GOP Election Strategy Relies on Activating Useful Idiots

Republican Elites Want Working People To Vote Against Their Interests

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In my last article, I quoted from an Atlantic piece that talked about how the coronavirus has now become part of the culture war. People on the left believe it’s real, and people on the right dismiss it and refuse to practice social distancing. The Atlantic piece even described old timers at a Georgia golf course who refused to practice social distancing and made a great show of not using hand sanitizer. Seniors are most at risk of contacting COVID 19. These people are like “Larz,” a social media influencer who licked a toilet seat, and then came down with the coronavirus!

See residents protest quarantine guidance in Michigan

But yesterday saw further acts of dumbassery across the nation as far-right groups staged protests against the shutdown. In Michigan, protestors who were part of Operation Gridlock, blocked traffic and prevented ambulances from getting patients to already overcrowded hospitals. According to an April 15, NPR article, Michigan has recorded 1,900 coronavirus deaths.

The Right to Contract COVID-19

However, it’s pretty obvious these protestors are not big on logic. Joseph Dixon, a Michigan protestor, was interviewed on WOODTV wearing a face mask. So while he admitted the coronavirus was dangerous, he was protesting for the right to go out and contact it. Huh?

This is further proof that the coronavirus has become politicized since many of these protesters also showed up carrying rifles and Tea Party flags. But what does the coronavirus have to do with 2nd Amendment rights?

I look at these protestors as useful idiots. This is a Russian term for a subject who unwittingly works against his own interests. Vladimir Lenin used the term to describe communist sympathizers in the West. I use it to describe people such as perennial presidential candidate Jill Stein and the Bernie Sanders supporters who say they’ll vote for Trump.

However, these protestors have been egged on for weeks by far-right commentators on outlets such as FOX News. Several Republican politicians have also called for an end to the shutdown.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) recently appeared on Tucker Carlson’s show and begged for the economy to reopen.

“We’ve got to open this economy. If we don’t, it’s going to collapse,” said Kennedy. “If the U.S. economy collapses, the world economy collapses.”

He also falsely claimed the shutdown hadn’t slowed the virus. But reports show that California’s quick actions reduced their infection numbers.

An April 15 New York Times article stated, “The state, despite its large, globe-traveling population, ranks 30th in the nation in coronavirus deaths per capita and has a fraction of the mortality rate that New York and New Jersey have suffered. As of Monday, San Francisco had recorded 15 deaths.”

Elites Want Workers to Die So They Can Stay Rich

But it’s interesting to see most of the protestors were blue-collar/working people. I didn’t see too many people like Tucker Carlson out protesting the shutdown. It seems that people in the donor class want working people to risk their lives so their companies can start making money again.

But it’s not the donor class putting their lives on the line. They’re not going to risk their lives with COVID-19 or worry about bringing the disease home to their families, as many front-line workers do. And even if the donor class does contact the coronavirus, they have great insurance plans and the resources to cover the $3,000 bill, unlike most Americans who live paycheck to paycheck.

I look at these protestors as useful idiots. This is a Russian term for a subject who unwittingly works against his own interests. Vladimir Lenin used the term to describe communist sympathizers in the West. I use it to describe people such as perennial presidential candidate Jill Stein and the Bernie Sanders supporters who say they’ll vote for Trump.

Trump Targeting Black, Brown Voters

However, it’s not just anti-shutdown protestors who are working against their own interests. An April 15 Washington Post story described how the Trump election team is targeting black and brown Evangelicals. The Trump team also wants these people to vote against their interests. They realize Democrats rely heavily on black and Latino voters, but they want to shave off a few points.

According to The Post article, the GOP was trying to skim off black Evangelicals by arguing that Democratic elites look down their noses at them and are only concerned about far-left causes.

However, the article also featured Rosalyn Johnson, an African American woman concerned because she purchased a home near a toxic waste dump. Johnson was looking at voting for Trump.

The article pointed out Latino voters are concerned about immigration issues and the mass internment of migrant families on the border. But the White House immigration policy is motivated by xenophobes such as Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller. They’ve both explicitly stated their goal is to keep immigrants out and maintain America’s white majority.

Additionally, the GOP has always been contemptuous of environmental issues. Half of GOP voters don’t believe in climate science and Trump has rolled back environmental regulations allowing companies to get away with polluting the air and water.

If black and brown Evangelicals and the anti-shutdown protestors think Trump Republicans care about them, they really are their own worst enemy.