What he said

This one's on politics. My friend, Kipley, has said pointedly and succinctly what I feel. I'm taking the liberty of borrowing his Sunday post, and reposting it here.

September 19 - This entry will contain strong language and political opinions unrelated to my acting career or "making it" in New York.

I've been desperately trying to figure out what appeals to voters about George Bush. They'll tell you it's his Christian values, or his strong leadership, or his ability to keep America safe. I say, that's a load of crap. You want to know my opinion? You do? Okay, well... here it is:

I believe the majority of people in this country are not morons. I do believe that. And I believe that the majority of people in this country are able to see through propaganda, no matter how determined the Bushies are to lie about pretty much everything they've done. And I keep hearing that people want to see a positive campaign, which again... I think is bullshit. I think people say they want a positive campaign, but really they'd rather see an extended Jerry Springer episode.

I think the fact that Bush still has any support at all after...

- failing to prevent the 9-11 attacks despite being warned ("Bin Laden Determined to Attack Within The US")
- failing to finish the job in Afghanistan before diverting our war machine to Iraq, which required lying to the world to justify saying they were going in only with UN resolution and then "flip flopping" on that one
- failing to plan for the aftermath based on the fact that there would be dancing in the streets
- telling the nation it would cost $1billion where it's actually cost us $120 billion thus far and counting
- trying to prevent the 9-11 commission from being formed and then "flip flopping" on that one
- opposing the formation of the Department of Homeland Security and then "flip flopping" on that one
- moving from the biggest surplus in the history of our nation to the biggest deficit in the history of our nation
- being the only president since Herbert Hoover to have a net loss of jobs on his watch
- dismantling environmental protections that a solid majority of Americans support
- presiding over an increase in the numbers of people living in poverty
- presiding over an increase in the numbers of people without health insurance
- this list goes on and on...

After all of this, the fact that anyone at all supports Bush tells me that right now, people don't care about honesty, character, Christian values, positive vision, intelligent leadership, or anything else they might claim is important to them. I believe that underlying support for George Bush is based on a desire to have a mean motherfucker in office.

I suspect that many of those who support him don't care that George Bush has been a terrible president by most historical standards. It's going to take decades to undo the damage he's caused our country. I have a feeling that Americans are frightened and pissed off, and they want a belligerent asshole leading the way. It doesn't matter that the majority of people think that the country is headed in the wrong direction.

I'm starting to think that on some deeper level, Bush supporters want someone to do their dirty work but be absolved of any responsibility down the road. "Gasp! You mean they LIED to us?! Well, gee, I would never have supported him if I knew he was lying! Gee whiz!" I think this is the unspoken contract between George Bush and many of his supporters. He's not particularly Republican, he's not particularly Christian. And yet these two groups support him, claiming that he's the embodiment of both. It's a wink and a nod, "Just tell us what we want to hear and despite the record, we'll vote for you."

I also suspect that George Bush is the answer to a lot of people who are threatened by a liberal, democratic set of values. For those who believe that everyone should NOT have equal rights, George Bush is the answer. For those who believe life in the womb is sacred, but life in a jail cell is not, George Bush is the answer. For those who believe that justice is important only when they get their way, George Bush is the answer.

The sheer beauty of George Bush is that he appeals to people's most selfish qualities and offers no apology. He embraces the coarsest, most brutal and offensive qualities with glee, and in so doing, he makes it okay for everyone else to do it. It's much easier to say "fuck the world, this is what we're doing" than it is to actually build a solid case and create a consensus. But that doesn't solve the problem, that only makes it worse in the long run. And that's most definitely not an American value.

What I fear people fail to understand is that the beast you create will eventually turn on you. It's all peaches and cream to have a bully in the White House when you just want to go out and blow some stuff up, send a message to the world. But don't kid yourselves that this president is actually looking out for your best interests. His record on domestic issues that should matter... really, truly sucks ass.

And that's Sunday's Op-Ed from Kipley.

Kipley sounds like Arthur Miller to me, the playwright who spoke against McCarthy, and later, did a worldwide letter campaign which singlehandedly got Augusto Boal out of the Brazilian prison where he was being tortured to death. Less formal, perhaps, but not less cogent.

America feels like Berlin just before World War II. The same bleak desperate black-humored cabarets, the same twankling music, the same gumboots in the street, the same erosion of liberties, the same thuds starting to be heard in back alleys. For the first time, I think about emigrating. Not for a job, or a lark, or a visit; for good.