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From: pollack@uicsl.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Horror at the Republican Convention - (nf)
Message-ID: <28100006@uicsl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 29-Aug-84 15:23:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: uicsl.28100006
Posted: Wed Aug 29 15:23:00 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 31-Aug-84 02:45:13 EDT
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Nf-From: uicsl!pollack    Aug 29 14:23:00 1984

#R:pyuxv:-59200:uicsl:28100006:000:1705
uicsl!pollack    Aug 29 14:23:00 1984




[Dead Marines can't spend like Drunken Sailors...]

> Was I the only one who felt that the sight of the Republican Convention 
> delegates screaming t the top of their lungs in a mad frenzy, "U.S.A.!
> U.S.A.!" was reminescent of the Nazi party rallies in the 30's.
> 
> Perhaps if we give him four more years, this may be the last election we
> ever have.

No, you were not the only one. Besides the mad and frenzied jingoism,
other things that upset my stomach was the quashing of dissent -- for
example, the use of "Reagan-Bush operatives" pressuring people to remove
their names from a nuclear freeze petition -- and the ubiquitous "Reagan
Youth" -- who were responsible for massive numbers of "hand painted" signs,
who shouted the loudest on cue, and who provided the youthful muscle 
necessary to bi-dexterously wave obscenely large US flags. 

Other aspects which reminded me of a charismatic european leader of the
1930's were certain catch phrases in Ron's acceptance speech:

   "We are in the midst of a Springtime of Hope for America;
    Greatness Lies ahead of us!"

   "No one will be able to hold America back; The future is Ours"
   
I've been trying to understand the implicit historical analogy: obviously
a charismatic leader rises to power on an economic recovery following
a recession; obviously jingoism rises in response to international 
humiliation -- of course to compare France's control of the Rhineland 
to the hostages of Iran is a little off.

Anyhow, I tend to view the Right's resurgence as a response to the
progress in pacifism, environmentalism, feminism and civil rights of
the 70's. Hopefully, the pendulum will swing back to the left 
real soon now...



Jordan