John Cole has a good post on a column written by David Brooks on the recent troubles of the Republican Party.
Brooks suggests that the Republicans have lost their way because they “have made ideological choices that offend conservatism’s Burkean roots.” Choices that reflect the wishes of “creedal conservatives” have offended the sensibilities of Midwestern, suburban, and business conservatives who care “about order, prudence and balanced budgets more than transformational leadership and perpetual tax cuts.”
Cole calls this hogwash. He cites the overt the top reaction of right-wing bloggers to Obama’s statement that he prefers talking to people about his patriotism over wearing a flag-pin on his lapel. Cole suggests that people are tired of being associated with these “drooling retards.”
Like me. It had nothing to do with Burke, and everything to do with what the party had become. A bunch of bedwetting, loudmouth, corrupt, hypocritical, and incompetent boobs with a mean streak a mile long and no sense of fair play or proportion.
Seriously- what does the current Republican party stand for? Permanent war, fear, the nanny state, big spending, torture, execution on demand, complete paranoia regarding the media, control over your body, denial of evolution and outright rejection of science, AND ZOMG THEY ARE GONNA MAKE US WEAR BURKHAS, all the while demanding that in order to be a good American I have to spend most of every damned day condemning half my fellow Americans as terrorist appeasers.
And also, you know, the corruption.
But I think they’re both right. Time after time, I’ve seen Republicans on the national level appeal to emotion over reason. They don’t have a monopoly on this tactic, of course. A campaign is going to lose if it is appealing exclusively to the rationality of the electorate and the other side is stoking the electorate’s lizard brain. But, when you start disdaining reality-based policies because they offend emotionally-appealing dogma, you’ve gone off the rails. You will no longer be very appealing to those voters who simply want an opportunity to make a profit in an orderly society. Furthermore, self-appointed watch-dogs of ideological purity have a tendency to get ugly when there is no objective reality to keep them in check.
I suspect the Republicans’ time in the wilderness this time out will be especially ugly. But, eventually they’ll regroup — my preference would be as economic conservatives and social libertarians, but I’m not holding my breath — and the more unchecked power the Democrats have, the more corrupt they will become, and the tide will turn once again.
Hmm... says
First, I’d like the Dems to come in, end the war, do some good social policy and right the economy like they did under Clinton. And while the Repugs eat their own young.. I’ll get to sit back with my martini and thank my God for Justice. Karma is a bitch and she’s about to be served.
Rev. AJB says
And once again the party leaves behind those of us who are socially progressive, but fiscally conservative…