“I pick up my guitar and play. Just like yesterday. And I get on my knees and pray. We don’t get fooled again.” — Pete Townsend
We’ve been here before. One of the myths that people like to tell is that this situation is completely unique and that we are witnessing history. That is partially correct. We are witnessing history. Every situation has unique characteristics, but every situation also has seeds of deja vu baked in. Our current situation is no different.
Fringe lunatic attorney Lin Wood may have jumped the shark. It’s so hard to tell these days. He did submit a brief that promised plenty of perjury and he submitted another brief mispelling his own name. So, we may not think much of his lawyering skills, but he can certainly throw red meat to the base with the best of them.
He has accused Cornyn of being a member of the Deep State. Why you ask. Cornyn had the audacity to acknowledge the obvious. Joe Biden won the election. It’s been certified. The electoral college has casts their votes. It’s over. Acknowledging it apparently makes you a member of the deep state.
Of course, we’ve been here before. Feeding frenzies are fairly common in human history and not even unique in the United States. The whole idea of the deep state started innocently enough. The greatest lies and most effective lies have a kernal of truth in them. The whole idea behind the deep state was that there is a shadowy cabal of government workers the wields secret power and prevents reformers from making a dent. They particularly prevented an outside like Trump from draining the swamp.
The usefulness of the term deep state has been demonstrated throughout the past few years. It wasn’t Democrats and it wasn’t Republicans. It could be anyone and since no one has ever seen a list it literally could be anyone. So, anyone that opposed the president on any issue big or small gets labeled as a member of the deep state. So, that person has to either kiss a lot of ass and debase himself or herself to get back in his good graces or he/she becomes irrelevant because they are deep staters.
Gee, does any of this sound familiar? Joseph McCarthy used the same tactics 70 years ago. Every situation has some differences and those differences are important to point out. First, there was a limit to who McCarthy would accuse. He knew that if he turned his attention on Eisenhower then he would be laughed out of the Senate. There were others he wouldn’t dare accuse of being a communist.
The second major difference is our general reaction. Eventually, the country became united against him and the “Red Scare” was over. It took moments of courage from people that mattered. The moment everyone remembers is referenced below, but Edward R. Murrow was also instrumental in swaying public opinion.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/joseph-mccarthy-meets-his-match
The question we can’t answer yet is whether there is anyone capable of standing up to these clowns and having that matter. We haven’t found one yet. It is wrong to say no one has stood up. Plenty have stood up. The problem is that their efforts have been inconsequential. The right-wing media bubble has made it difficult for truth tellers to penetrate the hysteria. It will have to be one of their own.
This is where things get complicated. As Wood clearly demonstrates, one of their own can quickly go from ally to deep state nearly overnight. Yet, you have to think at some point there will be a bridge too far. McCarthy reached that point and the Trumpists will get there too. It’s just a question of when. Then it all comes tumbling down. It’s a fact of history.
halloffameindex 