So, what the f#@k is it with Republicans? The “party of Lincoln”? The party that is supposed to revere the country’s Founding Fathers? How is it that this once respectable institution has fallen so far into the black hole of anger, self-interest, and vindictiveness? To wit, these widespread Republican positions, behaviors, and beliefs:

• Opposition to civil rights legislation.
• Abandonment of any respect for separation of church and state with brazen and repeated attempts to turn the country into a Christian theocracy.
• Gutting of the voting rights act and attempting to impede access to the polls by minorities whom they fear will vote for opposition candidates.
• Puritanical opposition to insurance coverage for contraception while supporting coverage for treatment of erectile dysfunction.
• Hostility toward Social Security.
• Cutting of food stamp coverage for those in need.
• Opposition to equal pay for equal work for women.
• Opposition to sensible immigration reform, including the Dream Act and paths to citizenship.
• Support for budgetary cuts in programs designed to aid the poor.
• Opposition to any increase in the minimum wage and, even, to the minimum wage itself.
• Opposition to health care reform and support for cuts in Medicare and Medicaid.
• Rejection of established scientific truth: global climate change, evolution, and almost any hard data in conflict with preconceived notions or religious superstition.
• Refusal to support environmental protection measures (since, after all, Armageddon and the Rapture will take care of things permanently!).
• Opposition to any sensible firearms regulation.
• Opposition to campaign spending limits.
• Veiled racism, including persistent “birther” nonsense and opposition to anything coming from President Obama regardless of merit.
• Using anecdotal and single example evidence to promote biased generalizations.

What is wrong with these people? And why do so many of those who stand to be hurt the most by the policies supported by their Republican representatives keep re-electing them?  I wish to hell I knew. All I do know is that many of the Republicans I speak with seem to have this inchoate sense of anger with the world and a degree of self-interest that borders on the solipsistic: “It’s all about me. Go f#@k yourself.”

Republicans seem ignorant of history, either rejecting well established evidence of the Founding Fathers’ thinking or simply twisting it in ways unrecognizable to well educated individuals. Self-interest – often naked greed – seems to be the motivating influence for many Republican office-holders, and the more moderate Republicans, if any remain, are too cowardly to stand up to the nut cases.

Pundits are saying that Republicans may well capture the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections. Once again, ignorance and stupidity may result in people voting against their best interests. One really does have to ask why any minority voter, why anyone receiving Medicare or Medicaid, why anyone dependent upon food stamps, why anyone who uses contraception…would vote Republican. It makes no sense. None at all. But, then, watch Fox’s loony bin of angry white guys and blonde bimbos spewing their ignorant, venomous propaganda. Well, as Republican Abraham Lincoln noted, you can fool some of the people all of the time… But, then, Lincoln freed the slaves. The current bunch of GOP bigots seems to want to resurrect the chains.

Oh, and by the way, there are plenty of unhelpful Democrats around, too, many of them in public office. Why the hell aren’t they more supportive of the President? More willing to stand up for what they say they believe? Why do those guys keep getting elected?

Being a hopeful cynic, I look forward to people waking up and voting the rascals out but, as I listen to NPR and read my daily newspaper, I just don’t think it’s likely to happen in my lifetime.

Today’s Annoyance: I think the foregoing is enough for this week.