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Posted on 01/02/2016 7:23:02 PM PST by kristinn
Every political movement has a tipping point. It goes too far, or it loses its original purpose -- or it becomes so self-enamored, under the influence of anger and mob rule, that ugliness shades all the good of its original intent.
Such is true of the populism that peaked this summer in America.
Years of incompetency and a tin ear at the White House, along with a Republican-controlled Congress accused of not accomplishing much, drove people to figuratively or literally shout, "Enough is enough!"
Never mind that many of the loudest shouters likely did not vote in 2008 or 2012 against Barack Obama. Or apparently they do not understand that, despite Republicans holding a sizeable House majority and a slim Senate majority, institutional voting rules often prevent those majorities from enacting sweeping changes.
With Donald Trump's emergence, and with a chorus of talk-radio hosts suddenly behind him, the mob-rule crowd deems everyone who was ever elected to office (with the exception of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas) to be a Republican-in-name-only or part of a dark establishment cult intent on crushing the souls of average white voters.
Never mind that this same GOP "cult" helped recruit candidates from a range of ethnic and racial backgrounds to run and win more than 900 additional state legislative seats, 70 additional congressional seats and more than a dozen additional governors races -- many of them in districts and states that Republicans once had no hope of competing for, let alone winning.
The mob-rule crowd gnaws on any piece of political red meat thrown out as truth, never checking to see what kind of flesh it just consumed. None of this represents true conservatism. All of it is pure populism, and it is radically contaminating conservatism's values.
(Excerpt) Read more at triblive.com ...
Tony Snow once took up for her here.
Sad to see someone so out of touch attack the people she once used to promote herself.
Wow, sad indeed.
The Party brought this on themselves. If the Party had tried to please it’s electorate it would all be so different.
But it’s “the peasants are revolting” instead of self-examination.
She’s gotta make a living I guess.
Editor (and establishment) agendas come first.
After seeing the past several years of real ‘mob rule’ (looting, rioting, ignoring the results of judicial proceedings, lying, protesting based on lies/victim-hood, etc.) it is ridiculous to compare the Trump phenomenon with mob rule ...
Then how is it that the dumocrats change the rules every time they perceive a loss of their vote? She is clueless.
The DemocRats have taken over the GOP. There is no other possible reason for always giving them what they want. They hold the power of the purse yet continue to fund Obamacare and Planned parenthood.
Idiot does not realize that the mob is what they called our freedom fighters in the Revolutionary War.
Exactly. Very well-stated, kristinn.
Who does she think “represents true conservatism”?
All the others are bought and paid for.
Conservative Lives Matter!!!!!
She sure missed the boat on this one.
Salena Zito is now a propagandist for The Cheap Labor Express as are so many of the columnists and pundits we used to respect.
The battle lines are becoming clearer. Those on the side of the citizens and the rule of law against those on the side of the illegal aliens and their employers.
Whew, at least I am part of an unthinking mob! For a moment there, I thought she was going to call me an angry racist.
Oldplayer
It sounds like Salena is BITTERLY CLINGING TO THE GOPe. It’s been real, Salena.
The fact that Ms. Salena doesn’t consider Occupy or #BLACKLIESMATTER to be “the mob” tells you everything you need to know about her intellectual development.
it's name is the GOP.
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