There are lines that have been drawn that reveal fascist tendencies on both sides of our governmental duopoly. Loyal Democrats in our county believe that it is verboten to criticize their political club. They insist that they are the most liberal people in the world – whatever that means – and that anyone who is critical about their party is a dirty Repugnican pariah to be shunned and abused.
One extremely “nice person” who is a loyal Democrat recently posted a quote from Barack Obama on Facebook, whose message was you have to vote in November or else it’s your own fault for what might otherwise ensue. This was met with tons of people jumping on board to agree that this quote was awesome. I offered the humble opinion that every candidate in America over the last 70 years of my life has said the exact same thing. That this was really weak and actually blames the victims, the tens of millions of Americans – mostly Black, Native and Hispanic – that have been denied suffrage. Furthermore, that tribal thinking like “Democrats are pure as the driven snow while Repugnicans are just pure evil” is predicated on the same twisted ratiocination that makes a huge number of people declare that Mr. Trump can do no wrong.
The lynch mob response was swift and illogical. What, I was challenged, have the Democrats ever done wrong? My words were also purposely misconstrued to take cheap shots at me. If I believed in democracy, I was told, then I should never say anything critical about their party – ever.
I responded that America has never been a democracy and that, among the two major political clubs, the Republican one was far more democratic than the Democratic club. The Republicans choose their candidate by majority rule while Hillary had won the nomination before the first primary ballot was cast, thanks to “super delegates”.
I was mocked for calling the Democratic Party a political club. Apparently, I was supposed to treat it with awe as though it were the holy State Religion. I responded that both of those parties were private corporations that wrote their own bylaws any way they wanted. The Democratic club could have established rules to maintain it as a democratic organization but they consciously decided to go another way.
I briefly responded to where the Democrats have ever gone wrong. First of all, they are spineless cowards who don’t offer real resistance to the fascist agenda taking over our country. The majority of Black people killed by police lived in cities that are totally dominated by the Democrats who have the political power, but not the will, to stop this. This has been going on my whole life and the Democrats have almost nothing to show for it – especially when you edit out all the dog and pony shows. Under Obama’s watch, the death tolls at the hands of American soldiers and drones skyrocketed, as did the deportation of Latin Americans. He famously said he couldn’t act without a great groundswell of popular support, but the bloated Executive has far more power than it should and he could have done a hell of a lot more.
Well, people kept taking shots at me, so I responded to each of their comments. The person who started this conversation was furious at me, she ordered me to stop responding to comments that continued to take one false shot at me after another. She judged me harshly for not being her yes man, told me to get off her page because I was too judgmental, meaning that I brought facts into the discussion, and thus proving once again that fascists have no sense of irony. Negative attacks of me continued, so I just “unfriended” her.
I’m not saying that the Democratic Party is fascist, but the “liberal wing” of Mendocino Democrats has a huge fascist streak. This person used to teach Anthropology for Mendocino College, but I’ve never met a anthropologist who so lacks the most elementary knowledge of her native sociology. I knew she got her job because her husband was the dean, but I had no idea she was such an idiot. Welcome to Mendoland where relationships trump fair employment practices every time.
So my question is a simple one: Who is dumber, Republicans who believe that Michele Obama is really a man or these Mendolibs? That’s a hard one to answer. All I know for sure is that they are both complete hypocrites and a fascist revolution is in the works. Don’t worry, though, Chuck Schumer will protect us all, won’t he?
Dear Larry:
Never read your stuff before but it sounds like you’re a Trumpkin living in, or at least are somewhat familiar with, Mendo Co.
Anyway, phony moral equivalencies offered as counter-arguments and diversions act as counter intelligence: sound and fury signifying a refusal to acknowledge what’s staring you in the face: Trump has put himself above the law, he’s getting away with murder and it’s because he represents a mob. The longer people pretend he’s just more of the same, the lesser the chance we’ll ever regain what has already been lost.
Ain’t nothing more dangerous than stone fools in power, and this fool is filled with bloodlust. Clear and present danger.
Vote like you’re a little black girl living in Georgia and your own children, or nieces and nephews, will benefit. The longest journey begins with the 1st step. No time for looking backward.
Enjoy your trip. Bruce Patterson
Great response.
Great piece! I don’t agree with all of it, but at least it’s thought provoking. We don’t need less speech we need more speech, keep up the good work.
James Marmon MSW
Former Democrat
Abhorrently abysmal response, Mr. Patterson. Mr. Minson doesn’t sound much at all like a “Trumpkin” to me, just someone who’s well aware of the massive hypocrisy and hubris of what passes for an “opposition” party. Indeed, where in his essay did you see any reference to Trump? Democrats, as well as Republicans, are enemies of the rest of us, unless you are another historical revisionist who’s forgotten the past couple of hundred years of both corporate parties destroying life and the living.
How easily forgotten are all of Obama’s crimes against humanity and support for corporate-welfare militarism, the bailouts and de-regulation of the money-mongers by Clinton and Obama, the endless subversions of other governments, the failures to address climate change, and myriad other crimes. The two primary political parties have walked hand-in-hand to suppress democracy and justice in this country and to subjugate the entire world for corporate profit. Not a single Democrat or Republican I see on the current electoral ballot stands for changing the status quo – not at all – but merely to reinforce the continuation of corruption and overprivileged exceptionalism for the very few at the expense of the many. If you think otherwise, I’d also cast you as dangerously delusional, right down there with the “Trumpkins.”
Not surprising to see this eternally futile argument has successfully jumped over from Facebook.
At least it demonstrates a perverse cultural resilience.