GOP has Become Fear and Hate President Eisenhower Warned Of

There are some folks who say, well, this is all brand new, right? This Republican tax scam and all this kind of stuff.

Let me share with you a very brief quote. This is from a piece by Robert McElvaine in the Washington Post, but the quote is from William Jennings Bryan.

William Jennings Bryan in 1896 gave a speech called the "Cross of Gold" speech. Now, Eisenhower somewhat reprised this in 1953 with his Cross of Iron speech.

William Jennings Bryan spoke in 1896 about essentially the difference between the Republican idea and the Democratic idea. He said:

"There are those who believe that if you will only legislate to make the well-to-do prosperous their prosperity will leak through on those below."

1896 he said this, trickle-down economics.

"The Democratic idea, however, has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous their prosperity will find its way up through every class which rests upon them."

Petty straightforward stuff, right?

In his letter to his brother Edgar in 1954 Eisenhower said, "Should any political party attempt to abolish social security ... Their number is negligible and they are stupid." He was specifically calling out the Hunt Brothers, but he also he also warned us about the whole military-industrial complex.

Dwight Eisenhower gave a speech January 1961. Of course, the new president is sworn in on January 20th of the year following the election, so this is the election of 1960. Eisenhower's party lost. Richard Nixon, his vice president, was running for election as president but lost to John Kennedy and the next day John Kennedy was going to be sworn in as president.

So this is Dwight Eisenhower's Farewell Address. And he starts out talking about how we've never had a permanent arms industry in the United States, but as a result of World War Two and the decade and a half after World War Two. - keep in mind he was he was speaking literally just 15 years after the end of the war - we now have one. And we have to consider the consequences of it.

Here's Eisenhower:

"We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.

Now, this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence - economic, political, even spiritual - is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society."

And then Eisenhower drops this famous line:

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."

The President of the United States!

"The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes."

Now, typically that last sentence gets cut off. In fact, typically the whole thing gets cut off. He continues:

"As we peer into society's future, we - you and I, and our government - must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow."

Like a trillion and a half dollar deficit.

"We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow."

Do you recall that Dwight Eisenhower warned that democracy might not survive? He continues:

"Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate."

Tell that to Trump.

"And be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect."

This is a Republican speaking!

"Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose."

And amazingly, Dwight Eisenhower ends his farewell address with a prayer for peace. Check this out.

"May we be ever unswerving in devotion to principle, confident but humble with power, diligent in pursuit of the Nations' great goals."

Trump, really?

"To all the peoples of the world, I once more give expression to America's prayerful and continuing aspiration:

We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations..."

Muslims too!

"...may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom may experience its spiritual blessings; those who have freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibilities; that all who are insensitive to the needs of others..."

Trump.

" ...will learn charity; and that the scourges of poverty, disease and ignorance will be made to disappear from the earth."

This is a Republican?

And that, in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love."

Mutual respect and love: two words that are not in Donald Trump's vocabulary as far as I can tell. Of course, we shouldn't be surprised. This is the guy who basically won World War Two, right? He saw thousands of people die. He saw horrible battles. He understood the cost of war. Which is why, in 1952, when he ran for president of the United States, and Harry Truman had gotten us into the Korean War, although it was an undeclared war, it was a "police action", Dwight Eisenhower, peacenik, ran with this television ad:

"He has met Europe leaders, has got them working with us. Elect the number one man for the number one job of our time. November 4th vote for peace. Vote for Eisenhower"

He really understood. When was the last time you heard a Republican talking about this? John McCain voted for this tax scam which is going to hurt working people. It's going to hurt the middle class. It's going to create another Great Depression. And it's going to massively enrich the billionaires who put all these people in power.

Dwight Eisenhower had some very specific thoughts about the cost of this.

Donald Trump was bragging about how much more money we're spending on the military than ever before.

Dwight Eisenhower gave a speech to the American Association of Newspaper Reporters, April 16, 1953. This was not radical stuff that he was talking about. This is how Eisenhower frequently talked. This is how Republicans frequently talked in the 1950s.

Listen to this. Dwight Eisenhower defines what it costs to deploy a battle group of aircraft carriers, what it costs to build a bomber, what it costs to build a tank, and he outlines this not in dollars, but in how many bushels of wheat, how many schools won't get built, how many hospitals won't get built, how many people won't be employed. Here it is:

"A burden of arms draining the wealth and the labor of all peoples; a wasting of strength that defies the American system or the Soviet system or any system to achieve true abundance and happiness for the peoples of this Earth.

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.

This world in arms in not spending money alone.

It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.

The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities.

It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population.

It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals.

It is some 50 miles of concrete highway.

We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat.

We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people.

This, I repeat, is the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking.

This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron."

So Republicans, when you call in, don't give me this crap about, "oh, the Republican Party has always been a party of great integrity and still is, you know, we're still doing God's work here, you know, trashing gay people and Muslims."

Really.

The fear and hate that Eisenhower defined is now the Republican Party.

Comments

Legend 5 years 15 weeks ago
#1

Eisenhower faced war at the highest level. He walked on the battlefields and saw the destruction and death. He experienced it. Trump has done none except avoid the draft with false medical records.

Oldskoold's picture
Oldskoold 5 years 15 weeks ago
#2

I have tried this evening to email Jeff Flake. He won't accept any messages from anyone not in Arizona. It's time for bonfires and pitchforks. Bastard was a photo prop for the illigetimate president today. I'm done. Sportsmans Guide can be your friend. Cheap ammo and survival gear. These fools. I would say bless their hearts but; they don't have one. Hat's off to Putin! He done done it. Destroyed our country without a shot. Nashing of teeth to start soon!

HotCoffee's picture
HotCoffee 5 years 15 weeks ago
#3

Cheap ammo and survival gear....

Not if the Dems have things their way.

And especially not in California.

Legend 5 years 15 weeks ago
#4

#3. What is the basis or intent of your statement?

Oldskoold's picture
Oldskoold 5 years 15 weeks ago
#5

The point #4. Thank you! Obama didn't infringe nor threaten to do anything about guns. Nor do I know of any other Democrat doing such except for "common sense measures" such as high capacity clips/etc. And they still believe this load of crap! And vote accordingly. That's why I keep stocking up.

HotCoffee's picture
HotCoffee 5 years 15 weeks ago
#6

Ask DiFi it's been inch by inch step by step for many years by Dems who don't know the dif between the barrel and the trigger.

Bump stocks are hardly relevant to anything except looking good politicly.

Legend 5 years 15 weeks ago
#7

What is your input to the subject at hand HC? Immature BS.

Hephaestus's picture
Hephaestus 5 years 15 weeks ago
#8

Is this piece not about poltical integrity?

Not to mention the way republicans in history held beleif in a value of fellow humans

Modern republicans have sold their soul to money and power

And, make claims that it's all okay with god

Hephaestus's picture
Hephaestus 5 years 15 weeks ago
#9

Huh! The convo always has to involve GUNS

Whooo haaaa!

Sad!

2950-10K's picture
2950-10K 5 years 15 weeks ago
#10

Program citizens with fear and hate and the Fascists have their justification for unending war for profit.

Trump is truly a political product of the Foxaganda/Breitbart fear and hate machine. He's right at home as a charter member of the goofy Alex Jones/Bannon club. I'm sure while pissing their old man attends with uncontrollable laughter, the Kochs mock all of these god damn fools.

2950-10K's picture
2950-10K 5 years 15 weeks ago
#11

The absence of cradle to grave healthcare coverage and free college in this country isn't because of an absence of wealth, it's because of the presence of an out of control military industrial spy complex....owned and controlled by Fascists.

Hephaestus's picture
Hephaestus 5 years 15 weeks ago
#12

"If my sons did not want wars there would be none"

Was this not a statement made by a mother

stopgap's picture
stopgap 5 years 15 weeks ago
#13

Are we great again yet?

HotCoffee's picture
HotCoffee 5 years 15 weeks ago
#14

So sorry Legend, I thought it was pretty obvious that I was responding to oldSkoolds comment.

Subject at hand...I think Thom is being dramatic as usual so as to promote responses like Oldskooleds...pitchforks. Drum up the hate.

I also think Eisenhower was correct as was Kennedy's speach on the same subject.

I do not however believe that most people of either party use that as their criteria for voting, so demonizing them is useless and destructive.

HotCoffee's picture
HotCoffee 5 years 15 weeks ago
#15

#11

I agree with your statement.

The fascists are created from from both sides.

#13 Sg

The people are great...the Government sucks.

stopgap's picture
stopgap 5 years 15 weeks ago
#16

"...government of the people, by the people, for the people" If the government sucks, then the people suck. The government was not formed in a vacum. Politicians are nothing more than the heart and soul of the people that elected them. Elections matter. Are we great again yet?

geohorse's picture
geohorse 5 years 15 weeks ago
#17

It looks like the president has no real control over the military industrial congressional complex that currently exists much less the CIA. Obama certainly seemed bedraggled about any military business allowing drones, getting talked into Lybia, allowing big arms trades, etc. At least he didn't actually start any new wars. As bad as Trump is he actually campaigned big time on NO wars. Any informed person new he was an uninformed arrogant jerk but anyone but the establishment was bound to win. Makes one wonder if there really is an unwritten agreement that both parties should trade political power every other cycle. The dems certainly don't fight back when they could easily show what crooks all the GOP people have become then do something about their own people sucking up to big money.

Dianereynolds's picture
Dianereynolds 5 years 15 weeks ago
#18

HotCoffee #14

To understand who is pumping out hate, you only have to turn on leftie/socialist media bobbleheads for the first ten minutes of their show. To prove my point, check the content of Thoms last ten blog posts. I am excluding the whackadoodles here that are storing up ammunition and survival gear or ironing their antifa pussy hats preparing for another public display of their stupidity. Check out their language, they are a special breed of malcontents.

The right is not much better but I was buoyed by the fact I saw none of them marching, blocking freeways, and burning police cars over the not guilty verdict in the Kate Steinle case. Had that been a person of color that died in her fathers arms and the shooter been a (horror of horror) a white male, we all would be knee deep for weeks in coverage of looting and burning of buildings while the press calls for laws to prevent stolen guns from shooting people. They also seemed to accept the loss of two Governorships without accusing the left of stealing the election by voter suppression.

The sad part is the fact neither side sees the handwriting on the wall. Every evening I thank God for Netflix.

Legend 5 years 15 weeks ago
#19

Recent shows are in studios not meant for radio. Sounds like Thom is in the bottom of a garbage can. Need to check your audio Thom.

Legend 5 years 15 weeks ago
#20

Why is right wing radio known as hate radio.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Hate%20Radio

And The Republicans own the White supremacist movement.

https://splinternews.com/a-year-in-the-violent-rise-of-white-supremacy-1...

HotCoffee's picture
HotCoffee 5 years 15 weeks ago
#21

Diane,

I agree!

Geohorse

I agree!

Legend # 20

That was true however left radio has more than caught up in the hate department.

Legend 5 years 15 weeks ago
#22

#21. No where near the hate of the right wing. The hate goes so far as to let children die so that the 1% can have its massive tax cuts. Open your eyes.

Legend 5 years 15 weeks ago
#23

#21. No where near the hate of the right wing. The hate goes so far as to let children die so that the 1% can have its massive tax cuts. Open your eyes.

DFMM's picture
DFMM 5 years 15 weeks ago
#24

Taxes deception.

Taxes as the problem are a deception; the GOP have successfully propaganized taxes as the problem when the problem is really spending; taxes/revenue is only the means to pay for spending. If there was no spending, there would be no taxes. Also part of the deception is the GOP are telling us that they are lowering taxes which is a good thing and they are doing us a favor; and also debt/deficit are not significant. Not said is that debt has to be paid sooner or later, and taxes must be collected to pay that debt. A couple things we need to emphasize are; 1) the problem is spending, not taxes, and we need to get our representatives to frame/focus on spending and less on taxes; 2) debts are future taxes.

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