Why Republicans Suck and What They Need to Do to Remedy This Sucking
Just two weeks ago CNN posted an opinion piece suggesting that despite his controversial running mate Sarah Palin, McCain could take solace in the fact that Vice President Candidates do not cause presidential hopefuls to lose their bid for the White House. I didn’t quite buy that then and now some polls are suggesting that Palin has cost McCain dearly in his bid for the presidency. If what CNN posited is true than we are witnessing election history in the making.
In fact, if it weren’t for the current economic crisis and Sarah Palin this race could have gone in another direction. McCain’s campaign is quickly running out of steam and unless something dramatic happens Obama has already secured enough electoral votes to win the election. McCain seemed to almost deliberately sabotage his campaign from the beginning. As the end of both the DNC and RNC the election was a near dead heat. But, it didn’t take long for that to change. Sadly, McCain could have won this election.
Palin seems to represent to the public everything that is currently wrong with the Republican Party and that is causing considerable debate among conservatives as to whether or not she is the heir apparent that will lead a revival as Republicans sort through their current identity crisis. If the Republican’s wish to regain lost ground Palin’s career needs to end sooner than later.
The smarter Republicans seem to understand she needs to go! The GOP needs to clean house and the more moderate voices - traditionally the quiet conservatives - need to take control of the party. America is tired of the Neo-Conservative agenda. Obama’s popularity among demographic groups that might typically vote for a Republican Candidate is proof of this. After Wall Street nearly collapsed taking the rest of the country and possibly the world with it, the public at large seemed to feel they had all the proof they needed that Republican policies have not worked.
Hopefully, the GOP will learn a hard earned and powerful lesson. Americans - as a whole - are neither radically liberal nor conservative reactionaries. The majority of us fall in the center. Some lean a little left and others a little right, but in the end we are centrists. We distrust government. There is nothing more American than that. We despise being told what to do and how to live our lives. We view extremes to the left and to the right as being representative of that type of authoritarian encroachment that we fought our revolution against.
Bill Clinton sagely observed that his biggest mistake upon taking office was trying to govern too far to the left. During his first year he got mired down with issues such as gays in the military and the unfairly dubbed “Hilary care.” When Clinton came back to the center and worked more centrist policies his popularity and approval increased. He was a successful two term president who left office with a 70% approval rating. This despite some of his apparent character flaws - something conservatives tried to make a big deal out of and nearly succeeded.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has been trying to sell California Republicans on a more moderate approach, but even as their ranks are diminishing Republicans seem unwilling to back away from their rigid platform. He has been unsuccessful despite winning two elections with his lower taxes, limited government and liberty platform - remarkable given the California’s reputation for being liberal. Why aren’t republicans taking note?
The GOP typically shines most brightly when it champions its more traditional causes. Once again lower taxes, smaller government and liberty. Yet since the Reagan era the disparate minority of religious conservatives and arrogant neo-conservatives have preferred a more authoritarian approach the reeks more of Fascism then the Democratic Party does of Socialism.
If Republicans wish to deal honestly with the crisis they are currently enmeshed in they will need to take a long hard look who is steering their policies. Unless they return to their true core values and rethink them for a modern 21st century world their dark ages may last a long time. As long as an Obama administration performs it could be at least 4- 8 years or longer.
McCain, in his final desperate attempt to salvage his campaign, warned a crowd of supporters about the dangers of a one party rule should Obama get elected president. Presumably he sees the writing on the wall. Not only are the Democrats poised to take even more seats in congress they are going to have one of their own in the Oval Office.
Senator McCain, the danger you speak of is the fault of the Republican Party. The lack of honest, solid Republican leadership over the past eight years has the public backing a government stacked in favor of Democrats. You have broken trust and the public by and large has lost their faith. Why should be we trust you after the past 8 years of Republican failure?
Here is the beautiful part of our system. Assuming an Obama win and a strong Democratic majority in congress, the Dems will have authority coupled with responsibility. It will get down to how well they perform in their first year. If they deliver then the mid terms will be no problem. If they don’t then your party has a chance to change the balance two years hence. Your one party warning is just another desperate fear mongering tactic.