I’ve been pondering, now and then, what might be going on with the mental processes of Minnesota legislative GOPers, in the wake of their shutdown of many state government services. The following is not meant to be definitive, by any means.
Objective, rational people (ORP): Balancing the budget by brutal cuts to programs for the most vulnerable, many of whom contributed to the betterment of society throughout their working lives, in order to protect tax code welfare-for-the-wealthy at any cost, is unthinkable (not to mention distinctly un-Christian, by any reasonable standard). That’s why strong majorities, often better than two-to-one, in poll after poll, year after year, support tax increases on society’s most privileged, pampered members. These idiot Republicans need to get it together, and do something right, for a change.
Minnesota legislative Republicans (MLR): We have a mandate, representing a “silent majority,” so silent that there’s no sign of them in all of those polls. Moreover, everyone knows that “living within our means” will lead to an unprecedented economic explosion of endless wealth for all. On that happy day, the evil liberals will have to admit that they were so wrong, as the state turns into a conservative stalwart. Like the promised land, Texas.
ORP: We recognize that the cooperative efforts of government, divorced from the profit motive, are essential to maintaining a good quality of life. Including (in fact, more than average) for those who aren’t very bright, i.e. right-wing conservatives…and it’s too bad that they don’t have the guts to face the facts. The last 30+ years nationally, and 10+ in Minnesota, have been conclusively indicative of the failure of handouts-for-the-haves policy. Read The Shock Doctrine, for crying out loud.
MLR: People understand that government is downright, intrinsically evil (except the part that we GOPers comprise). In fact, liberals and Big Government are the whole reason that our lives aren’t perpetual bliss. And everybody knows that the glorious free market will provide services far beyond anything the government can possibly manage, if only the liberal obstructionists would let it work.
ORP: Individual freedoms of association, petition for redress of grievances, reproductive choice, marital choice, electoral enfranchisement, and a whole lot of others, are extremely important to us, and they’re not bargaining chips.
MLR: The only freedom that matters is that of the rich man to get a lot richer. You filthy hippies can go hug a tree, or whatever it is that you perverts do.
ORP: Reality is what our senses detect, processed through rational analysis.
MLR: Reality is whatever meets two, and only two, criteria. It has to be simple enough for us to effortlessly comprehend, and it has to be what we find to be emotionally pleasing. Your “facts” are meaningless.
I could go on, pretty much indefinitely, but if you’ve read this far, first of all, thank you, and second of all, you get the point. The vast majority of Minnesotans are certainly not as witless and fantasy-prone as, say, (legislative GOPers) Mike Parry, or Scott Newman. Not even close. But, part of the righties’ mass delusion, is that they really are backed by the aforementioned “silent majority.” It’s a self-reinforcing downward spiral, of sorts.
(Cross-posted from MN Progressive Project, where my username is dan.burns.)