Donald Trump caught the imagination of Americans who felt that the "other" was overtaking and replacing them. He didn't invent, however, the exaggerated characterization of liberals as whiny "snowflakes" who get offended at anything and everything, the credit for that goes to Rush Limbaugh and his fellow "conservative" media personalities. Trump merely introduced it into everyday political discourse. He was so successful at this approach that it became a hallmark of his presidency. I first noticed the poisonous turn of conversation on Twitter. That social media platform is a bit rough and tumble to start with, but the taunting and insults as kind of shocking. Before long it became normal. Other Republicans, emboldened by Trump's success, began to imitate his approach. Even after his loss in the 2020 election (yes, damn it, he LOST) Republican candidates and elected officials imitated the strategy of doing nothing other than mocking and taunting liberal Democrats.
The tactic of mindlessly obstructing anything a Democrat proposes in order to deny them a "win" wasn't new to the Trump era. Senator Mitch McConnell, during the Obama administration, used his position to block virtually everything that President Obama proposed, including a Supreme Court nomination. During Obama's first two years the Democrats held a commanding majority in the House and a filibuster-proof 60 seats in the Senate - which was the only reason the PPACA got passed. Once the Senate majority shrunk he was able, by unprecedented use of the filibuster, to frustrate any attempt for the Democrats to get anything done, even though they still possessed majorities in both houses of Congress as well as the presidency. Once the Republicans gained the majority he successfully blocked most of President Obama's judicial nominations. During Trump's final two years, when the Democrats retook the House majority, he refused to even bring to a vote in the Senate hundreds of bills passed by the House.
What's happening now goes well beyond that.
While old school politicians like McConnell are still playing the long game, many of the newer members of the House and Senate seem content to refrain from legislating and act like media personalities, holding press conferences and issuing statements that are empty of any substance other than insults to Democratic politicians and voters. Liberals aren't the snowflakes that conservatives think that they are. They don't sniffle and whine when things don't go their way, but don't shy away from pointing out hateful and harmful actions and speech. However, a lot of Republican voters think they are, and cheer on the do-nothing Republicans whose whole platform seems to be to "own the libs", no matter what. Even the rare policy of legislative proposal isn't aimed at helping Americans, but rather at dismantling programs that liberals like, simply because liberals like them. Hey, if liberals are for something, it must be communism, right?
Unlike some, I don't blame the politicians. I blame us, at least the "us" that craves the entertainment that "owning the libs" provides. The great majority of voters are just too stupid, or perhaps just too lazy, to understand the complexities and nuances of public policy. It's easier to boil it down to "it's socialism" than to take the time to understand the pros and cons, as well as the possible benefits and consequences. It's easier to cheer on a Republican Member of Congress who calls a Muslim House member a jihadist than to research the Muslim House member's policy positions. The circus-like antics of today's Republicans continue because they work.
I don't anticipate it getting any better...there's just too many stupid voters.
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