It has long bothered me that the Republican Party has morphed from a "big-tent party" to a "lock-step party". Instead of being a party that discusses ideas to reach some consensus that fits the party's ideals, the Republican Party has become a party of the checklist. If you don't agree with each and every item on the checklist, then you are a RINO, Republican In Name Only.
A party with a definite agenda that gets many people to agree with it has an advantage of a party that has a wide range of opinions. Not every Democrat gets up in arms to save the whales or feels that the world will end if gay marriage is not legalized. But, because these "wafflers" belong to a party who has a large number of people who support these issues, they have more difficulty defending themselves against a party in lockstep.
It has also bothered me how quickly items can be added to the checklist. This is not a hallmark of a grassroots movement. A grassroots movement, at least in a democracy, would be discussing the issues and forming some consensus about them. This doesn't happen overnight.
Of course, we do have the Glenn Becks and the Rush Limbaughs who have many of their fans at their beck and call. But somebody has to have an organization that translates these ideas into action. Or, maybe somebody has an organization that feeds ideas to Beck and Limbaugh. That is, maybe Beck and Limbaugh are at some hidden figure's or figures' beck and call.
I was overwhelmed when I read "The Billionaires Bankrolling the Tea Party" by
Frank Rich, New York Times, 2010-08-28. He wrote about how the Koch brothers of Koch Oil have been founding and funding libertarian groups to promote their laissez-faire ideas. Not only should we follow the money, we should follow the associations. Some employees of Koch Oil sit on the boards of these "independent" groups.
When you have ten minutes, I suggest that you read Frank Rich's column.
When you have an hour, I suggest you read one of his references, "Covert Operations: The Billionaire Brothers Who Are Waging War Against Obama", Jane Mayer, New Yorker,
2010-08-31.
When you have a week or two, I suggest you read one of her references, "Merchants of Doubt", Naomi Oreskes, which "chronicles various attempts by American industry to manipulate public opinion on science". Hm! Is "junk science" any science that is contrary to somebody's short term interests.
This all makes me think of Robert Heinlein's "The Puppet Masters", an alien race that attached themselves to the backs of human beings and made them do their will. In this case we have a plutocracy attaching itself to people's minds making the people believe they are defending democracy.
