Contraception. National debt. Same-sex marriage. Religion. Healthcare. Just words, right?
These words have been the weapons that each GOP primary candidate has brandished vehemently for the last several months. Candidates like Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have gone to war on public television over these words, fighting hand, tooth and nail to slander each other’s opinions about the current state of American society.
[quote]Don’t allow yourself to become a casualty to this war of words. The American masses are currently the hostages in this bureaucratic blood-fest.[/quote]
But what kind of war have the Republicans been waging against one another? A religious war? A class war? An industrial war? No, it’s something much more trivial.
It’s a war of words. A war of words, a war where Merriam Webster is the world’s biggest arms dealer, providing endless ammo to candidates who take every opportunity to continue blasting away at one another. Now you may be asking yourself: Who could win this “war of words”, if their only weapon is a polished vernacular? The answer is simple: nobody.
This is the kind of war that has no victor, that ensures no change occur when all is said and done. The kind of war where combatants subscribe to one rule: accusing one side of failing to uphold justice whilst ignoring the fact that the other side has done nothing to help. Meanwhile, everybody claims to represent the “moral, enlightened, American” side: the people’s side, determined to overthrow the power of overly-privileged elitist snobs…oh wait, freedom is calling, I have to take this.
However, these GOP primary candidates have discarded the previous rulebook and amended it to include as a prerequisite attacking those in their own party. The front-running candidates have taken it upon themselves to debase and delegitimize every argument made by their conservative counterparts, while making little effort to alleviate issues that require attention within our society.
Perhaps one of the most distinguishing characteristics of this primary has been the constant presence of the religion card in the primary deck. But perhaps no candidate has played the “God“ card more in recent history than the recently resigned Rick Santorum.
For the majority of his political career, Santorum has trademarked a new uncompromising and unrepentant brand of social conservatism that many journalists are referring to as “Santorumania.” There are, from my perspective, two ingredients to Santorumania: a belief system based on selective interpretation of apocalyptic Bible verses, and a healthy dose of Penicillin. You have to figure he makes himself sick occasionally.
With his staunch opposition toward gay rights and women’s rights to abortions under most circumstances, Santorum has reinvented the practice of mudslinging to include college students, minorities, liberals, soccer moms: All are fair game.
However, the biggest problem with this race is what’s receiving the least attention. Is this what politics amounts to now? Griping, backstabbing, slandering and scheming are now the preferred methods used to uphold justice. The fault cannot lie solely with the GOP, despite their considerable contributions to this trend. The fault truly lies in the American public’s apathy toward its level of importance in matters of state.
We represent the constituency that empowers those who wield power in such grandiose displays of partisanship. We must realize the scope of the power we hold, and this election is a perfect time. Don’t allow yourself to become a casualty to this war of words. The American masses are currently the hostages in this bureaucratic blood-fest.
Gore Vidal said “a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost, without issues and with interchangeable candidates.” Take a look at America’s current amusement, the GOP traveling circus, and you’ll see that when it comes to politics, words are the real weapons, and when all is said and done, that more is always said than done.