With the 2008 presidential and congressional elections less than one year behind us, the list of Republican, 2012 presidential-wannabees is beginning to take shape. Although the list currently contains over a dozen names, at least half of them have already begun the early stages of campaigning. At this point in time the Republican candidates are all attempting to highlight their right-wing, “party line” values in order to win over the conservative vote, which will be critical in the primaries. No one has yet painted a clear vision for the future of the GOP, and no one has yet dared to incur the wrath of the “all-powerful” Rush Limbaugh by moving (even slightly) to the political center. Rather than accepting the fact that right-wing, conservative candidates did not fare well in the last elections, the Republican Party has promoted candidates with even more right-wing credentials. For example:
Sarah Palin : the less-than-inspiring, one term Governor of Alaska, who woefully lacks the knowledge and diplomatic skills to lead anything bigger than a girl scout troop, and who wants to get the government totally out of the way of controlling special interests such as health care and financial institutions.
Newt Gingrich : the formerly disgraced Speaker of the House, who talks a good game, depending on his audience, but lacks the integrity or believability to be considered viable by most Americans. As the darling of the right-wing, radio talk shows, Gingrich is just to the right of Attila the Hun.
Rick Santorum : the former Senator from Pennsylvania, who was kicked out of office by a landslide majority for his radical, right-wing ramblings, was criticized for mis-using public funds by maintaining no residence in his home state.
In addition to the potential candidates mentioned above, several other conservatives such as Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, George Pataki, Mike Huckabee and Haley Barbour have all thrown their hats in the ring. If this is the best that the Republicans can do, than 2012 should be another good year for the Democrats. So much for the talk about re-inventing the GOP!
—Rich
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Tags: Gingrich, Palin, Republicans, Santorum
Seems to me you should concern yourself with the party that’s in power – the Democrats – and how they’re all talk as they haven’t really managed to do anything they said they would. This includes Obama who has adopted most of the policies Bush had in place – even though he campaigned against them and said he would change them.
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Rich
1) The GOP hasn’t really had a good choice since, perhaps, Nelson Rockefeller in 1964, when he was hooted down by the Goldwaterites in that ‘extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice’ convention.
2) Your last commenter brings up the point about President Obama not managing “to do anything they said they would”. Well, if that means quick programmatic action, that rarely, if ever, happens, whatever the well-meaning or acumen of the actors.
What stalls action in the USA government is what USA government was designed to do: split power to make INaction the default. The ‘branch system’ and ‘federalism’ are designed to minimize power. It’s been successful at thwarting take-overs. It’s stunk at solving problems. Minorities block action, and by ‘minorities’ I certainly don’t mean ‘racial minorities’ or ‘the socially downtrodden’.
‘Minorities’ mean those chunks of America that have had blockage power from the start: a) the commercial interests, always rich enough to buy what they don’t often deserve and can’t convince others of on the merits; and b) the nativists, always filled with a plenitude of hatred.
3) The Republicans have made a pact now with BOTH of those devils. It used to be that you could depend on them to back the most monied interests — and lather up the kind of ‘patriotism’ that supplied large military force to protect those interests abroad.
Now, with the ‘Southern Strategy’ Nixon and Strom Thurmond devised in the late 60s and 70s, Dixie — oh, yes “the New South” — has become as much a nagging fixture for the GOP as it was for the Dems — small town anti-cosmopolitanism, xenophobia, religion that rebels even against theological examination.
It’s not just the South, of course, although the Big Water theory has merit. That maintains that coastlines, Great Lakes, major rivers — those places that have had most continued exposure to ‘the outside’ — contain a greater amount of tolerance, acceptance, openness.
You can find bigots anywhere (by which I mean the narrow-minded, not just racial bigots). People whose horizons are close-in can be anywhere — indeed, in any party. You’ve got your finger on the truth here, though. There’s NOTHING attractive about the GOP now or promising.
The fear is that there may be nothing attractive about the mood of a number of voters. We know a third will always vote ‘conservative’, 20 percent just plain nuts. The kicker is that American sense of wanting to be ‘independent’, to be someone not taken for granted. To be ‘the decider’.
Those people — and those who gamble on their last-minute intuitions — do decide elections. What we would hope for is a choice among reasonable alternatives — if ‘reasonable’ at least means above the Bush/Cheney/Palin level of laughingstocks who are way over their head in deep ideology.
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Harrison,
My post wasn’t about the Party that is in power; it was about the Republicans. I do, however, share your frustration that the Obama Administration is moving slowly on some of the key campaign initiatives. For example, Gitmo should be shut down and boarded up by now, U.S. combat troops should be out of Iraq, health care reform should be a “done deal”, financial system (i.e. Wall Street) reform should be further along, and immigration reform should have been tackled. Keep in mind that “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, and that Obama has three more years to get things done.
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Trulyfool,
It is very true that the system of governance in America was intended to minimize the power of each branch of government by a system of checks and balances, however, the ultimate power lies within Congress who has the sole power to make laws. This is how it should be; however, the monied special interests have corrupted the system by subverting the will of the people.
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I’m not frustrated he’s moving slowly… I’m working against his agenda every day… and so far it shows no sign of passing which is fantastic news for this country.
The only thing Obama is “getting done” is adopting Bush-era policies. More power to him!!
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Harrison,
Fortunately, right-wingers like you will be very, very frustrated over the next eight years, as Obama moves ahead with his progressive agenda. Don’t be too sad, though, you will always have your spit-spewing hero, Rush Limbaugh, to listen to, and maybe even a few more ridiculous books from the new Republican standard-bearer, Sarah Baracuda.
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I really appreciate the insults. What makes them all the more powerful is that you’re totally wrong. I don’t listen to Rush Limbaugh nor do I plan to buy Palin’s book. But hey, I appreciate you trying to stereotype me because that is easier than coming up with a well reasoned response, isn’t it?
Let’s look at the facts. Aside from the stimulus, which most economists now agree was a failure and was a massive exercise in putting this country into even more debt, healthcare is dead in the Senate and Cap and Trade is, too. Obama’s popularity numbers are tumbling, and the GOP did very well in the last election and District 23 in NY may not go Republican but it will be very close whereas on election day we read about how a majority of voters elected a Democrat.
I predict Obama will be a one termer like Jimmy Carter, and we will all look back and wonder “what were we thinking?”
The only thing that is unfortunate is the wreck he will put the country into.
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Harrison,
I didn’t think that you would consider listening to Limbaugh or supporting Palin as an insult. Your admission that you were working against Obama’s agenda everyday, however, does show just how influenced you are by the politics of the “Party of No”.
Bringing about change is never easy, and Obama is doing his best to correct the abuses and mistakes of the past. I believe that America will be a better country, and more respected among the nations of the world because of Obama’s leadership. As an American you have the right work against his agenda if you believe he is leading us in the wrong direction. On this point we will have to agree to dis-agree.
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Dear Harrison,
I agree with Rich that everyone should support Obama. He has done more to promote the Bush agenda than Bush ever could.
Gitmo keeps dangerous terrorists in detention. Obama has decided against any meaningful health care reform and has promoted a bill so bad even the Democarts won’t support it. He wants to send more troops war. His appointees are tax cheats. Government bailed out all the Wall Street fat cats. The Japanese use the word “Obama” to mean empty slogans and the Chinese think he is irrelevant.
Honestly Harrison, how much more could any Conservative ask for?
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John Swift,
Thank you for your support of President Obama, and thanks also for trying to get Harrison to see the light. Perhaps you two could start a “Conservatives for Obama” movement. To hear you say “everyone should support Obama” is music to my ears.
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Dear Rich,
It is nice to know we are on the same page, Bro. Conservatives for Obama? I would like to Obama my answer (using Obama in the Japanese sense) by saying “Yes we can’, or “change.” Or maybe…. to Obama in a novel way, “the higher the fewer.”
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