The GOP v. Reality

Wow, are Republicans ever catty.  They've been tearing into each other like mad after their "surprise" election defeat.  So far, I've read that it was Karl Rove's fault, Rush Limbaugh's fault, Fox News' fault.  I say there's plenty of blame to go around.  I'm going to tell you the real reason that Republicans failed to take the White House and the Senate in this election, and you're not likely to hear it from many other sources.  The reason why is simply this:  Republicans have completely lost touch with reality.  In order to understand that statement, we have to understand what reality is and to whom.  

Perception is everything.  How you perceive the world is your reality.  It's fair to assume that my reality is not Mitt Romney's reality, or Mitch McConnell's reality or Reince Priebus's--and I promise you, their reality isn't mine either.  None of the people I know share the same immediate worries or concerns with any of these men and neither do I.  Sure there are some big issues that I'm sure we all worry about, but there's no doubt that we approach them from entirely different points of view and therein lies the trouble for Republicans.

With that bit of understanding out of the way, let's look at some hard facts.  These numbers are not statistics.  Statistics are numbers that can be manipulated.  These are hard and fast numbers and they depict the invisible line between "us" and "them".  In 2010, the top 1% owned 35.4% of the Net Worth and financial wealth in the United States.  The next 19% owned 53.5%, and the bottom 80% owned just 11.1%. 
 In very simple terms, the one percent who own 35.4% of all the Net Worth and financial wealth in the country is the guy who owns the factory you work at.  The second 19% are the guys who run the factory you work at and that bottom 80% who own just 11.1%--that's you, getting up and going to work every morning at the factory.  

The simple fact is that wealthy people are getting wealthier and poor people are getting poorer.  Democrats are simply more in tune with the bottom 80% and are more willing to listen to the cares and concerns of that group.  Republicans are more interested in representing the top 20%.  They've been effective in taking power for two reasons, despite working against the interests of the majority of people who elect them.

The first reason is that they count on you not to vote.  You've heard a lot lately about minority voters, youth voters, Latinos, African-Americans, women and Asian voters.  In the past, for the most part, the electorate has been comprised mostly of middle-aged white men, who also comprise the bulk of the 20% who own most of everything.  If a party could secure that voting block, they only had to secure a few of the "fringe" voters.  Historically, in the years with the highest voter turn out, Democrats have fared better than Republicans in elections.  This is one of the reasons you saw voter suppression spot-lighted in this election.  Republicans didn't count on their tactics strengthening your resolve to make your voice heard and it made a difference.

The second reason Republicans have been effective in taking power is their so-called interest in social issues.  By jumping into bed with religious leaders, they've secured a block of voters that are socially conservative.  Honestly, Republicans don't really care about gay marriage or even about abortion.  It's just an effective tool to take and maintain political power.  You may have noticed that we saw a lot more campaigning from the pulpit this election cycle, and not very many of those preachers was stumping for the President.  The Republicans enjoy a marriage of convenience with the Religious zealots of our nation.  Faith is very important to a large number of people and it is a means by which they can be controlled and manipulated.  So Republicans have done just that.  

 Republicans are sitting back ignoring problems that are inconvenient to their base (rich white guys), like climate change.  Everyone with two brain cells knows that climate change is a real problem.  Everyone knows that the way we live our lives on this planet is part of the reason.  Don't believe me?  Go ask a polar bear, they'll tell you.  The only people that are arguing that climate change is a myth are people with an agenda and a lot of money to lose.  Rather than being progressive and investing in new, green, clean energy, they're doubling down on fossil fuels and fouling the environment.  The problem isn't going to happen in their lifetime, so why bother?  There's money to be made.

Never mind the environment, let's look at the economy.  Let's look at entitlement programs.  First, that title is a made up lie.  Social security is only an entitlement for the ultra-rich.  People that make over $110,000 a year don't have to pay FICA on all their earnings.  Only that first $110,000 per year.  For those of us who make under that amount, we pay FICA on all of our earnings.  For us, it's not an entitlement, we paid it in for our financial security when we reach old age.  For them, they only paid in part of it, hence, it's an entitlement.  The solution for the solvency of the Social Security Program lies in asking the very rich to pay their fair share.  Something they're deeply unwilling to do.  

Obamacare is a similar issue.  Business owners are bemoaning the fact that they'll have to provide healthcare for their employees and saying it will hurt their businesses.  This is another outright lie.  What business owners lose in premiums they will make up in productivity by having employees with good health.  Then there's the tax credit they'll get for complying.  If they have an issue with those premiums, perhaps they should have advocated for a single-payer system, where everyone would have healthcare and it wouldn't be their responsibility anymore.    Others are complaining that they shouldn't be forced to buy insurance, that the government has no right to make them.  To this I say, you've been paying for your future Medicare for years now, and you have no choice.  It's called the "necessary and proper clause" and it's in the Constitution.

The same goes for taxes.  At one point, the tax rate on the richest was 90%. Now the ultra-rich are balking at having their tax rate restored to where they were under Clinton.  By the way, we're talking about Federal taxes.  In all 50 states, poor people pay higher tax rates than the very wealthy.  Some examples:  In Florida, the top 1% pay a 2.1% tax rate while the bottom 20% pay 13.5%, Illinois, the top 1% pay 4.1% and the bottom 20% pay 13%.  I could go on but you get the point. 

Mitt Romney is never going to wonder how he's going to pay his power bill.  He's never going to wonder how he is going to be able to buy his kid a bike, or what would happen if he got really sick and couldn't work for a week.  He's never going to know what's it's like to struggle to make ends meet.  I'm never going to know what it's like to try to find a tax shelter to hide my income in, or what's it's like to have a bank account in the Caymen Islands.  I'm never going to wonder which house I should go to for Christmas or how to keep the kids from going on vacation in Fiji instead of coming home for the holidays.  Most of the Republicans in Congress are more in touch with Mitt's problems than mine.  I'm pretty sure Mitch McConnell has never let his credit card bill slide to pay the water bill.  And that's the Republicans biggest problem; my reality is a lot different, and most of the people in America are like me, not them.  Until they find a way to tap into my reality and genuinely care about it, they're not going to be successful candidates to run the country.