I appreciate AnnArborBlue's message about not allowing ourselves to become psyched out, cowed, or God forbid, defeatist about whatever the GOP is cooking up re: the upcoming elections. That is absolutely right-on. The best thing we can do is show up in overwhelming numbers and monitor the damn things. And wear blue!
But let's not fool ourselves. These guys ARE good at what they do. And what they do is murder, torture, cheat, steal, deceive, confuse, destroy, blackmail, bribe, false- flag, manipulate, threaten, rig, and above all, create chaos. And they have a lot of money with which to buy the most Machiavellian brains and the weakest minds and consciences.
It is dangerous to not assume that these guys will pull everything we can imagine and several things we can't. We need to be more ready for them than we have ever been. Not because they are more "brilliant" than we are. But because they are more ruthless than we are. Hitler couldn't make it into art school, but he managed to murder thousands of intellectuals far smarter than himself.
I am really tired of hearing people say this administration is "incompetent." These guys are NOT incompetent. They are only incompetent at things WE care about. Their Katrina performance reflects simply the fact that they don't give a crap about poor people. They only care about another opportunity to steal and route cash to their bedfellows.
The war in Iraq is not going badly for mercenaries, weapons makers, and oilmen. And that's who this administration is composed of. The more war, the more opportunity to pilfer. The more chance for billions to "disappear." The more opportunity to seize power and deny civil rights. The more opportunity to torture. The more they have an excuse to contract more concentration camps with Halliburton. The more opportunity to pay mercenary-buddies three, four, five, or ten times as much as a soldier makes.
Some liberal intellectuals can't STAND the idea that they might have been outmaneuvered. That is why so many are so vulnerable to being bamboozled. Actually, the Republicans aren't that brilliant. The shit they pull is older than the hills. The mob wasn't "brilliant" to infiltrate the Chicago police. But it was sure tough to stop them, once the guys collecting evidence and prosecuting the crimes WERE the criminals. The mafia wasn't "brilliant" to threaten and intimidate witnesses. But it sure made it tough to get a case against them. A poker player who cheats isn't "brilliant." But when he owns the pit boss, he will "win" every time. A David Copperfield can pull off all kinds of stunning-looking feats. But remember, nothing is magic to the magician. To the magician, it's all sleight of hand and diversion. Often, a series of very simple tricks that don't take "brilliance." Just a little imagination a big dose of cluelessness on the part of onlookers.
The Republicans are vicious, desperate, and they have almost limitless resources. Not only the money of greedy K-Street Project corporations who want their tax breaks, and the tax-exempt money of stupid right-wing Christians who want a king on earth as well as in heaven. No, they have our tax money at their disposal too. And they answer to no one, because they control every branch of government, and they have dozens of Secretaries of State (those who run elections) in their pockets.
Whatever you do, don't underestimate these bastards by thinking they "aren't that brilliant." They aren't brilliant. But it does not take brilliance to rob a populace of its rights, its elections, and its information. It just takes a populace who thinks it couldn't happen.