- Way back in the 1950's when I first tasted politics and
journalism,
- Republicans briefly controlled the White House and Congress.
With the
- exception of Joseph McCarthy and his vicious ilk, they
were a reasonable
- lot, presided over by that giant war hero, Dwight Eisenhower,
who was
- conservative by temperament and moderate in the use of
power.
-
- That brand of Republican is gone. And for the first time
in the memory of
- anyone alive, the entire federal government " the
Congress, the
- Executive, the Judiciary " is united behind a right-wing
agenda for which
- George W. Bush believes he now has a mandate.
-
- That mandate includes the power of the state to force
pregnant women to
- give up control over their own lives.
-
- It includes using the taxing power to transfer wealth
from working people
- to the rich.
-
- It includes giving corporations a free hand to eviscerate
the environment
- and control the regulatory agencies meant to hold them
accountable.
-
- And it includes secrecy on a scale you cannot imagine.
Above all, it
- means judges with a political agenda appointed for life.
If you liked the
- Supreme Court that put George W. Bush in the White House,
you will swoon
- over what's coming.
-
- And if you like God in government, get ready for the
Rapture. These folks
- don't even mind you referring to the GOP as the party
of God. Why else
- would the new House Majority Leader say that the Almighty
is using him to
- promote 'a Biblical worldview' in American politics?
-
- So it is a heady time in Washington " a heady time
for piety, profits,
- and military power, all joined at the hip by ideology
and money.
-
- Don't forget the money. It came pouring into this election,
to both
- parties, from corporate America and others who expect
the payback.
- Republicans outraised democrats by $184 million dollars.
And came up with
- the big prize " monopoly control of the American
government, and the
- power of the state to turn their ideology into the law
of the land. Quite
- a bargain at any price.
-
- That's it for this week.
-
- For NOW, I'm Bill Moyers.
-
- © Public Affairs Television. All rights reserved.
-
- http://www.pbs.org/now/commentary/moyers15.html
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