The political present, as Chris Orr sums it up –
To recap: Rudy Giuliani has now argued that his tenure as Mayor of the Universe New York City gives him better foreign policy credentials than Joe Biden, a keener understanding of torture than John McCain, more experience at Ground Zero than the actual recovery workers, and a unique ability to secure the nation’s borders against illegal immigrants.
At least now his contention that his wife is a bioterror expert thanks to her nursing background seems a little less out of left field.
Yep, more than a bit absurd – but the man may well be our next president.
What of the political past? Sometimes that past plays a part in our future, and sometimes the parallels are quite odd.
No one in America gives a hoot about Guy Fawkes Day – the day when the British commemorate the foiling of a religiously-inspired terrorist plot to blow up the House of Commons in 1605. No one in England cares much now, really. In the years after 1605 the holiday got mixed up with all sorts of anti-Catholic propaganda, and Fawkes was needlessly tortured, which was unpleasant, and the monarchy used the holiday to fan fear of Catholic terrorism – perhaps to entrench their absolute power. Why does that sound familiar? Let us celebrate stopping the crazy religious terrorist?
Brits might know the rhyme –
Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t’was his intent
To blow up King and Parli’ment.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England’s overthrow;
By God’s providence he was catch’d
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
No one uses the older rhyme –
A penny loaf to feed the Pope
A farthing o’ cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we’ll say ol’ Pope is dead.
Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah hoorah!
Does that remind you of CNN’s Glenn Beck in this clip –
But right now, I want to focus on one important one, and that is “You can’t make deals with Islamic extremists.” Pakistan has tried everything so far to stomp out the Islamicist threat. They’ve tried bringing them into the fold. They’ve tried to negotiate with them. They’ve even tried to co-exist with them by creating “no-go” zones. But despite all of that, along with all of the billions in aid, and all the intel that we’ve given them, everything they’ve tried has failed. There’s one thing in my book they haven’t tried yet and that is: Killing. Every. Single. One. Of the radicals.
Some things never change.
On the other hand, Scott Horton offers an odd bit of history; it seems that George Washington banned the celebration of Guy Fawkes Day in the United States –
America was involved in a struggle for its liberty, and the commemoration of Guy Fawkes stood for the opposite: government by fear, oppression of a minority, a celebration of arbitrary power. Guy Fawkes Day was the abnegation of the essential values of the Revolution. So the original George W. put it in an order: no more Guy Day.
Order in Quarters issued by General George Washington, November 5, 1775:
As the Commander in Chief has been apprized of a design form’d for the observance of that ridiculous and childish custom of burning the Effigy of the pope - He cannot help expressing his surprise that there should be Officers and Soldiers in this army so void of common sense, as not to see the impropriety of such a step at this Juncture; at a Time when we are solliciting, and have really obtain’d, the friendship and alliance of the people of Canada, whom we ought to consider as Brethren embarked in the same Cause. The defence of the general Liberty of America: At such a juncture, and in such Circumstances, to be insulting their Religion, is so monstrous, as not to be suffered or excused; indeed instead of offering the most remote insult, it is our duty to address public thanks to these our Brethren, as to them we are so much indebted for every late happy Success over the common Enemy in Canada.
America, it was settled, would mark the old Guy Fawkes Day with a new tradition: the exercise of the Democratic Franchise. It was to be the day on which the rulers are held accountable to the people.
After considering this, the British-born American commentator Andrew Sullivan draws a conclusion – “From revulsion against torture, liberal democracy was born. And by acquiescing in torture, liberal democracy will die.”
That’s not exactly it. Washington just didn’t see much point in gloating about capturing and torturing, to death, one single terrorist, then doing that Glenn Beck thing and getting all revved up about killing them all and marginalizing their stupid religion. Yes, the day was all wrapped up in government by fear, oppression of a minority, and celebration of arbitrary power – but on just a practical level it was, as he indicated, counterproductive. Still one senses he was appalled by the idea of a government building up, year after year after year, a major symbolic boogie-man to scare the rubes silly and keep them in line, and cheering their leaders. Washington probably wouldn’t have had much use for Rove and Cheney.
Is all this arcane? Not really, given the recent hit movie, V for Vendetta – the revolutionary hero, a modern Guy Fawkes (in a Guy Fawkes mask throughout), having been tortured, finally does bring down a wholly totalitarian British government. America has become a third-world mess after all our wars in the Middle East, Britain is ruled by a total dictator, as everyone is scared silly of everything and accepts that, and this guy wakes them up, and does blow up Parliament, with the help of the super-waif of all science fiction movies, Natalie Portman. Government by fear, oppression of minorities and oppressive arbitrary power fail – the people triumph. It’s a giggle –
Good evening, London. Allow me first to apologize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of every day routine - the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration, thereby those important events of the past usually associated with someone’s death or the end of some awful bloody struggle, a celebration of a nice holiday, I thought we could mark this November the 5th, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat.
… the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who’s to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you’re looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.
I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn’t be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now high chancellor, Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent.
… More than four hundred years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives. So if you’ve seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you then I would suggest you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliament, and together we shall give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever be forgot.
You get the idea. And of Guy Fawkes Day, 2007, in America, just another Monday, we get this – Ron Paul’s Money Draws Fresh Attention.
Note the circumstances –
Monday’s fundraising event was conceived by Paul supporter Trevor Lyman, a musician who runs a music promotion Web site and who is not affiliated to the congressman’s presidential campaign. Lyman created a Web site, ThisNovember5th.com, using the British observance of Guy Fawkes Day as a hook to generate money.
Fawkes, a mercenary who participated in an unsuccessful plot to assassinate King James I on Nov. 5, 1605, is the model for the protagonist in the graphic novel and movie “V for Vendetta.” Using clips from the movie and the English schoolyard refrain “Remember, remember the 5th of November,” Lyman’s Web site spread the word.
And how did they do? Jim Kuhnhenn, the Associated Press Writer here says, pretty darned well –
Ron Paul’s head-snapping fundraising puts a new face on a campaign that the media, politicians and much of the public had relegated to the sidelines.
The Texas congressman is now the presidential candidate tugging at the establishment’s coat.
Funneled through the Internet, Paul’s one-day loot totaled $4.3 million from about 37,000 donors, considered the largest sum ever collected online in a single day by a GOP candidate.
And no one knows what to make of him. He is the only Republican opposed to the war in Iraq, but a total Libertarian, as discussed previously. He confuses people –
A check of Paul’s Internet support shows a vast array of fans. Libertarian sites sing his praises, as do anti-war veterans and voters angry at the Internal Revenue Service and at what they perceive is government intrusion.
He also attracts support in some fringe, anti-Semitic or white supremacist Web sites, even though Paul himself strongly rejects those views.
Anyone who wants to blow up something governmental, at least with their contribution and their vote, seems headed his way –
Members of the libertarian Free State Project, which adopted New Hampshire in 2003, were Paul’s initial toehold in the first-primary state, whose motto is “Live Free or Die.” But spokeswoman Kate Rick said that base has grown.
“There’s a lot of irritated social conservatives and traditional conservatives,” she said. “I think we’re also drawing support from independents in the state whose issues may be everything from anti-war to anti-tax or disliking things like No Child Left Behind or how Social Security or Medicaid is being run.”
Even the progressive attorney and author Glenn Greenwald sees what’s happening, Ron Paul has brought traditional conservative ideas into constituencies that once shrugged –
Individuals who historically may not have been attracted to “limited-government” rhetoric and all of the specifics it traditionally entails may find that ideal necessary now after six years of endless expansions of intrusive federal government power.
Regardless of one’s ideology, there is simply no denying certain attributes of Paul’s campaign which are highly laudable. There have been few serious campaigns that are more substantive - just purely focused on analyzing and solving the most vital political issues. There have been few candidates who more steadfastly avoid superficial gimmicks, cynical stunts, and manipulative tactics. There have been few candidates who espouse a more coherent, thoughtful, consistent ideology of politics, grounded in genuine convictions and crystal clear political values.
And unlike Fawkes, Paul doesn’t want to blow up Parliament – just get rid of a lot of what government does, and does badly. Sullivan notes this is seductively refreshing –
The fundamental realities of this election are two: we are in a war in Iraq that was clearly a mistake and that will be very hard to disentangle from; the American people overwhelmingly think we are on the wrong track both at home and abroad. There are only two candidates who effectively respond to this desire for change of direction abroad and repair at home. They are Barack Obama for the Democrats and Ron Paul for the Republicans. The voters most engaged with this campaign so far - as measured by fundraising and enthusiasm - are clearly favoring these two change agents. The question is simply whether a broader public will follow, or whether they will fall for the Formica candidacies of Romney and Clinton or the neo-fascist option in Giuliani.
Know hope. America isn’t finished yet.
Maybe – neither man is polling that well. Formica appeals to many people.
See the righter-than-right site Powerline – “Republicans should respond to voters who find Ron Paul appealing with a cold shoulder.” Of course these are the same people who gave us John Hinderaker – “It must be very strange to be President Bush. A man of extraordinary vision and brilliance approaching to genius….”
Still, Kevin Drum does put things in perspective –
But look: can we stop pretending to be political infants, even if we happen to be bored this week? It’s cheap and easy to take extreme, uncompromising positions when you have no actual chance of ever putting them into practice, so Paul’s extreme, uncompromising positions really don’t mean a thing. They don’t reflect either well or badly on him. They’re meaningless, and I wish grown adults who know better would stop pretending otherwise. Ditto for his “record breaking” fundraising day, which is just a function of (a) the growth of the internet as a political money machine and (b) the curious but well-known fact that technophiles are disproportionately libertarian.
But I will say this: if Ron Paul really is suddenly a “serious” candidate, then I expect him to start getting some pointed questions at the next debate. In the last Republican debate I saw, this noted truth-teller gave a strange and convoluted answer about his economic policies that the audience plainly didn’t understand. Next time I expect to see some straight talk about how we should return to the gold standard and get rid of the Fed. This should be followed by a question about whether he supports the free coinage of silver at 16:1. Then some questions about the tin trust.
Seriously, folks. Can we all please grow up?
Still Sullivan notes the Republicans are scared –
They don’t even want the voters and money that Paul is bringing into the GOP - because their power - and the big spending, war-mongering authoritarianism they favor - is threatened by this revival of grass roots conservatism. What I find energizing is how Paul has managed to talk many on the “left” into appreciating the benefits of smaller government and limiting executive power. What they now share with the paleocons and the crunchy cons and the conservatives of doubt is a resistance to and skepticism of the imperial impulse to control countries we do not understand and to indefinitely occupy whole regions of the world to defend ourselves against an enemy that knows no geographical boundaries.
Maybe so – but Ron Paul may not be the answer. Guy Fawkes did not want to rule England – he just wanted some change.
And who thought his name would ever come up again?
