A dedicated minority can overwhelm a disinterested majority.

To do so takes discipline, and a mindset that will brook neither criticism nor interference, that is totally obedient to the will of the leader.

What drives this mindset is fear. The leadership drives fear into people, and the mindset is gradually acquired. There are many examples of this. South Africa's Nationalists. Mussolini's Fascists. It was a hallmark of Peronism in Argentina. It's not a left-right thing, since it's most closely associated with Lenin's Russia, but it's more common than most in the democratic world believe or accept.

Note that in all these examples there's one ingredient which, many will say, does not exist in today's Republicans -- ruthlessness. That is, the willingness to do anything in the name of the cause, whether that's stuffing ballot boxes, taking control of the news media, or just shooting to kill. In the wake of New Orleans I'd question whether that ruthlessness is lacking. When you hear someone try to defend what has happened, it's hard to argue it's lacking.

Political movements can easily morph into Bolshevism, even in democracies. It's the main Achilles Heel of the whole system. I think it's what Washington most feared when he talked of "factions."

Over the last two centuries many political movements in this country have been accused of a Bolshevistic mind set, even before such a thing existed, starting (long before there was such a thing) with Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans. Jackson's Democrats had some of it, and it morphed into the Slave Power, which had it in spades. Did the Big City Machines have it? How about the New Deal -- they were certainly accused of it.

See how common this is?

What's most infuriating about our time is how many white, male Americans (some females, some blacks, but overwhelmingly it's white males) have internalized this mindset. It's why I find it increasingly difficult to communicate with these bozos -- all avenues of communication are blocked-off.

Want to see the dance?

1. First, deny. Not my fault.
2. Then, deflect. It's their fault.
3. Now, dismiss. You're the problem.
4. Finally dehumanize. This is the end game of the dismissal.

Repeat as necessary.

Americans throughout the country saw this game played out over the last week, over New Orleans, writ large. It was brazen, out in the open.

1. We didn't find out the levees were broken until Thursday.
2. Governor Blanco didn't authorize us. Mayor Nagin failed his people, not us.
3. Your criticism isn't helping. Shut up. Now is not the time.
4. It's "you" who are to blame. The only way to stop this in the future is get rid of (insert name of critic or critic's group here).

There's a lot of what the psychiatrists call "projection" involved in all this. The faults you have you project onto the other person. Once the other gets frustrated, the argument is all their fault.

A democracy cannot succeed when such games continue to succeed. We all need to be on the look-out for it, and shun those who play it.

We can start with apologists for the crimes of last week.