Centrism: Like Strontium-90 In The Milk, Ctd

In retrospect there is only one thing I would change about this post:

On this blog, I have made the point thousands of times over the last seven years that Fake Centrism is our most dire and dangerous political problem. Without a Fake Centrist narrative, Conservatives have no place to hide their lies, slander and depravity. With a Fake Centrist narrative, there is no Conservative fraud or treason so large that the media will not* bury it under an avalanche of reflexive, "Both sides do it"-ism.

This no longer a point I have made thousands of times over the past seven years.  

This has now become a point I have made thousands of times over the last 14 years.

After all this time, Fake Centrism/Both Siderism remains the retrovirus that is killing our democracy's capacity to defend itself from its internal enemies: it is the immune-system-destroying disease which allows every other kind of Hate Radio/Fox News opportunistic political malignancy to run wild through our body politic.

And man, once you start to notice how automatically every water-cooler Cicero and two-bit Tom Friedman uses Both Siderism to prop up their lazy arguments, it's really creepy.

This week's textbook example comes from super-right-wing-Government-is-evil-Libertarian-guy, Justin Amash (who has a perfect 100% rating from the whack-jobs at FreedumbWorks), who bought himself a dozen headlines and glowing op-eds, and a seat at the Sunday Gasbag Cavalcade by announcing, on the Fourth of July, that he was quitting the Republican Party.

But Justin, why now?  Why not twenty years ago?

Because of the Kr'upt Duopoly!  From The Washington Post (with emphasis added):

Justin Amash: Our politics is in a partisan death spiral. That’s why I’m leaving the GOP.

...
These are consequences of a mind-set among the political class that loyalty to party is more important than serving the American people or protecting our governing institutions. The parties value winning for its own sake, and at whatever cost. Instead of acting as an independent branch of government and serving as a check on the executive branch, congressional leaders of both parties expect the House and Senate to act in obedience or opposition to the president and their colleagues on a partisan basis...

In this hyperpartisan environment, congressional leaders

We are fast approaching the point, however, where Congress exists as little more than a formality to legitimize outcomes dictated by the president, the speaker of the House and the Senate majority leader...

 ...party leaders distract and divide the public...

This all combines to reinforce the us-vs.-them, party-first mind-set...

These same independent-minded Americans, however, tend to be less politically engaged than Red Team and Blue Team activists...

And because the Gods of Liberal Blogging Content Provision are generous and have a terrific sense of humor, what do I fine crouching in the corner just yesterday on the Letters to the Editor page of my dying local paper? 

Letter: In the grip of the inept

The past 10 years have shown that we as a country are allowing idiots to run our government. This has been highlighted by the election of TOTUS (Twitterer of the United States).

The two main political parties have failed to do their jobs by abandoning the “bipartisan” method of governing. We as voters have allowed and gone along with their inept and deceitful operations by keeping them in office in spite of the facts that show them up for their poor judgements.

Politicians have always been self-serving but the seat fillers we now have brought government service to a new low. It appears that they would rather lie to us than be honest about what they are doing and allowing some public discourse. What we get now are soundbites, buzzwords and dog whistles that raise our hackles rather than inform...

Note the time-line the letter writer identifies as the Age of Idiots,  Ten years.  I can virtually guarantee you this goof is a Republican who, if cornered, would now swear he's an "independent".  Who thought Barack Obama was a monster, and was cool with Trump, but now has buyer's remorse because of all the Tweeting. 

After all these years, Both Siderism remains the most durable political Big Lie in American politics because it still gives every coward and imbecile a reliably safe place to hide out from their consequences of their idiocy. 

It's everywhere.

It's the political Strontium-90 in the milk.

And it's killing us.

Behold, a Tip Jar!