Cartoon 841: Surprise

In politics it takes no imagination to identify the bully in the school yard. They are known for doing anything to get their way. It seems nothing is out of bounds. They liken themselves to denizens in the animal kingdom, ready to pounce on any delectable morsel. At the top of their menu is the less fortunate, minorities, progressives and often women. They are easy prey. The weapon of choice in their arsenal is obfuscation.

The blame for their success can be seen in the old adage, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me". They easily repeated fool people. It is simple psychology. It is ingrained in humans to desperately want a patriarch, an assertive adult to nurture and protect them. Some Republicans and Conservatives play this role well. They strive to present themselves as the ultimate “Alpha” male or female best to lead. They spoil for confrontations to burnish their brand.

There was a song with memorable lyrics. It is from the movie, “The Legend of Billy Jack”. The song is One Tin Soldier.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.

We can look across the pages of history and see that “tin soldiers” ride into the infamous mist of time.