Should there be Joy in Mudville?
The National Review apparently can't understand that voters don't buy what they're selling.
In related news, Peter Wehner says its the vehicle not the driver: the GOP is sickly, but conservatism is fine. His conclusion: the GOP needs some time off.
Okay, I am incredulous with this line of argumentation. His premises fail to account for one crucial thing. That conservatism is in better shape than the GOP has more to do with coherence than any other factor: the conservative subfaction is more coherent than the GOP faction. Consequently, they usually get their way and steer the party's direction. And look where they've gone.
Matt Ysglesias says Wehner is simply retreating further into the cocoon.
The GOP's health woes are largely a product of conservatism's excesses, and the tarnishing of the GOP "brand" has much to do with the positions conservatism leads the GOP to propose/adopt/support/defend. Additionally, this coherence also results in conservative insularity, remaining utterly impervious to evidence challenging conservatism's assumptions. Evidence like the results of the 2006 elections.
In fact, conservative divisiveness, dividing the world into us and them (real America and the other parts), is plain to see, and it feeds my perceptions of conservative insularity. Rush Douthat explains in regards to Rush.
The growing ranks of the Obamacons, Republicans who've endorsed Obama, demonstrates that the GOP has fractured in a fundamental way. Remember, the GOP's center was WAY to the left of Limbaugh when he hit the scene. It has moved very far to the right since then (and is it very far to Limbaugh's left at this point?).
So, are conservatives really ready for several elections cycles of irrelevance? I mean, what happens when the libertarians and the Christianists have had enough of each other and they split? This happens: the center-left party racks up victory after victory. Is there really any way back without a major message overhaul?
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2 comments:
I'm not so sure. Given the voter suppression efforts--I was just reading about them on Huffpo--the GOP may not be about to lose anything. We could be seeing yet another stolen election by them.
The best to you and this blog. I look forward to reading more soon.
Someone read the blog? Thanks!
You are correct about voter suppression efforts and their possible effect. They may make a difference at the level of the presidential campaign; however, at a minimum, the GOP will be once again facing a repudiation in Congress. And that will still pull the federal government to the left of where it has been.
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