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Friday, Oct 5, 2007
No Fun Being A
Republican
by Stephen Crockett, co-host of
Democratic Talk Radio
BB King said it best
when he sang “the thrill is gone.” It certainly is no fun trying to
defend Bush Republicanism going into the 2008 elections. Bush has
simultaneously radicalized and corrupted the modern Republican Party.
Unfortunately, the blight is bigger than the individuals running the
Bush White House. The corruption and resulting incompetence has become
institutionalized in the mechanics of the Republican political
machine.
Recently, this
writer held a discussion with Paul Tucker, Editor & Publisher of The
Union News. He stated during that conversation that “Bush inherited a
dynamic, strong and growing Republican Party and drove it over a
cliff.”
Surveying the
wreckage, we can see a record number of Republican Congressional
leaders announcing retirements. In the Senate, Democrats are likely to
gain between 7 to 12 additional seats. Most polls predict fewer safe
Republican seats in the House. Trends are all pointing towards a
devastating defeat for Republicans in 2008 at all levels.
Some Republicans
have been trying to distance themselves from Bush on a few key issues
but are locked in a political death dance with their radicalized
primary voters and severely corrupted corporate donor base. Republican
candidates cannot win primaries without supporting Bush on Iraq.
Candidates who support Bush on Iraq are going to get slaughtered
nationally in the general election.
On trade policy, tax
cuts for the wealthy, healthcare for children, no-bid contracts,
torture, privacy, national health insurance, guaranteeing voting
rights, punishing Republican politicians who are apparently
lawbreakers (like Scooter Libby), expanding Presidential powers and
many other issues, the Republican leadership and activist base hold
views that large majorities of Americans oppose. Basically, the
Republicans on most important issues are opposed to the views of the
American people. It seems like a poor approach to winning elections
for any political party.
Minority rule can
only be imposed by the use of political tactics that offend ever
growing majorities of voters. You can stop people from voting using
various dirty tricks and illegal actions. You can corrupt the vote
counts and obstruct recounts in contested elections. You can abuse
your public office to serve partisan goals. You can corrupt law
enforcement, prosecutions and trials for political gains. You can lie
and lie and lie about everything.
You can smear your
opponents. You can use fear, intimidation and character assassination.
You can play parliamentary tricks like using filibusters to block
overrides of vetoes. You can hide information about abuses using fake
national security or executive privilege claims. You can engage in
endless propaganda designed to prevent honest debate on the merits of
policy. You can do many thing that might give your minority faction
temporary victories. You can obstruct justice in many different ways.
Under Bush, the
Republicans have used all of these offensive tactics and many more.
The Bush era was born from these tactics in 2000. They have used them
relentlessly, and fairly effectively, for the past 7 years but the
results appear to have backfired. Moderates and fair-minded
Republicans are leaving their Party in ever growing numbers.
Democratic activism is growing. Independents are leaning very heavily
toward the Democrats in all the polls on issue after issue.
Dirty tactics and
poor policy positions have turned the Republicans into a shrinking
minority. The more they shrink, the more they are reliant on dirty
tactics and trapped by the radical, corrupt policy positions of those
few who remain.
Right Wing
Radicalism, cronyism, corruption and incompetence seem to dominate
when Republicans rule. It is not much fun defending that kind of
record or agenda. It is no fun being a Republican these days. It is
not much fun being ruled by them, for the rest of us, either.
comment on this news item...
Written by Stephen
Crockett (co-host of Democratic Talk Radio
http://www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com ).
Mail: P.O. Box 283, Earleville, Maryland
21919. Phone: 443-907-2367. Email:
midsouthcm@aol.com .
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