The One – And Only – Job Of Republicans

“I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.” – Grover Norquist

With the exception of legislating against gay marriage, being responsible for voting laws that disenfranchise poorer voters, cutting funding for education, legislating against raising the minimum wage, trying to abolish The Affordable Care Act, voting to cut funds for Planned Parenthood, being opposed to government programs like Social Security, Medicare and welfare, voting against food stamps, voting against a woman’s right to choose, but legislating for guns and tax cuts for the wealthy – and on and on and on, Republicans do not govern. However, Republicans do continually investigate all those who are attempting to govern.

And. if their obstructionism doesn’t involve hearings but only accusations, their accusations are invariably about things that they, the Republicans, are guilty themselves of doing. Currently this time-worn Republican ploy is being used by Donald Trump accusing Democrats of voter fraud and voter suppression – something actually being done by the Republicans in this Presidential election. Moreover, for over three decades The Republican National Committee has been under the supervision of a federal court for repeatedly engaging in this behavior.

And, if you think I’m exaggerating when I say that Republicans do not wish to govern, but only wish to prevent governance. what follows is a quote from President Harry S. Truman in 1948 – almost 70 years ago:

“Republicans approve of the American farmer, but they are willing to help him go broke. They stand four-square for the American home–but not for housing. They are strong for labor–but they are stronger for restricting labor’s rights. They favor minimum wage–the smaller the minimum wage the better. They endorse educational opportunity for all–but they won’t spend money for teachers or for schools. They think modern medical care and hospitals are fine–for people who can afford them. They consider electrical power a great blessing–but only when the private power companies get their rake-off. They think American standard of living is a fine thing–so long as it doesn’t spread to all the people. And they admire of Government of the United States so much that they would like to buy it.”
~Harry S. Truman

If, and hopefully when, Hillary Clinton is elected President we can expect a continuing Republican “culture of investigation.” Immediate Republican-led hearings on her emails, immediate obstructionism – even worse than what President Obama faced – and possibly, or rather probably, the call for impeachment proceedings. Anything, but heaven forbid allowing any governance to take place – certainly any governance by a Democrat.

And this – again – from that paragon of Republicanism Grover Norquist:

“Our goal is to inflict pain. It is not good enough to win; it has to be a painful and devastating defeat. We’re sending a message here. It is like when the king would take his opponent’s head and spike it on a pole for everyone to see.”

The London-based Economist News Magazine ranks Donald Trump in the top 10 most dangerous threats in the world – with the same level of risk as “the rising threat of Jihadi terrorism destabilizing the global economy”.

So, go ahead, vote for Donald Trump – and, in a few years when the gap between rich and poor has been widened to a chasm impossible to leap, when the Supreme Court has taken away a woman’s right to choose but protected the NRA and the gun lobby, and America has all but been reduced to uncontrolled hatred, divisiveness and is overrun with violence – explain your irrational vote to your uneducated out-of-work children and grandchildren.

© tony powers and Barking in the Dark, 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to tony powers and Barking in the Dark with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Filed under: Cautionary tale, commentary, Opinion, Presidential Politics, writing Tagged: Planned Parenthood, Republican obstructionism, Republican party, social programs Barking in the Dark is run by Tony Powers, a writer/actor/musician.