When our country was grappling with the scourge that was slavery, we held a party. For reasons unknown, this very uncivil event was misnamed the Civil War, at least by the Yankees. To the loser south, they called it The War Between the States.

One sorry result of our (very un)Civil War was the rapid, widespread growth of a group that named itself after the sound of a firearm being loaded, Ku Klux Klan. Its first appearance was in the late 1860s and slowly petered out to something much smaller by 1890. It was violent, it targeted black leaders, it targeted Republicans. At that time, the GOP was the party of Lincoln. It was liberal, empathic, caring, anti-slavery, pro-worker, and pro humanity, as we might describe it now.

The KKK's second iteration was in the early 1900s, thru the mid 1920s. This time, it shifted to an anti-immigration policy (sound familiar?) Its targets were catholics, jewish, and new immigrants, especially those who tried leaving the mess(es) created by the Great War. (Why would anyone call WW1 great? Its devastation was horrific) Immigration back then was driven by the identical forces that drives it today, and unfortunately, the same percentage of assholes exist today, with the same hatred and fear of any semblance of a sane immigration. The similarities in the language used by the right side today mirrors completely the hatred and racist feelings exposed at the turn of the last century and the decades that followed.

In the meantime, the visceral reaction that the Right Wing (and much of the richest business class) had to FDR's policies led to the creation of the American Liberty League. They strongly rejected any step that would intrude on the free market, and they repeatedly and publicly called Roosevelt a traitor to his class and to his people. In other words, he was a socialist. (Kenya and muslims would be added after the turn of the next century.) Remnants of the American Liberty League can be traced to today's Club For Growth, the Tea Party, and other conservative and ultra-conservative political groups, some quite wealthy and well funded.

The latest iteration of the KKK started up in 1950, although a growing number of historians suggest that the original KKK never really went away. It simply adapted with changing times, and expanded its list of whom they didn't like. The Southern Poverty Law group has long designated it as a racist, sexist, pro-christian, anti-immigrant, nasty piece of work that had (has) blood on its hands.

Luckily for the KKK, others were willing to pick up the slack, especially where white sheets simply didn't fit. (queen fitted sheets on a king sized bed?) Like at private parties with millionaires and billionaires. For them, a new group sprung up and welcomed every little racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, anti-tax, anti- regulation nut job you could imagine. Welch's John Birch Society became THE ultra-conservative magnet, gathering over 100,000 members by the 1960s. Its rise so bothered and scared other conservatives, that they banded together and eventually painted Welch and his fellow John Birchers as extreme nut-cases. Because of their extreme anti-communism, it was no surprise that they supported (against his wishes) Barry Goldwater for president. As did Hillary Rodham, and other future member of the millionaire's club.

Welch was such an asshole (think of a nastier, meaner, and more arrogant version of Ted Cruz), that the Birchers eventually abandoned his organization, although it still remains a conservative farce, based out of Appleton Wisconsin (which strongly supports Scott Walker, by the way. Hint, Hint!)

By the 1970s and through this century, three entities became more visible and more powerful: The Conservative coalition, Christian Coalition, and the NeoConservatives.

Kristol's NeoConservatives expressed their dangerous ideas and world views through a group called PNAC, a war-hawk based, Military Industrial Complex funded, Arab hating, Israel can do no wrong group that won the hearts and minds of americans like Hillary Clinton (who voted for every proposal that PNAC ever had brought before congress), and most of today's GOP senators.

The Conservative Coalition actually began much earlier, but really didn't have a huge impact until the backlash against Viet Nam protestors, and the idea that communists were taking over America. Democrat George Wallace, Barry Goldwater, and others were the beneficiaries of this group, both in voter support and money. Racism, anti-liberalism, anti-civil rights, anti-immigration, and anti-regulation were the hallmarks of this cult.

The Christian Coalition never really left politics, although their efforts from the 1920 to the 1970s were pretty much limited to banning alcohol, drugs, divorce, and gay issues across the country. By the 1970s, they realized that their base was small and impotent, so they joined forces with the Conservatives, and spawned hate groups like the Moral Majority. The combination of pro-business, anti regulatory assholes and the nutty christian cultists was laughed at originally, but they grew in power and strength, especially in the south. This was helped by the rise of conservatism in the South, where conservative democrats left the party and joined the GOP. Think Strom Thurmond.

The GOP's Southern Strategy pretty much cemented the GOP as a christian based, conservative, anti-government, anti-immigrant entity that we see today. It reached its zenith with the election of Newt Gingrich and his Contract On America. Privately, even Newt was surprised how strong and how quickly his movement grew, only to see his personal hubris and conceit cause the movement to stumble and temporarily fade.

But the stage was set. Congressmen who joined Newt, ran for and won senate seats, inflicting the upper chamber with the same racist, sexist, ultra-conservative nastiness that the Newt created in the House. Despite rumors of policy splits between the social conservatives (anti- Roe v. Wade) and the conservative business crooks, the loose coalition still prevailed and maintained a sizeable portion of the house and senate, even though their actual numbers in the general population were far more limited. Fear, it seems, was a great motivator for the great unwashed. IF you scare them enough, they will vote for you.

The thumb on the Coalition scales was slightly more in favor of the financial crooks who demanded ever more deregulation and avenues for them to steal us blind, rather than on Roe v. Wade. Recall the threats to privatize Social Security and Medicare? This coalition was the source of those movements, and they continue to try to do damage to the country. Sadly, they effective lead and control both houses of Congress. But they made an error. While pushing their conservative fiscal policies, austerity plans, and effort to derail the safety net, they took their eye off of the social aspects of their evil organization. They never really pushed abortion bans, bans on birth control, or other social (read christian) issues. Because of their perceived failure, in ultraconservative christian eyes, they themselves were traitors to the cause. What was surprising is how the coalition has managed to stay afloat, even into 2016. But not for much longer.

The dissonance between the two groups (as well as a well reported faux blow up on CNBC) led to the creation of a well funded, well-planned, allegedly "widespread" people movement they called the Tea Baggers. Only after comedians began describing how their first chosen name suited the new organization just fine, they eventually lost the silly hats, and renamed themselves the Tea Party.

While their numbers eventually faded, especially as the worst conservative ideas came home to roost and shocked most of the casual TP membership, they still managed to fill the elections with their nominations, and won significant victories in local, state, and federal offices, something the Left abandoned after Howard Dean was sabotaged by a Fox News doctored tape. While Dean's plans and strength faded, so did any organizational effort by the left. This left even the weakened Tea Party as the movement of action, of words, not silence, of having a plan (even if that plan was certifiably insane). The conservative democrats that tried to fill the void simply adopted GOP policies, more often than not.

That is what we have now, but with more changes. The Tea Party still has a tiny stranglehold on the house and senate. They control 7-10 state governments. They hold substantial positions in many state houses. And all too often, they pursue the worst of the worst of their stinking, fetid barrel of failed ideas. Yet, people begin to recognize that their ideas really suck.

It is sad to report that the Democrats cringed in fear (for the most part) rather than stand up to the obvious obliviousness of their plans and ideas. A few stood up, and some were massacred in recent elections (Feingold for one). Slowly, almost too slowly, the general population realized that the leadershit on both sides was really more concerned for the amount of lucre in their own pockets, and those of their billionaire and millionaire sugar daddies. While the Tea Party is fading and disappearing like a leaky, rusty, aged, pump-free ocean liner, unmanned, misdirected, and unable to avoid a titanic sized ice berg freed by Global Climate change, natives on both sides (and especially the center) have become quite restless. Change is in the air.

The dislike and mistrust by the vast majority of the population of the "powers that be" are obvious in today's election reality.

On the GOP side, the franchise elements, the chosen few, those who represent everything the GOP leadership seeks, - they are all gone.

Jeb! Bush
Chris Christie

Carli Fiorina

Ben Carson

Rick Santorum

Rand Paul

Mike Huckabee

Rick Perry

Bobby Jindhal

Sarah Palin

Mitt Romney

John Bolton

Scott Walker

George Pataki

(Bill Clinton would probably fit here, too)

Historically, this whole crowd of clowns were offered up by the powers that be, with the expectation that one would win, ready to pursue the same bad policies. But something happened on the way to Cleveland. Every favorite favor of the weak got trounced in the polls. The general public stood up and told the GOP powers, "Screw you." The wholesale rejection of these types of candidates is probably both the least expected, and the most expected event of 2016. Despite the Powers that Be's support and willingness to putsch through more deregulation, anti-immigration, fear-mongering, war, and Muslim threats, while lining their own pockets at our expense, the people wholeheartedly rejected all of the above.

The economic growth of those in charge, compared to the lack of any economic benefits for the muddle and lower economic classes made this result inevitable. But it still shocked the GOP leaders, and all those ultraconservatives who thought they could continue to control the masses with lies, deceit, self-dealing, and fear. Super PACs? Foundation donations? Those would be viewed as criminal entities in a fair society. But ours is not such a country.

A similar kind of "change" is taking place on the Democratic side. Hillary Clinton, who by any rational standard, would be more comfortable with the ultra-rich and the GOP list above, has negative polling numbers that exceed 52%, even higher in the northernmost states. This includes democrats who vote!

A candidate being pushed when more than half of the country hates and mistrusts her? Are the D powerbrokers that disconnected from reality and quite possibly insane?

Anyway, sorry about the long-winded note. But, my major point is this. THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A VIRULENT, VIOLENT, EVIL, ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE COLLECTION OF NEANDERTHALS IN AMERICA. Unfortunately, until the rise of Bernie there has been no real organized movement on the left or even center-left. We have a lot of work to do. Plus, their side still has tons of money. AND, they have Citizen's Untied.

Admittedly, I skip other major events on the Right, including the unfortunate and failed presidency of Ronald Reagan, who by any objective standard, was really a lousy president. I cannot think of any aspect of domestic society that he and his programs did not harm or damage in some way. Mental illness, treatment of vets, child care, housing, criminal justice, prisons, health, and general welfare, his was a failed presidency. Only a concerted effort to rewrite history resulted in the glowing terms used today to describe him. (glossing over all his tax increase, his obvious dementia in his second term, and the wholesale crimes committed under his leadership).

The hate groups and political organizations have always been a part of our political spectrum. They are not new, they simply relabeled themselves. At the same time, the mistrust among the general population of our self-serving political cystern has led directly to the appearance of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. The same people who see their lives being destroyed, not aided by government, are looking for anyone, anything to make a real change. And that is the lesson that today's power brokers fear most.