I get that it's a lot of work, but given that the Republican Party is now firmly in bed with the Birthers, who are exactly as crazy as holocaust deniers, why aren't people like James Baker, Newt Gingrich, George HW Bush, Colin Powell, et,. al. forming a new party?
I'm not saying that they aren't partisan, but the few I mentioned (and tons of others) are demonstrably not crazy. And some of them have actual principles. I'm 99% sure James Baker hates the party he came up through. I'm 99% Powell feels that way as well.
Here's the rubber-meets-the-road moment that's coming: in 2012 someone will run for president from the Republican party. During some press conference, a reporter is going to ask the following question:
"Are you willing to admit to partial insanity to get a large block of votes amongst Southern and Republican voters?"
Of course it will be phrased, "Do you believe Barack Obama was born in the United States?" but it will mean the same thing.
So that person's going to have make a tough decision about whether someone like me is even 0.001% likely to vote for them.
I'm not saying that equivocating on that answer is going to disqualify them from getting my vote, but it's going to make it only 0.001% likely.
I'm not saying that they aren't partisan, but the few I mentioned (and tons of others) are demonstrably not crazy. And some of them have actual principles. I'm 99% sure James Baker hates the party he came up through. I'm 99% Powell feels that way as well.
Here's the rubber-meets-the-road moment that's coming: in 2012 someone will run for president from the Republican party. During some press conference, a reporter is going to ask the following question:
"Are you willing to admit to partial insanity to get a large block of votes amongst Southern and Republican voters?"
Of course it will be phrased, "Do you believe Barack Obama was born in the United States?" but it will mean the same thing.
So that person's going to have make a tough decision about whether someone like me is even 0.001% likely to vote for them.
I'm not saying that equivocating on that answer is going to disqualify them from getting my vote, but it's going to make it only 0.001% likely.
2 comments:
Yeah, wasn't it great when the media grilled McCain over the "Obama is a terrorist muslim" thing? And how swiftly and forcefully he denounced those scurrilous rumors! Gives me hope for democracy.
Seriously, it either won't happen at all, or the media will allow the Republican to do the George Bush thing of pretending to disown the swiftboaters while quietly encouraging them on. Those are the rules under which the Villagers operate and they will be no different in 2012.
Note well: the GOP candidate will affirm that Obama was born in the US. He will be clear and unhesitating about it. Just as Bush was when asked about the swiftboaters, and McCain was when asked about the muslim thing. Then they will never be asked again, being on record, and the fact that their campaign, their surrogates, and their party's apparatus is actively stoking the rumors will be conveniently ignored.
To perhaps more directly address your question: why do the "responsible" conservatives tolerate the whackjobs?"
I sense a lot of unease among moderate republicans. The party registration data reflects that -- the independents are becoming democrats and the moderate republicans are leaving the party to become independents. Is this due to the catastrophic presidency of W, or the continuing radicalization of the GOP? maybe both.
But what choice do they have? It's not a question of being "hard work." There's no room for a third party in this system.
I suspect that responsible republicans just accept it as a necessary pander, just as cowardly democrats accept pandering to the centrists as a distasteful but necessary part of the job.
Post a Comment