The Republican Party has made no secret of their alignment with the conservative, Southern, Christian evangelical movement. They used to be the party of law & order, the “Party of Lincoln” that signed the Emancipation Proclamation. But then they realized that the “Southern Strategy” to appeal to the racism of Southern voters didn’t work nationwide and that the Democrats had been welcoming African American voters, electing Lyndon Johnson in a landslide in 1964.
The Republicans, searching for a new strategy and voters, realized that the Evangelical Christian movement may be their best bet. They decided that they could convince a huge block of white voters that they were the Party of “American Values”; not exactly the same as their disastrous Southern Strategy, but still recruiting from much of the same voting block. They cast their lots with the likes of Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson (who ran for President in the 1988 Republican Party) and their various Christian organizations. They would become the “pure” Party, the Party of God, Guns, Apple Pie, and Patriotism. They didn’t need any of those liberal socialists anyway. And they might just be able to pull it off. They heard what LBJ said, and they knew that was where they could exploit millions of hard working, faithful, Christian men and women to join them.
“If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored(sic) man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you”. Lyndon Johnson, 1964
As crude as LBJ’s words are, it may be the way to understand the devotion of Donald Trump’s followers, and the loud “mean girl” strategy being used during this election season.
The Republican Party has been referred to recently as “the party of grievance”, or the “just say no” party:
- No health care,
- No abortions
- No voting for black folks,
- No mercy for people crossing into the US from dangerous countries
- No Social Security or Medicare for old or disabled people,
- No funding (especially)for Medicaid, of course
- No funding for public education (but using that money for private charter schools is ok),
- No rent assistance,
- No debt forgiveness,
- No nutrition assistance for children or families,
- No books that may have social or political themes,
- No allowances for gender differences,
- No gay marriage
- No restrictions on gun ownership or guns in public places,
- No restrictions on the destruction of public lands by private oil companies,
- No money to fund the maintenance of bridges or highways that are crumbling,
- No restrictions on greenhouse gasses or funding for alternative energy sources,
- No restrictions on ownership of media or what is said by such,
- No restrictions on the amount of money corporations can use to fund and support candidates that they know will vote on legislation in the best interest of the corporation rather than the best interests of the people of the United States (dark money aka bribes).
Grievance politics means that the rules of behavior (good manners) that you learned in elementary school as early as kindergarten no longer apply, and anyone can say or do anything they want to do. If you disagree, then you are ridiculed as “woke”, “elitist”, “socialist”, “snowflakes” or other terms they consider insulting.
Better than some of the invectives thrown around during the Civil Rights era, yes, although I’m not sure why they think the appropriated term “woke” is disparaging…and I embrace that one. I’m proud to be awake, aware of what’s happening around me, aware of what they are attempting to do….”snowflakes” are beautiful in winter, none of them exactly the same as another, just like humans…”socialist”…well, I do appreciate the services provided by the fire department, police department, public hospitals, Veteran’s benefits, Unemployment insurance, FEMA, the GI bill, the National Parks, the FDA, NASA, the CDC, the Post Office, and, of course, the military. Soooo, yep. That one works for me, too. (Plus, I’m on Social Security and Medicare, the truly evil socialist programs the Republicans have been trying to dismantle since they were developed, and have promised to do just that if they are able to gain the Senate and House majorities again)
The “elitist” one cracks me up. The Republican Party “ruling class” is made up almost entirely of extremely wealthy “legacy” rich white men with degrees bought and paid for by ELITE wealthy parents who realize that their offspring don’t have a dime of common sense or interest in actual learning. They may have excelled at the expensive private prep schools they attended in the arts of bullying, hazing, drinking, cheating, and womanizing (ahem, Brett Kavanaugh) and know that they will have to provide large “gifts” to the Ivy League institutions they insist their offspring attend in order for said offspring to graduate. Now, who are you calling “elitists”?
Elitists? I’ve often wondered how they can launch that term at Democrats with a straight face. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I was informed by a former Republican friend that “elitists” actually refers to “the Jews”. Yep, that same old trope that’s been floating around, sometimes under cover of what Republicans call “political correctness”, sometimes blatant, and sometimes fatal. The trope that says that all Jews are connected by some sort of international cabal that starts with that most dangerous Jew, George Soros, and makes its way throughout the world by way of his support for organizations that promote democracy, peaceful governments, and “socialist” ideals like feeding the poor and hungry and providing health care to the most needy, especially on continents like Africa and Asia. Of course, his “influence” is aided and abetted by the “elites” of Hollywood, New York, and the Democratic Party. (I guess that must be when we aren’t all gorging ourselves on the blood and flesh of the children we have molested and kept prisoner under a pizza shop in NYC)(You know I’m joking, right?)
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