Admitting defeat, House Speaker, John Boehner, summarized it this way: “We fought the good fight. We just didn’t win.” This is very telling. How so?
First, it conveys the fact that he and the extremist minority rightwing group within the Republican Party (Tea Party, et. el.) see themselves as morally superior to all their opponents. This phrase, “I have fought the good fight…,” is from the New Testament, found in the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:7). In other words, they see themselves as fighting a moral cause.
Believing that they are entrenched in a moral battle, they have little or no interest in actually negotiating with their opponents. For them, it is an all-out battle against the forces of darkness, goodness verses evil. Furthermore, as such, they see themselves not as one of two opposing but legitimate parties, that is, two opposing sides that still have a unified foundation with a unified overarching purpose and set of values; rather, they believe themselves to be the only true and legitimate side for all America.
Thus, totally one sided, they attack the other party as if it has no legitimacy to exist at all, wanting to annihilate, nullify and make void, anything and everything their opponents aim at and hope to accomplish. For them, this is what it means to be in a moral battle against their opponents, taking their so-called good fight towards total victory and total repudiation of their enemy—no compromising ever!
Secondly, it conveys the fact that they approach the political negotiating table in terms of war. For them, it’s always: “This means war!” A warlike mentality presumes that there is to be only one victor; therefore, combatants must aim to win at all cost. Furthermore, engaging in war is always for total victory, that is, total control: winners take all! And losers are to lose everything. Indeed, this very attitude was reflected in Boehner’s willingness to drive the whole country off the economic cliff vis-à-vis the government shutdown; and, on top of that, to also threaten to refuse raising the Debt Ceiling as well.
Thirdly, it sadly reflects a presumptuous attitude that they actually believe themselves to be speaking for, and taking action in behalf of, and protecting the concerns of, the majority of Americans. Or worse, knowing that they are an extreme minority group, they still aim to control all of America with their own narrow ideology, despite their minority status.
That being the case, it shows that they are sorely out of touch with contemporary America as a whole. Fighting this so-called good fight of theirs, they arrogantly and presumptuously sacrificed many average Americans and their precious paychecks, apparently caring very little for the harmful collateral damage done to many vulnerable American citizens. Which says that they really only care about themselves and their own precious agenda.
Summing them up:
First, they are absolutist in their attitude; having an all or nothing attitude, they take action accordingly and sweepingly denounce everyone that does not line up with their agenda. As we’ve seen, they are even willing to hold the whole country hostage in order to get their way and only their way.
Secondly, they are militant in their political spirit and approach, believing that it’s an all-out fight for absolute and total control—take no captives. This prevents them from seriously engaging in real negotiations, in the true sense of the word.
Thirdly, they are purists in their belief. They think of themselves as elite, morally superior, and high and mighty, compared to everyone else, especially as compared to their opponents.
And finally they are exclusivists. Theirs is the only true way, the only real party of value and worth, and the only ideal for the American way. This is what makes them both obnoxious as well as dangerous to the rest of America—whether left, left of center, center, right of center, or normal right.
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