It's Friday so let's have modicum of cheer

Steve Boyd speaks (action 4 liberty image)

It is Friday morning which should give us an uplifted feeling, at least. The ties between rural America and right wing politics appear to only be growing. Is this sort of a powder keg? We unseat our long-time congressperson Collin Peterson in favor of the GOPer and now the GOPer may be forced on the defensive some. That's because of this Steve Boyd fellow. 

The phenomenon of "getting primaried from the right" is something that GOPers fear greatly. And certainly it prevents them from ever compromising with the other side on anything. Not even security at the southern border. The GOP leaders rush to consult with Donald Trump and then they follow his directions. This in spite of the fact that it's so clear that Trump's overarching priority is self-preservation. 

You thought the daily headlines about Trump were bad before? They most certainly were bad before. Where does the time go? He "came down the escalator" in 2016. Do you realize how many years have rolled by? Trump schemes daily to keep his base of support solidified. The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, this Mike Johnson, cannot even think for himself. He has to go get marching orders from Trump even though Trump no longer holds office. And there is zero percent chance that Trump would ever approve of a bipartisan agreement on anything. 

The right wing media continues to flex their considerable muscle. Can't you all see? They have just made a game of all this. They have constructed a make-believe world where their kind has the monopoly on truth and anyone who disagrees ought to be rejected on the most caustic terms. It is the equivalent of bullying and teasing on the school playground. Absolutely demonize anyone who tries to point out flaws in Republican Party thinking, if you really want to call it thinking. 

 

And I actually respect the conservative political philosophy. Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC does too. O'Donnell who is near the top of the list of MAGA targets has said conservatives "play an important role in our political process." Oh indeed they do, as they can stand in the way of largesse. They can point out the folly of thinking that government can come to the rescue on anything. 

 

Liberalism got carried away through the 1970s. America had to reject Nixon who had carried the banner for the GOP and "conservatives." At least that's the way they presented themselves. Yes a lot of it was just rhetoric. Rhetoric can go a long way. We heard from blowhards like actor John Wayne who found that his pronouncements reached a "base" of support. The "silent majority?" 

 

Problem was: that was then, this is now. 

 

America went through the excruciating process of getting extricated from the Vietnam war. Getting committed to war makes it arduous to get out. The protracted nature of Vietnam became the millstone around Nixon's neck. As this sank in, like with my generation that just absolutely refused to go over there and "fight," we needed to regurgitate the bad stuff. Finally we did. The Democrats with Jimmy Carter filled the void. 

 

The 1970s became a strange time of feeling conflicted, in denial to an extent. Had we all really been hoodwinked by the pro-war crowd? The crowd who cheered John Wayne, the movie "The Green Berets" and the song "Okie From Muskogee?" The song was written as parody. It ended up being taken seriously. The music makers were happy to collect their profits. 

 

The pro-war people ended up having to eat crow. It took time and spasms of re-thinking. These people hardly knew how to react to amnesty for draft-dodgers. The rhetoric that spurred them on for years was being revealed for what it was. It was so much hot air. Yes it struck a chord with a certain considerable element of Americans. But it was vacuous. 

 

Posturing by glory-seekers? Is that what it was? And aren't we seeing a complete repeat performance right now, spring of 2024, the spring of Caitlin Clark of Iowa, so as to file this away in your memory properly? 

 

Americans really did want amnesty for draft dodgers. They didn't "support the war" nearly as strongly as certain strident voices tried to imply. Again we are talking about a certain "base" of people just like we have the base of Trump and Steve Boyd now. However, Americans really do not want a national abortion ban, absolutely not. They do not want substantial cuts to the safety net as with Social Security and Medicare. We should be trying to improve our lifestyle and not cut back on it. We should have a good enough understanding of economics - we don't - to know how inflation happens and how to control it. Hell, why just "control" it? Why not wipe it out or reverse it some? 

 

Instead there is a considerable swath of Americans who always want the "heroin fix" of lower interest rates. Choose your poison, y'all. 

 

TGIF?

Well it's Friday. I haven't checked the morning's headlines yet. I know what will be there. Trump and his ridiculous legal entanglements. Why does America put up with this? Well it does. The Trump phenomenon remains so strong out here in rural Flyoverland of western Minnesota. Will Steve Boyd be elected? Will we get the "nationwide abortion ban" that Lindsey Graham and so many others want? Why can't Graham just lose an election? Is that so difficult to accomplish? 

 

Is America dying as I write this? Do you watch "Jesse Watters" in the evening? Well then y'all have it coming, don't you. And so many of you go to church to reinforce your political beliefs. It appears many of you put Trump ahead of God and Jesus. It never got this bad with John Wayne and Richard Nixon, it really did not. 

 

Remember when Social Security was the third rail of politics? Will we start seeing euthanasia of old people? Will we become too expensive to take care of? 

 

"Make America Great Again." 

 

The Orange Man (wikipedia)

I can see it now like I'm truly prescient: Trump taking office again, setting up a justice department to go out and arrest all kinds of people on trumped-up treason charges, people who have disagreed with Trump or tried to obstruct him. Then we'll hear of summary trials and executions. As always there will be initial shock, there always is. Then we'll be forced to accept the norm. We always do. I am too old to try to leave the country. Well, I have had a good life.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com