Posted on 06/25/2010 9:13:13 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
As a former Republican, I look at what has happened to the Republican Party with a bit of melancholy. Don't get me wrong, I hate what the party has become and even the GOP I recall in the 60's and 70's was muddled with extreme fringes like the John Birch Society which was railing then about communism and the evil Federal Government.
I recall the election of 1964 when Barry Goldwater and his brand of conservatism took over the ideology of the Republican Party at the expense of the east coast establishment of Governor Nelson Rockefeller and President Richard Nixon. Even though Nixon won in 1968, the party from then on was split between two competing philosophies, one moderate on social issues and conservative on fiscal issues and strongly internationally orientated. The Goldwater folks later led by Ronald Reagan were anti big government and anti taxes. Even those right wingers who rose to prominence in the party were not obsessed with gay rights and even abortion then was not a big deal. The big deal was taxes and the size of the Federal government.
The Grand Old Party or as I call it now the party of No No No has at least four branches: The mainstream Republicans represented by former Secretary's of State Jim Baker and George Schultz and Henry Kissinger and the remnants of the Nixon and Ford Administrations; next the Congressional Republicans especially those in the US Senate; followed by the religious right who are concerned with abortion, gay rights and the so-called moral decay of the USA; lastly there is the new phenomenon lead by the angry citizens called the Tea Baggers who with their pitch forks are looking like throw backs to the Revolutionary war and the founding of our country. The great masses who were manipulated by the ruling class to fight the British.
First, the Mainstream Republicans. There are fewer and fewer left. The Meg Whitman's of this world are trying to follow in the foot steps of former Governors Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian, They are desperately trying to lead the party to a place where they can attract moderates and independents . They are befuddled about how to appeal to the pitch fork folks and what is left of the religious right. Many prominent mainstream Republicans are trying to get ahead of the mob and lead them. They are trying to ride the tiger which may devour them.
Second, the Congressional Republicans who have grown to represent the party of No No No have decided the path back to power is to obstruct and oppose everything the new President is trying to do. They are obstructing the repeal of Don't Ask Don't tell and most of the progressive agenda of Obama including banking reform, our dependence on foreign oil among others. In fact, there are two branches of the Congressional Republicans, the House and the Senate. They vie daily for the title of most difficult to get along with.
Third, the religious right which is still obsessed with abortion, especially gay rights and the right to marry and what they perceive as the moral decay of this country. They would replace the separation of church and state, a national tradition and part of our Constitution with Christianity as formal state religion. Some have even suggested we replace the Bill of Rights with the Ten Commandments. It sounds like the Islamic system of running the country with the Koran as the basic law of the land. Newsweek magazine last week had Sarah Palin on its cover with the caption, Princess Sarah. Palin has undertaken the task of becoming the leader of the faith based Republican women. Conservative Republican feminists. I can't for the life of me see what they see in Sarah Palin but they adore her. She has also embraced with Tea Baggers who have a simple view of life and the perceived dangers to American society, the evil Federal Government.
Lastly we have the Tea Baggers who with their pitch fork carrying followers make up a rag tag group of libertarians, anti Federal government zealots, what is left of the radical militias and just plain angry old retirees who have nothing else to do with their lives. As far as the Militia groups, I am not sure where they fall. These are the folks who brought you the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal building.
The Huffington Post made an interesting observation about the tea baggers. It said the tea baggers may be a short term problem for Obama but in the long run may be a blessing. The general public might by then see the folly of these wild ideas. Even some of the tea baggers and the religious right are concerned about Sarah Palin leading this revolution and actually running for President. Her lack of interest in details and lack of comprehension of the issues that face this country cause even some of the extreme right pause.
The question remains who will lead the Republican party into the presidential election of 2012. Sarah Palin scares the heck of out lots of voters especially independents. The Governor of Louisiana is making hay right now with the BP oil spill but beyond that doesn't seem to be of presidential material. There are a few new young Republican governors out there who are struggling to find just which faction they must serve to get nominated.
We democrats have a President who is unique in terms of intellect, vision and determination. If Obama is reelected he will be a historic President and a real game changer. In fact as E.J. Dionne said in his recent piece in the Washington Post, it is Obama's initiatives that are reawakening old right wing animosities. The policy issues he is proposing are revolutionary. If the Republicans find a new leader with a fresh face and a national appeal, the question will remain who will truly be leading the party, the many faceted rag tag band of tea baggers or the righteous Christian zealots.
If I were a mainstream Republican, I would be looking at creating a new conservative party based upon the British Tory Party. Conservative fiscally, but with a strong international flavor and benign on the social issues that divide we Americans. Take the hot button social issues off the table and concentrate on working with the other party in Congress to find solutions. It amazing to see how the Conservative, Liberal and Labour parties in Great Britain work together. The mainstream Reeps ought to emulate the Tory party and cut loose the crazies and fight for the middle.
Don't get me wrong, I like it the way it is. A strong vibrant Democrat party with many different points of views but sharing common values and principles. We democrats care about people first. It is as simple as that. We do not think of the Federal Government as the enemy and we have hope and confidence in the future.
The elephant may be in a humongous identity crisis but the Donkey is on track. Yes we have our blue dog dems from the South and even here in California in our central valley, but they share a common bond.
May the long battle for the Presidency begin. The first Presidential primaries are just a few short months away.
Sometimes I think these idiots are living in alternate universe.
What a waste. Well, I hope he likes living in broke California. He better no think about moving.
It really is Newspeak:
“...the Revolutionary war and the founding of our country. The great masses who were manipulated by the ruling class to fight the British.”
As though the “great masses” (otherwise known as “small people”) don’t have any ability to understand.
The guy is a schmuck.
There’s a major flaw in his thinking. He presumes that “mainstream” Republicans are fiscal conservative, social moderates, but the examples he cites were NOT fiscally conservative.
There are certainly reasons to be upset with the GOP but none that are contained in this stupid article.
Nixon? So Yorba Linda is now the east coast?
come to think of it, have you ever seriously know anyone who grew up into the democrap party?
most people grow out of it when they become adults
Liberalism is ‘child-like intellect applied to adult problems’
I couldn't read past that line of moonbat kook garbage.
"... lead by the angry citizens ..."
Sure he likes living in broke California - because he knows that this Administration will force the responsible states to bail California out. So the rest of us subsidize this freeloading bunch to live in good weather.
Is this even a real guy?
Stopped reading here. This leftist troglodyte knows it's a homosexual sex act slur.
More deficit spending than at any time in the history of deficit spending. Double-digit unemployment. Record low housing starts. A surging North Korea and Iran. Back-stabbing our only natural ally in the middle-east. Yep, the Democrats are on track alright - on track to lead this country off a precipice, from which it may never recover.
Heckuva job Barry.
Sounds like a douchebag and I am glad he’s no longer in the GOP.
With all the leftist stereotypical Conservative """ideals""" ... this douchebag was NEVER a GOP, and as we know.. everything Liberals think that Conservatives are ...is WRONG.
Nothing to see here, move along...
“We democrats care about people first. It is as simple as that. “
.... unless you are a taxpayer, patriot, fetus, soldier, small business owner, oil rig worker, doctor, stay-at-home Mom, church-goer who wishes to raise your kids that way, etc.
This guy is an idiot and a plant. The California Republican party is exactly what he claims to pine for, a bunch of wimps and traitors, just like McCain.
Are we posting radical leftist propaganda now as interesting? I do not see any indications that the writer is anything but a doctrinaire Marxist and is just angry that his savior Obummer is in deep trouble. From what he describes there is no point in history where the GOP did right. I also see a lack of concern over the dims fully rejecting and undermining W.
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