Rush, Dick, Karl: Enjoying the Wilderness
I met Karl Rove last night. I walked into the NBC television studio in Washington and there, coming through the security turnstile, with an amazing twinkle in his eye as he approached, was Karl Rove. He looked fit, relaxed, sunny -- and impish. We shook hands. While I could not be sure he had any idea in hell who I was, this is Washington, and he certainly acted like he did, undulating and glowing with my hand in his. I mentioned a friend we have in common (at least my friend says he knows Rove), and Rove at least pretended he knew my friend. "My man, Ian!" said Rove, on his public game.
I mention this because it occurs to me that maybe the Republicans are in a good mood, rather than in the terrible doldrums all liberals think the GOP is in, and because Rush Limbaugh is going after Colin Powell, which doesn't seem like a smart thing to do -- but if Rush is doing it maybe it is.
Anyway, Karl Rove does not -- at least not in our most fleeting flirtation and brief exchange -- look like a man who is discouraged. This was, in fact, the face of serenity and contentment and of a man with something up his sleeve.
Likewise, neither Rush Limbaugh nor Dick Cheney seem like men who are up against it or on antidepressants. Rather, they seem to be enjoying themselves immensely.
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It should come as no surprise that these three and others like them are enjoying themselves. Power is one thing, and I'm sure they are disappointed they don't have it. But I think what matters most to conservatives of this ilk is how much money they make, and being out of power is a great money-making opportunity.
They can milk the faithful for donations and for highly paid speaking engagements. They can accept do-nothing positions on corporate boards.
What's that McDonald's commercial?
Oh yeah. "They're lovin' it!"
It seems to me that the old GOP of Lincoln and Goldwater were inflitrated by a group of NeoCon extremist right wing fascist elements. From Nixon years and on, they took control of the Rethug party and forced any moderates out. So today's GOP party of NO is far from the historical origins and principles. Instead of forming a third party, the NeoCons probably saw this strategy of takeover as the best way to gain contrl of one of the two major political party. I agree that the old time GOP repubs are now lost in the wilderness and may never regain control of their own party. Perhaps they need to rethink forming a third party of progressive conservati
Why wouldn't Rove be happy? He got what he wanted and got rich doing it? It's not like he's going to suffer the consequences like the rest of the nation.
yes, but its all an act!
They have lots of control via the corporations that own the main stream media, so Rove and the others are very confident they'll be back on top. I suspect they're right - Hannity is already blaming the entire deficit and economic collapse on President Obama. CNBC is rabidly attacking the President almost every moment they're on the air, sometimes with the most ridiculous changes. They make Fox News look moderate - really. The right is convinced that if the attack and repeat the same big lies people will simply start believing them. I'm very worried they're right. Keep after them Michael - decent people like you are our hope.
Also, those guys can smile 'cause they're making tons of money. The right wing supports them. You and I support fairness for people that don't have a lot. Ask yourself how Limbaugh makes $37M off a non-commute-time radio show. When he was on the public airwaves Howard Stern had a bigger audience and didn't make that much.
As was historically documented in a recent article "A House Divided: The Future Of Abraham Lincoln's GOP," the GOP was founded as a "progressive, " not a "conservative" political party--advocating in its 1860 Platform the use of federal authority and funding to establish a state college system, donation of public lands for private use and ownership, railroad and communication infrastructure improvements and a labor policy which encouraged the replacement of low wage [mainly day labor] jobs with skilled, high wage jobs--all with the goal of providing every single American with the opportunity for upward social and economic mobility regardless of his or her initial station in life.
Today, as in 1912, millions of Americans--who like myself--became life long Republicans in admiration of the vision and policies of the original GOP represented by Abraham Lincoln, are without a home under the House That Limbaugh and Cheney Has Built.
Consequently "progressive Republicans" [no Mr. Limbaugh and Mr. Cheney not "liberal Republicans" who are anyone you do not consider "conservative" enough]--can only hope that a "real Republican
When Mr. Limbaugh says "I did not know [General Powell] was still a Republican," in a real historical sense, that statement applies to him.
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