The Decline and Possible Fall of the Republican Empire

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers! I must say it's extraordinary to watch the Republicans these days. It's the talk of the political world, so let's add our voices to the gossip flying around about the GOP's current campaign of shock and awe.

We all know it's easier to herd cats than to get Democrats to agree, but I always thought the Republicans were the disciplined party. They always seemed willing to sacrifice individual expression for party unity.

Well, I guess not during a serious power struggle, like the GOP of 2009. It's incredible to watch, but there's no doubt they are deep in battle, with no end in sight. They are all busy forming strange alliances among elected officials, party loyalists and special interest groups. Unlike past Democratic power struggles, to me the GOP equivalent seems brutal, almost Roman-like in spectacle!

The GOP elite are all jockeying for favor among a small group of fantatical die-hards. This donation-friendly fringe of Republican radicals seem to hold all the power, and they seem to be enjoying the blood sport - at least for now. People like Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich are all on a feeding frenzy, all benefiting from the party's perceived lust for senseless change. Don't forget the "Tea Baggers?"

Interestingly, the GOP's current power struggle doesn't seem to be about new ideas. Instead, it seems to be about power and control.

They do have one thing in common. They're all driven by an absurd belief that President Obama is a radical socialist - or worse, a fascist. There's no doubt they're all singing that idiotic tune to their messianic masses. Painting Obama as "Tyrant and Chief" has become the equivalent of the GOP spiking the public punch - they see it as harmless, but it could come back to bite them.

The battle for party power is now primarily among and between the former disgraced House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the former corrupt Vice President Dick Cheney, the current "Moron and Chief" Sarah Palin, and the "Mormon Mannequin" Mitt Romney. The lesser crazies like Huckabee, Paul, Palwenty and Jindal are all waiting in the wings. The spectacle is quite entertaining. I can't wait to see what happens prior to the next election.

Their spectacle has started to make the Democratic power struggles of the past 10 years look like a walk in the park.

Their latest embarrassment unfolded this week when Sarah Palin was told that she would not be allowed to speak at a major GOP fundraiser. There are plenty of rumors flying about as to why Palin was snubbed, but the best is that Newt Gingrich (and his influential Capitol Hill supporters) wanted her for fundraising purposes only. God forbid they allow her to speak! Now that is funny!

The fur is now flying between Gingrich, Palin and a whole group of Republicans, all competing for loyalties - it's getting downright tribal. The far right rank-and-file seem to love Sarah Palin, while party leaders like McCain and Steele see her only as useful blank check. It's fun to watch them all use each other. The whole thing is downright hilarious!

While all this is going on the party continues to shrink. Loyalties are splintering throughout the party, and it's certain party moderates are beginning to question going solo, or independent.

Party moderates seem to be hoping for a savior - like a modern Ronald Reagan - yet few are holding their breath. Most are fighting to hold back scandal like the one that knocked out Arlen Specter, a victim of the far right's Club for Growth. It's wild, but unless something changes soon, the GOP will most likely lose badly in the upcoming 2012 elections.

Finally, the most shocking part of their spectacle seems to be a distinct lack of new ideas. They are beating the same old ant-government, anti-tax drums they've been beating since Ronald Reagan. They seem to think it will work, but it's pretty clear to the rest of us they need to learn from their mistakes and move on.

Instead of fighting to please their radical base, acting like stuck-in-the-mud lunatics, an honest Republican needs to emerge with good ideas to help average Americans. That individual needs to drop the fear mongering and hate speech, tell the truth, and focus on solving real problems for real people - not just the rich. Unless somebody like that emerges, the GOP may simply fade away.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Schaeffer Burns GOP House Down

There I was minding my own business reading the Huffington Post and along comes this “Former” right wing Republican with a flame thrower and a Rambo like attitude. I thought for sure that I was going to be a crispy critter. Low and behold he marched right by me and torched the GOP political house down. I of course called the fire department but with all of the recent budget cut backs they were late in responding as they had to hook up the horses to the front of the fire truck. By the time the fire teams arrived, they did manage to save the GOP cellar hole.

Check out the open letter to the Republican’s from former GOP’er Frank Schaeffer over at the Huffington Post and his interview on DL Hughley below. It is must read, must see material. Just an excerpt of it for you to begin with...

You Republicans are the arsonists who burned down our national home. You combined the failed ideologies of the Religious Right, so-called free market deregulation and the Neoconservative love of war to light a fire that has consumed America. Now you have the nerve to criticize the "architect" America just hired -- President Obama -- to rebuild from the ashes. You do nothing constructive, just try to hinder the one person willing and able to fix the mess you created.

Snippet (clipping coupons for marshmallows)

In the mid 1980s I left the Religious Right, after I realized just how very anti-American they are, (the theme I explore in my book Crazy For God). They wanted America to fail in order to prove they were right about America's "moral decline." Soon after McCain lost in 2000 I re-registered as an independent in disgust with W. Bush. But I still respected many Republicans. Not today.

How can anyone who loves our country support the Republicans now? Barry Goldwater, William F. Buckley and Ronald Reagan defined the modern conservatism that used to be what the Republican Party I belonged to was about. Today no actual conservative can be a Republican. Reagan would despise today's wholly negative Republican Party. And can you picture the gentlemanly and always polite Ronald Reagan, endorsing a radio hate-jock slob who crudely mocked a man with Parkinson's and who now says he wants an American president to fail?! - Huffington Post

All I can say is Wow! This guy is pissed off at the GOP and rightfully so. I would dare to say that his anger over the current GOP direction is much like my own personal anger toward my Catholic faith leaders. The leadership of the church let madmen sexually abuse our children for years and looked the other way. Once they were caught and called on the carpet for it, they still looked the other way. Even so far as to call Cardinal Law of Boston back to Rome for a so called administrative position rather than face prosecutors. That still ticks me off.

Check out the video here…




Interesting point of view from someone once entrenched in the GOP. Where did I put that coupon for marshmallows? I can't see letting a good fire go to waste.

Papamoka

Thoughts Post Election

It is nice to see all the press focused on what is next on the political horizon with President Elect Barack Obama but he is still in mourning for his Grandmother who passed away one day before his election as President. I hope that the press will respect his privacy at this time to let him pay his last respects and lay her to rest as she deserved.

In other news, Sarah Palin is being bashed all over the news and she does not deserve that. Neither did Joe the Plumber or anyone else the McCain campaign brought into the spot light. Governor Palin will be fine, matter of fact I predict that she will be the runoff candidate for the U.S. Senate seat abdicated not by choice by Ted Stevens of Alaska due to his criminal convictions and sad to say election victory in Alaska. Sarah Palin will win the Senate seat by over 80% in that election run off. From there she can jump in at Barack Obama in 2012 with plenty of experience and nobody holding her back except Neiman Marcus.

This just in from Fox News on the infighting of the McCain - Palin campaign. Apparently, it was pretty nasty towards the end. According to this news video, Governor Palin thought Africa was a country and not a continent and she didn’t know which countries signed up for NAFTA…

Video Link



Things that make you go hmmm? Or what the hell was John McCain thinking?

Papamoka