The great unraveling

Submitted by James on

It would be a mistake to say we have "given" Republicans all the rope they want. Truth be told, they have taken it, pure and simple. In their reckless lust for power, they have crossed every boundary of decency and fairness. In pursuit of domination, they have thrown aside integrity, local control, and personal freedom. They have behaved like bulls in a china shop, stomping adversaries into oblivion, just because they could.

Along the way, the citizens of America and North Carolina have seen the face of hate, up close and personal. In the warm embrace of Pat McCrory and Richard Burr, Donald Trump has risen like scum to the surface of a fetid pond. They are all cut from the same ugly cloth, all willing to sacrifice the many in favor of the few. Make no mistake, their next million is more important than your health and well-being.

Far from distancing himself from Trump, as other senators up for re-election this year have tried to do, Burr compared himself favorably to the New York real estate mogul. “He’s a very nontraditional candidate, and he’s run a very nontraditional campaign. Most in Washington would probably say that describes me to a T. And so I can associate with Donald Trump very well," Burr said.

The combination of the GOP's moral depravity and incompetence has set the stage for a great unraveling, a shift in consciousness that is already underway. In the courts and on the streets. People are quietly waking up to their rapacious greed, rejecting it as unfit for the American dream. People are recognizing that we are all in this together, and that government can and should play a role in leveling the playing field and protecting personal freedom. The verdict is in. The path to prosperity is blue.

I figured it would take years for Republican overreach to catch up with them. I was wrong. It is already happening. The tide is rising and the ground is shifting. We are going to win this.

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Comments

Burr is so egotistical

Submitted by scharrison on

The only "non-traditional" approach to politics he can point to is driving a VW Thing around in DC. Aside from that, he's just as corrupt and two-faced as the worst of them.

Plus, he doesn't wear socks

Submitted by James on

And brags about it, like it's worthy of note. I'll be so glad when Deb Ross kicks his ass into next week.

Some people need to be pegged

Submitted by jlgolden on

As a mental health counselor I'm loath to peg someone with an Axis II personality disorder. I avoid it if I can. Such diagnoses can become labels that diminish and demean. But for some people, I have to admit that these definitional descriptors are apt.

(1) grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)

(2) preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

(3) believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)

(4) requires excessive admiration

(5) has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations

(6) is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends

(7) lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others

(8) is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her

(9) shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

Those are the DSM-IV criteria for Axis II narcissistic personality disorder. (While the DSM-V retains the disorder, it no only uses a multi-axial diagnostic system.) Five or more of these criteria are needed for a diagnosis. I'd say that more than a few of our state Republican leaders—and certainly their presidential nominee—would hit at least five ... and probably more.

The frustrating thing about such people is that you really can't reason with them, they are incapable of seeing another point of view other than their own. They crave attention and power. And they leave a wake of destruction and brokenness in their path. (They rarely end up in therapy because, well, most of us therapists simply aren't "special" enough to understand them. Personally I don't mind that ... I'd rather not deal with them. It's usually their spouses or their children that we see.)

Best remedy? Educate the populace, and vote.

It fits.

Submitted by scharrison on

And you're right, there are several GOP lawmakers who exhibit at least some of those behaviors.

I'm beginning to suspect that

Submitted by Vicki Boyer on

I'm beginning to suspect that the ‪#‎Koch‬ bros. decades of taking over state legislatures and gerrymandering districts to favor the GOP is about to bite them in their butts. Some districts have become so conservative that voters are going for Trump, and turning away from their traditional local rep to someone even more conservative. Paul Ryan could lose his seat. John McCain is under attack. If Trump goes down to a big loss, he could take the entire Koch/ALEC infrastructure down with him.

There is ultimately a price for putting party above country. Those endorsing Trump have sold their souls to the devil.