Vampire Republicans

Vampires - they suck your blood, infect you with their curse of bloodlust, and have no reflection that is the mark of soullessness. They might be creatures of fantasy in the literal sense, but metaphorically speaking, they are all around us making pronouncements on the television, strolling the halls of power, and debasing their enemies real and perceived in interrogation rooms around the world.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the Republican Party is worried about losing big in the coming Senate races. Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, lists a host of problems facing candidates from his party. These are all problems of what teachers would call 'plot' and not 'character.' Bad things have happened to the party. Nowhere is there an examination of whether the party's mindset and values has any responsibility for the disastrous situation.

It is not schadenfreude that makes me want to see them grovel, wear hair shirts, and climb the steps of the Capitol on their knees. Unless they see that they committed the sin of pride, dismissing with contempt their opponents on legislation and political action simply because they held all the reins, they are going to continue to support policies harmful to the body politic. Now that they see their control over the reins slipping, they moan about bipartisanship. Without acknowledgement of their fundamental failure to do the right thing - share the power when they had it all - their bipartisanship is a sham.

Amends need to be made. I know it is an election year, but the Republicans must do for their nation what Hillary has done for her party. She still believes she is the better candidate, that Barack cannot win, and if he does, his policies will sometimes take us in the wrong direction. But she has put on a smile and is supporting him absolutely.

After 9/11 the Democrats did that for the President and his party. Sometimes they held their noses and voted with the majority trusting that the other side also had the nation's best interests at heart. Republicans now trying to blame the President for all the failings of his administration look in the mirror of history and do not see themselves at all. Like vampires, they sucked out much of the wealth and national standing in the world gained during the Clinton years and now are wringing their hands wondering what went wrong. They look in the mirror and do not see their own faces. Like the vampires, they have lost their soul.

If the Republican in the Senate want to salvage some of this next election, they have to make amends to redeem their souls. Not just apologize, but support the Democrats on issues important to them as a way of admitting that the elephant in the room is not always right. The reality of this country right now shows that their policies were often wrong-headed. How can we trust giving them the means to govern again unless they can demonstrate that they have eyes to take a good look at themselves in the mirror in the light of day?