REPUBLICAN McMORRIS RODGERS ENIGMA

Cathy Anne McMorris Rodgers is the chairperson of the House Republican Conference. I listened to her on Morning Joe, this morning and, it was all I could do stop my self from throwing something at the TV screen. Everything she said they were going to do now that they are in control of leadership was exactly the opposite of the way the Republican Party has been acting for a long time and implied they were going accomplish the same objectives the Democratic have been trying to accomplish, which they blocked. In other words, there is common ground; therefore, Congress could have accomplished all if these things if they had been willing to compromise. The programs all sounded universally good so what’s the problem. The problem is the hidden agenda. What is the hidden agenda? As it turns out, what is wanted favors corporate interests, the economic elite, and not “the man on the street”. They want to maximize profits motivated by what most of us would consider excessive greed.   

The major thrust of McMorris Rodgers’ presentation this morning was that she now “expects” the parties of work together; yes, as a typical Republican she actual “expects” the Democrats to do exactly what her party refused to do, which is to compromise. This begs the question; what is there about compromise that is different when Republican are in charge verses than when Democrats in charged. Isn’t the objective of compromise to arrive at common ground? Clearly, in the Republican mind, common ground means to have things settled the way they want and Democrats can go to hell—the trite, “our way or the highway”.  

As it turns out, what Republicans want by compromise is an illusion. Once in charge, they ask for 100% of what they want and expect democrats to settle for all or part of that 100%. By nature, Democrats are willing to compromise. If they have any power over Democrats at all to do so, Republicans take advantage of that willingness. This was the tragedy of the congress as it was for the past several years and is worse now that they have control of the Senate. In general, people seem not to understand this is the means that the radical elements of that party use the entire party structure in this way, and always get some of what they want no matter how destructive it might be. They want much the American people do not want. For example, the people want jobs but do not want to openly trash our common environment to increase profits and deregulate all business to allow them to cheat the consumers to make money, money, and more money.

We know what the outcome of this type of Republican policy. George W. Bush is still fresh in our minds; he allowed the right wing radicals to trash environment and in addition, they trashed the entire economy. Everyone knows that the “Republican disaster”  started with Ronald Reagan (see on this web site: Reagan; Someone Else’s Hero) and resulted in marked income disparity, low wages, and widespread government corruption, in other words they followed a third world economic model and, surprise of all surprises, got exactly what they wanted to accomplish. If you ask a common “on the street” Republican—that is ask the precise people who voted Republican—if that is what they want, they will say absolutely not. What is going on? How can it be that members of the party do not want what they so hard to accomplish? I found a few clues by looking at the biography of McMorris Rodgers.

McMorris Rodgers is a woman and mother, of a challenged child, as a Republican she, like her Party, is clearly an enigma. She is a member of a political party that historically treated women as not being equal to men and in many ways still treats them as subservient. This unequal treatment is not so subtle that she could miss it—reproductive rights, women health care clinics, the place women place in the party, etc, which means she is a token in the “grand old party” just as much as Mia Love, the first black Republican women elected to congress and knows it. Mia Love, a Haitian American, represents Utah, one of the most republican states in the nation. She is one of the very people who Republicans tried to block from immigrating. There is nothing about them that smacks of Republicanism; why are these two women Republicans? When radical right wing Republicans elect someone such as this, they not do it because they like her; they do it because they think it will do them some good just as they made McMorris Rodgers, as rare woman in the House of Representatives they made her House Republican Conference Leader; it has to be all show.

McMorris Rodgers is the mother of a Downs syndrome child and worked hard to pass the “Able Act”. There is a direct connection between these two things; however, the legislation is diametrically opposed to Republican philosophy of less government. The ABLE Act would amend Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986 to create tax-free savings accounts for individuals with disabilities. In other words, it is a social program designed so the government can help people. Specifically, it helps her child. Does that mean she would vote to help others? Would she vote for food stamps to help other; it would be out of the question for a Republican for food stamps?

Clearly, her gender and her socialism is being tolerated and she does not see herself as being used by the radical elements of that party to further their agenda. Does it surprise anyone that the people who direct the radical element of the Republican Party are not elected nor are they in Washington? Like McMorris Rodgers, do not expect this outside force to do anything to help anyone other then themselves, which is what makes them Republicans.   

URL: firetreepub.blogspot.com Comments Invited and not moderated