grand OLD party

In the wake of a second decisive presidential victory in which Barrack Obama garnered well over 300 electoral votes and nearly 63,000,000 popular votes (two things George W. Bush failed to do in either of his "elections"), the Republican Party has decided to dig their heels in even deeper, to abstain from representing the people, to oppose and block rather than negotiate and work with.

This heightened partisanship, increasing, rather than diminishing, each day, and obviously and shamelessly much more vigorously and pronouncedly so on the right than on the left, should come as no surprise to anyone. It is not born out of strategy, it is not a form of posturing for 2016, it is not a conscious narrative technique. What it is, simply stated, is panic.

As demographics make undeniable...old, white, rich, straight, Christian men (or, otherwise described, those who have led, governed, and molded our country since its creation) are a dying breed. They are going the way of the T-Rex...and they are scared. And, just like virtually any of the creatures on our beloved Earth, from the tiniest, simplest microscopic organism to the most complex, Chondrichthyes, Reptilia, and Mammalia, when backed into a corner and threatened, they will lash out in a natural showing of rabid, vicious, and brutal self-defense.

Each new day in this country brings a larger demographic number, a increased percentage in the overall population, and a "greater share of the pie" for Hispanic Americans. With every graduating class comes an increasing acceptance of and tolerance for diversity of race, religion, and sexual orientation. And, with each new Congress, we see a better representation of how our nation's landscape truly appears.

The response to all of this from the right? The offering from the old, white, rich, Christian men?... Sink their claws into the flesh of the "grand old ways" and hang on for dear life, fighting arrogantly, foolishly, and stubbornly to the bitter, inevitable end...just as a mongoose in the forest would surely do in the face of it's looming demise. There is nothing graceful about it; it is difficult, almost painful, to watch. But, as nature dictates, it is unavoidable. It may not even be a conscious decision by those who "decide" it.

The solace to take in all of it, however, for those of us who are not old, white, rich, Christian men (or those of us who might be, but do not think or act in the ways that those before us have for far too long), is that soon enough--whether it be months, or years, or decades away--it will all be over. There will be a new day, a new "collective" social awakening, a new mindset. It has already begun, we are witnessing it every day.

This "death of today's T-Rex's" will not be without incident. It will not be a completely smooth, gentle ride. There will be much ugliness to go through. There will be turmoil, defiance, and down-right hatefulness. However, the ends will almost assuredly justify the means. To live in a place where people are not kept down for the color of their skin, or their extra "X" chromosome, or their religious (or unreligious) views, or their sexual orientation, or their economic status...will be worth the horrifying sights and sounds of the writhing and thrashing of a few remaining old, white, rich, Christian dinosaurs.