TYT: Republicans Who Just Don't Get It---A Political Tsunami is Going to Wipe Out the Republicans

[ihavenobias]

Republicans Who Just Don't Get It
By Cenk Uygur
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/republicans-who-just-dont_b_101696.html

The Republicans lost another crucial election last night. It was their third special election loss in a row. All three were deeply Republican districts in the past. This one was in the heart of Mississippi and was in a district that George Bush won with 62% of the vote in 2004.

The Republicans are in deep, deep trouble. If they lose in these districts (the other two were a Louisiana seat they had kept for three decades and Dennis Hastert's former seat in Illinois), they can literally lose anywhere. The whole electoral map can be redrawn.

So, what's their new plan? Go further to the right! No, you schmucks, that's what got you in trouble in the first place. The problem is the Republican Party has become so extreme there are no moderates left to tell them they should head in the opposite direction.

Usually when a political party is beaten this bad (as they were in 2006 and the elections since then), they correct course by going toward the other side of the political spectrum. They head to the center to pick up lost ground. The Republicans, on the other hand, have been like drunken gamblers who are sure that their next double down bet is going to make it all up. If we just double down one more time...

Well, they did double their bets on these special elections. They spent $1.3 million in Mississippi of the precious $7.2 million the NRCC had left. They brought in Dick Cheney to campaign for their candidate (talk about heading in the wrong direction). And they lost again.

They have got to realize that they are not unpopular because they haven't been true enough to their principles, it's because they have. Their principles are merciless and lack all compassion. And it turns out that the American people look for some degree of compassion and competence out of their leaders. So, the Republicans are in a bind.

They wanted to drown government in a bathtub. They did and wound up drowning their own party instead. It turns out the American people want a government. They think it serves a purpose.

The problem isn't that conservative principles are never right. Of course it makes sense to lower taxes when the highest marginal tax rate is at 70%, as it was in 1980 when Reagan came into office. But equally obvious is that at some point taxes can be too low for the government to function effectively. And when you have a gigantic national deficit, a government that can't respond to national emergencies like Hurricane Katrina and a disastrous war you can't pay for -- that might be the point where taxes are simply too low to pay for the government the American people want and expect.

There might be a time for war, but it's not the answer at all times for any reason at all. We might have to get tough on immigration policies, but we don't have to crush people's souls to do it. There might be a time to get tougher on crime, but the answer isn't always vengeance. The Republicans have lost sight of all moderation.

If the Republicans keep heading due right, they will burn their party to the ground. And someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Charlie Crist will have to rebuild from the ground up as a more moderate, reasonable party. But it will take decades.

Remember George Bush ran as a "compassionate conservative" in 2000 and won with lots of smokes and mirrors by convincing people that he was a kindhearted Republican. I think history will look back at 2004 as the aberration. It will be the outlier in history.

In 2000, it was hard to know what Bush was exactly up to and he lied about his intentions (remember his "no nation building" and "humble foreign policy" pledges). But in 2004, we should have known what we were getting into. That election will be known as the Great Mistake.

But right now, as we speak, the American people are looking to correct that mistake. And when the Republicans run their tired, old campaigns based on pessimism, attack ads, fear-mongering and dark outlook, they will get crushed. Bank on it. There is a tidal wave coming in 2008. And apparently, the Republicans have no idea what is about to hit them: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/analysis-house-gop-hits-new-low-and-faces-bleak-nov.-2008-05-14.html

[cyberpj]

1. Sorry. But I can't help feeling like they made their money and don't much care now that everything

looks like it will crash and burn.

I'm sure they all have plans to move to Paraquay with the Bush clan or wherever else their getaway mansions are.

As a lifelong Democrat - I'm just sick and tired of always having the cleanup position. This time it may just be too late.

(Sorry, it's one of those days...)

[tridim]

2. I don't think the GOP will have another chance this time

They've completely screwed themselves, and even Republican voters are starting to get it.

Let's clean up, and keep it clean for the next 50 years.

[Ishoutandscream2]

3. From Cenk's lips to God's ear

I want the Republican party to die a quick death, and join their predecessor, the Whigs.

[OhioChick]

4. Let's hope

They "burn their party to the ground."

K&R

[Peace Patriot]

5. "...a district that George Bush won with 62% of the vote in 2004." How does anybody know that?

It could just be that Diebold, ES&S and brethren are venting the system a little, to prevent American Revolution II. We don't know. We don't know--and can't know--what they're doing now, and what they did in 2004. The vote counting system is NOT TRANSPARENT. It lacks the bottom line of democracy. They have the power--the actual power--with "trade secret" code, and virtually no audit/recount controls--to change any election outcome in the country, without detection. And any political commentary that leaves this out, and relies on stats from an egregiously non-transparent election system, is suspect. This OP says, 'Whoopee! The Pukes are getting beaten all over, where they won before," but fails to ask, "Did they win before?" and "How do we know?" It sets us up for further manipulation--and for bitter disappointment--not to even mention this, not to question it, not to look at the evidence of non-transparency and wrong outcomes (which some folks have worked so hard to study and expose).

I wish political commentators wouldn't do this--present 2004 election stats as God's truth, without any reference to the case against those outcomes.

The problem of non-transparency doesn't go away because we're winning, for the moment. It lurks. It's a viper under the rock. It can strike at any time. Beware. Are they merely trying to preserve their election theft machines for future use, by letting us win a little?

[Peace Patriot]

6. I have to add: I'm NOT saying, don't try to beat the machines! Do try! Do!

It's absolutely vital that we keep trying--and I did not mean in any way to dis the folks who are winning these elections. They are heroes! Elections are complex animals--requiring many kinds of efforts--fundraising, door to door, face to face, P.R., good message, good candidate, good grass roots organization, enthusiasm, GOTV, and more--and, if these things are not present, then we have NO chance of winning. And we CAN outvote the machines--by the election theft industry miscalculating, and by their hesitating to employ their power in situations that could lose them their power. I just think it's vital for people to know that the election theft industry is likely putting a "thumb on the scales" against good candidates (especially anti-war candidates), and they do have the power to steal any election. Until we change that--and restore full transparency to our vote counting--we can never be sure of any outcome, and we can never know when they will strike.

[ihavenobias]

7. That's not what I take away from this

not at all.

I understand you're perspective, and I share *some* of your concern. I'm just not willing to go quite as far as you. Will that prove to be fatal in the end, politically speaking? We'll see, but if I had to bet right now, I'd say no.

The Republicans are getting a much deserved political ass kissing this November, period.

[Peace Patriot]

9. You mean ass KICKING, right? I hope it isn't Diebold and ES&S kissing Puke ass again,

cuz Pukes are so fond of war profiteers, global corporate predators, rich people, torture and death.

All I'm saying is that the Puke corporations HAVE the power to call it their way. We have NO RIGHT to review their "trade secret" code! And we barely audit their vote counts, with many states having NOTHING TO AUDIT. No ballot. No paper trail. And the best of states auditing only a miserable 1%.

They can do lots of things with this power, including finessing the election returns to let a few Dems win--mostly "Blue Dogs" (pro-war)--shaping a Congress that looks Democratic but isn't at all representative of the American people. They can outright flip an election over, if it's important enough to their fascist agenda, as they did with Bush/Cheney vs. Kerry/Edwards in 2004. They can even let Obama win, cuz they know shit is coming--Great Depression II--and they want a "liberal" to quickly take the brunt of it--and THEN come back and install Hitler II. Or they can let Obama win but shave his mandate, and give him a difficult Congress, so he can't get anything done and fails the people. Or, if they wish, McBush gets to win--against all reason. One techie, a line or two of self-erasing code, a couple of minutes--and millions of votes can be changed without detection.

From this power comes all other Bushite powers--the power to ignore and sabotage the Voting Rights Act, the power to purge black voters from the voting rolls electronically, the power over legislatures to require Voter ID and exclude a whole other category of Democratic voters, the power to use the Dept. of Justice against Democrats and voter registration groups. We are in great peril from this rightwing Bushite corporation control over election results. It is insane. It flies in the face of common sense. It never should have happened (and how it did ought to be laid out as a cautionary tale against corporate power and political corruption).

[CherylK]

12. Very well said! I know you meant kicking!

:)

[RainDog]

8. The Republican economic policies are what lost the Iraq peace

They are responsible for the greatest foreign policy disaster in the history of this nation.

The American people know this, even if they don't want to admit it in those terms. But the evidence is there. Sky-high gas prices. No money invested in alt. energy infrastructure b/c the mkt was all. Loot the treasury via military contractors while soldiers lack body armor. Waste our time and attention on hollow shows of patriotism while justifying torture...when there is no justification. Weaken us by harming our international influence by these actions.

The American people are saying: ENOUGH. We'll cut our losses that you Republicans created - but we have to get rid of you first because you just couldn't "get it" - even when we elected a Democratic Congress in 2006. To this day the Republicans still work to obstruct and create chaos. So they all just have to get out of the way while we fix things.

I hope this election will be a demonstration that democracy works. That we can correct some grievous errors because of the strength of our system of checks/balances and accountability.

[Window]

10. Tell the truth Cenk! K//R.

"If the Republicans keep heading due right, they will burn their party to the ground. And someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Charlie Crist will have to rebuild from the ground up as a more moderate, reasonable party. But it will take decades."

Thanks for sharing ihavenobias.



:kick:

[C_U_L8R]

11. They won't go that easily

You can see they are lining up all their old weapons... god, guns, gays, and terrorism.
Our confidence can also be a weakness... don't underestimate these slimeballs.
We have to defeat them completely and without mercy.
No prisoners. No prisoners.

[navarth]

13. bump

[libodem]

14. Little Lord Pissypants

turns out to be a mean-spirited, bratty, New England, frat-boy instead of a solid Texas Rancher. All hat and no cattle, buddy. The Republicans were sold a bill of goods. Everything was based on a projection, psyops, propaganda, distortion, a fuckin' bunch of lies. All they ever wanted was to kill every living Iraqi, take the country, and the oil, because they could. They could give a damn about anybody they conned to vote for them including the X-ian Right. I suppose that payoff is still the $$$, floating down the tubes, to the 'Faith Based Initiative', BS, which I still happen to think crosses the line between Church and State. What a diry dog deal!

[judasdisney]

15. If Neocons can't have absolute power, they'll attack Iran in the Autumn, just to damn Obama

And I fear many DLCers will lend credence merely to sabotage Obama as well

[malaise]

16. I'm lovin it

"They wanted to drown government in a bathtub. They did and wound up drowning their own party instead. It turns out the American people want a government. They think it serves a purpose".

[Perry Logan]

17. Except for the Presidency. The Obama people have screwed that up for us.

There seems to be a movement afoot by many thousands of Hillary Clinton supporters to either vote for John McCain, another presidential candidate, write Hillary’s name in, not vote for president at all, or simply stay home on election night if Hillary Clinton is not the Democratic nominee for president.

There is ample proof of this movement throughout the Internet on pro-Hillary Clinton sites and other sites where comments can be made. These Clinton supporters usually give several reasons for their adamant refusal to fall in line behind Barack Obama as the presumptive Democratic nominee - and I haven’t seen one of those reasons being because Obama is black (actually he isn’t really African-American, but instead 50% white, 43.25% Arabic and 6.25% African Negro . 12.5% is the legal threshold one must prove to claim racial status under the law).

[B Calm]

18. We are witnessing the fall of the cheap labor con party.