What used to be the
Republican political party is, for all intents and purposes, now dead, but
still walking (crawling is perhaps more accurate). The main reason, in general,
for its demise has to do with the fact that it is opposed to anything and
everything that might in any way improve the lot of U.S. citizens. This
manifests itself in their opposition to unions, the minimum wage, food stamps,
unemployment insurance, health care, Social Security, taxes on the wealthy,
promoting jobs, and on and on. There are, however, two things in particular going
on at the moment that are inevitably going to destroy the Greedy Old Party.
The first of these is their virtually
pathological obsession with rape and abortion and attempting to do away with
Roe vs Wade. You all know about one Republican’s claim that the female body has
a way of shutting down the possible results, and another one’s claim that if a
baby results from a rape it must have been God’s will, and still another’s
belief that pregnancy rarely result from rape, and others. Now we have a claim
so far-fetched as to stun one into complete stupefaction, namely, the male
fetus masturbates! This was claimed by a Republican gynecologist and used to
explain why the fetus feels pain (if it pleasures itself it must also be able
to experience pain). As proof of this claim he explains that you can see the
fetus with its hands near its genitals. I wonder where this learned doctor
thinks it might otherwise hold its hands and arms while in the fetal position
in the womb? Perhaps with its hands clasped behind its neck like swinging in a
hammock, or maybe holding its arms extended as if describing a fish that got
away might also be a possibility. And what of a female fetus, does it rest
comfortably with its hands demurely clasped behind its back? Along with these
bizarre notions are also the apparent beliefs that women lie about being raped,
that men are in a better position than women to know how women should treat
their bodies and health, and they should be made to bear a child to term no
matter what. I suppose that while holding such misguided and false beliefs does
not prove they are crazy, they certainly certify them as unbelievably stupid.
The second thing that will
surely lead to the Republican demise has to do with their opposition to
immigration. At least some of them seem to be aware that they cannot possible
win elections in the future without the Hispanic vote that went overwhelmingly
for President Obama. In spite of this they have done everything possible to
delay and defeat any serious immigration proposal. Even if a decent immigration
policy emerges after all this it will still be obvious Republicans did not want
immigrants and only agreed to them as a matter of political expediency, hardly
a position likely to appeal to many immigrants.
So, having lost the Hispanic
vote, along with the votes of a majority of women (and not having the Black or
other minority votes as well), the Republican Party that exists at the moment
creeps on zombie-like into bringing about its own oblivion, truly a dead party
walking. Stupid, crazy or both, take your pick.
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