NEOCORTICAL REPUBLICANS

The Rev. Dana Prom Smith, S.T.D., Ph.D. (6/6/09)

Republicans of the neocortical kind within the past few months have shifted from calling themselves Republicans to identifying themselves as Independents. One supposes that the motive behind this shift is shame because Republican politicians and commentators have begun revealing a latent racism, a knee-jerk jingoism, a primitive Know-Nothingism. Their attacks on Judge Sonia Sotomajor's race and gender, dismantling of Arizona's educational system, and support of torture all indicate a lack of sophistication. They are morally and cognitively seedy.

The real issue that begets their current nut-bag quality is that President Obama is a class act. He is lithe, not dumpy. He is graceful, not awkward. His voice is well-modulated, not screechy. He is thoughtful, not incoherent. He is personable, not offensive. He also thinks and speaks clearly. Such behavior drives the mediocre to fury, forsaking the normal restraints that curb the primitive impulses of thoughtful people.

What agitates the reptilian, sub-cortical Republicans is President Obama's excellence. They've been so accustomed to mediocrity with President Bush and his gang of yahoos that they don't know what to do with excellence other than to make rude comments, like street urchins throwing dig clods and scrawling obscenities on yesterday's walls. It is small wonder that the neo-cortical amongst them are slithering away into independence, unable to face their shame publicly, camouflaging themselves with the hallowed word of "independence" to enshroud their chagrin.