As I’ve written many times, the conventional view of what’s wrong with the GOP gets at only a portion of the truth. When The New York Times or Politico does such a story, the story inevitably focuses on policy positions. Immigration. Same-sex marriage. Climate change. Tinker with these positions, several sages are quoted as saying, and the GOP will be back in the game.
God knows, policy positions are a problem. But they are not the problem. The problem is that the party is fanatical—a machine of rage, hate, and resentment. People are free to scoff and pretend it isn’t so, but I don’t think honest people can deny that we’ve never seen anything like this in the modern history of our country. There’s a symbiosis of malevolence between the extreme parts of the GOP base and Washington lawmakers, and it is destroying the Republican Party. That’s fine with me, although I am constantly mystified as to why it’s all right with the people I’m talking about. But it’s also destroying the country and our democratic institutions and processes, which is not fine with me.
The party can change all the positions it wants, but until people stand up and yell “Stop!” to this fanaticism, it won’t mean anything. In fact, the problems feed into each other, because the idea that today’s Republican Party can change its stripes on same-sex marriage or immigration is absurd, and it is absurd precisely because of the rage and fanaticism I’m talking about, much of which is directed at brown people and gay people. Such a party cannot change its stripes on these issues until the mindset and world view are changed.
What Tomasky is saying should be obvious to just about anyone.
The Republicans are not about to REALLY change, because they don't see that anything is broken.
All they want to change is the PERCEPTION of who they are in order to attract more voters, but not the FACT of who they are, which has increasingly become a party of racists, misogynists, homophobes, and supporters of big business.
And the introduction of the Tea Party wing has certainly not helped them, in that now the inmates are actually attempting to take control of the asylum.
The Right Wing fringe was great when they could simply be agitated about gay rights, gun control laws, or Roe vs Wade and then flock to the polls, but now that they want to try their hand at steering the ship the establishment GOP is looking for a way to keelhaul them before the Republican party runs aground permanently.
I would offer some advice to help but I am too busy unpacking my new popcorn popper.
Karma is great. Just ask ye olde quitter queen and her puppet master.
ReplyDeleteWhat this shows is a sinking or better yet a breaking up of the Republican Party. What I see is the birth of another party. So, I was wondering: is it possible for the American political system (so engrained in two-party thinking) to have another party (or maybe three or four)?
ReplyDeleteAs I'm from a (European) country with a constitutional monarchy, ruled by a parliament, compromise reflects the will of the people and a fact of life: you can't get all that you want. I think multiple parties could be a solution for the US, because it will give a better reflection of people's diversity, faith, wants and choices, than just two old dogs fighting over a bone.
Well, Jesse, I know you wear the Mr. Atheist crown, but from someone who is not, I think you and my fellow commentaters might find this interesting (also creepy but not surprising) in regard to the Catholic Church hierarchy and the right wing religious fanatics in the U.S.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.opednews.com/articles/Transcript-Former-Catholi-by-Rob-Kall-130220-447.html
MALWARE LINK!
DeleteThe defination of conservatism in websters is:The disposition in Politics or culture to maintain the existing order and to resist or oppose change or innovation.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me, they are living up to what they stand for, why be surprised?
Change and innovation scares the he-- out of these people. Must be pretty terrible to be so afraid of something different.
Don't forget their rage against women.
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't heard what Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa has said about why he opposes the protection of Native Women in the VAWA, then get ready to be stunned. I'd love to clip his grassy arse for his disregard for women and his racism.
As was suggested here in another string, it's sort of like complaining about someone's Constitutional Rights when they are accused of a crime in a foreign country and then tried there.
DeleteThe Republican party as well as the fat, white, ugly, non-working ones in the U.S. Congress are the absolute worst! They make me sick to my stomach and I so hope many are yanked from their seats in the upcoming elections. They lost in the presidential election and have not changed their actions one tiny bit...Boehner, McConnell, Cantor, McCain, etc. should be knocked on their asses for good!
ReplyDeleteAnd the same thing, said a different way - but as it was in 1875
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thepragmaticpundit.com/2013/02/unmasking-real-republican-agenda.html#more
Sounds like something Granny Grifter could get behind, like her hereo Ronnie Raygun, who famously once said, "how many redwood trees do you need to look at?"
ReplyDelete