Republican Collapse

[SoDesuKa]

It takes far less work to be a Democrat these days, and I think it's because of the Republican collapse. They're really wandering around in the desert lately - no ideas, and no convincing spokespersons either. Every time a Republican leader emerges, something out of their past knocks them down again.

Democrats may be seeing the results of years of patient effort, of living in the real world while Republicans have gotten comfortable living inside their fantasies. After years of faking it, Republicans don't have answers to real world problems. People are turning away from ideologues because they don't want to be just kidded along.

Imagine a two-column listing - on one side are the things Americans are worried about, and on the other side are proposed Republican "solutions." Issue after issue, Republicans simply don't have answers. Political dialogue in this country is increasingly becoming Democrat vs. Democrat, with Republicans on the sidelines. From time to time a figure like Dick Cheney will make a public statement, but he's becoming pathetic, even desparate. Other once-prominent Republicans have mostly disappeared.



Republicans in the Wasteland

[formercia]

1. "Other once-prominent Republicans have mostly disappeared."

Too embarrassed to show their faces in Public.

[Old and In the Way]

2. They are married to 4 governing ideas.

(1) taxcuts
(2) deregulation
(3) cultural war on non-teapublicans

(1) and (2) will make our current economic situation worse and most normal people aren't excited about having a cultural that allows a minority of old, white guys dictate their ideas on morality on the rest of us. Which brings us to:

(4) limiting the voting rights of everyone not a teapublican

Because that's the only way they'll continue to be 'elected'.

[Hutzpa]

8. In summation of your analysis

Republicans policy is design to ensure that ethnic minority groups are prevented
from sharing the same accolades as would a white person.

[SoDesuKa]

9. Cultural War

There's an economic component to the cultural war. Unable to attract industry even with union-busting, the state of Alabama resorts to draconian anti-immigrant legal measures. Although unemployed white people take comfort in being high class, these policies won't work any better than they do in Arizona.

The reality is that unauthorized immigrants are actually good for the economy, as every legitimate study that's been done has shown. Driving out imported workers will make Alabama even poorer, further evidence of Republican intellectual bankruptcy.



Unemployed in a Right-to-Work State

[Old and In the Way]

17. Quite true!

There is a great graph that plots the middle class economic fortunes against the economic fortunes of Big Labor. Interesting enough, the middle class is tied directly to Big Labor...when they do well, we all do well. When they don't, we all suffer. It works today - I'm a non-union middle-class guy that appreciates the value of Big Labor!

[denverbill]

3. I think you may be overestimating the American people.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan wanted to cut taxes, increase military spending and balance the budget. George Bush and most other sane people said it was ridiculous to think that you could cut taxes and increase military spending and still balance the budget. He called it 'voodoo economics'. Reagan won in a landslide with Bush as his running mate. Predictably, massive deficits ensued which lasted until taxes were increased under Bush and Clinton.

Republicans don't need real solutions. All they need is a few snappy slogans, billions of propaganda dollars, and a shitty economy.

[notadmblnd]

7. Reagun actually raised taxes.

I remember a time when one could deduct interest on credit cards and car loans. Now republicans want to get rid of the mortgage interest deduction. NO, republicans don't come out and say raise taxes but eliminating deductions do increase the taxes one pays.

[B Calm]

19. It's not that difficult to fool the right wing voter. . Can we say dumb. .?

[libinnyandia]

4. Republicans in decline?

Unfortunately, many people don't think when they vote and let their emotions determine how they vote. I wish voters had to fill out a questionaire, put the results into the machine and then compare their views with the candidates. Only then could they make an informed choice.

[Blue Owl]

5. I'm in the mood to kick 'em while they're down

Wearing my steel-toed, union-made shit-kickers, of course.

[Fire Walk With Me]

6. "Republican Collapse". Two words that go well together!

[tabbycat31]

10. AT the national level maybe

Of course I am working on a state senate race right now, and it seems the exact opposite.

Unfortunately I have no time to pay attention at a federal level. I have tunnel vision for one state legislative district until November 8

[SoDesuKa]

14. State Senate

It could be that Republicans are scrambling around for jobs at the state level because they realize that paid jobs at the federal level are going to get even scarcer. There's good reason for their concern, because they know they don't have any ideas.

It may be that Bush did far more harm to the Republicans than they acknowledge. He certainly has made himself scarce. From time to time he shows up at a baseball game, that's all. Rumsfeld? Condoleezza? The spaceship came and took them away.



Another Donald Rumsfeld Sighting

[jmowreader]

11. The reason for the Republican collapse

They've become the punchline for an old Far Side cartoon: the one about equine medicine, where the cure for anything wrong with a horse was to shoot it.

In the Republicans' case, the answer to every problem is tax cuts and deregulation. These are the people who cut taxes to pay for a WAR, for God's sake.

The difference between Larson and the Republicans is simple: while shooting the horse definitely solves whatever problem it might have, tax cuts and deregulation almost always make the problem worse.

[SoDesuKa]

12. Great Line

These are the people who cut taxes to pay for a WAR, for God's sake.

Actually they'd didn't pay for the war. It was supposed to pay for itself. The grateful Iraqis were going to willingly surrender the oil fields in exchange for their, ahem, "liberation." Republicans pretended they actually believed this bullshit.

[Bloke 32]

13. What about Jeb?

Has he taken a Sherman yet? (Seriously: I don't know the answer.)

[lunatica]

15. They haven't disappeared. They've become lobbyists.

[customerserviceguy]

16. After last year's election

it's hard for me to see a Repuke collapse. When I see the President's poll numbers, it makes it even harder.

It's going to take real, hard work to defeat them next year, we have so many more Senate seats at stake, and while I personally predict a 3-4 way split up of delegates to the Rethug convention, now that Christie and Palin are out of the way, there's a real chance that the Rethugs will start to focus on one candidate. They are extremely motivated to replace President Obama with anyone under their banner, while we get further dispirited when we see that our President seems to work against our interests, no matter what talk is coming out of his mouth.

[B Calm]

18. Republicans don't need answers, look at Hank Williams Jr.