In the criminal justice world, recidivism is when a criminal repeats an undesirable behavior after they either experienced negative consequences of that behavior, or were treated or trained to extinguish that behavior. Recidivism has a direct correlation to psychopathy defined by uninhibited gratification in criminal or aggressive impulses and the inability to learn from past mistakes. In the case of criminals, they gain satisfaction through their antisocial behavior and lack remorse for their actions. There are those who claim that if criminals are taught there is a different approach to living that is not criminally based, they will see the error of their ways and choose a path that is beneficial to themselves and society. Regardless of knowledge, bad consequences, and re-education attempts, many criminals repeat their mistakes and they are not far removed from Republicans who are so locked in with conservative ideology that they cannot, and will not, change their despicable behavior.
Over the past decade, Americans witnessed Republicans revert to the same failed policies and agendas despite losing elections, destroying the economy, and starting two disastrous wars, and like career criminal psychopaths, the presidential hopefuls are campaigning on promises to repeat their predecessors’ mistakes. There is little, if any, difference between the three remaining Republicans seeking their party’s nomination because they all promise a recurrence of Bush-era policies featuring entitlements for the wealthy and their corporations, cowboy diplomacy, more deregulation, and religious extremism. It is true that Republicans revel in pursuing corporatism and theocracy regardless the damage their agendas cause to most of the population, but personal gratification aside, they simply do not have anything else and like career criminals; they revert to what they know.
It is interesting that Republicans readily concede their errors when they lose elections, because like criminals, they understand forgiveness and second chances are based on acknowledging guilt and repentance. For example, George W. Bush promoted privatizing Social Security in 2005 and he claimed Americans would be better served investing their retirement in the stock market that crashed and burned two years later. Americans opposed the privatization scam and it cost Republicans the 2006 midterm elections; Bush claimed he misjudged the American people. In 2010, Bush claimed his administration’s biggest failure was not privatizing Social Security and Republicans picked up where he left off as soon as they took control of the House in 2011. Their goal, like Bush’s, is not helping Americans have security in their old age, but to enrich Wall Street and dismantle the popular and successful program.
Instead of pushing to privatize Social Security at the start of the 112th Congress, Republicans promoted a Heritage Foundation Medicare privatization scam, but Willard Romney promises to privatize Social Security if elected president as a “fix” for retired Americans. Romney, like all Republicans, rejects eliminating the cap for people earning over $102,500 that would guarantee the system’s solvency for generations because Republicans, like criminals, revert to the only thing they know; protect the wealthy at all costs.
During the lead up to the 2010 midterm elections, Eric Cantor said that Republicans “screwed up” and lost their way but they learned their lesson and would work diligently to create jobs and stop their wasteful spending. However, before they took control of the House, they fought tooth and nail to keep the wasteful Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy, and spent the entire first session of the 112th Congress killing jobs and attacking women’s rights. In negotiations to reduce the nation’s debt, Republicans refused to consider raising revenue and eliminating tax cuts for the wealthy and it cost America its stellar credit rating. It’s not that they don’t know how to raise revenue by letting the tax cuts expire, they just revert to what they know will have dangerous consequences like common, career criminals.
The point of this rant is thus; it does not matter which Republican wins the nomination for president, or which Republican runs for Congress because they all will resort to failed policies they tried in the past. The difference in 2012 is that this crop of Republicans will take their previous policies to extremes. Romney’s 59-point economic plan is a prime example of repeating Bush mistakes to the extreme. He plans on giving $6.7 trillion in tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations as if taking Bush-era tax cuts to the extreme will give a different outcome than in 2001. Romney, like Santorum, Gingrich, and every other Republican just do not know any other policy than giving more tax cuts to the rich. Americans will be paying for Bush-Republican economic malfeasance for a generation and Republicans are asking Americans to give them another opportunity to decimate the economy. They are repeat offenders who, like criminals, know only one way of life and they must get great personal gratification from their antisocial behavior. They certainly show no remorse for their actions unless they lose an election or they would cease and desist their failed policies.
Many Americans say Republicans have gone off the rails, but they are only repeating their Republican predecessor’s mistakes to the extreme. It is not that they are unaware of their previous mistakes, because like every career criminal, they acknowledge the error of their ways when they lose elections or are begging for another chance. Romney, Santorum, and Gingrich are begging for another chance to repeat Bush to the extreme and it does not matter which candidate wins the nomination because they are identical in purpose. The only difference between the three idiots is the title they aspire to; Romney – CEO of America Inc., Santorum – Pope of the Christian Republic of America, and Gingrich – moon president. Call them what you will, they are all Bush extremists, psychopaths, and recidivist Republicans.
image: salon.com
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn't look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
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