Today's Republican Party

[jsteele]

As best I can tell, the Republican platform consists of the following:

1) Black people are stealing the elections (and our tax dollars);
2) Illegal immigrants (the brown ones at least) are stealing our jobs (and our tax dollars);
3) Muslims are well on their way to implementing Sharia in the US, symbolized by a Mosque celebrating their triumph precisely in the middle of Ground Zero;
4) Rich people need tax cuts.

All I have to say is, "Thanks Republicans! November had been looking pretty bad until you guys figured out how to pull defeat from the jaws of victory."

[Anonymous]

That's not the Republican platform, but rather an oversimplified, liberalized version of it; however, I'm guessing you are just looking for people to either agree with your or take offense and start a flame, war, however. How original.

[Anonymous]

You forgot
5) Vote for us because the Democrats have failed and we have succeeded: they failed to fix the economy and we succeeded in blocking their attempts to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's not the Republican platform, but rather an oversimplified, liberalized version of it; however, I'm guessing you are just looking for people to either agree with your or take offense and start a flame, war, however. How original.

So why not correct us?

[Anonymous]

That's just the platform to get the Rubes to vote for them. The Huckster's platform is "cheap labor, cheap labor, cheap labor."

That's why the "solutions" never seem to address the problems.

"Hey, look: swarms of illegal immigrants! Perhaps we should crack down on the folks who employ them!"

"Bad idea. Let's build a 100 mile long fence! That'll stop 'em!"

This approach has two benefits: it appeals to total fucking morons who know nothing and are incapable of rational thought (i.e. the GOP base), while ensuring the free flow of cheap labor continues unabated. Which of course, is the entire purpose of the enterprise.

[Anonymous]

The fact that Democrats really think that is true is why they are going to get smoked this fall. It's an iron law of life: underestimate your opposition and you are going to get beat.

News flash: people who disagree with you politically are generally neither stupid nor malevolent, and maybe, just maybe, there are some areas where they are right and you are wrong. Free your mind, Mr. Steele. Even if you are very committed to left-wing political views, attempting to understand where the other side is actually coming from will help you persuade people, if nothing more, rather than making an ignorant post of this nature. You surely know better than this, deep down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's not the Republican platform, but rather an oversimplified, liberalized version of it; however, I'm guessing you are just looking for people to either agree with your or take offense and start a flame, war, however. How original.

So why not correct us?

What is to correct? The points in the original post suggest that Republicans are motivated by racism, religious bigotry, and a desire to screw the poor. I could say that isn't true, which in my view is accurate, but there is not much more to go on than that. If you assume the bad faith of the other side as your starting point, there isn't really much to talk about.

[Anonymous]

I am a democrat but I have nothing against and enjoy talking with smart Republicans on both the conservative and liberal spectrum of their party. Years ago I have actually supported moderate republicans.

What I dislike about the Republican Party is that the smart Republicans are forced into hiding and the moderate ones are being driven out of the party. The rhetoric, media, and campaigning is all aimed at the morons and the polarizing nut cases. The foundation of these groups is all about fear, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and fear that your tax dollars would go to support one of these enemies. This is not real Republican platform but the party has sold itself out to darkside of dumber to get votes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a democrat but I have nothing against and enjoy talking with smart Republicans on both the conservative and liberal spectrum of their party. Years ago I have actually supported moderate republicans.

What I dislike about the Republican Party is that the smart Republicans are forced into hiding and the moderate ones are being driven out of the party. The rhetoric, media, and campaigning is all aimed at the morons and the polarizing nut cases. The foundation of these groups is all about fear, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and fear that your tax dollars would go to support one of these enemies. This is not real Republican platform but the party has sold itself out to darkside of dumber to get votes.

And that's the bottom line. Yeats described the modern Republican party to a 'T' when he wrote, "The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity." The idea that rational human beings--on the left or the right--need to understand where the "9/11 Mosque" idiots are coming from lest the mouth-breathing gibberers take political power is an argument about political tactics, not a moral argument.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a democrat but I have nothing against and enjoy talking with smart Republicans on both the conservative and liberal spectrum of their party. Years ago I have actually supported moderate republicans.

What I dislike about the Republican Party is that the smart Republicans are forced into hiding and the moderate ones are being driven out of the party. The rhetoric, media, and campaigning is all aimed at the morons and the polarizing nut cases. The foundation of these groups is all about fear, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and fear that your tax dollars would go to support one of these enemies. This is not real Republican platform but the party has sold itself out to darkside of dumber to get votes.

And that's the bottom line. Yeats described the modern Republican party to a 'T' when he wrote, "The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity." The idea that rational human beings--on the left or the right--need to understand where the "9/11 Mosque" idiots are coming from lest the mouth-breathing gibberers take political power is an argument about political tactics, not a moral argument.

And once again, we see the full flower of the modern Democratic perspective. Good luck with that. Those mouth-breathing gibberers are going to clean your clock this fall. Enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Those mouth-breathing gibberers are going to clean your clock this fall. Enjoy.

You write as though you've never heard of the phenomenon of a bunch of unemployed, scared, clueless mob electing some sort of toxic new political class. It happens all the time. Fortunately, our Founders foresaw exactly this dynamic and structured our government accordingly.

I guess you weren't capable of understanding my point that "mouth-breathers are going to clean your clock, so you better pander to them by flushing America's core values down the toilet" is a tactical argument.

With the GOP having alienated every demographic aside from lily-white exurbanites, evangelicals, and southern racists I wouldn't get too self-congratulatory about the party's long-term successes, though. In ten years, the electoral engine of the GOP--scared ancient white people--will have died off, and the ruse will be up.

[Anonymous]

Oh, and BTW, that perspective isn't the "full flower of the modern Demographic perspective" (whatever that means). It's the perspective of 99% of all responsible Republican's who aren't currently running for office. They're as terrified of the Sarah Palins and their supporters as anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a democrat but I have nothing against and enjoy talking with smart Republicans on both the conservative and liberal spectrum of their party. Years ago I have actually supported moderate republicans.

What I dislike about the Republican Party is that the smart Republicans are forced into hiding and the moderate ones are being driven out of the party. The rhetoric, media, and campaigning is all aimed at the morons and the polarizing nut cases. The foundation of these groups is all about fear, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and fear that your tax dollars would go to support one of these enemies. This is not real Republican platform but the party has sold itself out to darkside of dumber to get votes.

And that's the bottom line. Yeats described the modern Republican party to a 'T' when he wrote, "The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity." The idea that rational human beings--on the left or the right--need to understand where the "9/11 Mosque" idiots are coming from lest the mouth-breathing gibberers take political power is an argument about political tactics, not a moral argument.

And once again, we see the full flower of the modern Democratic perspective. Good luck with that. Those mouth-breathing gibberers are going to clean your clock this fall. Enjoy.

The problem is that the Republican party is burning its long term potential in order to win the next election. There will be nothing left of it to appeal to a majority of Americans in 20 or 30 years. It had a chance to reinvent itself along enduring principles. Instead it is going for the cheap win and is losing its soul in the process. This isn't the first time in history that economic malaise has brought out anti-immigrant backlash. When you're in the middle of it, you think it's different this time. But it's not, really, except for one big huge thing, which I learned from Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie of all people: the party has no future unless it can attract minority voters in large numbers. This version of the party can't.

[Anonymous]

I tend to agree with 11:38. What's dangerous for the Republican Party, and by extension the country, is how moderate to liberal Republicans are being systematically attacked and marginalized by the increasingly dominant hardcore elements of the party. I think it's a shame, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Those mouth-breathing gibberers are going to clean your clock this fall. Enjoy.

You write as though you've never heard of the phenomenon of a bunch of unemployed, scared, clueless mob electing some sort of toxic new political class. It happens all the time. Fortunately, our Founders foresaw exactly this dynamic and structured our government accordingly.

I guess you weren't capable of understanding my point that "mouth-breathers are going to clean your clock, so you better pander to them by flushing America's core values down the toilet" is a tactical argument.

With the GOP having alienated every demographic aside from lily-white exurbanites, evangelicals, and southern racists I wouldn't get too self-congratulatory about the party's long-term successes, though. In ten years, the electoral engine of the GOP--scared ancient white people--will have died off, and the ruse will be up.

Oh, I fully understood your point, no worries there. I just didn't see the point in getting into too much of a blow-by-blow on a message board, particularly one devoted to parenting. Let me make a few points, though. First, criticizing the "9/11-Mosque," as you call it, is not "flushing America's core values down the toilet." No one is talking about using state power to ban the "Mosque" -- if I recall correctly, even most of those opposed to it concede that the property owners have a right to build it, they just don't like it. I'd say complaining about things is as American as apple pie, and the First Amendment makes allowing that sort of complaint one of our core values. They may be wrong, even ignorant, of course. But I assume you recognize their right to speak. So, no flushing of values is in play, as far as I can tell. The property owners have the right to build it, other people have a right to complain, and we are all happy that we live in a country with such a robust diversity of opinions and freedom of discourse. Although I sort of get the sense that you are not a "defend to the death their right to say it" kind of person, I may be wrong about that.

Second, you sound pretty hostile to "lily-white exurbanites, evangelicals" and especially "southern racists" and "scared ancient white people." I don't pretend to know your heart, but it sure sounds like there is a lot of hostility there. Is that really a good thing? You may disagree politically with those folks, but are they really your enemies? Aren't we all in this together? My sense is that the modern left really does view such people as *enemies*, not just people who are wrong about particular issues. I think that's got a lot to do with why the Tea Party is getting traction, even stupid and ignorant people aren't so stupid that they can't recognize when someone thinks of them as an enemy, and those "mouth-breathers" you referred to are probably right on the money that the Democratic party *does* think of them that way. Any wonder that they are trying to fight back? As Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, even a dog can tell the difference between being tripped over and being kicked.

Finally, I wasn't sure what "ruse" you meant would be up when the GOP's white base descends into demographic oblivion. It does sound like you look forward to the day when demographic trends eliminate your political opposition. Whether that will be a good day for the current ethnic majority is, I suppose, an open question that people should be thinking about.