Starbuck’s Marxists, American Hitlers, Jerusalem And Babylon

Over the last while, we have been following the events in South America and the antics of Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales. Fausta has published a wellspring of information on the matter.

Of course, there is one question that begs an answer. Given the history of so many failed Marxist style regimes in South America, why on earth would so many citizens support yet another group of tin pot dictators? The gains and advances made by South American countries have always come under democratic regimes. It seems hard to imagine that there would be so many that would support yet another strongman posing as a populist.

Why does that happen?

We think we have the answer, or at least an important component of the answer.

Governments come into power either peacefully, through the democratic process or violently. In either scenario, leaders invariably say they reflect the peoples values. In fact, political parties and ideologies craft their messages to reflect their policies as being reflective of those very values. Now, you might think that is a lot more subtle and nuanced than it really is.

Bill Clinton and George Bush, for example, were elected and were later ferociously supported, despite political troubles. Why were liberals so intent on supporting Mr Clinton after the debacle of Somalia, for example? And why are conservatives so protective of Mr Bush, considering the bumbling in Iraq that is only now beginning to rectify itself (see Dr Sanity)? The answer is clear. They were supported because people believed those presidents shared their values, despite real questions about their ability to govern and the quality of their leadership. In other words, their perceived values were more important than their perceived- and actual- ability to govern.

Simply put, the reason so many identify so ferociously with political parties and leaders, is because those leaders offer a sense of values to those people who don’t have a real sense of values. The identification with, and defense of political parties and leaders is perceived by many to a kind of noble and selfless endeavor. Those who so clearly define their lives and meaning to a carefully crafted, staged and managed political identity, see themselves as heroes. Their political leaders offer them a sense of belonging, meaning and most of all, a purpose. More often that not, adopting an ideology is the only source of ‘values’ for many people.

Healthy people find values much closer to home. As we have noted on other occasions, America is not the divided nation political extremists would have you- and need you- to believe. We are more concerned with out neighbors watching out for our kids than we are how they vote. We all agree that shared backyard BBQ’s are a good thing and that the curry chicken made by those neighbors from India is really good, but the kids liked the gyros at the Greek Festival better- and so on and so on. Most of us have managed to find meaning and values outside the political arena, because most of us understand that you cannot find real meaning or real values in the carefully crafted and staged political arena.

The same can be said of the people in Venezuela and Bolivia (in fairness, Morales, unlike Chavez, is all window dressing. It does not appear as if he wants to upset the apple cart. He just wants to win the upcoming election as as a populist. Nationalizing industries and the inevitable loss of jobs in the process will not endear him to voters. Appearing as populist will). Many voters and a significant part of those populations believe that they share the values of their respective leaders- not necessarily the kind of governments they lead.

Chavez and Morales don’t talk about the kind of government necessary to improve the lot of their citizens. Instead, they talk about vague and ethereal concepts, like nationalism, destiny and ‘self determination.’ Who could resist that? Castro’s version of nationalism included building a modern health care system- at the expense of food, progress and basic education. In truth, Castro’s much vaunted and even more important, more visible health care system is in fact, pretty average, if that, by world standards. That said, in the Valley of the Blind, the one-eyed person is a visionary.

Most Americans are more sophisticated, with the exceptions of leftists. Simply talking about world peace won’t get a Democrat elected any more than talking about flag burning amendments will get a Republican elected. Shrewd Hollywood type campaign managers understand that, so those ideas are a kind of background music or subliminal suggestion, as public opinion poll generated platforms and stances are given center stage. Those too, add to the perception of shared values.

The American political system today is geared to excite and elicit support from the extremists of both sides. The political parties want to energize and get those extremists off their butts and have them work 24/7 for months, if not years, to bully people into voting for them. Each party understands the truth- that the great middle, the vast majority of the electorate, are not extremists and do not view the other side as spawns of Satan or the inheritors of Hitler. They know this because chances are a neighbor, classmate or someone they sit next to in church, belongs to the political party they dislike.

They hate the party and the politicians- they do not hate their neighbors. No matter how much Kos, Atrios, Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter want that to happen, it isn’t in the cards. Those loudmouths and others like them, have no idea how many Americans who vote just like them, listen to them and say out loud or to themselves, “Enough already!”

There are those (idiots) on the right and left that hope an alliance between Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia will become Marxist type foil to the US.

On the right, an alliance would give a breath of fresh air to the almost dead, chest beating cold warriors, and a chance to fight the inheritors of the ‘Evil Empire.’

On the left, there is the hope that the Alliance of the Irrelevant might revive the war against America and capitalism and serve as the creative inspiration and platform for fresh new anti American rhetoric. Of course, this only applies to Marxists and ‘revolutionaries’ outside the region. Failed socialist and Marxist economic policies and failures will inevitably fail again, but to western liberals, that hardly matters. For the most part, the most fervent supporters of the those regimes, leaders and revolutions are far away. The economic devastation that will rain down upon those people is meaningless to them. It isn’t as if western ‘revolutionaries’ will run into these downtrodden people at Starbucks, as they write their memoirs as political manifestos.

Truth told, ‘the people’ never mattered. The regimes that were supported and loved by faraway western liberals, were always reviled by local populations- because the generation that was subject to imposed socialist and Marxist ‘care and concern’ for ‘the people,’ were subjected to ‘disappearances, death squads and reeducation camps, all tried and true leftist tactics.

Those were and remain the values of the Starbuck’s Marxists- those that have found their values and meaning in the political expression of the professional cynics and usurpers. If they weren’t, leftists would be up in arms at the excesses. Needless to say, they could not be bothered.

Of course, South America is really a side show, a place far away that serves as a stage where political theater performances are played out. The real showdown is taking place in our own backyards, Europe and the Middle East, where the real villains are to found or manufactured.

For a leftist, there can be no Hitler other than an American Hitler. There can be no real Nazis other than Jews. No matter the excesses or evil that is in full view everyday, they must be denied so as to make America, American policy, Israel and Jews the real problem.

A million dead in Rwanda? Who cares. A two plus decades long slaughter in Sudan that has left over 2 million dead- never mind. George Bush is Hitler, profiling at airports is fascist. The ever escalating dysfunction of the Arab world? So what- it isn’t as if leftists cared about Arabs and the oppression they suffer. As long as the Arab world hates America and hates Jews, well, that’s good enough for the leftists. After all, when was the last time you heard of leftists packing their bags and going into the Arab world to teach democracy, farming or sanitation protocols in Yemen?

In the mindset of a leftist, the Jerusalem of reality is a backwater when compared to the excitement of Babylon. The justice of Jerusalem requires work, effort and an honest assessment of what needs to be done so that justice might be achieved. The distractions of Babylon are deliberately crafted and presented so as to take the focus off justice and off an honest look at reality.

Of course, Babylon is long gone although bloody and battered, Jerusalem perseveres.

The leftist Babylons of today will end up in the same place as the Babylons that preceded this incarnation. The supporters of this Babylon too, will be forgotten and regarded with contempt, for their self absorption and unwillingness to deal with reality.

“No to war! No to terror!” is about as relevant as “No to cancer! No to radiation!”

Parts of this post were previously published.