Yo, Republicans! Time to Chuck the Punch and Judy Show

"The times they are a-changing." Remember that song by Bob Dylan? Woodstock, violent protests, sex, drugs, and rock and roll? That was my generation more or less. This time there is a new change gaining ground, literally gaining ground because it is about farming, husbandry, and returning to kinder, gentler agriculture practices. The Internet and collaborations are its incubator and college.

It is a silent revolution, because no one writes or speaks about it. Connections with groups are made on the Internet. Ideas are exchanged. Arts and education are part of the mix along with treating the earth with a new intent: healing earth's immune system as well as our own, and making "organic" into a word of necessity, not ridicule.

Republicans entertain with their vaudeville insults and clobber each other on the head and other body parts. But it is clear that they lack the discipline to find out what is really happening among the electorate. If they don't soon, they are doomed and another party, perhaps Libertarian, will rise from the ashes. Limbaugh, Cheney, et al. are cartoon characters dancing next to Gene Kelly (Obama). (And they want to toss Colin Powell out of their club?)

Soon, credit cards can no longer be instruments of loan sharks and we will make cars and trucks more energy efficient. Simple things, really. Obvious steps to security for most of us. Grown-up progress. Nice.

Seismic shifts are taking place under Republican feet as they continue to two-step into oblivion. The country needs an opposition party. President Obama hardly needs to be stuck contesting with Nancy Pelosi. Yes, he can debate himself over commanding issues in true Jeffersonian style. The country, however, needs serious debate from an opposition party that has listened to the tom-toms. If the Republicans implode from lack of attention, the Libertarians might just fill the gap if they are reasonable about the need for government obligations, such as national defense, schools, roads and transport, law enforcement and a few other items. If they avoid chatter about abortion, gay rights, evolution, etc. and concentrate on renewal of American entrepreneurship with new modeling of responsibility and morality in mind, who knows what might happen?

The age group between 18 and 45 is serious about changing the way they live their lives; they don't admire the old models of grab the money and run. If you create trashy houses, trash the ground, and wink at corrupt institutions, you are the problem that brought down our economy. New models are in the offing. This is a group that considers gay marriage and anti-abortion amendments distractions and prejudicial; these are private matters.

They are interested in living for purpose not just profit. Hard work and closeness to the land are preferable to Lamborghinis and land grabs. Excess is out; respect and reevaluation of old business models are in. Big is unreliable and unaccountable: lessons learned from our banking system failures, our investment failures, our environmental hazards and our stunning loss of wealth.

New technologies, renewable energy, green architecture, local produce, saving agricultural soil, reducing carbon emissions are in; waste is out.

Don't you love it when "old" is the new "new?" My grandmother hated waste. She reused paper and strings, and used egg shells, compost and chicken droppings for fertilizer in her vegetable garden. Although she held her tongue, it was clear to me that she thought my mother and father's house unnecessarily large: back to the future in values and attitudes. But converting to newer methods of saving energy, combined with greater demands on natural resources, will provide this new crop of younger thinkers and doers with great challenges.

A transformation started during the Bush years and solidified as the financial system collapsed around them. The government did nothing to limit war, protect the land or people from fraud and greedy abuse. So they have taken the initiative back and formed new connections for saving themselves from values they reject. President Obama gets it, while Republicans act like drugged lemmings.

David Brooks wrote in an insightful article that if Republicans want a comeback, it will have to be with someone who is "calm, prudent, reassuring and reasonable." Now, there's a concept. Enough with children's theater characters. The Republicans need a new voice and face, with a message for the multi-racial and forward-looking electorate of our times. Even the Democrats might hope they will succeed.

Comments

[WindySailor]

If I may quote the writer:

"The country needs an opposition party. President Obama hardly needs to be stuck contesting with Nancy Pelosi."

That is precisely what is happening. Now that the Republican Party is no longer viable opposition, Pelosi and Harry Reid are moving quickly into that vacuum, in concert with the "blue dog" Democrats. All policy will be contested between the administration and these forces. The Republicans will merely be sitting on the sidelines (or in the back) looking on.

[londongal]

What we need is Congressional leaders who work for the people and not for their own personal interests.

I'm sick of the theatrics from BOTH parties, but more so from Republicans like Hoefstra, King, Cheney, Gingrich-- a bunch of pompous gits that don't give a hoot about the fact that there was a legitimate election in November and the Democratic party won.

[tigerakabj]

What you described, bottom-up communication, goes against the very nature of GOP's communication -- top down. They are a hierarchial organization that filters its message to their masses down below. If the top dog decides to label any opposition as "socalist" or "marxist," the ignorant lemmings will follow without question. That is why they had a lock-step, unified pattern, until recently. Since they have so many competing voices nowadays, they are driven into mass confusion and can't settle on one message.

The Democrats and Independents are the opposite. They use their brains, generate ideas on their own, and connect to those that represent them to put that message into action. Howard Dean with his use of the internet really accelerated the process (foundation), and Obama built off of that (house). But with so many ideas coming in, that also means there will be many disagreements and dis-unity at times. But that changes when broad goals are put out. That was one of the reasons why Obama was/is able to unite so many broad interests.

[mommadona]

"The age group between 18 and 45 is serious about changing the way they live their lives; they don't admire the old models of grab the money and run. If you create trashy houses, trash the ground, and wink at corrupt institutions, you are the problem that brought down our economy. New models are in the offing. This is a group that considers gay marriage and anti-abortion amendments distractions and prejudicial; these are private matters."

I love these kids....onward!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ww09_rem-stand_music

[noaxe397]

The GOP still adheres to Reagan's line from 30 years ago: "I did not leave the Democratic Party; the Democratic Party left me." The political ego of the cartoonish GOP loudmouths has them believing that the Republican Party left them and will only return to power when it returns to their POV. That's why Limbaugh rails against Powell. To be objective, Limbaugh may have something there. Of the last 5 GOP pres. candidates, 3 were moderates (Bush41, Dole, McCain.) They all lost, even though everyone of them was a decorated veteran. (Bush41's 1988 win was thought by conservatives to be Reagan's 3rd term. When it wasn't, he was dumped.) The other 2 candidates (Bush43 and Reagan) were hard liners and they both won twice even though neither served or even tried to.
I don't think Libertarians are the alternative; they seem more inflexible sometimes than Republicans.
No, the opposition party to the Democrats should be. . . . . . . . the Democrats! The tent is so big (from Heath Schuler and Ben Nelson to Bernie Sanders and Henry Waxman) that there is enough opposition for everybody.

[medici]

As Will Rogers said: "I'm not in an organized policical party. I'm a Democrat."