SCROOGED
Literary classics are timeless because they hold eternal and universal truths. Take the 1843 Charles Dickens masterpiece, A Christmas Carol. As the story goes, three ghosts arrive to rub the nose of a curmudgeonly Ebenezer Scrooge in his own Christmas Past, Present, and Future, like so much doggy doodoo, with the goal of changing his obstinate cynical ways.
So, can Republicans change? Apparently not. Despite being reminded of their own nobler past, the GOP remains unscrupulous for now and the foreseeable future, determined to destroy holiday cheer. Most recently, the Grinch-like creature Stephen Miller used strategically-installed conservative judges to thwart aid to underprivileged farmers and business owners.
However, there have been hints of GOP hearts growing. Hard-right Republican Ted Budd, who defeated much more qualified Democrat Cheri Beasley in the red state of North Carolina, sat with the newly elected Democratic Senator Jeff Jackson during the Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting. Also, Spencer Cox, the Republican governor of Utah, vetoed an anti-trans bill similar to the one evildoer Ron DeSantis signed his into law in Florida. Cox even wrote a thoughtful letter to the Statehouse proving that “GOP politician” and “hateful asshole” are not always synonymous.
The most interesting thing about A Christmas Carol is that it’s a tale of critical thinking, of becoming enlightened, or “woke.” Mr. Scrooge awakens from his Three Ghosts nightmare to face the reality of his own misguided beliefs. In another timeless classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Theodor “Dr. Suess” Geisel, the Grinch attempts to break the spirit of the townsfolk by “stealing” Christmas. The climax of both tales is the villains get a wake-up call upon seeing the subjects of their vitriol happily celebrating, despite the holiday being stripped bare. In the denouements, both villains scramble to save Christmas.
And yet, today’s Republicans mostly remain small minded, with teeny tiny hearts of coal, trying to destroy America. When they see the majority of their fellow citizens celebrating democracy by voting them out – God bless us, everyone – the GOP still doesn’t get it. What will it take for Republicans to wake up?
Chicago native Lorraine Evanoff earned her degree in French from DePaul University then became a Certified Financial Manager. She worked as a finance exec in film production for seven years in Paris, then in Silicon Valley during the dot-com era, and later for various Hollywood production companies, notably as CFO of National Lampoon. She is currently living in Los Angeles with her husband.