The Damnable Cycle
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face… forever.”
Or, if you’re an American curious how your government really works, you can merely watch for easily discernible patterns. I call it The Damnable Cycle.
Cycle 1: Republican President
Characteristics: War, or at least massive military buildup. Low taxes for the rich. Massive deficit, ballooning national debt. Economy utterly shitboxed. Democrat-controlled Congress lacks unity of vision or clarity of purpose, enabling the Republican Party to run roughshod over everything in its path. “Family values” presented as a temporarily successful attempt to distract the teeming masses of economically-disadvantaged citizenry from realising who is truly at fault for their plight.
Outcome: Siphoning money toward the military and well-connected rich campaign contributors eventually backfires when the Electorate is confronted with a Democratic candidate promising sweeping government reforms and fair taxation that will ostensibly lead to economic prosperity. Despite a last-ditch effort at distraction, with appeals to patriotism and religiosity, the Republicans lose the election badly.
Cycle 2: Democratic President
Characteristics: Cutbacks in military spending, often sweeping. Proposals for tax hikes on the rich, which never go through. Economic recovery is directly tied to the success or failure of the private sector, because all attempts at Administration intervention are blocked by Republican members of Congress. Unlike the Democrats, who consistently lack unity, the Republican Party is utterly unified on two principles: 1. Stop the Democratic administration from accomplishing any of its promised reforms, and 2. Blame the Democrats for exacerbating current socioeconomic woes via incompetent inaction during the next election.
Outcome: Republican tactics of preventing the Democratic Party from passing a single helpful piece of legislation during this cycle work superbly. The populace, fed up with what it sees as weak-willed handwringing from the Democratic President, turns to a Republican candidate campaigning on his personal strength, “family values”, religiosity, and patriotism. Lacking a clear rebuttal, the Democrats lose the election badly.
Cycle 3: Republican President
A repeat of Cycle 1 in virtually every detail.
Cycle 4: Democrat President
A repeat of Cycle 2 in virtually every detail.
Ad infinitum.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a Republican Congressman lighting your descendants’ futures on fire… forever.