Grave Robbers

This week, if you were to meet a Republican time traveler from the 1860s or 1980s, you would discover them more shocked than usual. They would stumble on notables of their party, officially celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Confederacy in the state of Virginia. A governor of the Grand Old Party saying, before finally relenting after a chorus of criticism, that mentioning the role of slavery in the conflict was “not significant” enough to be included in the original proclamation.

They might be confused to find a black Democratic president who considers himself an inheritor of their legacy, and who began his long path to the White House from the same old granite steps in Springfield that gave rise to President Lincoln’s career, being pilloried by members of Lincoln’s own party with terms of “secession”, “interposition” and “nullification.”

In fairness, they would also find a comically out of his depth leader of their party who was also black and while not knowing the details of how he came to that post and how he remains there, they may reassure themselves for a moment that their party has made some racial progress.

The 1980s time traveling Republican would be delighted to arrive the week of the largest nuclear arms control agreement since the 1980s, but to the startling awareness that such agreements are no longer proudly bipartisan consensus. Rather they would learn that the leading lights of their party are now against the very idea of nuclear arms reductions and consider those who are, dangerously weak and naive (all while continuing to fetishize the Reagan name, if not his actual foreign policy principles). Reagan would be more confused than usual as to why we hadn’t reduced these unusable weapons even further, given the absence of the Soviet Union the last 20 years.

What are they and we to make of this? Nixon’s grand project is now complete. Congratulations GOP, you are now proud owners of the legacy of the Confederacy. Enjoy that. Continue to court the intemperate, red-faced crowds with their misspelled signs and see how history will judge you.

You have also this week betrayed your beloved Ronnie. And as divisive a figure as he remains, you‘ve managed to abandon his one issue that previously all sides had agreed upon. You are now the party of Bolton and Cheney, Fox News and Palin. I guess you can now stop trying to put Reagan on the $50 bill (although I’m sure you would still love to stick it to that Union general).

You’ve managed to scare off the icons you worship. They’ve gone back through that wormhole, glad to be rid of you.