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Gustav Postpones RNC...And Ends Reagan Revolution
When the post-mortems are written on the now diseased McCain campaign and -- more generally-- on the demise of the Reagan Era, the three top contributing factors of death will be listed as Katrina, Sarah, and Gustav.
As I wrote at the time, the ebbing flood waters of New Orleans exactly three years ago were a grim, but rather lyrical symbol of the evaporation of the Reagan Era. All the national mythologies of the previous twenty years were breached and flushed when the 17th Street levee cracked and FEMA fumbled.
Since then, it's been only deepening waters for the conservative movement, and with rather perfect timing, comes the rise of one Barack Obama.
A principle-free John McCain did his best these past months to dredge up all the psycho-political hobgoblins of the past 40 years -- alternately suggesting that Obama was something akin to an uppity, elite, remote and ultimately dangerous, feckless tyro. McCain swaggered onto the stage, redolent of jock straps, locker rooms and jet fuel exhaust, reassuring us that in such troubled times only his dead-serious maturity and stability could see us sternly through the storm.
Just when he was on the brink of successfully selling that story, he was unfortunately overcome by his inner frivolity and he chose a laughable and affable nobody zealot from a three stop-light town to be his running mate. I think it was all pretty much over last Friday.
But now, to finish things off , come the vengeful ghosts of Katrina -- in the form of Hurricane Gustav-- madly howling right onto center stage at the St.Paul RNC. If the political campaigns refused to come to New Orleans -- as many had insisted -- than it seemed somewhat cosmically inevitable that New Orleans would come to the campaigns. Here she is.
Always the opportunist, McCain and what's-her-name from Alaska immediately flew to Mississippi for the usual sort of photo-op. As if McCain's presence on the Gulf is going to save even one life. But there's simply no way to positively spin this for the woeful Republicans -- except that some strategists' quiet prayers have been answered by diverting Bush and Cheney away from the convention stage.
That ain't enough, though. Whatever happens in New Orleans in the next 48 hours -- and let's hope it's as little as possible-- the cable news split screen coverage will be a 'round the clock reminder of the total and unmitigated failure of the entire Republican approach to non-government. Alas, this election should be about the Big Things, not what kind of Moose Pie or what kind of shotgun Miss Congeniality prefers.
This is about our future. About everything from the use of American military power to providing health care to rebuilding our national infrastructure. Ultimately, it's about the quality of the leadership we generate and choose.
Gustav has blown what was left of the Republican Revolution right off the Monday night tube and, most likely, right into the deep, dark sea.
See complete version at marccooper.com
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I'm gald someone else has picked up the proper title for the VP, although it sounds like in her days as a mayor she was not so congenial.
You people have really got to stop drinking the Kool-Aid.....
Or perhaps Reaganism died with the across-the-board failure of Bush's (Reagan-like) belligerent foreign policy AND life-threatening domestic policies.
Or maybe it died because we've seen the ultimate proof that Reagan's "de-regulation" mantra is horrible for the economy. Can you say mortgage backed securities?
Or - dare we speak the truth? - the economy tends to run better under Democrats, with both higher average growth rates and lower inflation.
Or the GOP is dead because, despite their oft-repeated promise of smaller government, no Republican president in modern history has EVER had a balanced budget.
Or the GOP started to wither after more than 250 of Reagan's political appointees faced criminal charges. The figures haven't really started adding up on Bush's legacy, but he's got a shot to beat Reagan there.
Or maybe we've finally learned the real lesson of 9/11: Despite all their promises to the contrary, the GOP will use any excuse to centralize power, reducing both civil liberties and state's rights. It was true for Reagan, but no one has ever been as blatant about it as Bush.
McCain didn't kill off the GOP. It was dead before he showed up. Maybe he's running with Palin simply because no one else wanted to be associated with a loser.
DEAD WRONG. Corporatism--government of, by and for big corporations--is not even close to being dead in this country. Not even close. At this exact moment, in fact, corporatism stands at the historic peak of its powers. Dream on about one hurricane or one botched VP selection marking the "end" of the (so-called) Reagan Revolution (i.e., US corporatism). If we are going to win this battle and save this country, we are in for a fight that we have barely even begun. And let me tell you, if we go around proclaiming victory at this moment, we are just as deluded as they want us to be.
I have seen the big picture to all of this.... there is no other explanation for this than Divine timing...
Gustav makes landfall on the very day of the GOP's convention commencement and almost on the 3 years (spiritually symbolic number) anniversary of Katrina, which demonstrated the grossest ineptitude of the Repugnant's governing.
ON top of all of that.... as if in light of cosmic humor... after the request of GOP Dobson plea to fellow hypocritical evangelicals to pray feverishly for torrential rains during Obama's historic speech. No man had control over these series of events and the precision in timing is impeccible.
Note to the GOP - Be very careful as the Law of Karma states... you SHALL eat the crop from the very seeds that you planted
Funny how no one mentioned how well the evacuation and now the return to New Orleans is going. Gee, wonder why? Maybe its because the show is being run by Conservative Governors Bobby Jindal and Haley Barbour. No, that couldn't be it.
Good post, Bob! The best thing about Gustav is that it got Sarah Palin out of HuffPost banner space!
Now let's keep her "below the fold," please. Yes, continue to investigate and probe her background, what there is of it ( isn't it interesting how the GOP webmeisters have re-written her history in record time). But she doesn't deserve one-tenth of the headline coverage she's gotten, and besides I'm sick of looking at her! Sarah's fifteen minutes of fame are long over. Now, can we get back to the real Big Things?
The success of the Reagan Era, and I use the term "success" very loosely, is that there were some people in the Republican party that believed in simple and basic government and found a tool like Reagan to communicate it. Unfortunately, that is not all they believed in and I'll never underestimate the arrogant people on the right, many of them who infiltrated the Reagan Presidency with their social agenda, biblical prophecies, in part, because Reagan was so detached and passive. Reagan dispelled all the nasty realities of deficits, pollution, poverty, crime, thinking that they could be dealt with, with his simple, although deluded vision. Never happened. And the nasty realities have even gotten worse, much worse. There was no Iraq with 4000 marines killed and counting, and Afghanistan with a growing Taliban and more marines killed and counting, aftermath of 9/11, etc. during the Reagan Presidency and these arrogant outdated people on right, basically nutcases, with simple visions and deluded social agendas think that they can handle it. That or they don't care about anybody else, because as Obama said, these people tell you "you are on your own"
In Barack Obama, Democrats have found someone like Reagan who can "communicate vision", something that McCain never had or has, but Obama possesses an "intellectual blueprint", something Reagan never had but I like what Obama communicates and I like his intellect.
The Regan revolution is under water, because they lost Reagan. They are on their own.
Ah, but never count out the stupidity of the American electorate.
The casual sexism exhibited in your charming little imaginatorium reminds me of the treatment Ms. Clinton received. AS an Obama voter I would ask that you stop behaving like a pigman before you alienate just enough women to cause a McCain victory.
The Reagan revolution ended with the election of George Bush, who spends more money than a drunken sailor and has never seen an appropriations bill he didn't like.
No one wants to hear it, the last fiscally conservative president we had was Bill Clinton, and the Reagan revolution and era of prosperity ended shortly after he left office.
Yep.. And Reagan was the dude who first hijacked the republican party by borrowing and spending money like no tomorrow.. And Jimmy Carter got stuck with that second rate actor's bill, and recession to follow... Just as whomever is elected will get stuck with the Bush bill.... and maybe even worse than recession... Still, hopefully the next POTUS will be Obama and it'll come with at least 60 dem senators and beau coup dem reps... Then maybe he can pour oil ( home grown vegetable! ) on troubled waters....
Actually Reagan inherited Carter's mess. Reaganomics worked.
If Obama were to raise taxes, that would cripple our economy. Our business tax is already the 2nd highest in the world. How many more jobs do you want shipped overseas?
Prosecute Rove & the rest of the crooks. That will end the era and restore a sense of civility to the political landscape.
President Reagan would NEVER have run a campaign in the same way as these guys.
McCain tried to tamp down any coverage Obama would receive right after his acceptance speech and a very successful convention overall by announcing Sara Palin hours after. Of course she's all everyone has been talking about. What he also helped to do, was leave the image in tact of Obama giving one of the best acceptance speeches of all time. All the pagentry was was not over the top as previously believed, but fitting and showed the democratics as the party for Americans.
By him picking Sarah, the press did not have time to pick and parse his convention or his acceptance speech, so thanks Mac.
You just do not get it. By the time the hurrican coverage is done, McCain will be leading in the national polls. NO I am not a R but a worried O supporter!
Here's how it will play to the lo-info right wing voters:
McC has achieved separation from Bush-Cheney because they will now not speak at convention
McC has "shown" that he is about "country first" by putting the Gustav emergency above the politics at the convention
McC will "show" that he is a take charge guy by giving his acceptance speech remote from the crisis area -- a further "proof" that he is ready to be CinC. If the O campaign gets all their database to contribute and raise a truckload of money McC will point to that as a stunt to "politicize" the tragedy.
McC campaign will contrast his take charge footage against the "celebrity lovefest" footage from the MikeHIghStadium to show once again that he is "real" and O is "just words"
You just don't get it! Dems and O campaign have GOT to think like the lo info voters and change the way they are campaigning or it's O V E R!
Maybe it would be great to put a low-info voter in his campaign somewhere. I'm really amazed here in VA though because a surprising of Republican strongholds in my area of the state are actually leaning independent and are voting for Obama, so the news is not all bad. They are on to McCain and what those people are up to.
Really?
Are you awake?
Every single Palin blog on the HuffPo is drawing thousands of responses; such a week ahead is made for a woman with her background & skills. She'll become an even bigger hit.
You could not read the current political environment anymore incorrectly.
I'm not sure Wasilla has three stop lights, but maybe they put up 2 more since I lived there...
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Posted August 31, 2008 | 03:32 PM (EST)