Do we have three major political parties at this point in history? Or one and a half? Or one and splinters?
That’s the burning question. We know that democracy is contingent upon a two party system. When we had two functioning political parties, Republican and Democratic, we did alright.
But now we have what? MAGA and Democrats? MAGA, Old School GOP and Democrats? What? One thing is certain, the Republican extremists are very bad news. They’re not Republicans — in the sense of Eisenhower, Reagan, all that —Â and they’re not Americans. They’re something else.
This is not your father’s Republican Party. pic.twitter.com/00twJicOdb
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 22, 2022
For once Gaetz has told the truth, don’t expect any kumbaya moments in the House, regardless of who wins what seats.
We know what’s at stake in the days ahead.
Reading this I am haunted by the ghost of physicist Leo Szilard. His name is unfamiliar to most, but he is the one who conceived the idea of a nuclear chain reaction back in 1933. He assigned the patent to the British War office. When he became convinced war was inevitable he moved to the U.S., where his interest in things nuclear continued. In 1938 he teamed up with a colleague from Columbia University, and at the cost of $2000 they raised themselves (quite a sum in those days, especially for a couple of obscure academics!) set up an experiment. At first nothing registered on the oscilloscope, then they realized it wasn’t plugged in! So they tried again and sure enough saw the flashes on the screen proving that uranium could in fact be stimulated in a manner that in theory could lead to an actual chain reaction.
That night, Szilard felt not triumph but concern, writing his belief that the world was headed for grief. Sure enough he was right.
That’s the feeling I too often get these days from the chain-reaction of actual and willful human stupidity that spread through and by the GOP and its ever increasingly batshit insane supporters and certain GOP leaders.
I totally agree – the feeling of doom is strong. The feeling of exasperation at how can all these people be so screwed up in their heads that they actually think trump is who they should follow? The man is a 6ft-something empty-headed bloviator, and all of this has been entirely to boost his own financial situation any way that works. If he had thought Communism would have been the way to go for even greater wealth for HIM then that is where we would be headed right now. I’m an immigrant in the US from UK, and now have a very strong desire to get out of here, but too far entrenched to easily do that else I would be gone. However UK is getting dodgy too – the madness seems to be spreading & I believe is putin’s doing.