still be a majority that believes in the fantasies of individualism above all, capitalism and individual effort, exceptional-ism, racial divide, elitism of the rich and powerful, male superiority - female inferiority, borders insularity, shock and awe attacks on differences, etc., etc.?

Will the admirable cunning unity of this recent Republican vision pierce thru reason, rights, and common sense? Will it be met by an opposite and as strong vector that will ricochet its offensive to a new path of 'neither your way nor mine, but ours', that will bring back civility of dialogue in differences and a new stage in human governing and development of individuals, groups and societies? Because if that happens, that will be "Re - admirable!".
  
Definitely the best thing to do is to go vote: don't stay back, or else, others will be making decisions that you'll have to live with. Or stated another way, not voting IS making a decision, that of deciding that others decide, for you. Not getting involved is relinquishing your role in this society and your influence on what it may become.

Let's "see"!