Crazy Like A Fawkes

The GOP has taken British revolutionary Guy Fawkes as their newest meme as they ratchet up the "it's an illegitimate government just because we lost" rhetoric against President Obama.  The tale of Fawkes was adapted for the comics by the brilliant Alan Moore in V for Vendetta, which later itself became a hit movie with Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman.  But leave it to the Republicans to turn a failed terrorist plot to kill lawmakers into a rallying cry against Democrats.  Time's Michael Scherer:

Now, the Fawkes mythology has come full circle. The Republican Governors Association has embraced the symbolism of Fawkes, launching a rather striking website, RememberNovember.com, with a video that showcases far more Hollywood savvy than one can usually expect from Republicans. Again, the Fawkes tale has been twisted a bit. This time, President Obama plays the roll of King James, the Democratic leadership is Parliament, and the Republican Party represents the aggrieved Catholic mass.

The symbolism here is unmistakable, and neither is the call for revolution.  It's very slick and powerful stuff here.

The politics and substance aside, this strikes me as a remarkable bit of political messaging, not just for its cinematic quality. The RGA, under the control of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, is clearly stepping out of the stodgy, safe territory it normally inhabits. It is aiming to tap into the vast well of anti-government fury now coursing through the nation. Who would have guessed that Barbour would embrace the symbolic value of the same would-be mass murderer as the Wachowski brothers?

It's also an impressive bit of theater that suggests that maybe the Obama administration should be brought down because of the unconscionable sin of his approval numbers being less than 50%, and by "brought down" I mean "by any means necessary."

In all seriousness, this whole Republican tactic of "Obama's administration is illegitimate because he's not doing the will of the 46% of the people who voted against him" is dangerous, stupid, and misguided.  That's how democracy works:  Like Democrats did in 2006 and 2008, you change things at the ballot box.  You then live with those results, and that's why exercising your vote is the most important responsibility and duty you have as a United States citizen.

But just because you lost the election, it does not mean the government is illegitimate.  Bush had plenty of help on that front with Iraq, torture, wiretapping, indefinite detainment, and intelligence manipulation.  But he won the election.  Twice.  For eight years, Republicans said elections had consequences.  Now it's an open call for revolution based on honoring a terrorist.

When I say the GOP is trying to incite rage, fury, and anger, this is what I mean.  And at some point this will lead to unforgivable violence.  America has a long and bloody history of that.  Their entire platform is nothing but Obama Derangement Syndrome and absolution from the guilt of unthinking furious anger.

And in a democracy, those votes count exactly as much as any other vote cast.