My Rant

As the wife, sister, daughter-in-law, daughter, grand daughter, and friend to many MANY continued republicans and Bush supporters, you can imagine my daily frustration and angst. I do try so very hard to understand, as these are not stupid people, nor are they selfish or cruel, uncaring about the world, unconcerned about the environment, untroubled about the cost of lives of this war. I don't get it. Let me repeat... I DON'T GET IT!!!!!

Lets suppose you grow up in a republican family, being taught the traditional values of republicanism (pre-Falwell-Christian Coalition-neocon crap): smaller, less intrusive government, less government spending, individual responsibility...perfectly respectable philosophies that I happen not to agree with, but they tend to not be overly judgemental "values" of people, except the occasional loud mouth. You trust in your country, you raise your flag on the appropriate days, you vote. You eat three squares, you signal at the light, basically a good neighbor and responsible member of the community. Over the last decade you see a pronounced shift in the ideology of your party. More emphasis on the politics of rhetoric, more chiches and soundbites designed to evoke emotional images of a simpler time..."FAMILY VALUES," yet your party leaders are repeatedly found to not have such scrupulous behavior of their own. Hypocrites like Newt Gingrich, who during the impeachement of President Clinton was banging a lot more than the gavel. As the years go by you see your party slide farther and farther into a highly nationalistic, dogmatic, and despotic snarl...the government becomes infiltrated from top to bottom with snarlies, and you see your country slide economically, politically, and diplomatically farther down than it has ever been. You know that your party is the one in power, you know that your President is the one calling the shots...the stupid, stupid shots. You see the cronyism, you know about the subversion of congress, the signing statements, and when your frustrated wife (ok maybe this is personal) brings them up to you, you nod...yes, yes, it looks very bad, I agree...but yet in the booth, that sacred beautiful voting booth you reach up and pull the RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Your wife, bewildered, stunned, shocked, and weeping, "Dude, what the fuck?"

I just don't get it. Enlighten me.