Reagan is dead - and so is the Republican Party
October 11th 2008 17:04
It took pushing the world economy to the brink of collapse, trashing our international reputation, and a series of miserable failures, but finally the heavy yoke of American conservatism is about to be lifted. The now thoroughly discredited policies may soon be tossed on the ash heap of history. The perfect storm of badly mishandled issues, a bad president, bad candidates, and the ugliness of supporters have sealed the fate of the Republican Party for years, if it recovers at all.
Ronald Reagan began the idiocy of non-regulation that gave us a "bubble" economy, going from boom to bust like never before. "Trickle down" economic policy has been exposed as a tool for the rich to get richer. George W. Bush amped the bad policies up to the point where Americans began to recoil. The long, slow war against the American middle classes became hidden under conservative dogma. Sure, most Americans never bought into the line, never became conservobots, all marching to the same talking points. But enough did fall for the lies to give power to the movement , to hand the keys to the chicken coop to the very foxes who would ravage it.
And let's face it, there were enough Americans too caught up in their daily lives to pay attention. Times were good in real estate, credit was easy, and consumerism was center stage. Greed became not just tolerated, but admired. The twisted ideal that excess was always best and money trumped everything was mated with an even more twisted version of Christianity which blessed the greed. That part of the right was more than happy to give consumerism it's stamp of approval as long as they felt catered to.
Those who would have a new American aristocracy found their foot soldiers in the body of the evangelical church. They discovered it was easy to get fundamentalist support - just push the divisive "moral" issues. Abortion, gay marriage, hatred of the ACLU. All manner of evil was ignored in the name of Christian power. Greed and dogma, Self-righteous exceptionalism and capitalism without conscience. A truly unholy alliance.
Perhaps the final straw breaking the conservative movement was personified in the persons of John McCain and Sarah Palin. Especially Sarah Palin. A crass political choice from the start, she backfired. She tried her best to stir up the base, to distract Americans from the real concerns, and to bring the fire back to the movement. In the end, she proved to be more liability than a plus.
In the last days of the campaign both McCain and Palin tried to focus on supposed evil ties between Barack Obama and terrorists, America-haters, and various other bastards, crooks, and evil-doers. It all proved for naught, as Barack Obama ran away with the election, even coat-tailing into the Senate a 60 seat filibuster-proof majority.
When Sarah Palin drew an ethics violation because of pressure and influence used against her former brother-in-law (an Alaska State Trooper) her already back-sliding image grew even more murky. She was losing ground because of a combination of woeful inadequacy and belligerent B.S. that couldn't sustain itself. The rallies in the final days grew so unsavory (the only things lacking were brown shirts and goose-stepping flag-wavers) that most Americans shuddered at the thought of Palin being so close to the presidency.
John McCain even had to quell the crowds, much to the dismay of the conservobots in attendance. He was actually booed for suggesting Barack Obama might actually be a good family man and a real American. Whipping up the Christo-fascists got ugly, eh John?
In case you haven't noticed, this was written with the "audacity of hope" if you will, that in a few months the country will be feeling this way. One can only hope, right?
Ronald Reagan began the idiocy of non-regulation that gave us a "bubble" economy, going from boom to bust like never before. "Trickle down" economic policy has been exposed as a tool for the rich to get richer. George W. Bush amped the bad policies up to the point where Americans began to recoil. The long, slow war against the American middle classes became hidden under conservative dogma. Sure, most Americans never bought into the line, never became conservobots, all marching to the same talking points. But enough did fall for the lies to give power to the movement , to hand the keys to the chicken coop to the very foxes who would ravage it.
And let's face it, there were enough Americans too caught up in their daily lives to pay attention. Times were good in real estate, credit was easy, and consumerism was center stage. Greed became not just tolerated, but admired. The twisted ideal that excess was always best and money trumped everything was mated with an even more twisted version of Christianity which blessed the greed. That part of the right was more than happy to give consumerism it's stamp of approval as long as they felt catered to.
Those who would have a new American aristocracy found their foot soldiers in the body of the evangelical church. They discovered it was easy to get fundamentalist support - just push the divisive "moral" issues. Abortion, gay marriage, hatred of the ACLU. All manner of evil was ignored in the name of Christian power. Greed and dogma, Self-righteous exceptionalism and capitalism without conscience. A truly unholy alliance.
Perhaps the final straw breaking the conservative movement was personified in the persons of John McCain and Sarah Palin. Especially Sarah Palin. A crass political choice from the start, she backfired. She tried her best to stir up the base, to distract Americans from the real concerns, and to bring the fire back to the movement. In the end, she proved to be more liability than a plus.
In the last days of the campaign both McCain and Palin tried to focus on supposed evil ties between Barack Obama and terrorists, America-haters, and various other bastards, crooks, and evil-doers. It all proved for naught, as Barack Obama ran away with the election, even coat-tailing into the Senate a 60 seat filibuster-proof majority.
When Sarah Palin drew an ethics violation because of pressure and influence used against her former brother-in-law (an Alaska State Trooper) her already back-sliding image grew even more murky. She was losing ground because of a combination of woeful inadequacy and belligerent B.S. that couldn't sustain itself. The rallies in the final days grew so unsavory (the only things lacking were brown shirts and goose-stepping flag-wavers) that most Americans shuddered at the thought of Palin being so close to the presidency.
John McCain even had to quell the crowds, much to the dismay of the conservobots in attendance. He was actually booed for suggesting Barack Obama might actually be a good family man and a real American. Whipping up the Christo-fascists got ugly, eh John?
In case you haven't noticed, this was written with the "audacity of hope" if you will, that in a few months the country will be feeling this way. One can only hope, right?
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Comment by Randy Inman
Waxing Political
Football Dogz
NCstuff
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
first it was the economy. then it was Palin showing her true colours. and lastly it was McCain's "health" of the mother comment.
three strikes and you're out buddy.
Comment by Jeff Musall
Comment by Randy Inman
Waxing Political
Football Dogz
NCstuff
Carter brought us Reagan, Obama will bring us somebody else, if he wins.
Comment by Jeff Musall
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
As for me I'm still trying to figure out why people hate Carter so much. He brokered a peace deal between Egypt and Israel for crying out loud!