Going to the mat...

The Republican party is out of touch with America. Sure, they sell their product well, manipulate well, and scare well - and that wins them lots of elections. But that does not mean that as a party they care about the things America cares for.

This morning, as I'm getting ready for work, I'm listening to this NPR story about how Republicans are taking forward legislation to strip all responsibility for inventory management, etc., from gun dealers. They interview Republican lawmakers about how important this is, and how they are going to fight for this roll-back of control over gun dealers. (FYI - this is not an issue of suing manufacturers of guns...this is about asking gun dealers to take close control over their inventory, and if they "lose" large quantities of guns, they can be held responsible - this is simply about gun dealers complying with laws on the books.)

That got me thinking about just how out of touch the Republican party is. Sure, I understand that gun rights are very important to a significant portion of the public, and a more significant bloc of conservative voters. That's not the issue here though - this has nothing to do with the right to buy, own, or use a weapon. And yet, this is the sort of an issue that the Republicans are willing to go to the mat on - fight it out tooth and nail.

So, then I start thinking about what issues the Republicans have been willing to go to the mat on over the last six years...and the list is not exactly America friendly:
~Tax cuts for the wealthiest echelon
~Elimination of taxes on dividends
~A partial-birth abortion ban which was stayed less than an hour after being passed
~Constitutional amendment to ban flag burning
~Giving police the power to search library records
~Keeping police from tracking domestic gun sales to terrorists
~Protecting global energy companies from liability for the MTBE pollutants they dump
~Etc.

So, while we've been at war, while the economy has attempted to recover from recession, while there have been serious questions about domestic safety - these are the things that the Republican party has been willing to fight for...not things that help average Americans like you or me, but things that help their base - the wealthy elite, deep pocketed special-interest groups, and large global corporations. It is almost unbelievable that a political party with this as their record over six years can maintain such a stranglehold on power. It is an absolute tribute to their marketing (read: fear-mongering) prowess.

The Republican party does not stand for America...at least not for 98.5% of America. They do, however, manage to fool 50% of America. And that's all it takes to stay in power...