Gingrich: Dems Trying To Impose 'Hugo Chavez Majoritarian Rule' (VIDEO)

Not exactly- it refers to tyrannical majority rule, whereby minority rights are not respected. Of course, this country has several protections, mostly committed to its constitution whereby minority rights are not subject to majority opinion/votes, (this essentially describes the case the gay rights community filed subsequent to prop 8). Not that your typical Hannity watcher would have the first clue about any of that- but he did say Hugo Chavez. Yeah! The socialist terrorist anti-american god hater!

Of course, Newt is drinkin drano as usual. For starters, the Dems didn't create reconciliation, and wouldn't be the first to use it by any stretch as has been well documented, including for health policy, and including numerous times by Republicans back when they were in the majority. They are not talking about changing the Senate rules. That would be the Republicans back when they were in the majority (including threatening to fire the parliamentarian unless he agreed with their take on how things should go). And they are obviously not the ones currently pulling unprecedented procedural moves out of thin air- that would be Republicans on everything from blanket holds to making a procedural vote before someone can tie their shoes, to voting against funding for the troops to slow down the legislative process, etc. etc. ad nauseum. Rank hypocrisy doesn't come close to covering it.

Back to Newt's analogy though, Venezuela is an interesting case. It probably is fair to call the government of Hugo Chavez majoritarian, though that's a bit easier to understand when the opposition is attempting to overthrow the government extra-legally, etc. Which points up the fact that in most countries that suffer from this kind of thing, there are very much two sides to the divide (at least). It is the mutual and mutually reinforcing hate and distrust that fosters such things.

What a surreal world we live in now, where one of the two major parties in this country no longer have any facts, cogent argument or consistent principles to call on, on virtually any single area of policy (education may be the sole exception). We have arrived at the point where virtually all of their arguments, and all of their policies rely on distortion, misinformation, fallacy and visceral pleas to the ignorance of the populace. All they have now is tribalism, fear and cronyism. It's truly remarkable, and truly scary.