(Untitled)

[jordan179]

As you may have heard, Democratic Congressmen coming home to face their constituents in "town hall" style meetings are finding an unpleasant surprise. Namely, that these constituents are furious with them. In particular, older people are protesting because Obamacare would, under the guise of "end of life quality choices," offer what amounts to

Comments

[kokorognosis]

Prior to the election, while I was bemoaning the lack of a truly good candidate, one of my friends mentioned that he was tempted to vote for Obama because he felt it was the best thing ever that could happen to the conservative side of the world-- as opposed to voting for lukewarm McCain.

I am beginning to see that he was right.

I think we'll be okay, providing we get through the next year or so.

[jordan179]

After the Republican nomination, I considered voting Libertarian because McCain was such a terrible choice. I wound up voting the straight Republican ticket, largely because Obama was so very much worse.

In 2010 and 2012 I'd vote for almost anyone over a Democrat.

[gothelittle]

"Darwinnowed" is my new favorite word.

[jordan179]

"Darwinnowed" is my new favorite word.

Why thank you. I don't know if I originated it -- probably not -- but I have used it in poetry.

[operations]

I think you have too much confidence in the intelligence of the electorate. If they were this smart, they'd have never voted for a man whose sum total life experience of politics was 149 days of voting present.

And when 10% of the nation is just trying to not lose their house in the face of being unemployed (or 15% like here in the Democratic Peoples State of Michigan©) they are too busy dog-paddling to keep their head above water to notice this shit.

And frankly, as one of that 15%, who has no idea if I'll have water, power, and phone in the next two weeks, I to the point where I could care less and just want to play the fiddle while Rome burns.

[jordan179]

I think you have too much confidence in the intelligence of the electorate. If they were this smart, they'd have never voted for a man whose sum total life experience of politics was 149 days of voting present.all those who voted for Obama did so because they thought that he was the Obamessiah. Many simply felt that he "had to be" better than the alternative, which they had identified as being a continuation of policies the mainstream media told them were disastrous. They are learning better now: Obama is doing things far worse than Dubya ever did or McCain ever would have done

[operations]

After being basically told by the voters what they did wrong in 2006 and ignoring us right through 2008, I doubt the GOP will get any smarter.

I'm learning the fiddle! Whee!

[ford_prefect42]

Republicans probably. The country, not so much. The problem is that there hasn't been a decent republican since reagan on the national stage (Okay, newt, but he had his problems). If anything is clear it is that powell is wrong and limbaugh is right, we need a real conservative to lead this mess, not some middle of the road charlie foxtrot.

[yechezkiel]

George HW Bush, whatever his other problems, was an honorable man with a coherent idea of statesmanship. We could do far worse, these days.

[ford_prefect42]

Yes. The funny thing is that the republicans take out the trash, get caught with your hand in the cookie jar and as a republican you are OVER. This makes them WEAKER than the liberals who defend their man regardless of what they do.

[jordan179]

Yes. The funny thing is that the republicans take out the trash, get caught with your hand in the cookie jar and as a republican you are OVER. This makes them WEAKER than the liberals who defend their man regardless of what they do.

Well, it makes "their man" stronger. But his strength is bought at the price of the credibility of the whole Democratic Party, and there is an inherent energy loss in any such conversion and transfer. Note what happened to Gore after Clinton. And note that Clinton's crimes were personally motivated. As a Republican I wished that Clinton had been openly palling around with someone like William Ayers.

[xolo]

This'll be a good thing for the country, provided that the Republicans take the chance to move to the center and try to represent the people, as opposed to the party base. My fear is that we'll just end up with a right-wing Obama.

[superversive]

They tried that with McCain, who was in no sense a conservative. The party base stayed home and watched while the Democrats got their base out. Result: the most extreme left-wing candidate ever nominated by a major party won the election.

With an electorate so polarized, moving to the centre is no longer a viable strategy. That just isn’t where the votes are anymore.

[westmarked]

Moving to the center, no. Appealing to center, yes. Reagan stayed right but crafted a message that caught the imagination of the country as a whole. Obama stayed left, but appealed to the center (mostly through deception, but oh well). Whomever the next Republican president is, he'll have to know how to do the same. Or the country will be so bad off anyone with an R following his name will get elected, I don't want the country to become that/i> bad off.

[kokorognosis]

To quote a pertinent Biblical passage: "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth."

A middle of the road conservative isn't a conservative. We had no real presidential candidate-- just something lukewarm to spit out. I am hoping that we run a real conservative this time around-- or that the GOP will just curl up and die and be replaced by something unafraid and unashamed of its conservatism.