tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-345170876069822183.post1821314173145238591..comments2021-10-01T17:51:28.000-07:00Comments on Mostly Dave: What the Republicans Should be DoingDave Rowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10052809559523263684noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-345170876069822183.post-4244772401897085652012-08-29T14:02:39.326-07:002012-08-29T14:02:39.326-07:00Great post, Dave.
Ron Paul may have some crazy ide...Great post, Dave.<br />Ron Paul may have some crazy ideas (like turning America into a libertarian paradise like Somalia), but I agree that he has the courage and consistency of his convictions. He recently defended Bradley Manning and Julian Assange, for example, which is considered political kryptonite for members of both major parties. It's a travesty of justice that he was not allowed his due in state conventions and the RNC, where his smart delegates *used the rules* to get him included there.<br />Yes, the old Republican party was able to compromise, and this was something that appealed to the American people. Americans want solutions. I fear that that Republican party is gone, and may not pay attention to your sage advice, however.<br />(An aside: I do blame Reagan for the change in tone of modern politics, though, and for beginning to make people feel disconnected from any idea that government could be a source of good in people's lives. He also began to make "liberal" a dirty word, and begin the reverse jujitsu of making the party of the New Deal and the forty hour work week out to be evil losers. The mainstream media began to also reflect this thinking right around this time with their writers and commentators by beginning to treat liberal thinking as weak and immature.)<br />Deregulation of communications, and deregulation of corporate money in elections is strangling our democracy, and enabling the Republican Party to be less likely to compromise, IMO.<br />The drivers for the Republicans to publicly embrace the fringe in their party (consider Eisenhower's words about those who wished to do away with Social Security) seem to relate to the plutocrats who have taken over the Republican Party. The same very wealthy people have managed to build up a very effective right wing media that serves as an echo chamber for their interests over the last forty years, and built up a fan base that turns to them to have their fears relieved and their beliefs reaffirmed. Very clever. A composite of a "good Republican" seems to have been formed that, among other things, also happens to serve the interests of the wealthy (anti-labor, anti-climate change, anti-education, pro-war/defense). And it would appear that an attitude of unflinching adherence to these ideals is also part of the ideal reinforced by the conservative media. My point is that it makes compromise less and less likely for a conservative movement that has begun to see itself as a team needing to win with an almost a religious ferocity.<br />I am deeply disappointed in the Democrats, too, who have had some weak leadership, and some candidates willing to go wherever the wind was blowing that day. They need to take back the idea that government can be a force for good, IMO, and stick with it. It's true that I am a partisan, although less so over time, but my take on the read on many Independent voters (for lack of a better moniker) is that they want a candidate who stands for something, and has integrity people can count on no matter what. My take on the election of Obama in 2008 was that enough people were ready for progressive, Roosevelt-style leadership, and for someone who really *believed* in helping ordinary Americans after the Bush years. Independents were willing to give him a chance. I am curious about how the Obama presidency has been spun in the minds of those same voters now.<br /><br />One point about conservatives not liking their candidate: It doesn't matter if Romney is an unpopular candidate if you game the electoral system. Look at what is happening in the Republican controlled swing states right now, especially Florida. The R's just have to turn out their base, and keep the others away. Also look at the money that Crossroads GPS and other Super PAC's are starting to dole out. I would not dismiss Romney just yet. Elections can be bought, and elections can be stolen. We've seen both in the US, and it can happen here again, too.<br />Sorry for the long post. Hope you keep on writing the commentaries!Helynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16784352284503665544noreply@blogger.com