The monetary policy ‘trickle down’ which theorizes that the better off the rich are the better off the country is says the elite will take their maximized profits and savings from a miniscule tax obligation and spend it on commodities which will trickle down to the rest of Americans. In the wake of America’s 2007 economic meltdown this dictum was thoroughly debunked. Just as it was when tried during the Reagan and Bush 41 administrations; met with disaster only to be saved by the largest tax hike in American history.
0-2, the GOP political model of economic stewardship went down like a flame engulfed WWII Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter plane hurtling towards its land-based doom.
Inheriting the party’s reins was GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as House Leaders John Boehner and Paul Ryan fell by the wayside, unable to garner sufficient support to lead the GOP out of ruins.
Survival was no easy task as not since 1984 has a Republican amassed a 50%+1 majority of voters for president; and with the election of Barack Obama in 2008 it brought not only a new day but marked a new epoch in American history.
Yet Mitch proved a brilliant foe. Utilizing the common practice of gerrymandering taking it to a brash new level creating majority Republican districts in GOP minority lands, countering progressive policies by stretching truths across the Rubicon of lies, walking all over voting rights, neglecting national erosion while stuffing courts including masterful gamesmanship with the Supreme Court, obstructing Democratic presidents for the sole intent of obstruction, and fanning fears by capitalizing on the inevitable minority status of the Caucasian race through immigration, no one could have done a better job of keeping buoyant the sinking ship.
Alas Mitch’s machinations created a monster.
Donald Trump.
The Senate Leader like the rest of the GOP leaders hated this creation. But in 2016 the ruling party elites saw a temporary savior. Trump capitalized on all the fears and discourse the survival mode party in peril practiced and brought in millions of voters that were disinterested in supporting the old Grand Party without him. The drowning members were thrown the proverbial life saver. As with any authoritarian that takes over a republic the elected leaders not only embraced the new leader but were forced to be acolytes.
Rules and laws were trampled, norms marginalized; instead of immigration reform we got zero-tolerance, instead of sensible gun policy we may have self-defense and right to carry arms in Times Square laws, instead of Roe v. Wade we get Texas SB-8, we have Christian leaders performing malfeasance and hypocrisy, instead of reality we get mendacity and verisimilitude, graft, division and hatred, fraud and exploitation, January 6th, Representatives delivering death threats to Representatives. Democracy is in tatters, morality is shredded. Our name and reputation compromised to the point that instead of the Paris Accords we have strip mining, air and water pollution gains reversed. Instead of JCPOA we have Iran centrifuges capable of weaponizing in mere weeks. Instead of battling a global pandemic we have no vaccine, no mandate laws causing the death toll to rise surpassing the 1918 pandemic levels. This means in the course of 100 years we have regressed on health policy. We have a war on the fourth estate. Human rights ethos are trampled globally.
Does Dr. Mitch see the monster he created? Does he sleep at night? Does he see that while the party was buttressed with Trump supporters it has split the GOP apart.
He has a glimpse. His wife, former transportation secretary under Trump, Elaine Chao, resigned in protest 9 days before the Trump administration ended.
Unwilling to support the big lie (begrudgingly) McConnell has caused the monster to turn on him.
What is the denouement? Does McConnell fall victim to the monster and his milieu?
Even though the year doesn’t end for another month there are already the annual display of photos of the year emanating from various publications. I can sum the year up in one photo and it was created by the gears of operation Dr. McConnellstein set in motion.
