Stevieslaw: Republicans take a page from the Lord of the Rings
It seems only hours ago that the Republican establishment was united in the “Stop Trump” movement. They firmly believed that Trump was pure evil—a manifestation of the “Dark Lord” on earth. Even worse than that, they felt he was likely to ruin the Republican brand and lose them the House and perhaps even the Senate.
Things change with time. In the “Fellowship of the Ring,” it takes the wizard Saruman centuries to become enamored with the dark lord, Sauron. In politics, change happens overnight. So it was not much of a surprise when Mitch McConnell—decked out in a robe of many colors, addressed the American people on his new strategy for dealing with Donald Trump. As near as we can tell, at Stevieslaw, he was using the words of J.R.R. Tolkien verbatim—from Saruman’s speech to Gandalf the Grey.
“A new power is rising. Against it the old allies and policies will not avail us at all…We may join with that power. It would be wise…As the power grows, its proved friends will also grow; and the wise, such as you and I, may with patience come at last to direct its course, to control it. We can bide our time, we can keep our thoughts in our hearts, deploring maybe evils done by the way, but approving the high and ultimate purpose: Knowledge, rule, order…”
It has been argued that when Tolkien wrote the trilogy he was describing the rise of Hitler and fascism and the coming of WWII. Perhaps. But we can only imagine the number of times that same speech has been given—in all the languages of the world. One suspects that number is not a small one.