Wondering if Republican voters will ever realize they're being conned

Believe it or not, this isn't a reference to the recent occupant of the White House who turned grifting into an art form. Nope, I'm thinking along more general lines, the big picture, the decades of self-labeled conservatives who have managed so deftly to get their base so fired up about empty symbolism that said base doesn't realize their representatives aren't doing a thing that actually affects their lives. You know, the right wing base continues to support Congress critters who indulge in bloviating about patriotism and flag waving while those same critters avoid doing substantive things like passing legislation to repair decaying roads or working on other programs that might create jobs or improve Americans' quality of life over all. Or, even worse, their supporters buy the symbolism and fail to notice the bloviating obscures the fact they're actually doing the exact opposite of what they've managed to convince the voters they're doing. You know, talking nonstop about supporting the troops while cutting funding for veterans' services.

What inspired this line of thought was a recent item in my news feed. The newly elected Republican Congress critter from Utah decided it would probably play well with the voters back home if he pushed the Judiciary Committee on which he serves to open each session with the pledge of allegiance. He basically accused the Democrats on the committee as being unpatriotic for not seeing a reason to do so. The fact the House as a whole begins every day when they're in session with the members present reciting the pledge was irrelevant. Apparently saying the pledge is akin with eating Lay's chips. You can't stop at just one. It's kind of like lining up a zillion American flags behind you for photo ops. If one flag is good, a dozen are better.  

There's been a lot of talk (as usual) about various divides. Rural vs. urban, elites vs. the ordinary working stiffs, progressive vs centrist, Trump supporters vs sane people, you name it, dichotomies are everywhere. I've been realizing the real divide is between the bloviators, the dudes who are skilled at talking loud and long about symbols, and the doers, the policy wonks who actually want to have the government accomplish something real occasionally. The right wing has become incredibly skilled at the bloviation part while studiously avoiding any actual action. They wave flags made in China while vowing to keep jobs in this country. They go on at length about being pro-life and protecting the unborn while slashing funding for food programs and health care that would help actual, breathing children.

I will note that it wasn't always this way. There was a time when Republicans were doers, too. And then came Newt Gingrich and the idea that the only goal of any member of the party should be to keep that party in power. Loyalty to the party became more important than loyalty to the country. End result? No matter what gets proposed by the other party, it must be opposed. And if you're opposing everything what to do to distract the voters? Wave a lot of symbols around and bloviate about how patriotic you are. 

I keep wondering if their supporters will ever wake up and realize just how thoroughly they've been conned. The S.O. finally gave up on telling his slightly crazy cousin to wake up and look at the flag-wavers actual voting record -- or lack of one. It's a tad unreal how many Congress critters, both representatives and Senators, play it safe by never introducing any legislation and never casting a vote on anything. You know, if someone keeps telling you that it's a gorgeous day but when you step outside you get smacked with gale force winds and pouring rain you'd figure out pretty fast that someone was full of shit. Oddly enough, though, no matter how often voters get smacked in the face with figurative rain, they never figure out they're collaborating in fucking themselves. 

I have heard that there are people out there who really don't care just how badly they're getting screwed as long as the other party, the dreaded liberals who are out to ruin America, are upset. I'd like to believe people really aren't that stupid, but I'd probably be wrong.