G.O.P. R.I.P.?

Tonight the GOP finds itself facing the tar pit of irrevelency. After eight years of Rove, Cheney and Bush bringing the standard of American politics to a new low, Republicans are confronted with the possibility of spending the next eight being crushed by a Democratic majority in Congress and an overwhelmingly popular Democratic president. They way I see it, the GOP has two paths it can take. One leads to a sustainable future, the other will land them somewhere between Neve Cambell's career and stacks of left over "Cool Runnings" VHS tapes.

Rovian politics have doomed the GOP. While the man might be playing nice as a pundit and contributor, his way of business has been adapted by the whole of the Republican party, and the GOP is suffering for it now. Spreading lies that John McCain was the father of a black illegitimate baby might have won George W. Bush the 2000 primaries, but Rove's strategy of zero-sum arguments and fear mongering just plain don't work any more. The electorate has wisened up to his wascally ways. It might have taken us eight years to figure it out, but hopefully the lessons will stick. Observe the dismal performance of supposed inheritor to Rove's throne, Steve Schmidt. His big idea was adding Palin to the ticket. Smooth move, Schmidt!

Because after the Bush presidency, what we all wanted was a folksy, good looking, compassionate conservative who's main experience was being governor of one of the largest states in the union. Er, wait a second... Haven't we had enough of nepotism, willful golly-gee-shucks ignorance, and a foreign policy that bares startling resemblance to the Children's Crusade? What about another eight years of hearing it pronounced "Nuke-you-lar"?

Hearing its own death rattle, McCain Staff reached out for the bluntest weapon handy: Rove's tactics. Yet nothing seemed to stick. Obama is a Muslim! No wait, Obama is a Christian with a crazy Black preacher! Obama is a socialist who wants to take all your money! No wait, Obama is a wealthy Elitist! Obama is a terrorist! Finally they settled for "Obama is really really famous!" to which America grinned and said, "I know! Isn't it exciting! I've never cared about politics before!"

Each time they trotted out a new attack, McCain's image of a decent man running for a hallowed office faded a little more. Today, the Senator looks like the guy who doesn't understand how he lost - and to that one.

By going for Rove's GOP big guns, McCain wasted his last election by desperately reaching out to the most hardcore of the base: anti-gay rights, anti-environmental legislation, anti-black people vote. The campaign became about being against things and in a time that's so depressing it's hard enough to get out of bed as it is, people were turned off. Just like their heat and water!

Rather than continuing to purify itself into its darkest, most cynical, most nihilistic self, the GOP must re-learn to be for things. It has to shuck off the Bush years and clean house. You've heard of de-Batthification? The GOP has to de-Bush. No wax involved.

Social issues like immigration, gay rights and abortion continue to mire the GOP in personal issues that might comfort base voters, but leave the party behind as society moves forward. Politicians who hung on to segregation became obsolete as civil rights legislation went into effect, and whether or not the United Reformed Church Of Hating Fags wants to admit it, gay rights will become this generations great fight for living in a free, humane society. The GOP must be on the side of progress, otherwise...

Rather than catering to a base of voters who cannot get their candidates elected, the GOP must focus on their hallmark issues: conservative economic and foreign policy. Ironically, these are the two areas that used to make up the foundation of McCain's platform. With the choices of Schmidt and Palin, McCain bamboozled himself out of winning the election on his experience in these fields -- the only leg up on the competition he may have had.

The Bush years have seriously impaired the GOP's brand. If it wants to survive, the grand ol' party must go back to the drawing board. I hope it does. Give me something good to fight against. Just this time, keep out the cynics.

Comments

[hangdogit]

With Obama winning among African-Americans, Latinos, women, the young, the educated, the cities and the suburbs -- what's left for the GOP? Old, poorly-educated white guys and evangelicals, mostly from the South, the Great Plains and the Mountain West. These voters make up a rather small -- and shrinking -- electorate. To the GOP, I say: Keep running on the world-view of that shrinking base -- and get used to losing from now on.

[PitBull6]

Whites, working class, rural America, men, successful business owners and entrepeneurs, middle aged and older Americans and other cities. Also, winning them over for a single election is not the same as keeping them in your camp. The GOP will compete for minorities, women, and the rest. Did you happen to notice the results of the popular vote?

[travellor1138]

Benny-
You are wrong about the AMA and Healthcare..they have changed thier minds in the past 15 years because they aren't getting paid either.

[MAH1952]

During the height of the Great Depression there were still people denying it. That type of stick your head up your butt ignorance will always be present but for a major political party to base its 'business' on them is a disaster. Does anyone remember the Know-Nothings? or the Anti-Masonic Party? The traditional Republican Party was hijacked by a bunch of moronic, greedy, self-centered neo-Nazi's (calling them neocons is sugar coating that bunch of degenerates). I have been a lifelong Republican and I have nothing in common with the KKK-loving pseudo-Christian group who, if they could read (a big IF) might crack open their Bibles (which they only use for beating others) and read Revelation and see the strong comparison between the followers of the Anti-Christ and the followers of Karl Rove and George Bush. But then, if they did that they would not be the Know-Nothings!

[tlcgolf]

haven't read the article yet, but just wanted to say that "Cool Runnings" is one of the great movies of all time. and, as an older person, i do have a tape player. would willingly take one of those left over VHS tapes.

[metalpipe]

Do you want to die thinking without experiencing Blu Ray? Come on man, live a little.

[lagumbo]

The republican party id a dead brand. They have no idea what the american people are going through.
John McCain is so out of touch with the little people that he hasn't got a clue. How did he expect to be elected? Rovian tactics are dead also. So the GOP need to go back to the drawing board or join the other side.

[irishmail42]

I can only hope that we progressives don't allow ourselves to be deceived into the belief that we are the only ones to the right, I mean correct answers. Or it won't belong before we too will find ourselves down the poop shut. I'm too old to have to again live in the wilderness.

[WillinWSac]

If the GOP ever wishes to gain respectability again, they need to dump the religious right wing of the party and return to being the secular conservatives they once were. That's exactly what John McCain used to be, but abandoned.

[FirstShirt]

Maybe you weren't old enough but they said the same thing about the democrats after Carter and Clinton. Then there was Howard Dean and he used Rove tactics and the tide began to turn.

the GOP still reflects mainstream values. Bush did not follow traditional conservative approaches and the party paid the price.

Republicans will regroup and be back stronger than ever. Obama won but given he had about $300 million dollars more he didn't exactly overwhelm McCain.

[CyrusBeaucephus]

C'mon it was a landslide and a mandate. Your GOP is the party of failed ideas--militarism, trickle down, financial deregulation, oil dependency, etc etc, etc. Stop making excuses for your loss. America FIRED YOU

[EasyCheese]

I'm actually surprised that it was as close as it was...with such a large budget, the extreme unpopularity of the president...things were set for a democratic landslide but it didnt show in the presidential election

[dragonlady620]

The GOP in its present incarnation does NOT reflect mainstream values-as has been amply demonstrated. Many long-time Republicans have rejected the party as something they don't recognize anymore.

[LDF]

I'm 65, white, a Vietnam veteran, and an active Obama supporter. I concur with the comments telling us not to count the GOP out. I've heard that before. I heard it after my first vote in a presidential election, in 1964. That was followed in 1968 by Nixon, the Southern strategy (which hopefully started dying yesterday) and five more years of Vietnam.

That said, the demographics don't look promising for the GOP. The only age group to support McCain was mine . . . 65 and above. And we're dying!

My children's age group, 18-29, was about 2-1 in favor of Obama. Most people stick with the party ID of their early voting years. That's not good for the GOP. The oldest age group wasn't much better for the GOP.

They're losing college-educated people. As long as the GOP continues as an ant-intellectual, anti-science group of latter-day Know-Nothings that's not good for them.

The y've still got my cohort, white males. But, as I said above, we're dying, and whites will be in a minority in the US in several decades.

The current GOP is in the same boat as the automotive moguls who think their future is large SUVs.

[geedafotus]

It is a statistical fact that as people age they become more conservative in their thinking. So it goes without saying that it is cyclical just like the economy. One parties up while the other parties down. Don't worry the GOP will be back again. Actually big SUV will be back again someday as well.

[eliteandproud]

To me this is all about the generational shift. After 16 years of solid Boomers, we were faced with a very old-think pre-Boomer, and a veritable Generation X-er. Gen X is middle aged now. We neither look nor think like the GOP as it has become.

And it's true, if I had to hear nuke-u-lar for another 8 years, at least I'd be happy to have planned my exit strategy back in 2000. I'm so proud we voted in someone who doesn't rely on faux-hokeyness, and as a product of Columbia, has read his Greeks.

I'm so glad I won't feel I need to apologize for being American anymore when traveling.

[bennybeaver]

I find that interesting. I travel every year, have been to many many countries, and have not felt the need to apologize for being American. There where many times we did not hear English spoken for days, yet, I have made some wonderful friends that I am still in contact with.
In a few years I will be an expatriot, living in Prague, if all goes well.

[MagisterLudi]

R.I.P???? With 56 million supporters, despite utter and repeated Bush failures?

Never, EVER underestimate the opponent!!! Only fools do so,

[justShareandbeNice]

I believe that the demographic changes that will occur over the next 10-20 years will be even more damaging to the GOP than the hollowness of their philosophy and the shameful tactics they use.

To put it bluntly, a lot of old white men and women are going to pass on and that will *greatly* impact the GOP. Younger generations are much less loyal to parties (and philosophies, for that matter) than older generations.

I don't see how the GOP can survive. It is is corrupt, it is crippled politically. It has no message that meets the challenges we face. They lie, steal and cheat. How long can this sham last?

And they are eating each other alive internally with great divisions and back-stabbing. Where is the leadership? Sure, there will always be people who are full of fear and hate and prejudice who want to join a party that resists change and resists reality. But you can't build a strong party based on these people -- they are only motivated by fear/hate/anger and that only goes so far for so long. Things DO change and people and old ideas DO get left behind.

People understand we can't wait decades to change. We need to move fast, and once the old folks die off, the young ones will either be so out of the loop of reality or they will jump on board the REALITY train. The GOP won't survive the changes, I believe.

[dragonlady620]

Don't forget the motivations of greed, entitlement and power at any price.

[geedafotus]

Are you talking about the Democrats because that's the only way I see them. They want to compromise, say they are bi-partisan and reach across the isle. However when they do the only one to have to compromise and give something up are the Republicans. Why is that?

[Skepticat]

There will be agonizing re-appraisals. Some will no doubt believe that if they were more negative and defamatory, or more religiously bigoted, or pushed a more blatant appeal to greed, or more racism - more flag waving, or for more agression behaviour overseas etc that they will win next time.
Admitting that the value system was fatally flawed is going to be very painful - but necessary.
If they survive they are going to have to decide - what if anything - do they stand for besides shock doctrine capitalism and kleptocracy. Depending on religious myopia, fear of change and the loathing of the differentiated other only keeps you at the trough for so long. Lincoln was correct:
You can't fool all of the people all of the time.

[TrojanCupcake]

The only ones "fooled" are the ones who voted for Obama.

[Pdubya]

fool me once...er.­.well....f­ool you twice....um...

[dragonlady620]

"Fooling" everyone is the basis of Rovian politics-and if you think the people who gave us the last eight years were going to make things any better, then you, too, have been fooled, my friend.

[geedafotus]

62 million of them got the wool pulled over thier eyes. The media is already beginning to hint at that when of course it's too late.

[clearsense]

One thing that so many do not seem to understand is that most republicans have not been in the tank with Bush for many years now. Most are truly not fans of him. His policies fly in the face of what most conservatives believe in. Of course McCain is even further from the base and it is hard to rally around someone who you do not believe in and that made McCain's job of getting elected even tougher. I expect the Democrats to do as the Republicans did, and after a short while in power, they will all line up at the trough and spend their way into oblivion. There are some credible Democrat and Republican politicians out there and they will have their chance in four years. I expect that by then the country will be more than ready for a change.

[BSERIUS]

FIRST... Well done , Great day for America...SECOND ..We conservatives are not happy with GOP...Now , the GOP has always failed when it tried to be something it is not..Bush 1 and McCain and the GOP failed because they abandoned their conservative ways , not because they were conservative...The GOP presidential nominee still received 47% of the vote , almost 56 million with a campaign that was as bad as John Kerry's, with a vp nominee that was questionable at best ( though she was treated horribly ) and and and "IN The Tank Liberal Media" .....Look at some of the propositions that have passed...The GOP only has to become the GOP again....