Wednesday, May 25, 2005

More fascism

I was wondering last night -- why doesn't anyone use the word "reactionary" anymore? I think it's because the word implies a minority is doing the reacting to a majority moderate or liberal trend. And since the right-wing is now in the ascendency in our country, what's to react against? Oh, I know, if you listen to right-wing talk radio (I dare you to bear it for more than 10 minutes), that's all they do -- angrily bitch and whine about some new "liberal" or "feminist" initiative that is supposedly oppressing them.

If the right wing has done anything really impressive, it's allow its mass of supporters to remain feeling oppressed and outcast while the right wing takes and holds power. Neat trick! It turns out that some people just enjoy listening to some fat blowhard rant and rave for hours on end, every day. Who knew?!

Oh -- yeah. If you can handle it, here's a really good Salon article on right-wing training for college students. I couldn't actually bear to read it, but maybe you will.

Then, on the filibuster thing -- only a complete flamer like James Dobson, head of the crypto-reactionary Focus on the Family organization -- the Opus Dei of the Christian Right -- could get upset about the "deal" that ensured most of Bush's judicial nominees will get rubber-stamped. Dobson said the deal was "...a complete bailout and betrayal by a cabal of Republicans" and that "both Democrats and Republicans who betrayed [our] trust" will suffer in elections to come.

In other words, he actually thinks his side lost. Anything short of total victory is a loss to him. That's the fascist mentality right there. Bush and Rumsfield think the same way: "If you're not with us, you're with the terrorists." Total victory, or total war. No in-between.

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