Republican Party - Life or Life Support After the 2012 Election?
Trolling the Internet found two postings that made the reality of a soon to be extinct Republican party seem likely.
What will happen to the GOP, post the upcoming 2012 election, if trends continue toward a major party defeat?
Barring horribly unforeseen circumstances (which might be too terrible to speculate), the conservative bastion of American democracy seems to be floating off the deep end, like boxes of tea cast into Boston Harbor during the 1773 rebellion.
For example, in learning that the liberal MSNBC news anchor Rachael Maddow grew up in a conservative Roman Catholic home, I was amused by this quote posted on her Wikepedia bio:
"Asked about her political views...Maddow replied, "I'm undoubtedly a liberal, which means that I'm in almost total agreement with the Eisenhower Era..." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Maddow
Maddow's reflection of a nostalgic political time past, long before Maddow was even born (1973), is an indication that the party of this by gone era is as deceased as the great General Eisenhower (1890-1969). Heroic Eisenhower was a political and military savior, having breathed life into the GOP, saving it from extinction after four consecutive Democratic administrations had put the conservative movement on life support. But, the political party Eisenhower saved is not the extremist party it morphed into. Eisenhower could not have envisioned a political party that didn't want to compromise or pay taxes. Thank goodness, Eisenhower was able to create our nation's interstate highway system with tax revenues and by claiming the property necessary for the project, by using the governments power of "imminent domain". Indeed, Eisenhower's Republicans party sounds like Democrats to me......
Another example of how the demise of the Republicans, as we know (or knew) them, might be imminent is in the way Governor Mitt Romney was unable to manage his campaign for the Presidency without ingratiating himself to extremists. When Republican Governor Romney was the leader of Massachusetts, a decidedly liberal, bluer than blue, state, he was a moderate. As Massachusetts governor, he was pro-choice and passed the nation's model health care reform law, a.k.a. "Obamacare". This sure sounds more Democrat than Republican to me. Right?
But, what happened when Governor Romney began running for 2012 President? He became a puppet of wealthy campaign contributors like the Koch Brothers and right wing Tea-Party conservatives, who squelched Romney's style, so the real candidate is like a political turtle. He won't stick his head out or display a moderate political past, for fear he'll be shunned at the polls.
Romney missed his "Sister Souljah Moment" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Souljah_moment.
Rather than rise up when right wing radio mouth piece Rush "Bimbaugh" Limbaugh slandered a Georgetown University law student for exercising her right to free speech when she spoke to Congress about contraception, Romney head for the proverbial hills and found a cave to hide in. Although this moment of political weakness was cowardly, the worst was yet to come when Romney didn't screech at the top of his lungs in outrage about Missouri Representative Todd Akin, who disgustingly created a new and disgusting concept called "legitimate rape".
Cowardly Romney moments are reported in a recent Washington Post op-ed by Fareed Zakaria, who says Romney is avoiding confronting his right wing base.
What will happen to the GOP, post the upcoming 2012 election, if trends continue toward a major party defeat?
Barring horribly unforeseen circumstances (which might be too terrible to speculate), the conservative bastion of American democracy seems to be floating off the deep end, like boxes of tea cast into Boston Harbor during the 1773 rebellion.
For example, in learning that the liberal MSNBC news anchor Rachael Maddow grew up in a conservative Roman Catholic home, I was amused by this quote posted on her Wikepedia bio:
"Asked about her political views...Maddow replied, "I'm undoubtedly a liberal, which means that I'm in almost total agreement with the Eisenhower Era..." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Maddow
Maddow's reflection of a nostalgic political time past, long before Maddow was even born (1973), is an indication that the party of this by gone era is as deceased as the great General Eisenhower (1890-1969). Heroic Eisenhower was a political and military savior, having breathed life into the GOP, saving it from extinction after four consecutive Democratic administrations had put the conservative movement on life support. But, the political party Eisenhower saved is not the extremist party it morphed into. Eisenhower could not have envisioned a political party that didn't want to compromise or pay taxes. Thank goodness, Eisenhower was able to create our nation's interstate highway system with tax revenues and by claiming the property necessary for the project, by using the governments power of "imminent domain". Indeed, Eisenhower's Republicans party sounds like Democrats to me......
Another example of how the demise of the Republicans, as we know (or knew) them, might be imminent is in the way Governor Mitt Romney was unable to manage his campaign for the Presidency without ingratiating himself to extremists. When Republican Governor Romney was the leader of Massachusetts, a decidedly liberal, bluer than blue, state, he was a moderate. As Massachusetts governor, he was pro-choice and passed the nation's model health care reform law, a.k.a. "Obamacare". This sure sounds more Democrat than Republican to me. Right?
But, what happened when Governor Romney began running for 2012 President? He became a puppet of wealthy campaign contributors like the Koch Brothers and right wing Tea-Party conservatives, who squelched Romney's style, so the real candidate is like a political turtle. He won't stick his head out or display a moderate political past, for fear he'll be shunned at the polls.
Romney missed his "Sister Souljah Moment" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Souljah_moment.
Rather than rise up when right wing radio mouth piece Rush "Bimbaugh" Limbaugh slandered a Georgetown University law student for exercising her right to free speech when she spoke to Congress about contraception, Romney head for the proverbial hills and found a cave to hide in. Although this moment of political weakness was cowardly, the worst was yet to come when Romney didn't screech at the top of his lungs in outrage about Missouri Representative Todd Akin, who disgustingly created a new and disgusting concept called "legitimate rape".
Cowardly Romney moments are reported in a recent Washington Post op-ed by Fareed Zakaria, who says Romney is avoiding confronting his right wing base.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fareed-zakaria-romney-is-the-gops-pretzel-candidate/2012/09/26/728b35ea-080a-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_story.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions
A 2007 New York Times article described the situation like this:
"There were six people in a car that would comfortably seat five, but otherwise it was an ordinary drive that happened to turn tragic.On the way back from Pau (France), the car was hit head-on and Anderson's wife, Leola, was killed. Anderson's driver, a 21-year-old missionary named Mitt Romney, is now a leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president of the United States, with the June 16, 1968, accident one of his rare dark moments. Romney, who was seriously injured in the crash and was momentarily feared dead, has long said there was nothing he could have done to avoid the tragedy."
Maybe, Romney is a coward. Perhaps that's the unflattering character trait that drove Romney to do missionary work in France when he was eligible to serve his country in the Viet Nam War (ahhh, France? Viet Nam?- he chose France, where he wound up involved in a controversial automobile accident where the outcomes are still unexplained).
"There were six people in a car that would comfortably seat five, but otherwise it was an ordinary drive that happened to turn tragic.On the way back from Pau (France), the car was hit head-on and Anderson's wife, Leola, was killed. Anderson's driver, a 21-year-old missionary named Mitt Romney, is now a leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president of the United States, with the June 16, 1968, accident one of his rare dark moments. Romney, who was seriously injured in the crash and was momentarily feared dead, has long said there was nothing he could have done to avoid the tragedy."
Obviously, the auto accident is absolutely not a political issue but the details of the incident have never been resolved and probably won't be. It's history.
Nonetheless, what's politically important is whether or not Romney is capable of being President of the United States when his behavior throughout this campaign has been erratic. Are Romney's labile responses to crucial events the result of his 1968 documented head injury? It's a rhetorical question, of course, but the public needs to know about this medical history.
Getting back to the point, what's the future of the Republican party? What's to become of the Grand Old Party, if they become "ground on partisanship", so ingrained that they're incapable of governing?
Clearly, Governor Romney, the undisputed leader of the GOP, is completely incapable of reigning in his political party extremists.
Rachel Maddow Democrats, those who might join in her thinking of the Grand Old Party of Dwight Eisenhower as their political preference, will need to find a politically safe place.
Hopefully, Governor Romney's presidential 2012 campaign will collapse under the weight of incompetence. Of course, this outcome presumes the current polling trends continue and states will eliminate the illegal promulgation of voter suppression regulations.
Although pundits are giving Romney the "doesn't he look good" mortuary greeting, this election isn't over until it's over.
When Romney's campaign is finally declared "dead", I predict the Grand Old Party will slide into the political morgue drawer right next to the graveyard of campaign buttons and dried up balloons.
In other words, it's time America finds a new "Eisenhower" to lead a political movement of centrists, who care about projects like expanding America's transportation infrastructure, maintenance for schools, and public safety facilities and providing health care for everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.
Republicans as we know them today, a flailing party of extremists, will soon be history - just like the 1773 tea in Boston Harbor.
Labels: 1773, Pau France, Rachael Maddow, Republcan party future, tea party
posted by Juliana L'Heureux | 4:17 PM
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