When All They Understand Is Fear or Force

[rodeodance]

http://agonist.org /

When All They Understand Is Fear or Force

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It's been a sad, sad spectacle to watch Republicans beating Democrats bloody in Congress - in both the House and the Senate, but most especially in the Senate. In the last two months Congressional approval numbers have dropped from from 48% amongst Democrats to 27% and almost no bills have been passed. The most significant bill to pass was the supplemental, which by itself caused a 10% drop in Democrats ratings in a single week - a huge down draft.

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Republicans, as Krugman has observed, are a revolutionary power. They do not accept the legitimacy of the bipartisan non-parliamentary form of government that ruled the US for most of the post-war period. They do not accept that all three branches of government are co-equal. They do not believe that everyone has to obey the law. They are in Washington to get what they want, and if they can't get it they will bring the entire machine to a shreeking halt.

The Republicans in general, and the Bush administration in particular really have only strategy - they always, always, give the other side nothing of any significance. They never cooperate, they never admit a lie, they never back down unless forced to do so. They understand only the most primal of motivations - fear and force. If you can't force them to do something; if you can't make them fear the consequences of not doing something, they won't do it.

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