Republicans - The Modern Kauravas

David Brooks writes in the NY Times today (July 5, 2011) that "the Republican Party may no longer be a normal party. Over the past few years, it has been infected by a faction that is more of a psychological protest than a practical, governing alternative. The members of this movement do not accept the logic of compromise, no matter how sweet the terms. If you ask them to raise taxes by an inch in order to cut government by a foot, they will say no. If you ask them to raise taxes by an inch to cut government by a yard, they will still say no".

He goes on to add that "If the debt ceiling talks fail, independents voters will see that Democrats were willing to compromise but Republicans were not. If responsible Republicans don’t take control, independents will conclude that Republican fanaticism caused this default. They will conclude that Republicans are not fit to govern. And they will be right."

Reminds me of Mahabharatha, the great Indian Epic. When The Pandavas return from their 12 year exile, the Kauravas refuse to hand over their legitimate half of the kingdom. Anxious to avoid hostilities, Yudhistra, the eldest of the Pandavas asks for just 5 villages, one for each of the Pandava brothers. To which, Duryodana, The Kaurava prince replies "I will not give even a piece of land that you can stick a pin on". Not surprisingly, war ensued and all the Kauravas perished but not without a huge carnage in which thousands died.

That, my friends, is what modern day Republicans are all about. However much President Obama and Democrats are willing to find a common ground, they will not budge an inch. Their idea of bipartsanship is taking everything and giving nothing. Their idea of politics is to stick blindly to their ideology but blame the other side of being rigid. They do not believe in proven facts but in creating 'truthism' that backs their rhetoric. They wilfully ignore the fact that it was the greedy financial institutions that caused the economic collapse and have come openly against the financial reform, particularly the consumer protection bureau (which would have gone a long way in avoiding or minimizing the mortgage crisis). They ignore the 4 trillion deficit that Bush added to the federal budget and the 27 times that the debt ceiling was raised during that same time. They ignore the tax cuts and the two wars that were never paid for, but insist that spending on education be balanced by a matching cut elsewhere. They profess that they speak on behalf of the people of this country while at the same time destroying the fabric of this nation by refusing to fund its infrastructure, education and scientific research. They repeat ad nauseum that we cannot tax those who (supposedly) create jobs while all the evidence points to the contrary. Businesses are reaping all the profits from the increase in productivity and the tax benefits and pay themselves massive bonuses while not doing anything to create the jobs. They have discarded all attempts at even mildly disguising their true motives. This is a party that has been hijacked by zealots and I sincerely hope the American people will wake up and see them for what they have truly become.