The kids aren't all right.

[judge]

It's a play on words, you see.

Anyway, someone poked me by IM asking why I had been so quiet preceeding and even after the election. Every couple of years I tend to get a little uh... involved in the process, so a sudden wave of radio silence I guess made him worry if I had a heart attack or if I had finally made good on my ten year old promise (

Comments

[zepgoddess]

The Republicans, for no apparent reason, seem all too eager to drink the kool-aid: There's so many talking heads already talking about a 'new direction' and a 'new party' and other crap.

I have to disagree with you here. The Republicans do need a new direction. Right now, their platform consists of "values" issues and pro-business policies, which appeal mainly to Evangelicals and rich people. What they need is a platform broad enough and reasonable enough to appeal to middle class moderates and independents (people like you, right?) But they've spent the last eight years alienating moderates, and a lot of the Republican base isn't interested in compromise.

I think the Republican leadership will take the next few years to sort this out, and that eventually they'll get it together and build a viable party again (and they'll realize Palin isn't any great new hope. I agree with you on that one!) In the long run, this will be good for the party; they've swung too far right.

[judge]

I agree with you that the party as a faceless blob has gone too far right, but the majority of the active Republican politicians are still pretty good, fair, and objective conservatives. My problem is not with the notion that something needs to be changed for the party, but instead the idea that Republicans are suddenly looking at the past couple of days and ALL THE SUDDEN it's "oh dear me what have I done" from the people who a week ago were still chatting about global empire and the permanent majority.

The talk is still about "winning" and not trying to get back to what the political party wants in terms of programs and goals. The lesson here is that aiming for power for the sake of power doesn't work in the long run, but the media (and the Republican party) only wants to take away from this the fact that the reigning champions lost and maybe with a new manager and some roster changes they can sweep the finals next time.

[zepgoddess]

Generally I agree with you. Maybe this election is a needed wake up call to the Republicans who chose to believe they were a permanent majority.

Maybe you're watching the wrong media? I thought the 11:00 hour of this show was an interesting analysis of the changes in the electorate, and this guy had a convincing commentary about the direction of the Republican party. (He convinced me, anyway, and I'm not a Republican.)

[judge]

I need to start getting NPR podcasts to carry me through my workouts. I like Fresh Air and Tell Me More... Diane Rehm bothers me sometimes with how wink/nudge "not biased" she and her panel can be. Anyway, I hope you'll forgive me some bitterness that I believe that the party will fall back into the "anything to win" sort of logic and not the actual follow through and reform that the more intelligent people are looking over.

[ceejishi]

I wouldn't have been sad if McCain won - before he chose Palin. I actually kinda like the guy. I knew his politics from when I lived in AZ. Problem was that he pandered to get the support of the conservative part of his party and that forced him out of his comfort zone, and he lost. Then again, it would have been difficult to vote for one of the Keating 5 during this financial crisis