The Republican Party Is Headed To War -- With Itself

When you are in a hole, keep digging.

This is the motto of the Republican Party headed toward the next elections. Unbelievably, many in the Party do not understand why they are getting crushed in this year's elections, and why they are getting trounced for the second election in a row, a historic losing streak.

Some in the Party seem to believe that the issue is not the issues. It is not that the Republican Party under George W. Bush is not inclusive, is not intelligent, and is incompetent. The issue is that the messenger is not cute enough.

Honestly, this should be easy for the Republicans. Heck, I'm a lifelong Democrat, and I could do this in my sleep.

In 2012: The Republican Party stands for low taxes and low government spending. We stand for personal responsibility. You take care of yourself and your family. Government is here to be effective, but not intrusive. Our foreign policy is premised on a strong America with a mighty military. This is a moderate-right country, and we are the political party that represents the majority.

Instead, many in the "elite" media have decided that Sarah Palin is the Republican who should lead the Party. Sarah Palin. I never thought that the Republicans would look at the George W. Bush disaster and say, "You know what, next time, we need a George W. Bush-lite." If in 2012, the Republicans nominate Bush-lite, does that mean that in 2016, the Republicans will nominate air?

Sarah Palin went a long way toward destroying the John McCain candidacy. Her dishonesty -- "Thanks but no thanks on that Bridge to Nowhere," -- her failure to answer the most basic questions about magazines she reads, her failure to understand policy, her desire to throw her companions under the bus -- the list goes on.

There is no reason to think Sarah Palin would be a good president. There is every reason to think she would be a disaster.

Yet, the Nerdy corner of men who support her for 2012 just think she's been mishandled. They believe that they can program Sarah Palin with their views, and she, as an attractive salesperson, will go out and sell what they cannot. No one is listening to William Kristol or Fred Barnes anymore -- but if you put their views in the Sarah Palin package -- maybe people will listen!

William Kristol thinks he's the ugly Cyrano de Bergerac, Sarah Palin is the good looking Baron Christian de Neuvillette, and the American people are the waiting-to-be-wooed Roxanne.

But Bill, Fred, Rich Lowry, let me tell you something, the issue is not that Sarah Palin has been mishandled; the issue is that we want a leader of our country who sounds intelligent. We want a leader of our country who can actually lead, and is not foisted upon us due to a crazy decision by a desperate candidate.

Sarah Palin and her Ayers comments, and her pro-America regions of the country -- it is what is being rejected by the American people.

There are those in the Republican Party who get this -- who want a political party that stands up to the Democratic Party, who want the Republican Party to stand for something beyond a, yes, cult of personality.

I cannot believe that the Republicans are going to be dumb enough to put all their eggs in the Palin basket.

I am guessing that there will be a civil war in the Republican Party, between the people who actually believe the Party has gone too far to the right, and the people who believe that the Party just had the wrong messenger this time.

It is going to be a very uncivil war.

Comments

[sdskelton03]

I can't buy into the argument that the party has become too conservative.

As a conservati­ve/liberta­rian, I can tell you there was very little that I would call conservative about the Bush presidency.

I am happy with his SCOTUS appointments and the effort to attach accountability to federal education dollars. I am happy with tax cuts.

BUT

The republicans spent like sailors on shore leave. Discretionary spending grew at twice the rate it did under Bill Clinton. The largest entitlement since Johnson was enacted, and done in the most ineffective way I can think of. (The government has to pay whatever the drug companies say?!?!?) Earmarks and curruption out the Wazoo, bridges to nowhere and not a single government spending program eliminated (that I am aware of).

That isn't small government. That isn't conservatism.

If the republicans had governed by the principles of small government conservatism rather than the politics of graft, curruption and pork they might not be in this predicament.

[Konnie]

is it a fight to the death? i mean will they destroy the party completely? will they shoot all the talking heads, pundits, and preachers who lead them down the wrong path? will they skulk off, never to be heard from again?

good questions all, that i can answer: DEPENDS ON WHAT OBAMA DOES IN THE FIRST 2 YEARS.
If he blows it, the repubs will immerge meaner than ever. If Obama breaks our hearts like Clinton
did, its over. period.

[arvay]

I think we should adopt the policy that Harry Truman said he would have pursued with Nazi Germany and the USSR.

"I'd have sold both of them all the ammunition they needed to obliterate each other." (A paraphrase)

[HR44]

An interesting read, but bear in mind that there was a small faction of the GOP that didn't realize that it was time for Dan Quayle to get off the stage at this point in 1002. I think as a lifelong Democrat you are perhaps engaging in some wishful thinking.

They prop Palin up and have run her on nonsense. What else were they going to run her on in a 2008 post GW thrashing the brand name world? She's run on Ayers and "Real America" and the rest of her flotsam and jetsam because that's all she had to run on. That her "reformer" status was debunked in about 3 days was a big blow as it was all she really had.

The folks who are touting Palin as the future are doing so not to prop her up, but to drill McCain. They've lost so they're getting the only victory they can get, the destruction of a high profile party member they never liked much to begin with. I don't have a clue who the next big thing in the GOP is, and 4 years ago nobody knew Barack Obama was going to be the face of the Democrats this quickly.

It won't be Sarah Palin. Forced to guess I'll say her future is in her past. She'll walk out of the governor's office and into a fat television job on Fox News or someplace else looking to appeal to the conservative audience.

[harriscrl3]

I hope they KICK the Jesus Freaks and Far Right extremist OUT.

Carol

[Roelof]

I'll make the popcorn.
Seriously, the Republican Party is heading for a split. The coalition between social conservatives and fiscal conservatives was always tenuous. As the population ages and certain issues like gay marriage become less of a big deal to the electorate in general, this coalition becomes untenable. Add in the trend towards a non-white majority in 2042 and it's clear that a lot of the coded rhetoric about "real", "pro-Americans" is something else that has got to go. And then there's Sarah. You know, I really like and admire Hilary Clinton, but I did not vote for her in the primary election for one simple reason. She is polarizing. Sarah -- bless her little heart -- is also polarizing and polarizing sounds like paralyzing and that is no longer going to play in River City, Iowa or anywhere else that voters are tired of partisan, gridlock politics. McCain warns about the Democrats holding the Presidency AND Congress, but seriously John, how else are we as a nation supposed to move past gridlock? We get it, we understand and we reject your argument. Oh. I digressed.
So in summary, I'd like to say to the social conservatives and fiscal conservatives: Get a divorce already.

[Wilbur]

EXCELLENT post! May I add to your summation this one caveat: "I'd like to say to the social conservatives and fiscal conservatives: Get a divorce already....BUT KEEP FIGHTING WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE GOP! THAT'LL KEEP THE DEMOCRATS IN POWER FOR DECADES!

Wilbur

[SethBLiNK]

I agree and disagree with you, Matt.

Yes, undoubtedly, the Republican party is heading for two or four or eight years of civil war after this election. But I don't think it has so much to do with the messenger. It's about the message.

There is no reason that Christians who think their religious views should dominate the poltical dialogue should get along so well with small-government, constituti­onal-origi­nalists who in turn should get along with big-business war hawks who think that interventionist military policies are somehow in line with conservative ideals.

The only thing these three groups have had in common for the past 40 years has been a common enemy - liberals. They banded together and have consistantly won in the polls thanks to a "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" philosophy.

But they are not natural alies. There are plenty of small-government pro-choicers, small-government non-interv­entionalis­ts, and even some true compassionate conservatives. But now that they will all have lost in a big way, it will be time to rethink their alliance and there will be factions.

Once sides are drawn, leaders will be chosen, and like it or not, Sarah Palin is too popular and effective NOT to be a leader and front-person of her faction.

[hudsuckerproxy]

Here's hoping the moderate Republicans (assuming there are any left) succeed in taking their party back.

[vegas9999]

And here is where the real war will be in the democratic party. We already have gone from 250 to 150 and that is just the beginning http://www.nypost.com/seven/10292008/news/politics/biden_blows_fuzzy_tax_math_135787.htm

[lejman]

it's been a long time coming....it's gonna be a long time gone.

goldwater conservatives vs reaganites vs neocons vs theocons. let them implode. take no prisoners; they left everyone else to fend for themselves and lo and behold, they finally alienated the masses so much that all the vitriol and rigged voting machines will not stem the tsunami and save their unrepentent blustering talking points. now they are descending upon obama supporters standing across the street from their rallies. all hail their interpretation of real america, the first amendment and freedom. good riddance.

[texmike]

I wonder if McCain realizes just how much he's being overshadowed by his running mate. He hasn't even been officially defeated and yet more speculation each day about how his "rogue" VP candidate will do in 2012 than on what he's trying to accomplish.

It's not just Palin's negatives bringing him down though. The simple fact is he's a terribly BORING candidate. Not only in speaking skills, but also by offering NOTHING except old Reagan philosophies (proven to lead to recession) repackaged as somehow fresh and exciting. Were he TRULY a maverick, he'd have selected Ridge or Lieberman like he wanted to. He may have lost some Jesus extremists, but he'd probably have more support from moderates now. It seems Palin was pushed on him by neocon strategists and the whole party is now paying a price for that.

As for the GOP's future - I'm hoping that this potential landslide (fingers crossed) is a sign of more people waking up and realizing that the whole "You MUST vote for me cause the other guy won't keep you safe" or "My opponent doesn't appear to be pro-America" is no display of patriotic empathy, but an active display of CONTEMPT for the judgment and intelligence of the voting electorate. Repubs must find candidates and policies of substance and ditch the shallow emotional manipulation tactics or this drought will last longer than 4 years. As go the famous words of our great leader - 'Fool me once, shame on........­......err.­..........­..somebody­.'

[Kirk59]

The Republicans can reconstitute themselves if only they would throw the Evangelicals overboard. You can not have 1 faction of your party who is totally uncompromising on every issue they deem important. By doing so they could form a coalition of Libertarian, small government, fiscal conservative, national security minded people. It might be enough to get on their feet again. Better yet, their candidates would not have to pay homage to the Christian Right, and could campaign in nice places, not the dumps where these cretins live.
The demographics make no sense for them to stick with these people. Sure they can breed like Palins, but the non evangelical immigrant population will always outpace them.

[freshnotbitter]

The republican party started telling lies, one by one, til their entire platform was one long list of lies meant to disguise the fact that they had stopped working for their constituents and started working solely for themselves 8 years ago.

There is nothing holding the republican party up so the messenger is irrelevant.

To me it seems that republicans are headed for a long wait in the wilderness similar to the british tories if they don't revamp their platform radically.

[AmericasWarrior]

I cant begin to imagine the number of factions that the republican brand is going to be split into. But they have a few options who will carry their banner into the future. But all 3 are governors.

The uncharismatic Tim Pawlenty. Who's still probably bitter from not getting picked as VP

The talented minority Bobby Jindal. But as good of a Governor as he's been, I hear most LA residents call him a jerk, meaning it will be hard to get people behind him.

Then there's that one.....Sarah Palin. Say what you will, but she will be attempted to be pushed as the future of the party and conservative movement. But she's done more damage than they expected right now.

So their only gun right now is Romney. The other 3 are young, and they dont want to lose them in crushing defeats to Obama in 2012 and damage their brand for good.

[austinobserver]

The Republicans in the 20th Century became a party run by the extremely wealthy and the elite corporatists with the goal of maintaining government policies that served the interests of one percent of the population. All the religious rhetoric (and all the right-wing media) was designed to fool the rubes, the most gullible people in society, into voting against their own interests, and it worked for a time as it can take rubes quite a while to figure out they've been suckered. To paraphrase Mr. Bush, the great master of conning the rubes, "Fool the rubes once, shame on me, fool the rubes twice, shame on them, and fool the rubes a thousand times, and they may just figure it out."

Without the religious rubes to support them, the elite corporatists and extremely wealthy can either: (1) support a fascist takeover of the government and the end of elections as we know them; or (2) start supporting policies that may support a larger percentage of the population. It is my guess that they will not try (2) until they determine that they can never pull off (1), and I am not so sure that they can't.