My parting with the intellectual (overall) and operational (regarding the charade as a legitimate component of a two party system) farce that is the Republican Party establishment became rather final in the summer of 2014. Events around that time – specifically, the Republican runoff for the U.S Senate seat in Mississippi – exposed so much in all of its glory for any who were willing to see. Unfortunately, not many chose to care at that point but, I for one, will Never Forget Mississippi 2014!
Unfortunately, all of the sordid details as documented at the time are lost to the ether with so much of my posting history as RedState. (The total disregard for posting history during the frequent upgrades to that site will never be forgiven. But I digress.) On a couple of occasions I have tried to find enough of the story to make the case for my unaffiliated position to those who did not understand but, really, it just isn’t worth it. I’m comfortable where I am…and if any number of unforgivable events over my lifetime by parts of our government that were aided and abetted by GOPe forces – retroactively raising taxes (1993), implementing unconstitutional limits on free speech (2002), deploying multiple illegitimate processes to ram Obamacare down our throats (2009-2010), the spineless “conservative” Chief Justice saving Obamacare twice (2012 and 2015), Benghazi (2012), Trump impeachment #1 (2019), and obviously sham presidential election (2020) – will not sufficiently exercise those who happen to be paying attention at that particular moment in history, then my recounting of Mississippi 2014 won’t either. I will, however, reiterate once again just for the soothing effect it has on my soul: Effff Mitch and the entire bag of $&!# that is the Barbour clan. The playbook “our own” team will use against us behind the scenes and/or when it is that critical to the retention of their power over their right flank is every bit as evil as the one the Democrats use. In this case they let the curtain slip just enough for us to see in…and that anger from me was/is quite real.
Anyway, my reason for posting today is to place a rather momentous marker from this week that was in the posting history with the hopes that it will survive here at the outpost. While I am generally pleased with the outcome to the extent that so far it is all a lot of cheerleading and nothing of real import has yet been accomplished, the point here is the wonderfully insightful view behind the curtain provided by this:
Please do watch it all. (H/T BDB) But if you can’t, at least watch the abbreviated version:
Remember this. And remember those in your own circles who amplified the “weeks of chaos” and “they didn’t even have a plan” narratives while they tut-tutted those of us who wouldn’t come aboard their bandwagon…are they the same ones who jump onboard every pseudo-event driven news cycle against the “radical” or “far” right. With friends like that…
For the record regarding the outcome (i.e. Speaker Mike Johnson), this is what I said upon hearing the news:
I wash born here, an I wash raished here, and dad gum it, I am gonna die here, an no sidewindin’ bushwackin’, hornswagglin’ cracker croaker is gonna rouin me bishen cutter.
No, that wasn’t it (sorry, couldn’t resist a Johnson – as in Gabby Johnson – joke), this was what I really said about the announcement and immediate celebration of his new position:
Great…As long as he didn’t pre-compromise himself with conflicting promises and side deals to get all those votes. That would be an extremely stupid way to back into a leadership position.
I will, however, assume that I have been completely duped by an elaborate charade – ala Failure Theatre – until I see a steady stream of positive results. That is now a conditioned response with these characters.
From this comfortable seat outside of the party, it seems I am in wait-and-see mode. Mildly optimistic.
P.S. Go Rangers.
the philo t. custis institute 
The dilemma is: We know that a party is the means by which power in “democracies” is obtained and maintained. Thus the power to be free from the reach of power requires that a party exist to battle parties that seek to exert control. And yet any party created — even one created to limit the reach of control of other parties — becomes corrupted in the process, and morphs into that which they supposedly battle. “Religious freedom” and “political freedom” are indistinguishable, and yet both require power to preserve liberty. And the path to power…..
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