If there is one thing consistent in the American political character it is the de facto feeling of superiority of the left and the de facto feeling of inferiority of the right.
This might explain why the left wing in our country seems to believe that showing up and waving flags is an effective protest, while the right wing rolls up its sleeves and does the hard work necessary to gain power.
All you have to do is compare the differences between the “tea party” movement and the “occupy Wall Street” movement to see immediately the difference.
The “tea party” assembled a strong grass roots political force that became a significant player in local politics, and then parlayed that into an effective voting bloc in the U.S. Congress. In the process, they seized the agenda of the current political debate and unless they overplay their hand, will be a significant influence in the national elections.
Of course overplaying their hand is their curse and why the right eventually implodes. Whenever the right seizes political power, they cannot resist the impulse to overplay their hand. They do this so effectively, even those who root for them begin to distrust them.
It happened with the successful Republican revolution of 1995 and, true to course, they are doing the same thing again. When the right wins, winning is not enough; they cannot resist rubbing the left’s nose in the dirt.
As a result, they lose whatever success they had in gaining the sympathy of the moderates and the rest is history.
And so, the beat goes on. See you at the next protest. Be sure to bring your flag!
Sister Veronica, Supreme Pizzaonian on assignment for Pizzaonian News Network, PNN.
Required reading: "Deer Hunting with Jesus" by Joe Bageant - Dispatches from America's Class War
Comments