In the North American country of the United States of America, the GOP Avengers (Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Scott Walker, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, and Rick Perry) raid a Libertarian outpost led by Robber Barons Charles and David Koch, who have been experimenting on the American political process using heaping barrels of cash. At the outpost, they encounter two Koch experiments: Rand Paul, who can change positions on an issue at blur speed, and Ted Cruz, who has the power to cloud minds with haunting visions. My new article “GOP Avengers: Gilded Age of Ultron” tells the story of the GOP Avengers, joined by Ben Carson and Marco “War Machine” Rubio, and their battle to bring our country back to the 19th century. The spoiler alert level for this article is mild.
Bernie Sanders, Senator from Vermont and a candidate for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, writes that “the agenda of the Koch brothers is to repeal every major piece of legislation that has been signed into law over the past 80 years that has protected the middle class, the elderly, the children, the sick, and the most vulnerable in this country” (1). Henry Giroux, professor at McMaster University, makes a similar observation: by eliminating the reforms of the New Deal, the Great Society, and the Progressive Era, “right-wing politicians, think-tanks, and media are pushing to create a Second Gilded Age” (2). The Koch brothers spearhead these individuals and organizations and, to paraphrase Tony Stark “they just pay for everything and design everything and make everyone look cooler.” Ultron would surely condemn Republican politicians as “puppets, all tangled in (Koch brothers) strings.”
Henry Giroux comments that right-wing politicians initiate policies that take the country back to “a period in in which robber barons, railroad magnates and the super-rich spread their corrupting influence throughout the political, economic and cultural landscapes – without having to deal with irritating social reforms such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, child labor laws, environmental protections, affirmative action, civil rights, union rights, antitrust laws, environmental protections, affirmative action, civil rights, union rights, antitrust laws, (and) a progressive income tax” (2).
Critics from the Right (and the Left) contend that, like Ultron, Hillary Clinton “can’t see the difference between saving the world and destroying it.” Hillary has a conservative mind, as evidenced by her neoliberal economic philosophies, neoconservative foreign policy, and close alliances with Wall Street financiers and international power players. However, Hillary shows her liberal heart by taking strong progressive stances on health care, women’s reproductive rights, LGBT rights, education, immigration, and social security. As Hillary and her allies strike down scandals (Benghazi, Emails, Clinton Foundation), the “vast right-wing conspiracy” will conjure up more to take their place.
Now it is time to meet the GOP Avengers:
Jeb Bush, starring as Tony Stark/Iron Man.
Mike Huckabee, starring as Steve Rogers/Captain America.
Chris Christie, starring as Bruce Banner/The Hulk.
Scott Walker, starring as Thor (and hurling hammers at unions)
Rick Perry starring as Clint Barton/Hawkeye.
Carly Fiorina starring as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow.
Ted Cruz starring as Wanda.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWsIhBnaWaw
Rand Paul starring as Pietro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AkKlREFGFc
Also featuring Ben Carson as Nick Fury.
Marco Rubio as War Machine.
Mitt Romney as Falcon?
Sources:
1) Bernie Sanders, United States Senator for Vermont obtained on May 3, 2015 from http://www.sanders.senate.gov/koch-brothers
2) Henry Giroux, “Surving the Second Gilded Age.” Truthout op-ed obtained on May 3, 2015 from http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/5580-surviving-the-second-gilded-age
Karl Rove once stated his object was to “Repeal the 20th century”; ie get rid of not only the New Deal, Fair Deal, and Great Society, but also the regulations on food signed by Teddy Roosevelt.