We need 21st century leaders. Why the Republican party is doomed for failure.
/Things do not look very good today.
Greece is a financial mess, China is a bigger financial problem that few people are talking about. The United States is doing nothing to fight exploding student debt, stagnant wages, and out of control health care costs. The world's population is getting older, and many of the baby boomers are not leaving the work force. The workers of generation x and the millennials are finding it more difficult to grow in their jobs and make more money. Home values do not appreciate at the rate they would 20 years ago. Public school funding is under assault by "tax cutting" politicians. Social services are being devoured by local budget deficits. Black southern churches are being maliciously burned down, and the media stays quiet. The world needs bold leadership.
The modern Republican party is largely responsible for many of the current problems facing the world. Once in power, Republican politicians use code words like "freedom", "opportunity", "small business", and "fairness" to lull the masses into thinking the Republicans are looking out for the normal middle class worker. It is a lie. The Republicans have worked extraordinarily hard to consolidate power into the hands of a very small group of rich white men. Do you think I am exaggerating? If you are under the age of 50, how well off are you? According to latest census data, just under 20% of all people in the US make over $100,000. Sounds good? Did you know because of fiscal policy started under the Reagan administration, that $100,000 is worth half as much as it was worth in 1990. We have been tricked into thinking that is a lot of money. We never took into account that the money is becoming worthless. The baby boomers do not understand the value of money being made, because they are finished with the career climbing point of their career. Their only concerns is social security (enjoy it), Medicaid (you're welcome), and living off their pensions (I know what those are, I just do not believe they ever existed). The government has completely changed our economic system, and it took only one generation.
It is amazing that the Republican party can lure any non-baby boomer to vote for their politicians. I hear from many people that they give support to the republicans because of tax policy. When taxes are cut, the hole has to be filled. Reagan filled it by raiding social security. Every President since then has stolen from one program or another to keep rich people taxes low (or to give them bigger loop holes) and to increase pointless defense spending (see the F-35 fiasco). The Republicans continue to feed the american people, with the help of a broken corporate media, the lie of lower taxes. Your paycheck may be bigger, but everything is cost more and is worth less.
While the Republicans continue to trap people with their failed financial policies, the hate from the party will be their eventual downfall. The current bloated field of Republican presidential candidates seem to always have a racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or good old hateful thing to say. I get that the party is trying to appeal to old white people who are afraid of "welfare queens" and "angry black men". Most of the under 50 people in society see the Republican party's hate filled ways, and we are rejecting them. Religious conservatism is not the majority, the people of earth have been and will always be progressive.
The middle class has always been the great battleground in every election. Outside of the racism and hate, there is no reason to vote Republican if you are the 80% of america that lives in a family who makes less than $100,000. Just this last week Wisconsin Governor, and Republican presidential front runner, Scott Walker tried to sneak in a provision to the state budget that would help eliminate the weekend. Think I am exaggerating again? Remember that good conservative hero Scott Walker is also advocating using state money to buy a basketball arena so billionaires can save some money. Today's conservatives seem fiscal responsible, yet they act like socialists when it comes to their rich white donors.
What about the Democrats, says you faithful reader? They are not any better when it comes to corporate welfare. Hillary Clinton may be the presumptive nominee (is she?) but she is definitely aligned with the corporate donors. The issues of the Democratic Party and their lack of support for the middle class will be addressed at a later date, but I will say the big issue that separates the Democratic party from the repubs is the hate. Democrats spent the last few weeks preaching about how #lovewins. The repubs have been falling all over themselves to see who can be the most hateful.
Right now the Republican party controls the US House, Senate, and most of the state governments, how can I say they are doomed to failure? The recent world events show that we need innovative and bold leadership, that is not in the Republican party DNA. Making old white men even richer is not the future. Hating people who are non-white christian heterosexuals is not the future. The weakness of the local Democratic party is a temporary thing. Many local parties are gearing up for the 2016 elections, and hate is not on the agenda. Entire voting blocks are being energized for the Democrats (LGBT, millennials, non-hateful people). The Republicans are counting on the same people to turn out that they have been counting on for forty years. The Republican tactics are 20th century, the new leaders will be elected by 21st century minded voters.
The world needs bold leaders. The ideas from the modern Republican Party are without vision and without hope. Cut taxes, hate others, and forget about how we devalued the lower, middle and upper-middle class - that is the modern Republican platform. Their ideas are dying on the vine, and no growth will happen until they learn to grow the voter base. The Democratic Party will take the White House in 2016. We can only hope that the new President will see the 21st century problems of the world and tackle them with 21st century solutions. The world needs bravery, compassion, and innovation. Today may be dark, let tomorrow bring in the new light.
RD Kulik
RD is the Head Editor for Seed Sing. He is looking for the 21st century minds who can participate in finding a New Way Forward. Contact him at seedsing.rdk@gmail.com.