What happened to the Republican Party?
It may be hard to remember this, but there was a time when it was intellectually respectable to support the Republican Party. The party, after all, ended slavery, started the space program, ended the Vietnam War, defeated Communism in Eastern Europe, expanded welfare beyond widows and orphans and then fixed it when the abuse went too far. The Republicans were once the party of science and reason and staunch defenders of individual liberty. From Barry Goldwater to Ronald Reagan the party stood for sound thinking, a principled approach to public policy, federalism, and the Constitution. But the party has lost its way and caved-in to pressure from religious fanatics and power-mad zealots. Today the Republicans are the party of ignorance and superstition, mad spending without restraint, selfishness, and triviality.
On of my favorite bloggers, John Cole, has been in considerable angst over this transformation, as you can see from this recent post:
In short, it really sucks looking around at the wreckage that is my party and realizing that the only decent thing to do is to pull the plug on them (or help). I am not really having any fun attacking my old friends- but I don’t know how else to respond when people call decent men like Jim Webb a pervert for no other reason than to win an election. I don’t know how to deal with people who think savaging a man with Parkinson’s for electoral gain is appropriate election-year discourse. I don’t know how to react to people who think that calling anyone who disagrees with them on Iraq a “terrorist-enabler” than to swing back. I don’t know how to react to people who think that media reports of party hacks in the administration overruling scientists on issues like global warming, endangered species, intelligent design, prescription drugs, etc., are signs of… liberal media bias.
His former co-bloggers at Red State are up in arms over his rejection of their party, as you can see from this spate of Cole-hating posts:
Response to John Cole
… I’m not sure exactly what we’ve done to John Cole to invoke his trademark hysterical ire, but I can’t imagine it …
Story – Leon H Wolf – 2006-10-16 17:41 – 10 comments – 0 attachmentsRe: John Cole
… not sure there is any longer much point in arguing with John Cole. That’s sad – most of us here have never had less than cordial …
Redhot Article – Dan McLaughlin – 2006-10-27 08:59 – 0 comments – 0 attachmentsJohn Cole Learns the Taste of Kool-Aid.
I’ve got no problem with Republicans who are mad at some of the things our elected Representatives are doing. I don’t agree with nearly all of it myself. And I can respect anyone who says they’re going to sit out, even though I dis …
Redhot Article – Leon H Wolf – 2006-10-26 16:35 – 0 comments – 0 attachmentsIS KERRY MELTDOWN A BLIP? OR A TURNING POINT?
… in January. At the same time, I disagree with John Cole and his buddy Kos that this is all a tempest in a teapot and not …
blog entry – Rick Moran – 2006-11-01 07:57 – 10 comments – 0 attachmentsAnother “racist”/”xenophobic” Republican ad
… it is never racist. Only Republicans are racist. As John Cole sips his koolaid, he realizes this great truth as well. Tell the …
blog entry – Liz A Mair – 2006-10-26 19:12 – 20 comments – 0 attachmentsBehold the Effects of ObiWi Disease
… I like a great deal). You’ll note a front-pager aimed at John Cole today; that really isn’t my style, and, despite what the frothers in … I tell you this because if you purge everyone with whom John Cole disagrees from the Party, you’ll have a great time, for two years at …
blog entry – Thomas – 2006-10-16 21:28 – 8 comments – 0 attachments
John’s encouraging his readers to give money to Democrats, while still holding out hope that someday the Republicans can regain their senses. I’d like to see that happen too, because our system of government needs two robust parties to work correctly. But what reason is there to hope that the religious nuts are going to be purged from the Republican Party? And make no mistake about it, they’re a crucial part of the Republican malaise.
Opposition to stem cell research, the Terri Schiavo debacle, the hard line on abortion, support for crazier federal drug laws, the further concentration of power in Washington, fiscal recklessness, the anti-gay jihad, and the faith-based invasion of Iraq wouldn’t have happened without the Religious Right’s takeover of the Republican Party. And as most Republican politicians aren’t actually religious zealots themselves, turning over control of the party’s agenda has fostered cynicism and corruption on their part.
The Republicans need another Barry Goldwater to lead them out of this swamp of superstition and cynicism, and I don’t see him on the horizon. I hate voting for Democrats, but I don’t see that I have a choice any longer. They’re dumb, but the Red Staters are dumber.
So buck up, John Cole, you’re fighting the good fight and the right people know it.
- November 2nd
I have been having trouble as a Republican as well. Yesterday I endorsed Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand in the neighboring district against John Sweeney, a pork-barrel Republican who spends too much time with lobbyists. Our press release is here:
http://www.wredlich.com/stop-wasting-money/2006/11/endorsing-gillibrand-sweeney-example.html
His wife-beating incident has drowned out my endorsement as a story in the local media, but that isn’t my focus. I’m concerned about the corruption and the pork.
Warren Redlich
http://www.wredlich.com
I thought it was really Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” that was the turning point where Republicans stopped being the party of Lincoln and started being the party of voters who don’t like black people. Reagan had his moments (Yes, I recognize that we spent the Soviets into the ground) but his economic policies were nothing short of absurd.
The Southern Strategy actually followed Goldwater in making the Republicans the party of federalism, low taxes, and limited government, and that all was a departure from Lincoln, for sure. But the Schiavo business tossed federalism aside, as does the campaign for a national gay marriage ban, federal drug laws, and all that other stuff.
What happened,
The party lost it’s collective mind, and any concept that a party is about ideas got lost.
What’s the ideas driving what passes for driving the part today?
Spending good
Gays bad
Abortions always bad…well they are, but sometimes it’s a choice a woman has to make and frankly it’s none of my business.
Bush good
War in Iraq is good and going great
All Democrats scary
Because my Bible told me so.
Contrast this very deep thought to the early 90’s version of the Republican thought embodied in the Contract with America.
Please, someone, anyone, come up with a New Contract with America