The GOP's Road to Perdition
In The Art of War, Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu states that "the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself." Watching Congressional Republicans' response to President Obama to date, I am left to wonder "when did the GOP become so generous?"
I imagine that at the initial GOP strategy meetings in January that they were briefed by pollsters on data showing that nearly 4 out of 5 voters thought the country was heading in the wrong direction; only 17 percent approved of President Bush's economic policies, 70 percent of Americans believed that the GOP should work with the new President and 66 percent of independents thought the party should move towards the center.
Once the pollsters left the room, my guess is that is when they broke out the Kool-Aid. How else do you explain the party's decision to block President Obama and label him as a socialist, while calling for continued adherence to the Bush policies that yielded the worst job creation record of any President since Hoover. Not to mention proclaiming the infallibility and curative power of the free market after a period in which risky subprime lending had led to a financial meltdown, a collapse in the stock market that destroyed 45 percent of global wealth and job losses nearly equal to the entire population of Los Angeles.
This decision was not a Profile in Courage but an act of willful and destructive blindness. Motivated by ideology and a fear that if Obama succeeded the Democrats, as Rep. Bachmann warned, would "secure a power base that... can never be defeated", Republicans stood firmly against any government spending despite a Moody's analysis that Obama's infrastructure spending would provide three times the stimulus over the Bush tax cuts (which would yield less than 50 cents for each dollar in tax cuts).
After the "S" word attack backfired, as it was ridiculed by Republicans outside the Beltway as "stupid" and "absurd" and only increased public approval for socialism, you would think the GOP would have shown some caution before opposing the first Hispanic Supreme Court nominee who had 2-1 public support. Once again, cries of "Hey Kool-Aid" were heard in the Republican caucus, and the party then proceeded to play the race card on Judge Sotomayor which only increased the public perception of the GOP as the Southern White Man's Party.
Surely the GOP would not be as foolish when it came time to debate health care. Especially when 72 percent of Americans favor a government run health plan -- including 50 percent of Republicans, while only 13 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of HMOs.
Kool-Aid appears to be in ample supply, however, as the GOP's principal response has been to continue to rely on the "S" word, trumpet HMOs and the private sector as the solution to all problems and dismiss the government's ability to provide comparable care.
This is another instance of willful blindness as the reality is that the largest government provider -- the Veterans Administration -- consistently outperforms private providers in customer satisfaction surveys, and a New England Journal of Medicine study examining the VA using 11 separate measures of quality, found the VA to be "significantly better" than private providers on all measures. Similarly, Medicare was found to have substantially lower admin costs than its private sector counterparts.
For Republicans, these facts are meaningless as long as they continue to follow William Kristol's 1993 admonition to block any health care proposal in order to prevent the revival of the Democrats reputation as "the generous protector of middle-class interests".
The upcoming health care debate will prove to be a critical test for both parties, but it presents a potential no-win situation for the GOP. If President Obama is able to pass a health care bill, the Republicans may see William Kristol's warning come true.
While the defeat of the Clinton health plan led to the GOP takeover in Congress in 1994, this is not 1994. Approval for today's GOP has plummeted to record lows in recent polls. More ominous is the fact that their base may be deserting them as 41 percent of Republicans disapprove of their Congressional leaders. Life-long Republicans like Waldport, Oregon Mayor Herman Welch have left the party citing the Beltway's Republicans adherence to placing "worn out ideology" over the interests of the country.
Unlike 1994, today's GOP is on the road to perdition not revival. After five months, the Congressional Republicans have been out of step with the public on every major issue. Blocking Obama's health plan may lead to a backlash that only accelerates the party's descent, and come November, Democrats will "reward" them handsomely for their generosity.
Follow Bennet Kelley on Twitter: www.twitter.com/surfdc
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The Republicans are doing just fine. If they continue on this track the country will move back to the center.
...but it is hard to fathom their strategy. Eventually a few rationale Republican leaders will emerge and take over for the loons.
In the year 2001, upon the inauguration of G.W. Bush, the GOP controlled the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Executive Branch, and most of the court system -- certainly the Supreme Court. It was a magnificent opportunity for the GOP to "show its stuff", to prove to the American people that they had what it takes to make the country what they thought it should be. Bush turned out to be the world's worst manager, appointing nothing but political hacks to assist him in running the government, and lying the country into the longest and one of the most costly wars in our history. The GOP controlled Congress became a cesspool of greed and crime, with several of it's own members ending up in prison, and still-ongoing investigations leaving the possibility of more embarrassment to the party. In the '06 and '08 elections the voters had had enough. They were decisively kicked out of office. But the headstrong GOP remains both blind and deaf to its problems, and will probably have to suffer yet another humiliation in the '10 election.
Perhaps it's time for a third party, to give the cowardly democrats some real competition. It would be most gratifying to see the GOP holding down third place.
We spoiled our Republicans, gave them so many benefits, so few doubts. Deliver us from evil doers we prayed. And if you do, you can have your way with us at home, make sure your friends stay or get rich quick, and even ignore the snake handlers and televangelist hypocrites you bed with.
So we got what we deserved, and now we give the Republicans the scorn they so richly deserve. They will may more taxes, have no influence other than comic. If something turns up like the fondest hope of Mr. Cheney, a terrorist attack, Obama will be so much more articulate and educative about how to respond than the typical Republican bluster.
The great era of successful smirking, a noun-a verb-911, and Giuliani claiming that when those planes hit he said, "thank God George Bush is President.
The dysfunctional coalition that is the Republican Party has driven itself into a completely defensive posture; curled up like a bunch of hedgehogs. It has no compelling ideas and no credible and/ or exciting national candidates. It is for practical purposes a regional party. It is also perilously close to being an angry white identify party, although it has just enough ethnic diversity to put talking heads of color on the political shows and to populate a tight camera shot with non-white mugs at a convention. This is a recipe for extinction post 2012.
About the only option left to the GOP is to adopt the Mr. Micawber Strategy that "something will turn up." The something being on the order of a major political stumble by the Democrats or an attack by foreigners. Republicans haven't the luxury of broadening their party given the current political climate and their own internal schisms. They are just trying to hold on to the relatively safe states and districts they already have. Keeping campaign contributions flowing in from business allies while not antagonizing the Social Values or Libertarian Wings of the party are the prime directives. If you are going to adopt this strategy, health care does seem the best battlefield. If and until something comes up.
What can you say.
They've gone feral.
http://www
Republicans complain about being left out, but have nothing constructive to offer. Their behaviour is repulsive and their antics are scary.
Republicans quit playing by the rules; with only 40 seats in the senate they still maintain power via the filibuster to block reasonable and pragmatic legislation. But the filibuster was never meant to be used that way.
Despite the world's economic crisis, plunging employment numbers, over a million more expected home foreclosures, bankruptcies on the rise (mostly attributable to health care problems), and a host of other grave challenges facing the country, republicans are doing everything possible -- from putting holds on nominees, opposing legislation, rejecting ideas, refusing to cooperate -- to undermine Obama. Because if he fails, they think, the voters will put them back in power, but Americans rightfully do not trust them.
Their careless abandon of reason, logic and truth almost led the country over the ledge. And yet they refuse to change, engage or look for solutions; It is their way or the highway.
That is scary.
NO NEW TAXES. NO NEW TAXES. NO NEW TAXES.
They sound like children on the verge of having a tantrum.
Thats why the grownups are leaving their party.
The GOP values ideology over facts. To them, a politician can still be a God-fearin' sort if he talks the talk and renounces a state need for the stimulus funds, even though he cheats on his wife. Newt Gingrich is a paragon of virtue, although he told his first wife he wanted a divorce while she lay on her sickbed with cancer. Their policies are no different and a jumble of inconsistencies. They want limited government, but military intervention all over the globe and something of a police state at home to listen to the phone calls of Americans. They say they value liberty, but support torture and endless detention. After the weakest economic recovery since WWII and an anemic job creation record during the Bush two terms, they propose more tax cuts for the wealthy as an economic solution. They dismiss climate change, although all the science is in agreement that it is man-made greenhouse gases at fault. The Republican party has become the party of anti-intel
Excellent post.
Folks. The GOP is not generous, just stupid. Led by such mental stalwarts as mcconnel, boehner, cantor, palid and bachmann, what else would you expect.
Mr. Kelley,
Good read. I needed a few laughs today. Thanks.
I agree to most of what was said, but look at the polls and blogs. These outrageous terms do connect with many Americans, like lowering taxes, socialized medicine, etc.
Many people fall for this junk and the Dems try to counter these blubs with reasoning. It needs to be countered the same way and in unison.
Nothing would be better for our country than the destruction of the current Republican party. We need a second or even a third party, but not THIS party. Wipe the slate clean and start all over again.
....and PLEEEEZE don't let gov. sanford resign...w
Oh isn't he a treat? lol He's fallen face first into a bucket of "sap". At this rate it's only a matter of time til he gathers the press and read the sonnets he's written for his mistress in iambic pentameter. Or in his case I guess it would be psalms.
I think he is aiming for his own reality show.
Only one party is the major obstacle to President Obama's agenda. Unfortunately, it's the Democratic party.
Unfortunately, you are right. I like Bill Maher's analysis (paraphrasing): We have two parties in this country -- a center right party (Dems), and a lunatic party (Repugs).
The only difference between Republicans and Democrats in Congress is that Republicans actually declare their allegance to Corporate Power and activly work against the interests of the average American citizen while Democrats declare their opposition to Corporate Power while activly working against the interests of the average American citizen. Bottom line: we, the people, will always lose and Citi, Exxon/Mobil, GM, Goldman, et al will always win. Power in Washington comes from the pocketbook and no one has a fatter one than Corporate America. Eventually, the people will either perish or rebel. At the rate they are perishing, looks like rebellion is out of the question. Keeping the population poor, uneducated, and hungry is the only way for the DC Pols to hold onto power. Get ready to starve my American brothers. No one will help you but you.
Thanks for the comment, but it is a pretty sweeping generalization. We heard it in 2000 when people said there was no difference between Bush and Gore and thanks to Bill Maher it is in vogue again.
I got my start in politics with Sen. Pell. In his farewell address before retiring in '96 he stressed that "half a loaf can feed an army" since in the democratic process achievement of half of an objective is just as significant as achievement of the ultimate objective and makes it that much easier to do so. Maher and those who share his view ignore this point and instead make the perfect the enemy of the good and equates those who favor a less than perfect solution with those who oppose all solutions altogether.
That's true. Just struck me reading that, but it's true.
I've always found Bill a bit much unless I'm in the mood. But I think that's why he - and his type - are a bit much for me as an Independent.
How'd you put it? "perfect (is) the enemy of the good....he equates less than perfect with those who oppose all solutions". In short it's all or nothing. Which makes him sound kind of ....Republ
Anyway thanks for clearing up why Bill Maher bugs me. It's because he's a closet Republican. lol I mean he's got the same mindset. I wonder if he knows that?
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