"Now who are we up against -- and I want to define that enemy," said King. "They are: liberals; they are progressives; they are Che Guevareans, they are Castroites, they're socialists. More enemies on this list: Gramsciites -- ring anybody's bell? -- Trotskyites, Maoists, Stalinists, Leninists, Marxists. They're all our enemies."No mention whatsoever of al Qaeda or terrorism in general. No mention of bin Laden or states that sponsor Islamic extremism. No mention of 9/11 or those responsible. What he does mention is ancient Cold War ideology focused on a non-existent threat of the Soviet Union and its former allies. And since the Democratic Party, the majority party in America, is in part made up of liberals and progressives, King intentionally labels it as the enemy.
This is classic Republicanism. Anything that does not agree with them, any person that doesn't support everything Republicans stand for is an enemy. Dissenters aren't just old-fashioned opposition. They are enemies that must be destroyed. It's not that Republicans lose elections, it's that enemies have duped America and are occupying its government.
King is a sitting member of Congress. He is not a crazy on the street. Could anyone imagine what would happen if a Democratic member of Congress said conservatives and libertarians are an enemy of America? Fury would erupt from the bowels of every media outlet in the world. Conservatism, the very ideological movement that gave us 8 years of George Bush and epic failure is never allowed to be talked about in such a way. Frankly, I'm glad Democrats don't frame their conversations in such a way. But if one Democrat ever dared behave the way Republicans do, they would be forced to give a tearful apology to the whole world.
Yet, all this sums entirely what's happening in America. Republicans and Tea Baggers alike will never acknowledge Democratic governance. Not because they have political disagreements, but simply because they really believe Democrats are enemies of the state. What if Democrats portrayed Republicans not as an opposition party, but as enemies of the state? That's what's happening here. This is not mainstream American behavior. It's extremism in its very definition. It's past time Republicans are held to their rhetoric.
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