Kevin Philips, the author of the new book, American Theocracy, said something on Lou Dobbs last night that has been running through my internal combustion thought engine for months.

To paraphrase, he argues that the reason the new Republicans don't care about balancing budgets is that the Return of the Messiah is coming. The Rapture is on the horizon.

When George Bush says that his generation probably won't be able to judge the Iraq invasion a success or not, he's speaking in code to his base: we're cleansing the infidels, but soon the rest will get theirs. Dick Cheney says that debt doesn't matter. Of course it doesn't, as there will be no money in the coming Kingdom. All the new Republicans are doing is returning to Jesus's original message: The end is near.

Is Philips full of it or on to something?

He's very on to something.

Here's what I pray for.

I'm praying for 2008 when the next democratic pres gets elected, fixes all the current fuckups and then gets blamed for the fuckups because he makes life 'harder' by *gasp* raising taxes a lot for the rich and a little bit for the rest of us. Then he will help the country figure out that we fucking lost Iraq and he will be anti-american and unpatriotic enough to bring the troops home from that fool's errand.

Then he will be promptly replaced in 2012 by a Republican who will ruin everything again for another eight years.

I've had enough of these idiots.

Sock OR Muffin? wrote:Here's what I pray for.

I'm praying for 2008 when the next democratic pres gets elected, fixes all the current fuckups and then gets blamed for the fuckups because he makes life 'harder' by *gasp* raising taxes a lot for the rich and a little bit for the rest of us. Then he will help the country figure out that we fucking lost Iraq and he will be anti-american and unpatriotic enough to bring the troops home from that fool's errand.

This would certainly be a nice scenario, but I think you are dreaming. No one president (Democrat or Republican) is going to come in and wave their magic hand and fix everything that ills this country. IMO, most of the problems we have in this country are because of greed and the contempt most politicians have for you and I. Both sides bow to special interest groups and nothing will really change until that does.

dabrasha wrote:Kevin Philips, the author of the new book, American Theocracy, said something on Lou Dobbs last night that has been running through my internal combustion thought engine for months.

To paraphrase, he argues that the reason the new Republicans don't care about balancing budgets is that the Return of the Messiah is coming. The Rapture is on the horizon.

When George Bush says that his generation probably won't be able to judge the Iraq invasion a success or not, he's speaking in code to his base: we're cleansing the infidels, but soon the rest will get theirs. Dick Cheney says that debt doesn't matter. Of course it doesn't, as there will be no money in the coming Kingdom. All the new Republicans are doing is returning to Jesus's original message: The end is near.

Is Philips full of it or on to something?

It may be fun to say, and of course it's a riot to poke fun at the Churchies, but using that as a serious explanation as to why we are at war/in debt/etc. is kind of silly I think.

It's far more simple. It's about greed, it's about lack of caring....same as it always is.

sunset_gun wrote:
This would certainly be a nice scenerio, but I think you are dreaming. No one president (Democrat or Republican) is going to come in and wave their magic hand and fix everything that ills this country. IMO, most of the problems we have in this country are becasue of greed and the contempt most politicans have for you and I. Both sides bow to special interest groups and nothing will really change until that does.

Yeah I know. Just daydreaming over here. So does this mean I can go max the credit cards? Fuck it all!

the rapture? code? i guess it's possible, da vinci styyyle

dabrasha wrote:When George Bush says that his generation probably won't be able to judge the Iraq invasion a success or not, he's speaking in code to his base: we're cleansing the infidels, but soon the rest will get theirs. Dick Cheney says that debt doesn't matter. Of course it doesn't, as there will be no money in the coming Kingdom. All the new Republicans are doing is returning to Jesus's original message: The end is near.

Is Philips full of it or on to something?

I like the general idea of this, but there are a couple points I see differently:

To paraphrase, he argues that the reason the new Republicans don't care about balancing budgets is that the Return of the Messiah is coming. The Rapture is on the horizon.

If you're talking about Republican voters, then I could see more logic in this. Unlike the voters, however, I don't think that many of the Republicans wielding power are such a bunch of godboys with the exception of Bush Jr. himself. And it's hardly a secret that he's not really the one running the show here, right? The real god for the Republican oligarchy is money, and they want to cut themselves off a nice slice while they have the chance. Dick Cheney's behavior demonstrates this well.

Bush is kind of an aberration among Republicans, in that he brings his radical religious point of view to the forefront, taking precedence even over his love of money. That is pretty unique among the Republican administrations I've seen in my lifetime. His father didn't do that, and neither did Reagan. This theocracy we are witnissing at the moment is more likely the result of a freak occurrence, at least I like to hope so.

but the base has shifted toward radical apocalypticism- look at the rabid desire for Tim Lahaye's series- I mean, the End Times mentality has always been there, but there is a recklessness about spending with this new breed- at least with taxpayer money- that transcends the Reagan era debt-builders, appalls true Conservatives (note George Will's weekly conniptions) and delights the Rapture squad. It ain't the driving motivation to piss money away, but it informs the lack of dissent within the ranks

dtboy wrote:it informs the lack of dissent within the ranks

That's the key. The statements alluded to by Philips/dabrasha in the original post fit very nicely into the concept of "judgment by a greater power" that has been used time and time again to wave Repubs into office. But much of the conservative leadership (wackjob in the Oval Office excluded) and policy-wonk community is secular.

The idea that this is intentionally being exploited re: deficits, I think, is somewhat preposterous. The current conservative strategy doesn't include making religious appeals to counter voter concerns on deficits, because voter concerns are tied up with telling people who to fuck, which children to birth where and when, etc.

"Deficits don't matter"-Dick Cheney.