I Might Be Disillusioned About Election 2012, But the Stakes for the Country Are Still Huge

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http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/i-might-be-disillusioned-about-election-2012-stakes-country-are-still-huge

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Then why I am so intrigued by the political race? First, there’s the gaudy drama that captures my imagination like a hard-fought pennant race in baseball. And I will confess to some lingering hope that Obama in his second term will be able to slow the widespread looting of America’s public assets—schools, social services, the environment, transit, parks, libraries etc.—and get us started on the long path to fulfilling our national mission statement: liberty and justice for all.

But I’ll also admit a fascination with the Republicans. Can they actually mean what they say? What do they really want? And why are they are so angry even when the libertarian right wing has succeeded beyond its wildest dreams of 30 years ago. They mystify, not to mortify, me. The overarching theme of their campaign this year is challenging the legitimacy of a liberal—even a mild one—to be president. And for many, that’s compounded by incredulity that their fellow Americans elevated a black man to the White House.

No less troubling is the party’s near-unanimous acceptance that government should not do much of anything beyond fielding an army, policing sexual conduct and subsidizing corporations. It’s clear the GOP agenda—which the once moderate Mitt Romney has wholeheartedly endorsed—serves the interests of the very wealthy, who more than ever are influencing this elections with Super Pac contributions.

But cold, calculating self-interest is not the whole story. That doesn’t explain the fury we hear from Fox News, talk radio and Republicans on the stump. The right wing, after all, draws votes from beyond the one-percent, or even the ten-percent that their economic policies conspicuously favor.