I am not the biggest fan of Buchanan, but I believe he nails it here. I think the best chance for the GOP to become relevant again is to become Populist. But the Country Clubbers won’t allow it.
A more intriguing question for me is: Why does organized labor insist on voting for Democratic candidates and Democratic policies that have been such big factors in the decline of organized labor in the U.S.?
It might just work. Look at the growing power of populists in collapsing Europe. As America collapses under Obama’s debt, everyone will come crawling back.
” - - - I think the best chance for the GOP to become relevant again is to become Populist.”
Since that has always been dogma of the Republicans In Name Only from day one, why has Populist Dole, Populist McCain and Populist Romney failed to win to Populist Democrats?
IMHO, any wanna-be Political Party is going to be rejected for the real thing. Hence, the more we try to be like the other kids on the block, the more the kids around the other blocks are going to wup us, every time.
The desire to be liked has bought us nothing but trouble: RINOs, Bipartisan Compromise, Abject Cave-ins, cheap verbal abuse by The Media, Sobbing Speaker of The House, repeated Presidential losses to one Communist Democrat, etc., etc., etc.
Being more like a Democrat is to eventually become a Democrat. Gradual or rapid, it is still a Cave-In. We will then be Republicans In Name Only in one-Party Nation.
The only hope the GOP has is the Dem coalition will fall apart once the GOP is marginalized. Blacks and hispanics today are fighting with each other on a daily basis in the schools systems. Arab Dems are growing and sooner or later clash with the Jewish Dems. Young people eventually will leave college and try to get a job and find only 50 percent are employed. The Conservatives need to seize and hold the GOP and be ready to take advantage of the Dem coalition crack up.
Right now as we post, large companies are laying off people or demoting them to part time status. Shortly after the election Obama’s approval dropped below 50 percent. I do not see the economy improving because Japan and EU are entering recession. All eyes are on EU over financial crisis, but no one is paying attention to Japan. Japan entered her recession with a trade surplus, budget surplus and people with high savings rate and little personal debt. Japan gov did not want deflation so they held off the fall by printing Yen and borrowing. Her annual deficit already exceed her GDP. After nearly two decades, Japan has no gov surplus, personal savings is already eaten up, and now Japan is suffering trade deficit. Yet the Japanese gov is still printing more Yen and borrowing. If she implodes, Japan is the largest holder of US Treasury notes. China used to be the largest holder but she is second largest holder slowly shedding her holdings and increasing her gold reserves.
The US enter the 2008 recession in gov debt (which grew under Obama), high personal debt, and little personal savings. Our annual debt already exceed our GDP and the only thing saving the US is the dollar is the world reserve currency and there is no alternative to it. Fed Reserve made a decision to inflate our way out of debt hoping to control inflation at 5 percent annually by currency devaluation. No matter who is POTUS that Fed Reserve inflation strategy will be in the financial background of the US. If Japan implodes and unable to buy more US Treasury bills, or worst dumps it to raise funds, hyperinflation can happen overnight in US. Rule of thumb is if the EU or Japan has a meltdown, it takes about 72 hours to hit our financial system and banking system. Bank holidays, frozen accounts, frozen ATM and frozen credit cards will be starters. If truck drivers cannot use their credit cards to pay for fuel, how long do you think our food and medicine will get to their destination. Look at Staten Island and Long Island NY to see what happens if people cannot gas their cars to get food or medicine.
IMHO the global currency printing to avoid necessary inflation cannot be sustained. Many experts estimate 2015 at best for EU, US or Japan. This time table excludes war in Middle East or other catastrophic events. If you are smart prep.