Posted on 01/01/2012 7:38:19 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
We remember when many U.S. Republican leaders were genuine conservatives, devoting themselves to reasonable compromises to save taxpayer money and improve government effectiveness. But today's GOP scene, laced with erratic tea party extremism, seems like an odd carnival.
Karl Rove, the clever strategist who enticed millions of white evangelicals into the Republican Party, says the current campaign for the GOP presidential nomination is the most "downright inexplicable primary race I've ever witnessed."
He's right. A bizarre quality marks the ongoing tussle. Herman Cain, who said God told him to run, was forced out of the race by sex accusations -- yet Newt Gingrich, a notorious philanderer, is the front-running hero of right-wing fundamentalists, who usually denounce philanderers.
Michele Bachmann says it was wrong for President Obama to help overthrow Libya's dictator. Rick Perry launched his candidacy with a giant revival and says America should "just hand it over to God." He also calls Social Security a "monstrous lie," dismisses evolution, boasts that he has executed 234 prisoners in Texas, and says scientific evidence of global warming is "a contrived phony mess that is falling apart."
Goofiest of all is Ron Paul, who once published crackpot newsletters expressing bigotry toward blacks, Jews and gays, while praising the nutty militia movement. Paul now says he didn't write the newsletters, although they bear his name, photo and signature. If Paul wins the GOP nomination, rival Gingrich says he won't vote for him because of his "systematic avoidance of reality."
None of these performers seems to have any connection to heroic Republican pioneer Abraham Lincoln, who battled slavery, or GOP crusader Teddy Roosevelt, who protected nature from ruthless corporations.
One of America's wittiest writers, Frank Rich of The New York Times, says the Republican primary campaign is dominated by "some of the most manifestly unqualified, not to mention flakiest, presidential contenders in American history." He said the race would be "indisputably entertaining ... were it not for the possibility that one of the contestants could end up as president of the United States."
Rich wrote that the GOP "spent much of the past three decades pandering to the religious right [and] remains adamantly opposed to reproductive rights for women and equal rights for gays."
Yet, strangely, the party's puritanical base -- which ranted at Democrat Bill Clinton's hanky-panky -- embraced the "messy" family life of Sarah Palin and "thrice-married philanderer Newt Gingrich."
Tea party stalwarts renounce GOP leader Mitt Romney because he has reversed positions repeatedly. But front-runner Gingrich "is a far more extravagant flip-flopper than Romney, and, like Romney, has in the past endorsed radioactive elements of 'Obamacare,'" Rich noted. And Gingrich took $1.6 million as a lobbyist for the Freddie Mac mortgage giant that helped cause the Great Recession, while running up a colossal Tiffany's bill for jewels for his third wife.
What should Americans make of this "downright inexplicable" GOP campaign? Just watch it unfold as a fascinating spectacle, we suppose.
...and this guy is the Editor of a newspaper? He is delusional for sure. But then again he is obviously a liberal.
“He also calls Social Security a “monstrous lie,” dismisses evolution, boasts that he has executed 234 prisoners in Texas, and says scientific evidence of global warming is “a contrived phony mess that is falling apart.” “
Sounds good to me. I guess I am just a circus clown.
And what about Palin’s personal life is “messy?” The fact that one of her daughters had a child out of wedlock? Not much of an accusation to fling, there. Palin has a picture perfect personal life as far as I’m concerned.
Rich is "witty"? ROTFL!!! Nitwitty maybe but I don't think "witty".
We remember when many U.S. Republican leaders were genuine conservatives,
Second sentence.
"laced with erratic tea party extremism,"
Sooo TEA Party efforts to actually return to the "genuine conservatives" that "The Editor" pontificates upon is now decreed as "lacing with erratic TEA Party extremism?"
He then begins what I now refer to as the RDS cluster***k.
Herman Cain, who said God told him to run
Newt Gingrich, a notorious philanderer
Michele Bachmann says it was wrong for President Obama to help overthrow Libya's dictator.
Rick Perry launched his candidacy with a giant revival
heroic Republican pioneer Abraham Lincoln, who battled slavery, or GOP crusader Teddy Roosevelt,
(those guys were conservatives?)
GOP "spent much of the past three decades pandering to the religious right
embraced the "messy" family life of Sarah Palin
What is it that makes the communist agenda donks seem to believe that political myths repeated enough times creates reality? Just because they have convinced themselves they know what is best for mere republicans they seem to also believe they understand what a true conservative GOP candidate is.
He is alluding to Mittwitt.
Tea party stalwarts renounce GOP leader Mitt Romney because... (blah - blah - blah)
Really Mr. "The Editor"?
Mitt Romney?
Well, I can understand why no one would put their actual name on this fairy tale, Mr. "The Editor."
.
But that Frank Rich is soooo witty, alright. I am sure we can all recall pithy things he has said... oh wait, we must be confusing him with someone else. Who knew that liberal platitudes and talking points were witty? Who knew?
Lincoln was, practically speaking, the most conservative president in American history. Without him the Constitution and system of government our conservatism seeks to conserve would have ended.
Which is not to say every action of his was constitutional in the strict sense, as he would have agreed. Only that his net effect was both constitutional and necessary. I believe he would have gladly returned the country to a system closer to its prewar status than actually occurred after he was murdered.
OTOH, Teddy was a Progressive (in the terms of his time, not ours). He rejected the ideas behind the Constitution.
You are seriously out of touch with reality.
They always seem to pass over the fact that romney signed into law one of the most economically devastating pieces of legislation in history; Romneycare. He also said he wanted to do it at a national level.
That leaves us a with a fool who has already done so nationally once and one who proposes it would be a good idea after destroying his own state.
Who in their right mind would vote for romney?
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