Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

To set the record straight, contrary to the claims of right-wing spinmeisters, America's Founding Fathers were a group of the staunchest progressives in our nation's history -- men of enlightenment, ardent supporters of church/state separation with a fervent passion for decentralization of power and freedom of expression. So too were the founding documents they authored and the principles by which they acted.

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These are the men, the documents and the principles that define our great nation as an unambiguously progressive nation. Despite that crystal clarity of vision and purpose, or perhaps because of it, conservatives have enacted an ongoing assault on these founding principles, not by refuting their validity, but rather by claiming they never existed in the first place -- essentially rewriting history as they've done so reliably in the past.

For them, historical revisionism is their only option since conservatives' ideal vision of America runs in direct conflict with that of the founding fathers.

Nevertheless, with a stranglehold on virtually every facet of American political, business, and media power, they've enacted a relentless campaign to undo virtually everything the founding fathers set in motion.

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote that the power of the government is derived from the governed (nix that with 'selections 2000 and 2004'). The very move to a democracy as stated in the Declaration of Independence from the aristocratic rule of England was an outright rebuke of the concept of 'divine authority' -- much like that claimed by the current administration. In fact, Democracy itself is wholly derived from the progressive, 'Nurturant Parent' Morality -- forcing a 'decentralization of power', re-appropriating power from the elite few to the undistinguished masses and ensuring political equality to all members of that democracy. In it's purest form, democracy empowers and protects the most vulnerable citizens while keeping the most powerful in check. The concept of "democracy" is a microcosm for progressivism ('Nurturant Parent' Morality) distributing power away from the 'Strict Father' (Conservative) authoritarian power center and allocating it to those being governed.

Remember that neocons are opponents of Democracy, working relentlessly to eliminate our system of checks and balances (eliminating the filibuster and stacking the courts with ideologues) while reminding the world that the U.S. is "just a republic", not a democracy.

The current leadership supports democracy only as they do 'small government', 'family values', 'states rights', and 'life' (i.e. only when it suits their neoconservative agenda).

So Don't Blame America. We're busting our ass to get rid of these neo-fascist creeps!

After posting this, there was a rather STRONG reaction against my position -- which is fine with me. Always up for a good debate, but there was a special air of contempt for my assertion that America ROCKS!!!

You could feel the anger in the comments. One even went so far as to say my "America Rocks!!!" comment was INSIPID!! (Ouch.)

Like I give a rat's ass.

But what I am concerned about is the frightful validation of the political right's bullsh*t spin that the political left is a bunch of 'America Haters'. Clearly I love America and perceive the woes through which our great nation and the rest of the world currently fester a result of the manipulative coercion, propaganda, and co-opting by the neoconservative cabal.

Call it the vast right-wing conspiracy if you like. Call it a hair on a horse's ass. It doesn't really matter. What does matter IMO is that we must recognize the source of hatred for America and thus recognize the power-center from which our nation's values have been undermined. Then, we must take action to restore America's founding principles to their rightful place.

Anyway, it seemed to me that there was clearly some pent up frustration floating through the DKos Community that perhaps needed airing. So what do you think?

Does America ROCK or SUCK?? Or is it somewhere in between???

And who is responsible?

Would things be any different if OUR guy won? If so, doesn't that say something about whether the global hatred targeted toward America is a result of the current 'leadership' -- something that CAN be undone in a relatively short period of time, OR is that hatred the result of America's foundational existence -- a condition that has existed since it's birth and one that will continue to exist till its death?