Posted on 05/29/2013 2:24:50 PM PDT by Redcat
Politics in the US is steadily devolving into a form of consumer entertainment. That corrosion of basic civic interest has hit the Republican Party particularly hard because of institutional factors that leave the organization bent toward extremes. It will be difficult to stop the GOP from nominating cartoon characters like E.W. Jackson without examining and addressing the institutional characteristics that have made the Republican Party America’s choice for the politically weird.
A glance across the aisle at the Democrats might yield some insights. Ideology is a secondary concern in Democratic politics. Since the mid-19th century the party has been organized around the skillful manipulation of patronage.
That style of organization has been a weakness at times, blocking efforts to update the party’s policy priorities (think of the Civil Rights battles or the ’68 convention). However, it breeds a rock-hard pragmatism that acts as a persistent check on the extremes.
That structural difference between the Republican and Democratic organizations helps explain why the GOP has been more severely damaged by the crazy wave. In structural terms the Democratic Party is inherently more conservative in the sense that it is more protective of the status quo than the GOP.
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.chron.com ...
One thing we all understand perfectly. When a liberal calls a conservative weird the liberal is the weird one demonstrating his inability to accept simple, plain truth.
I thought this was satire after this clown scribbled that the Dems are not motivated by ideology.
Of course, we’re not supposed to mention John swift boat Kerry’s 4 billion dollar proposal to fund the Pali thugocracy.
Now that is funny!!
We should form our party platform by what the left wing wants. Yea, sounds like a good idea.
Yes, the ‘Rats want power for the sake of having a monopoly on power — but the hard left ideologues drive DNC policy.
That there are some Republicans who want to save the Republic — is not extremism in any way shape or form.
Except to enemies of the Republic.
As opposed to the Democrats' pillars of intellect and integrity like Shirley Jackson Lee, Barbara Boxer, Hank Johnson, Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, Henry Waxman, Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters, Linda Sanchez, Maurice Hinchey, Jerrold Nadler, Nita Lowey, Barney Frank, Ed Markey, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Diana DeGette, Alcee Hastings, Keith Ellison, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Harry Reid, and Tammy Baldwin, just to name a few wonderfully comedic Democrat congresscritters.
Oh yeah, those people over there are the extremists...that’s why we normal people denounce the constitution, used the IRS to deny their civil rights, committed systematic vote fraud and denounced God at our convention. And don’t mind that man named Wiener with his pants down.
When you’re out there living on Pluto, Earth seems really far out there.
Republican extremists????
Dems- Reid, Kucinich, SheilaJackson, Pelosi, Boxer, Howard Dean’
Hell that there is half a nut ward!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.