The great legacy of the George W. Bush presidency will be the political culture of sociopathy it has engendered. We are witnessing a shredding of the very fabric of acceptable norms of respectable behavior and custom that have greased the machinery of government and diplomacy since our country’s founding. In their place, rapidly metastasizing like a malignant presence, and perniciously destroying all that has made our country great since its founding, is the political application of bullying, mass deception, and a relentless and completely unharnessed pursuit of power.
Catapulted into being with the blatant hijacking of the 2000 election, this administration from its inception has manifested disdain for the principles of democracy and the rule of law. A true counting of the presidential vote in Florida was steamrollered on many fronts, replaced by the rapacious lust for victory at all cost. Thousands of registered Florida voters were denied their vote due to a fraudulent list of felons created through the chicanery of Governor Jeb Bush and his accomplice and party chairman, Secretary of State (now Representative) Katherine Harris. In addition, the Republican Florida legislature at the time simply refused to accept any change that might result from a recount, with the intention of sending Republican electors to Washington no matter what. The sham interference of the usually state’s rights Supreme Court completed the coup of democracy when it refused to allow the recount ordered by the Florida Supreme Court to proceed.
Since Mr. Bush’s Inauguration, a clear pattern has emerged of bullying, manipulation, and the refusal to operate within any restriction, both domestically and in foreign policy. The Patriot Act, which tramples the Constitution on so many fronts, exemplifies the bludgeoning of the rule of law so pervasive in this administration. On the international front, Bush’s dismantling of an international nuclear treaty, his refusal to participate in the Kyoto Protocol and the International Criminal Court, his current plans to create nuclear weaponry for battlefield use – contrary to decades-old international norms and agreements – and his coalition of the “billing”, bribed into acquiescence when the United Nations refused to support his plan to invade Iraq, all point to a refusal to bend to any laws created for the greater good that might impede the selfish pursuits of the few. The preemptive strike doctrine, cynically cloaked in unsubstantiated threats to national security, and fueled by a desire for unrestricted global hegemony, is the ultimate manifestation of this pattern.
The frightening development at present is that this power-hungry trampling of the accepted norms of behavior has now metastasized into a contamination of political discourse across a wide spectrum. Despite the widely-established norm of redistricting once every 10 years based on a new census, the Texas Republicans, inspired by Representative Tom “the Bug Killer” Delay, are attempting to ram through a second redistricting plan, that would grant them 5 more representatives in Congress, and create in its wake the most skewed political districts ever conceived. A similar plan has already succeeded in Colorado.
An incident that occurred recently on Capitol Hill provides another example of the increasing thuggery poisoning the political landscape. When a bill before a House committee was substantially changed at midnight one evening by the Republican committee chairman, the Democrats, needing time the following morning to consider the changed bill, left the committee room and went to the library to conference. The angry Republicans actually called the Capital Police to oust their Democratic colleagues from the library, and, against all precedent, voted on the bill without them despite the protests of the one remaining Democratic committee member.
A third example of a blatant power-grab attempting to aggressively thwart established norms - in this case the norm of accepting the result of a democratic election - is the now infamous California recall election, scheduled for October 7, 2003. In this case, a millionaire Republican bankrolled the recall process, made easy by the very low bar presented in California law. The potential outcome of this fiasco is that the current governor, Gray Davis, could lose, having received substantially more votes than his successor. And once the recall is used to oust an unpopular but otherwise legitimate governor, its potential for abuse may well continue to grow. Any unpopular governor will feel threatened with this Sword of Damocles hanging over his head. The results of a democratic election, the cornerstone of democracy, will no longer be inviolable. Actual governing in California, and perhaps elsewhere, may become impossible in the midst of an ongoing popularity contest and media circus. A small, well-funded, power-hungry fringe, manipulating legal loopholes, will have once again subverted democracy to smash those with whom it disagrees, the consequences to the sacred process founded in 1776 be damned.
At the moment, there seem to be three possible outcomes to the recall. Gray Davis could remain in office if a majority oppose his ouster. Currently (as of 8/12/03), 52% favor a recall and 38% oppose it. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has no position on any issue thus far but is a well-known and popular actor, could win the governorship. At present, he has a 31% lead in the polls, a winning plurality. The third possibility is that Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante could pull ahead of Arnold in the next five weeks and win.
A brief study of the birth chart for California suggests what has been happening in the Golden State for the past decade. During the years 1992 through 1997, the converse progressed Sun successively crossed natal Uranus, natal Pluto, converse progressed Pluto and, lastly, converse progressed Uranus. It is the nearly exact 5th House Uranus/ Pluto conjunction quincunx Jupiter in this chart that describes the brilliant potential and revolutionary possibilities in the creative power inherent in this state. While the converse Sun crossed these degrees, the amazing technological breakthroughs of the 1990’s emerged. But by 2000, numerous Saturn progressions began to unfold that put a halt to the magical bubble and caused severe contractions in the once gilded fantasies of many. Progressed Saturn moved to within the last 15 minutes of quincunx the natal Sun (2000-2002). As of August 2000, converse Saturn moved to square converse Mars (8/00 to 3/02), converse Mercury moved to conjunct converse Saturn (7/02 to 1/03), and converse Sun (symbolic of the governor) moved into a conjunction with natal Saturn (5/02 to 5/03). The latter aspect was triggered by a trine from transiting Pluto from January through April 2003. Although the Sun/Saturn conjunction peaked in May, it continues to be in effect for a few months as its influence wanes.
Unfortunately, the difficult days in California are not over. The larger framework can be seen by the converse progressed Saturn aspect opposing natal Mars from 2001 through 2009. This has been greatly exacerbated by the other aspects mentioned above. It will be further intensified when the transiting Saturn station squares natal Mars and Mercury from late August through mid-December 2003. This suggests that as the wild, rebellious energy of the Uranus station just moving from the square to California’s Ascendant* begins to recede in mid-August, the feeling of being burdened by an intractable morass will begin to take hold. The mood will move increasingly from one of gleeful anarchy to a profound despair and a focus on the hard work necessary to transform this mess into some kind of coherent outcome. After mid-December 2003, things will ease somewhat, but the overall need for Californians to tighten their belts and live within a disciplined, realistic structure will continue for several years (converse Saturn opposite natal Mars through 2009).
Nonetheless, we can also hope for an intellectual and creative renaissance in California from late 2004 through 2013. The first 5 years will encounter obstacles and some difficulties (Saturn/Mars), but the seeds will be sown for great achievement and potentially revolutionary technology and discovery. Once again, the incredibly dynamic Pluto/Uranus quincunx to natal Jupiter will be highlighted. From late 2004 through 2009, progressed Mercury, ruler of the chart Midheaven, will alternatively square progressed Uranus, progressed Pluto, natal Uranus and natal Pluto, as well as trine natal Jupiter. From 2009 through 2013, progressed Sun will sextile first the progressed and then the natal Uranus and Pluto, as well as trine natal Jupiter. Thus, the greatest difficulties for California, spanning roughly 2000 through 2003, will lesson significantly after June 2004, when Saturn finishes its coming transit to square natal Mercury and Mars. Some basic lessons in conservation, discipline, and restraint will remain through 2009, but they will be accompanied by a new wave of creative, dynamic, and fruitful enterprise from late 2004 through 2013.
Astrological indications in the chart of Gray Davis suggest that the enormously difficult energies he has been confronting will not really abate until mid-2005. If by some miracle he remains governor, he will continue to face overwhelming obstruction and frustration and be able to accomplish things only one tiny step at a time. The more likely scenario is that he will lose and go through a period of withdrawal and consolidation, not finding renewal and a clear path for himself until the summer of 2005. The series of difficult aspects he is currently encountering are as follows: progressed Sun square progressed Saturn (9/02 to 10/03); progressed Mars sesquiquadrate natal Saturn which triggers their natal opposition (10/02 to 4/04); progressed Sun square natal Saturn (12/03 to 12/04); and transiting Saturn sesquiquadrate natal Mars and semisquare natal Saturn (8/04 to 5/05).
It seems quite unlikely that Gray Davis will resign during the recall campaign in favor of Cruz Bustamante. The Mars station that runs right up to the October 7 recall election is exactly square his natal and progressed Uranus. He is, therefore, likely to be in high gear, angry, and campaigning hard.
Arnold “the interminable Terminator” Schwarzenegger is the current frontrunner in the California election circus. The whirlwind of energy and excitement engendered by his campaign is likely to continue through August while Uranus squares his Nodes. Active campaigning and an aggressive approach will then follow from mid-September through early October 2003 when the Mars station squares his Nodes. With progressed Mars conjunct his natal Venus and progressed Venus sextile his natal Sun, a win for Arnold is certainly possible. These progressions suggest popularity and success. However, they can just as easily imply another big blockbuster movie, and so they are not as definitive as they might be for someone else.
What may prove to be more significant is the Neptunian influence in Arnold’s campaign. Currently, Neptune is opposing Arnold’s Saturn, the ruler of his Capricorn rising location chart. The aspect will be exact from September through December 2003, due to Neptune’s station. In addition, transiting Neptune is square to Arnold’s location chart MC for Los Angeles (13 Scorpio) though not exact at present. In the location chart for Sacramento, the progressed Ascendant is opposite natal Neptune (5/03 to 10/03) and the location chart progressed Midheaven for Los Angeles is square natal Neptune (5/03 to 5/04). Taken together, these aspects suggest a campaign of obfuscation that is more image than reality. There will be a veil of illusion around Arnold that will encourage people to see what they want rather than what is there. Arnold himself will feel increasingly at sea during this fall’s Neptune station, not able to or wanting to define himself too clearly. It is quite possible that with all of this Neptunian influence going on, his political fantasy will turn to sand, as the inevitable disillusionment sets in. If he should win, the disillusionment will be the reality of governing as opposed to his current fantasy of another superhero role. By the summer of 2004, he will run into extraordinary difficulties and a general loss in popularity through May 2006, due to several Saturn transits, and is, therefore, unlikely to be of much help in any Republican power grabbing exploits during the next election.
It is not impossible that Cruz Bustamante will turn into the victorious dark horse of this wild political horserace. In his natal chart, the Sun is semisquare to Venus and tightly opposite Uranus. The coming Uranus station is about to trigger this constellation with a focus on Venus, as transiting Uranus moves to conjunct natal Venus and semisquare natal Sun from early September through mid- December 2003. These aspects will thrust him into the limelight and give him a strong appeal (Uranus/Venus) that will contiue for almost four months. Look for a shift in energy in his campaign and increasing popularity and charisma after the first week of September.
However the California election turns out, it sets a terrible precedent for our democracy. The moneyed power of the few has turned a legal election on its head and set a new standard of disrespect for our institutions. Our civilization is based on the rule of law and the will of the majority as manifested through elections. As the bullying attitude of the current administration spreads, unable to tolerate disagreement or resistance from any quarter, and willing to coerce through bribes and threats to get its way, the very fabric of our system of government and our culture begins to unravel.
It is indeed timely that the transit of the disciplinarian Saturn is coming to the US Sun, beginning in late September 2003 and continuing through mid-June 2004. This transit is likely to pull hard on the reins and thwart the arrogance of power manifested by this administration, just as it did with Richard Nixon in 1974.
*The indication given for California’s birth time is “shortly before lunch.” If we place the time at 11:50 AM, Uranus would be square the California Ascendant during most of August, coinciding with the height of the recall's unfolding turmoil.
