NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR TO TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE GOAL

November 5 is nearly here. Whatever happens after the votes are tallied, we are not done. This is one battle, the war will be a protracted one. Maybe I am being hyperbolic calling this a war. But we have accepted the election contest this way since Newt Gingrich was focused on the House speakership. Gingerich seemed to have the impression that politics is a winner take-all proposition. Do not forget for a minute that anti-tax activist and Heritage Foundation shill, Grover Norquist was telling Republican legislators in the 1990's that "bi-partisanship is the moral equivolent of daterape". That statement should draw a puzzled scratching of the head. It does not, on one side of the political aisle. We Democrats are far to the left, as viewed by Republicans, even if we are to the right of Bernie. Yet woe unto the Republican contender that steps into centrist territory. To make matters worse this pugilistic event is played by the Republican side without Marquis of Queenesbury rules. They prefer MMA rules, if there are rules at all. Perhaps I'm being alarmist but, if Supreme Court justices are being enticed with expensive trips and other favors, there are no longer rules. These are not recent developments, they have been going on with varying degrees of success, since the 1970s. If you ever voted for a third-party candidate, you participated. If you voted for a Republican, and never considered the damage your candidate was doing, you participated. And if you did not vote, and you could have, you participated. 

There is a political lawn sign as you are driving east from Lincoln City that has the candidates name followed by, "people not politics". I'm pretty sure what party this moron represents. There was a time in the memory of some of us when politics was about people. We had accepted for too many years that politics was not for all people, but it was inarguably for some people. It was only since the Civil Rights and Voting Rights act, that politics included formerly marginalized people. It was no coincidence that the party that the Dixiecrats fled to, and the billionaire-funded influence groups that fund that party, has been attacking the concept of politics representing all people, not just the wealthy businesses that back Republicans, since that time. Each presidential election year has seen evidence of this. From the ironically named, "Moral Majority" in the late 1970s, to Paul Wyrich, a Reagan adviser, who spoke before a religious group, telling them that everyone wants "goo-goo politics"-good government, that Republicans don't win when everybody votes. His implication that limiting politics to his party promotes good government is vacuous. Since that time, gerrymandering has attacked marginalized people and poor people. Since that time voter suppression has been artfully practiced in conservative states to exclude those same groups. It was not openly pursued. Instead the term of art has been dog-whistles, which like its namesake, can only be heard by those who can hear it.  And we who understood the tactic did not challenge those tropes. That's on us Democrats. Concurrently, The Federalist Society has been pushing to install on the various levels of justice, people whom they have (oh, what is that phrase Republicans use?) "groomed"! That grooming includes luxury junkets and outright bribes. Since that time we saw the rise of the Teaparty, which like tea had a limited following. Since the rise of the Teaparty we got Donald Trump. Since Donald Trump everything democratic with a small d is threatened as the Heritage Foundation fulfills its wishlist. Now is the time when we can clearly see which Republicans have the integrity to participate in a democracy. There are not many. Some of that few have been a surprise. Too many have been a disapointment. 

The election for president is too close to call at this writing. The leadership in the two houses of the legislature is equally ambiguous. That so many people are willing to watch this attack on the democratic norms  without leaving the Republican party is frustrating. I would say disappointing, but they have been a disappointment since Joseph McCarthy held office. At least his constituents had the good sense to vote him out of office. At least he had the good sense to drink himself into an alcoholic coma, from which he died.