The pack of feral cats known has the Freedom Caucus has rendered the GOP into a Children’s Treasury of political psychopathology, which generally would be greatly entertaining were it not destroying our government’s ability to govern itself.
Without going into the GOP’s 30-year de-evolutionary descent toward becoming an example of the enlightenments backwash, I will point out that Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell have become equal parts GOP tour guide and pre-candidate checklist. Note that this didn’t start with Donald Trump’s candidacy but rather it made his improbable showing possible. Now we are treated to the embodiment of the Republican id as it goes full on Hannibal Lecter, sans any impulse control, in our national politics.
It has come to the point that the position of Speaker of the House, second in order of succession to the presidency, and the only job the Republicans have created, remains unfilled since John Boehner decided he rather go home and be the great pumpkin. It should be telling that within the largest collection of power hungry political egos in the country no one wants the job.
Meanwhile, out on the campaign trail, a sitting senator, Ted Cruz (R-Insane) is quietly stirring up the basement fantasies of the god bothering, gun fondling, tree of liberty waterers. From Ed Kilgore of The Washington Monthly.
“We’re seeing our freedoms taken away every day and last night was an audition for who would wear the jackboot most vigorously. Last night was an audition for who would embrace government power for who would strip your and my individual liberties,” he said.
“The 2nd Amendment to the Constitution isn’t for just protecting hunting rights, and it’s not only to safeguard your right to target practice. It is a Constitutional right to protect your children, your family, your home, our lives, and to serve as the ultimate check against governmental tyranny — for the protection of liberty,” Cruz wrote to supporters in a fundraising email on Thursday, under the subject line “2nd Amendment against tyranny.”
Sounds like inciting an armed insurrection against the federal government has become a campaign talking point. If any of Cruz’s true believers decides to heed the voices in their head because they thought Ted said they needed to, well then, this won’t end well for any of us.
