Today's GOP-- At The Very Un-American Intersection of Fascism And Stalinism

You know the old adage almost universally-- if incorrectly-- attributed to Soviet totalitarian Josef Stalin: "It's not the people who vote that count. It's the people who count the votes." Though he never said any such thing, it certainly sums up his view of "democracy." It also sums up the Republican Party's view on democracy.

It was more than a little ironic when Grover Norquist tried comparing President Obama to Stalin yesterday. Norquist, who, like Stalin, was never elected to anything, holds dictatorial power over his authoritarian political party. He may not have the clout of the Koch brothers but he's become the symbol for right-wing intransigence, obstructionism and hatred of American government. And when it comes to discarding any and all rules for the sake of obtaining power, there's no light whatsoever between the Kochs, Norquist, Hitler and Stalin.

In the video above, Rachel Maddow goes into admirable depth in explaining the Republican Party's current Koch-financed, ALEC-dominated jihad against the mortal enemy of right-wing politics: democracy itself. The Republican governors and legislatures in Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Maine and Georgia are making the ultimate grab for the golden ring in 2012. If it succeeds, American democracy will be altered in a way that goes against the grain of the country's history, a history that has seen the inexorable expansion of voter participation from the day when only white, Christian male property owners were allowed to participate in government-- or even vote. If you think this isn't exactly what the Republican fascists are aiming for, you haven't been paying attention. Watch Rachel's report up top.