"If progress sometimes depends on successfully appealing to 'the better angels of our nature' of kindness, compassion and a sense of equality to extend rights, respect and aid to those less privileged, then regressive and oppressive forces often rely on the worse demons of our nature, appealing to fear, anxiety, greed, bigotry, jealousy, spite and the urge to domineer others. Unfortunately, for decades, U.S. conservatives and the Republican Party have stood for plutocracy and bigotry. Meanwhile, their authoritarian strain has grown stronger, to the point that a significant faction is threatening democracy itself in the United States. The most popular political figures for the conservative base are those who give them permission to deny reality and to behave awfully toward their fellow Americans." -- Batocchio, leading off an essay posted at his blog Vagabond Scholar, on "The Worse Demons of Our Nature." Surveying the pathologies inherent in the Republican Party and their embrace of the Malignant Loser, Batocchio concludes that hope still exists, and "that the best way to fight our worse demons as a nation is by investing in our better angels." Good read on where we are and where we need be going.
