Laugh if you will; this headline is not a joke, or a spoof, or a Borowitz headline from New Yorker Magazine. Let me explain: We already know that organized terrorist groups originate almost exclusively in the Middle East and in Africa. We also know that many countries in these regions offer fertile soil for the germination of entities whose goal is not to advocate but to destroy. For such groups to grow and prosper requires a great deal of discontent and hopelessness, as well as high rates of unemployment among specific groups of the citizenry. It's not a coincidence that such countries also share many characteristics, including a weak and/or authoritarian central government in which a wealthy and powerful clique provides whatever governance is available, a caste system (either prescribed, or a shadow system, such as the one we have in this country) for the vast majority of citizens based on race, ethnicity and immigration status, and a small or non-existent "middle class".
To see how the Republican plan for the United (Really?) States fits into this model of governence, please continue below the fold.
If one looks at Republican choices for President, we see a distinct pattern. (Yes, there is a pattern for Democratic choices as well, but those are not the choices threatening our country and the world today.) Republicans like strong, forceful, leaders. Leaders with opinions that don't change (don't confuse me with facts, my mind's made up). Leaders who project fearlessness and leadership (We'll bomb them into history). And, of course, leaders who profess to love (a Christian) God, Family, and Country. These leaders are sure of themselves (they know for a fact that the cow jumped over the moon because they and Bill O'Reilly were there) and their self-assurance is reassuring to people who seek a strong leader who will tell them what to think or believe by telling them what they already think and believe.
There is a very good reason why Christian conservatives tend to be almost exclusively Republican: They have a strong need for guidance from figures in authority, from God, from political leaders, and will flock to someone who has answers they themselves are seeking. Unfortunately, as an excellent post (Ten reasons to vote Republican) has pointed out, most of what these people want is the freedom to tell others what they can and can't do, feel or think.