The sad state of the GOP:
While it has compiled this record of failure and deception, the party which I’m leaving today has spent its time, energy and political capital trying to save Terri Schiavo, battling the threat of single-sex unions, fighting medical marijuana and physician-assisted suicide, manufacturing political crises over presidential nominees, and selling privatized Social Security to an America that isn’t buying. We fiddle while Rome burns.
Enough is enough. I quit.
I don’t agree with everything in this piece (e.g.: I like social security reform, but I do agree that the public doesn’t appear to be buiying it), but the rest of the snippet posted here reads like my list of greivances from the past couple years.
Certainly makes these poll numbers more believable.
Jimmy Jazz
Sounds like last throes to me. I’ll send a videotape to Dr. Frist for a second opinion.
Darrell
“Republican decisions made in 2002 and 2003 have killed almost 2,000 of the most capable patriots our country has to offer – volunteers, every one”
That comment sums up the ‘coherency’ of his argument
tbone
Nice piece – it neatly sums up the mental gymnastics that are necessary to square current GOP policies with the party’s traditional principles.
Let’s hope the cognitive dissonance wakes up traditional Republicanism before Rove, Delay, Frist, Dobson and their ilk can finish smothering it in its sleep.
Nikki
Something wrong with your reading comprehension, Darrell?
Sojourner
I know, Darrell. It’s a bitch when your Republican compatriots start thinking for themselves.
Compuglobalhypermeganet
He almost had me fooled until he started whining about how the Downing Street Memos “confirmed” (what, too weak to say “proved?”) that “Americans are dying every day for Republican lies.” Either living in Oregon makes one extremely susceptible to lefty, anti-historical wacko-ganda, or this guy’s a fake Republican. Either way, I don’t need anyone on my side to be so gullible and ignorant of history to believe the Downing Street Memos “confirms” anything.
Sojourner
Yeh, you need them to be gullible enough to believe this administration’s lies. No point in clouding their minds with facts.
Compuglobalhypermeganet
With a dry, cool wit like that, you could be an action hero. Yawn.
metalgrid
I would go so far as to blame the Republicans for this: iht.com/articles/2005/06/21/news/edwatson.php
The Republicans have been the willing vehicle of fundamentalism leading to the regression of our leading role within the frontiers of science.
Mr.Ortiz
The fact that this guy’s a lawyer and that he conspicuously leaves Reagan off his list of heroes (“My Republican Party was the party of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Barry Goldwater, and George H.W. Bush”) makes me think this won’t be taken too seriously by anyone who doesn’t already share his feelings.
sidereal
Heh. Big tent. . getting. . tighter. Can’t. . breathe. .
Sojourner
metalgrid:
I wouldn’t worry. America will remain number 1 in everything that matters – even if it’s only a figment of our egos.
Don
Ortiz – I read the absence of Reagan from his list as an indication he has developed some after-the-fact shame over 80s spending, though he oddly does a rah-rah about past ‘pub fiscal resposibility even though he hasn’t seen it in his lifetime….
Geoduck
I noticed Reagan’s absence as well; it is possible the guy just forgot to include him.
Compuglobalhypermeganet
I would just like to say that I, likewise, have given up being a Democrat.
Although I still believe in the tenets of fairness to the least fortunate of us (the tyrannized, the small businesses, the unborn), I think the Democratic Party of the last 30 years has turned their back on me.
My Democratic Party was the Party of FDR (“America must be the great arsenal of democracy”), JFK (“We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty”) and Zell Miller.
The Democrats’ shameless pandering, lying, and attempts at forgery (documents, media stories, letters to Oregon newspapers) to discredit their political enemies has finaly made me realize that they — I mean, “we”…’cause, you see, I’m a Democrat… are void of productive ideas.
Today’s Democrats would have you forget that, in 1998, they also attacked Iraq due to claims of Saddam’s WMD threat. They would also have you forget that even Clinton regarded that adventure in bombing WMD production facilities (which now the Dems claim were nonexistent) as, to paraphrase, “maybe successful, maybe not, we don’t know.” Some leadership… Some criteria for military action… I guess if you never really try to accomplish anything, you never risk anything, but I can’t live by that Dim-o-rat, uh, DEMOCRAT mantra any longer.
I just think that in fifty years, the Democratic Party will be judged on 3 criteria: How we defended America against terrorists, how we protected the unborn, how we lowered taxes, and overturning affirmative action. FOUR! Four criteria: terrorism, the unborn, taxes, affirmative action, and school vouchers…FIVE! Five criteria.
If history has shown one thing, it’s that we Democrats are liars, hypocrites, forgers, and I think some of us are smelly, pipe-hitting hippies.
Enough is enough. I quit.
Signed,
The Right Rev. John Q. McFakerson
Former Democrat
Darrell
Now that is the funniest thing I’ve read all week… “and I think some of us are smelly, pipe-hitting hippies”.LOL.. kudos Compu, aka Reverend
CalDevil
Didn’t we just do this last year?
Remember all those front page NYT pieces on Ohio (or Missouri or Florida or Insert Name of Red State Here) voters who were died in the wool Republicans for 20, 30, 50 years until mean ol’ W came along?
Well, all of this might mean something for 06 and 08 or it might not.
It might actually help to have the Democrats provide a real alternative to those truly disenchanted with the GOP on social issues.
Does anyone really think that a leading national Dem such as HRC or her running mate in 08 will come out in favor of physician assisted suicide, medical marijuana or gay marriage? Of course, they won’t.
Just like Kerry/Edwards on gay marriage and Clinton on gays in the military and RU-486, they’ll run for cover and show no courage in their convictions. Oh, they’ll bash the GOP for their positions on these issues, but no Exec or Leg branch Dems would dare fight for those issues.