I agree that the two major political parties are, more or less, “two sides of the same coin”. I’m aware that the bases of both parties are apt to exaggerate the importance of their preferred issues. I believe that the two-party system is a byproduct of thought reduction and profit potential.
Frankly, I don’t care about any of that.
I consider myself both nihilist and existentialist. I have full knowledge that meaning manifests from within and that meaning from without is forcibly injected and robs an individual of his agency. But at this stage of my life, if I am mentally and physically prepared to create life, I must be equally willing to create meaning.
And the fairest way to create meaning for another is to remove from daily life those forces that seek to strip all of humanity of independence, reason, accountability, and dignity. Even if my action, voting Obama, is ultimately a symbolic gesture, influence is won through argument informed by intelligence and experience. Apathy attracts no one.
These soul-stifling forces represent a pernicious infection that has rotted the already decomposing core of the Republican party. Off the top of my head, there are four:
- The first force is American exceptionalism. In short, American exceptionalism is the belief that, because American intention is fundamentally good and part of God’s destiny for all, all any action taken on behalf of America is fundamentally good. Incidentally, this sort of exceptionalism is, by and large, not unique to America. This pernicious belief facilitates, perpetuates, and expands economic and battlefield warfare. Though by nature of the position Obama may make the same decisions as McCain, Obama at least acknowledges that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
- The second force is Christian Dominionism. Seeing the world through us-verses-them lenses, Dominionists intend to take over all federal and societal institutions. They received a huge boost from Bush II: In exchange for access, the fundamentalists who beat the Dominionist drums, Jerry Falwell, James Dobson, Pat Robertson, and Tony Perkins, convinced their flocks to forgive and forget the atrocities committed in the name of American exceptionalism. Their march will continue unabated during a McCain presidency.
- The third force is anti-intellectualism. What began as resentment towards the liberal-bourgeoisie and the effete elite inevitably became a lifestyle of anti-intellectualism championed by the populist vein of the McCain platform and the fervid proletarian right. This is evidenced by the absurd promotion of the “Joe the Plumber” stereotype and a vice-presidential candidate who, in all probability, has read neither an essay nor an article pertaining to the First Amendment since high school.
- The fourth force is the easy production of manufactured and contradictory character assassinations. The blog, The Toot, cleverly summarizes the charges leveled against Obama: “Obama is a Marxist Muslim Arab Jesus Black White Terrorist Technocrat Racist Do-Gooder Liberal FDR Stalin Hilter Commie Fascist Gay Womanizing Naive Cynical Insider Noob Boring Radical Unaccomplished Elite Slick Gaffe-Prone Pedophile Pedophile-Seducing Liberation Theology Atheist Etc. & Anti-Etc. with a bunch of scary friends from – wait for it! – the Nineteen Hundred And Sixties.” Also, “a chicken shit”. I am under no illusion that an Obama presidency will put an end to as ad hominem fallacy; I believe that, when confronted by an abundance of absurd accusations, future candidates will be able to defend themselves with a reference to the Obama success.
