Here ya go, John and Bill,
Knock yourselves out...
:-)
Cheers,
RAH
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http://slate.msn.com/toolbar.aspx?action=print&id=2109218
Slate
politics
Why Americans Hate Democrats-A Dialogue
The unteachable ignorance of the red states.
By Jane Smiley
Updated Thursday, Nov. 4, 2004, at 3:24 PM PT
The day after the election, Slate's political writers tackled the question
of why the Democratic Party-which has now lost five of the past seven
presidential elections and solidified its minority status in Congress-keeps
losing elections. Chris Suellentrop says that John Kerry was too nuanced
and technocratic, while George W. Bush offered a vision of expanding
freedom around the world. William Saletan argues that Democratic candidates
won't win until they again cast their policies the way Bill Clinton did, in
terms of values and moral responsibility. Timothy Noah contends that none
of the familiar advice to the party-move right, move left, or sit
tight-seems likely to help. Slate asked a number of wise liberals to take
up the question of why Americans won't vote for the Democrats. Click here
to read previous entries.
I say forget introspection. It's time to be honest about our antagonists.
My predecessors in this conversation are thoughtful men, and I honor their
ideas, but let's try something else. I grew up in Missouri and most of my
family voted for Bush, so I am going to be the one to say it: The election
results reflect the decision of the right wing to cultivate and exploit
ignorance in the citizenry. I suppose the good news is that 55 million
Americans have evaded the ignorance-inducing machine. But 58 million have
not. (Well, almost 58 million-my relatives are not ignorant, they are just
greedy and full of classic Republican feelings of superiority.)
Ignorance and bloodlust have a long tradition in the United States,
especially in the red states. There used to be a kind of hand-to-hand fight
on the frontier called a "knock-down-drag-out," where any kind of gouging,
biting, or maiming was considered fair. The ancestors of today's red-state
voters used to stand around cheering and betting on these fights. When the
forces of red and blue encountered one another head-on for the first time
in Kansas Territory in 1856, the red forces from Missouri, who had been
coveting Indian land across the Missouri River since 1820, entered Kansas
and stole the territorial election. The red news media of the day made a
practice of inflammatory lying-declaring that the blue folks had shot and
killed red folks whom everyone knew were walking around. The worst civilian
massacre in American history took place in Lawrence, Kan., in
1862-Quantrill's raid. The red forces, known then as the slave-power,
pulled 265 unarmed men from their beds on a Sunday morning and slaughtered
them in front of their wives and children. The error that progressives have
consistently committed over the years is to underestimate the vitality of
ignorance in America. Listen to what the red state citizens say about
themselves, the songs they write, and the sermons they flock to. They know
who they are-they are full of original sin and they have a taste for
violence. The blue state citizens make the Rousseauvian mistake of thinking
humans are essentially good, and so they never realize when they are about
to be slugged from behind.
Here is how ignorance works: First, they put the fear of God into you-if
you don't believe in the literal word of the Bible, you will burn in hell.
Of course, the literal word of the Bible is tremendously contradictory, and
so you must abdicate all critical thinking, and accept a simple but logical
system of belief that is dangerous to question. A corollary to this point
is that they make sure you understand that Satan resides in the toils and
snares of complex thought and so it is best not try it.
Next, they tell you that you are the best of a bad lot (humans, that is)
and that as bad as you are, if you stick with them, you are among the
chosen. This is flattering and reassuring, and also encourages you to
imagine the terrible fates of those you envy and resent. American
politicians ALWAYS operate by a similar sort of flattery, and so Americans
are never induced to question themselves. That's what happened to Jimmy
Carter-he asked Americans to take responsibility for their profligate ways,
and promptly lost to Ronald Reagan, who told them once again that they
could do anything they wanted. The history of the last four years shows
that red state types, above all, do not want to be told what to do-they
prefer to be ignorant. As a result, they are virtually unteachable.
Third, and most important, when life grows difficult or fearsome, they
(politicians, preachers, pundits) encourage you to cling to your ignorance
with even more fervor. But by this time you don't need much
encouragement-you've put all your eggs into the ignorance basket, and
really, some kind of miraculous fruition (preferably accompanied by the
torment of your enemies, and the ignorant always have plenty of enemies) is
your only hope. If you are sufficiently ignorant, you won't even know how
dangerous your policies are until they have destroyed you, and then you can
always blame others.
The reason the Democrats have lost five of the last seven presidential
elections is simple: A generation ago, the big capitalists, who have no
morals, as we know, decided to make use of the religious right in their
class war against the middle class and against the regulations that were
protecting those whom they considered to be their rightful prey-workers and
consumers. The architects of this strategy knew perfectly well that they
were exploiting, among other unsavory qualities, a long American habit of
virulent racism, but they did it anyway, and we see the outcome now-Cheney
is the capitalist arm and Bush is the religious arm. They know no
boundaries or rules. They are predatory and resentful, amoral, avaricious,
and arrogant. Lots of Americans like and admire them because lots of
Americans, even those who don't share those same qualities, don't know
which end is up. Can the Democrats appeal to such voters? Do they want to?
The Republicans have sold their souls for power. Must everyone?
Progressives have only one course of action now: React quickly to every
outrage-red state types love to cheat and intimidate, so we have to assume
the worst and call them on it every time. We have to give them more to
think about than they can handle-to always appeal to reason and common
sense, and the law, even when they can't understand it and don't respond.
They cannot be allowed to keep any secrets. Tens of millions of people
didn't vote-they are watching, too, and have to be shown that we are ready
and willing to fight, and that the battle is worth fighting. And in
addition, we have to remember that threats to democracy from the right
always collapse. Whatever their short-term appeal, they are borne of hubris
and hatred, and will destroy their purveyors in the end.
Jane Smiley is the author of many novels and essays. She lives in California.
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R. A. Hettinga