There must be SOME advantage the GOP hopes to gain from waging a war on women. What are they hiding? [View all]

[RandomKoolzip]

After observing the behavior of the Republicans for years and years, one can deduce that the GOP will often make miscalculations - or sometime they will make miscalculations that hide an ulterior motive. The recent, unified war against contraception and women's rights seems, on the surface, to be a complete (literal) no-brainer: a position that will GUARANTEE a defeat in the short term. Coupled with the rise of the more extreme wing of the party in the primaries, wherein Rick Santorum's radically extremist right views are suddenly thrust under everyone's noses every day in the news, thus tuning off a huge swath of voters, this whole thrust on the part of the GOP almost seems like a either a TOO-calculated, too-obvious move to either throw the 2012 general election, or in any event, turn off much of America to social conservatism (notice how the discourse went from economic issues to social issues in, like, two months? Thanks to the conservatives, of course - the media debate goes wherever the conservatives want it to go).

Okay, so I'm babbling. What I'm trying to ask is this: is this recent move toward showcasing the ugliest possible side to social conservative politics - a move that seems on the surface to ensure a short-term defeat for their side - hiding a secret motive somehow? I've heard whispers that they're trying to move everyone - the members of their own party, the Dems, independent voters -- rightward again in the long-term, with regard to socially conservative positions. Could it be that they want the public debate to focus on social issues in order to distract voters away from looking at the truly vile economic plans they may be hatching while they still have some power in Congress?

In a nutshell - The trouble is that Rush, Santorum, et al. doubling down on their misogynist, socially conservative positions is a guaranteed lose-lose proposition for the GOP. But we know, from observation, that the conservatives are crafty bastards. There HAS to be a hidden motive, right? They CAN'T be this stupid and short-sighted. Remember, the GOP is evil, not stupid.

Or are they really just stupid?

My brain hurts.