The Feast of the Cavemen

With great sorrow and little glory, the fanfare of the American cavemen, otherwise known as the Republican National Convention, ended in Tampa, Florida.

The party to which Abraham Lincoln once belonged has moved so far to the right that it has now been relegated to the darkest cavern of American politics. Little by little, the extreme-right tea party has hijacked the organization, to the point that very few within it are willing to denounce them for fear of being punished by this group of radical troglodytes.

Republican political positions have become increasingly anti-immigrant, anti-black, anti-Hispanic, anti-homosexual and anti-woman. The percentage of these groups that still support the party has been reduced to the point that it is estimated that in the coming election it will reach an all-time low.

The selection of Paul Ryan as vice presidential candidate is presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s concession to the radical right, which is skeptical of his conservative credentials.

It was a risky decision for the Republican presidential candidate to make; given that Ryan’s proposals regarding health care and Social Security do not sit well with much of the population over 65, it could alienate this particular demographic. As we know, Ryan, in his capacity as chairman of the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives, has put forth proposals that would significantly limit the benefits of the health care system as well as restructure and cut Social Security — the only income for millions of elderly Americans, who depend on it as their only source of livelihood.

In his acceptance speech as running mate, Ryan changed a number of facts and misrepresented others. For example, he accused Obama of having promised to save a General Motors factory in Wisconsin, when he was aspiring to the presidency, that closed after he became president, when in fact the plant was closed during the Republican George W. Bush administration in 2008, and Obama never promised to save it.

Lying is so natural among U.S. policymakers that if the Pinocchio story had been true, most of them would have a nose as big as the Tower of Pisa. They lie, although the press immediately discovers the lies. All that matters is the impact created when telling them. It is in this environment that these partisan feasts are held every four years in America, where lies flow like rivers flooding in the spring.

This time, the cavemen left the cave to proclaim that they have the real answers to the great problems that the nation is enduring, trying to convince you that they are not to blame for having plunged the country into unnecessary wars and economic disaster, trying to forget that it was the Republican administration of George W. Bush that created the debacle during his eight years in office.

They did this between whistles, balloons and noisemakers, directed at politicians who gathered there to tell them fairy tales and grandiose promises about a future that never becomes reality. Aside from two or three speeches of some importance, nobody pays any attention to what is said there, so delegates will spend three or four days there going from party to party, enjoying good wines and succulent binges.

This time it was the Republican troglodytes putting on their little performance; the Democrats will perform theirs starting Tuesday. Given that, at the end of the day, both parties are the same, we will hear the same lies that we have just heard in the recently concluded convention. Promises, promises about a better future, which ultimately dissolve into infinite space.

At the end of the feast of the Democrats, the carnival really begins. I hope that, by November, the troglodytes return to the caves and cannot return to the White House to continue sinking the nation.