Have the New Communists Arrived?

Times have changed.  The most current rule, usually applied to blogs and comment threads found upon the internet, is that comparing a current situation/leader/party or whatever to Hitler and the Third Reich is less than appropriate, even if it's completely apt and accurate.

In older days, say sometime in the 1950's or so, the rule, at least as applied within the US government, was never accuse somebody of being a Communist.  They were, at least at that time, the ultimate bad guys, worse (apparently) then Hitler and his minions.  I'm not sure that was true, but I definitely agree that Stalin gave Adolf a run for his money.

Both of those regimes are now long gone, and probably a lot of people under the age of 40 or so have no memory or knowledge of any of that.  Sad, but true.  However, the Communist boggie man has returned, or at least his tactics have, and that's truly sad.




Beyond the real history of the 50's, I remember two specific things about the Communists.

One, probably apocryphal but none the less accurate, was a statement that Communists come to the negotiation table with two rules.  What's mine is mine!  What's yours we negotiate!

The second, which was actually a true quotation, was a phrase spoken by Nikita Khrushchev.  We will bury you!

As I listen to the discussion, arguments, sound bites, and other garbage which constitutes the discussion in Washington DC about dealing with the debt limit, I find it amusing that the Republicans, the party that railed against the dangers of Communism and the stolid defenders of all things American, have now adopted these Communist shibboleths as their rallying cry.

We will balance the budget!  We will negotiate with you.  We will never talk about anything that increases revenue!  Damn, that sounds just like those evil Russians.  Wrong language, right mindset.

They continually defend indefensible tax breaks for the rich, deny regulation of the very banks that took the country into recession, and argue that all cuts must come from those who actually benefit from the things the government provides.

They continue to argue, without the slightest sense of guilt, that the tax cuts are necessary to help the Job Creators.  Well, I'm calling bullshit on that.  We've had the tax cuts for ten years...where are the jobs?  What jobs have they created?  How many jobs did they ship overseas by grant...yup...more tax breaks for companies that shipped them there?  That fact is the tax breaks have increased the differences between the haves and have nots, but they haven't done diddly squat to create jobs.

So, if you approach negotiations by declaring what you won't talk about, you're not there to negotiate, you're there to bury the opposition.  What is the most important thing for the Republicans?  It's simple, and their leaders have declared it time and again.  They want the current president to be a one-term president.  That's THE most important thing.

I'm betting there are very few citizens who think that's The Most Important Thing.

So...while the old Communists may be gone, the New Communists are proud to take their place.  Freedom?  Heck no!  Not if it comes by acknowledging the rich should pay their share.  I'll take somebody's food stamps, but I'll be damned if I'll take away their corporate jet!  With that mindset, they might just bury us.