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Exposing the Fall of the Republican Party
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by literaryguru | October 24, 2008 at 09:27 pm
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As a great many Americans have “disengaged psychologically from politics and government,”* the Republican Party has been forced to pander to those still interested. Social conservatives, xenophobes, religious extremists and those with corporate interests now make up what you would call the interested Republican, electoral base. John McCain, try as he might, is just not authentically aligned with enough of these factions to hold the party together. McCain isn’t even completely aligned with the Republican Party as a whole. In 2001, he actually considered becoming a Democrat.
Obama appeals to the disinterested. Despite his obvious expertise at the art of rhetoric, Obama is really quite mundane. He speaks to normative issues, such as healthcare, jobs and community. Obama could be the guy next door anywhere in America. This is what Americans are craving: a normal guy talking about normal issues.
In the final days of this election, we will see skewed polls telling us the race is tightening. These polls are skewed because it is the interested that actually take the time to submit to polling. In the ballot box, we will see the will of the disinterested prevail. The collapse of the economy, poor governmental response to hurricane Katrina, corruption, manufactured evidence that led to the war in Iraq and a deep-rooted mistrust of Washington in general has motivated those reluctant to care.
And what is the future of the Republican Party? It has a choice: move to more moderate candidates that appeal to mainstream society or remain incapacitated by the factional infighting between extremist blocs. The realists are, and have been, the party’s best chance at appealing to the moderate voter. George Bush Senior was a realist and his son, prior to his election, was seen as one as well. It was only the post-Sept. 11th fear of terrorism that allowed him a second term once his true, neoconservative stripes had been revealed. As that fear waned, so did his ability to hold the party together. While we can blame McCain for this rift in the Republican Party, the truth is that it was always there. Fear of losing has just brought it out into the light.
* Robert D. Putnam, “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital,” Journal of Democracy 6, no. 1 (January 1995): 65-78.
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literaryguru
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 21:32 on October 24th, 2008
literaryguru, I like this story. It's good stuff.
They're scared enough of losing to do some pretty petty yet criminal stuff to try to win.
so much for high moral republican ethics
at 21:33 on October 24th, 2008
literaryguru, I like this story. It's good stuff. I know tons of Republicans for Obama
at 05:40 on October 25th, 2008
literaryguru, I like this story. It's good stuff.
They never have won in my opinion. Since Vietnam they have been on this crusade to legitimatize their use of force and try to make people bow down to them and support their party, trying desperately to make us believe violence and war makes American hero's such as John McCain. They spread on the patriotic jargon, and pass out medals like candy in a parade...polishing up their M16's as trophies pledging to them as the meaning to life....instead of the American flag. Why the madness they proliferate? Why sell weapons to the enemy such as Saddam? Why demolish the WTC and call it a terrorist attack by some goat-herder or dictator in Iraq? They want our respect but it can't be given...So they commit more and more terror...blaming the victims once again and insisting they are right.
It is inconceivable to believe that any President of the USA has the right to wage war or drop bombs on innocent people....when they are fed intelligence from agencies about governments we perceive to dislike or not trust. How does the President know? He is isolated....always in protected custody. He relies always on hearsay. How is that useful judgement? People could be lying to him all the time..and he wouldn't know it.
In fact GW knows when they are lying?... because according to Vincent Bugliosi 16 different intelligence agencies told Bush Saddam and Iraq was not a viable threat to the United States, but Bush didn't listen to them and lied to the American people by telling us intelligence agencies said otherwise.
The Republican Party is not even about politics anymore....They are gangsters lying and telling us they are politicians.We use to hear things such as they are trying to reach a political solution instead of a military one.....So why are they lying and telling us they are politicians pushing a political agenda when in fact they are militarists; is beyond my earnest understanding of the realm to freedom in America. Creditably they have no creditability, because creditability comes and is earned when a military conflict is avoided...that's where you earn the creditability points...thats where you save innocent lives, instead of taking them.
But the Republican party under GW Bush has done is actually gone into the Bank so to speak disregarding the hostages.......killed all the hostages first just so they could get the bad guy to hang him... In my book that is a collossal failure, and the complete renunciation of their duty in being a politician. They have flushed themselves into the gutter.....and the only way to clean the barn in Washington is to load up the spreader and get rid of them...
Rev. Jermano
at 07:06 on October 25th, 2008
True enough. Pulling in Palin as the 'girl next door' to compete with Obama's 'guy next door' persona was admirable, but perhaps not entirely well thought out. She either unfortunately represents a party (and a country) where the pickens are indeed slim and she's the best of the worst, or the Republican Party is now a system that allows top-ranking officials to arbitrarily choose leadership.
Both are an issue. If the sheer paucity of solid, intelligent candidates is an issue, why is that? That's an easy one ... who the HELL wants to get into politics? It doesn't pay overly well, you've got to be corrupt (or at least heartily disingenuous) to move your way up the ranks and raise the boat-load of cash needed to get past first base, lose and you've got to find yourself another job, you spend most of your time playing games rather than worrying about real issues, you get pissed on no matter what you try and change, etc. etc. Once upon a time life as a politician was normally thought of as an admirable career, and somewhat respected 'calling' in life, now ...hmmm ... how many candidates are following their supposed 'calling' in life?
And I'm sure there are policies and procedures within the Republican Party when it comes time to appoint posts – or at least I would hope there would be. I'd really like to take a look at the policies and procedures that were followed when choosing Mrs. Palin. Is there not an IQ test? Minimal litmus test? Pop-quiz? Young, cute and unknown were here 3 biggest attributes. That's what it takes to become the second in command to a $13 trillion economy? Wow.
... then again, Ronald Regan became President, Dan Quayle became Vice President, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is the Governor of California. Does any sort of intelligence or accountability really matter? Countries weren't meant to run like corporations, were they? Do we really want corporate America to start taking up posts in government? Should life really be about cheaper toilet paper or should we all just have a good laugh?
The more (or less) I think I about it, Sarah Palin is absolutely perfect.