Judge Roy Moore, GOP Senators, and the meaning of a Faustian bargain
From Wikipedia
"Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust is a tragic play in two parts usually known in English as Faust, Part One and Faust, Part Two. Although rarely staged in its entirety, it is the play with the largest audience numbers on German-language stages. Faust is considered by many to be Goethe's magnum opus and the greatest work of German literature.[1]...."
From Wikipedia
"Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust is a tragic play in two parts usually known in English as Faust, Part One and Faust, Part Two. Although rarely staged in its entirety, it is the play with the largest audience numbers on German-language stages. Faust is considered by many to be Goethe's magnum opus and the greatest work of German literature.[1]...."
From Wikipedia:" Mephistopheles makes a bet with God: he says that he can lure God's favourite human being (Faust), who is striving to learn everything that can be known, away from righteous pursuits. The next scene takes place in Faust's study where Faust, despairing at the vanity of scientific, humanitarian and religious learning, turns to magic for the showering of infinite knowledge. He suspects, however, that his attempts are failing. Frustrated, he ponders suicide, but rejects it as he hears the echo of nearby Easter celebrations begin. He goes for a walk with his assistant Wagner and is followed home by a stray poodle (the term then meant a medium-to-big-size dog, similar to a sheep dog).
In Faust's study, the poodle transforms into the devil (Mephistopheles). Faust makes an arrangement with the devil: the devil will do everything that Faust wants while he is here on Earth, and in exchange Faust will serve the devil in Hell. Faust's arrangement is that if he is pleased enough with anything the devil gives him that he wants to stay in that moment forever, then he will die in that moment."
The dilemma faced by voters in the election of Judge Roy Moore are faced with a moral choice. If they believe his accusers that he did commit sexual assault on underage girls or pedophilia, yet would rather vote for a pedophile than a Democrat so they keep their GOP Senate seat red .They are making a moral bargain with the devil worthy of a Faustian drama. Others have refused to make that kind of a decision and stuck with their moral values by hearing no evil and not believing the accusations, claiming they were politically motivated by attention seekers.
There are others who refuse to make a Faustian bargain..
Senators Flake, Corker, McCain advocate many policies I do not support. However, there are matters more important to our democracy than even the details of policies. . The most important point Flake made was that Trump was a danger to democracy. His second point: moral outrage at a lying president and a character that is not a good example to the world and our children. He was unwilling to make the tradeoff, tolerating this just to get his agenda passed. This is the classic tradeoff: make a pact with the devil to achieve ones' goals. Dancing with the devil has in the long run resulted in being consumed by the devil. The reality is even those voters who are willing to ignore Trump's character issues to get their legislative and issue and policy agenda enacted are also dancing with the character/anti democratic (small d) devil. That is the political reality of the condition in the Republican party.now. Republican voters are going down that road and Flake recognized that. While the Democratic party has no message other than they would give middle class voters a better deal and they are not Trump, they at least support policies that poll better than the GOP., they can combine that with moral and character outrage.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/roy-moore-scandal-alabama-might-slow-bannons-insurgency-gop-leaders-hope-223029129.html
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/11/what-hillary-knew/546170/
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/16/alabama-gop-roy-moore-support-245556
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/roy-moore-accuser-got-him-banned-mall-202603315--abc-news-topstories.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/24/us/politics/jeff-flake-transcript-senate-speech.html?_r=1
http://www.people-press.org/2017/10/24/political-typology-reveals-deep-fissures-on-the-right-and-left/?utm_source=adaptivemailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=17-10-24%20typology&org=982&lvl=100&ite=1874&lea=398584&ctr=0&par=1&trk=
From literature, opera: Goethe's FAUST making a bargain with the devil is a classic theme. In one ending, the message is that there is hope for redemption. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goethe%27s_Faust
Duke Dumont - Ocean Drive lyrics
We're riding down the boulevard
We're riding through the dark night, night
With half the tank and empty heart
Pretending we're in love, but it's never enough, nah
As the sirens fill the lonely air
Oh, how did we get here now, now, now babe
We see a storm is closing in
Pretending we ain't scared
[Chorus: Boy Matthews]
Don't say a word while we dance with the devil (uh)
You brought a fire to a world so cold (uh)
We're out of time on the highway to never
Hold on (hold on), hold on (hold on)
Don't say a word while we dance with the devil (uh)
You brought a fire to a world so cold (uh)
We're out of time on the highway to never
Hold on (hold on), hold on (hold on)
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