In an era of amazing political moments, last week ranks high on my list of most fascinating. For decades, the Republican Party has been a front group for corporate special interests and the rich, with bones thrown now and then to religious extremists. Basically, from the 1980s on, nothing has been more sacred to the GOP than tax cuts for the rich.
In many ways, 9/11 allowed Republicans to hide their anti-regulatory agenda and their efforts to redistribute wealth upward behind anti-terrorism and national security issues. When these moved to the front of the political landscape, their relentless efforts for the rich received far less scrutiny than they otherwise would have.
But with the economy in the doldrums for more than two years, and foreign policy issues fading, bread and butter issues are front and center once again. And the brazen class warfare that the GOP displayed this week was a sight to behold; I recall nothing like it in my adult life.
The Republican Party literally held unemployment insurance for millions of Americans and middle class tax cuts that benefit all Americans hostage to tax cuts that benefit only the richest of the rich. For all their talk of deficit reduction, they didn’t even pretend to care how the tax cuts will be paid for; such talk was only a charade for the election season.
And they didn’t stop there: Republicans also struck down a deal to pay compensation for 9/11 workers suffering from medical issues related to the cleanup (and had the nerve to blame the $7.6 billion price tag, when the tax cuts for the top 2% will cost 100 times as much); they delayed a vote on the DREAM Act that would allow illegals under a certain age to obtain citizenship after 10 years if they go to college or serve in the military; and they blocked a vote to repeal DADT, even though virtually all the top military commanders practically begged Congress to end the policy.
Even I, who hold the modern Republican Party in contempt, was shocked at this display of callousness, disregard for the public good, disregard for civil rights, and lack of any sense of fiscal responsibility. The GOP made crystal clear to the American people whose side they’re on, and we have their votes to prove it.
And yet this is the party that was rewarded with increased political power only weeks ago. It shows no sign of tempering its extremist goals, or refraining from holding most Americans hostage to the desires of the party’s ultra-wealthy corporate sponsors. The question that matters most is how long they’ll be able to get away with it.
My hunch is that they’re already over-playing their hand. As soon as the economy picks up, people will turn on the Republicans with a vengeance. Voters can be incredibly ignorant and misinformed, driven by emotions more than reason, and prone to irrational outbursts motivated by fear, but at the end of the day I think their better judgment ultimately prevails.
The GOP today lacks any sense of civic duty or seriousness. It can win when people vote their frustrations, but not when they vote their hopes.
Jason Scorse