How exactly did the GOP screw it all up? Well, it’s a sordid tale. Difficult to really gauge without a dissertation. I’m sure many will be written. But, based on my casual observations I’d like to contribute some things.
– Party before country
The GOP was so partisan that I even left my own party because of it. They made me so sick of independent philosophies ruling over the common good that, if there was a viable third party that wasn’t, well, the Libertarians, then I would have joined. Bush’s partisan firing of U.S. Attorneys in 2006 sticks out as a great example. Turning Katrina into a political issue to cover his own fuck up is another. The only thing that trickled down in his administration was distaste and revulsion for folks who think differently than you, here in our neighborhoods and also in our attitude towards other countries.
– Filthy politics
It started with the swift boats and it worked so well that they just kept doing it. The end results were Elizabeth Dole losing a seat in North Carolina after calling her opponent “godless,” John McCain having to calm people at his own rallies after inciting them days before and of course, the people’s rejection of him as a candidate.
– Not admitting Bush was a failure early enough.
Yes, in the end, everybody figured it out. But really, it should have been obvious after Katrina. Instead the GOP stuck by their man and never truly denounced him as the failure he is. It was a tough stance to be in but, it was a risk they should have taken. Even if the “mistakes were made” rhetoric was kicked up a notch it might have helped.
– Anti-intellectualism
Many of us long for intelligent discourse. Most of us admire great intelligence. The bottom rungs of the intellectual field love company. Unfortunately they don’t make a big enough of a percentage to be viable. Americans aren’t stupid people. They are simply sometimes portrayed that way and sometimes even deliberately act that way because intelligence (for whatever god-awful reason) is sometimes viewed as a character flaw.
– Attaching themselves to religion
Many conservatives don’t want anything to do with politics and religion intermingling. But as the party got into bed with evangelicals who believed in the Constitution second, the Bible first (their religious leader’s interpretation of the Bible anyway), there was a sense of strange bedfellows. Convenient bedfellows, but it’s always something that can be used against Republicans but not against conservatives if that makes any sense.
I’m sure I haven’t thought of them all. If anybody can think of some more, please comment below.
I am a Republican. I voted for Obama. Here’s why.
Uninspiring message?
Yes We Can is powerful. Did the Republicans even one? The maverick vs. intangible inspiration.
Timing/Out of Touch with Financial Realities?
Talking about how the financial market is fine days despite evidence we are in the shit is a bad plan. It shows out how out of touch someone with 7 homes can be.
The Joe The Plumber Problem
When it comes down to it, people watch confrontation but they don’t like it. It makes them uncomfortable. They root for the person who was picked on. in this case, it was Obama. It didn’t help that Joe is a schmuck when it all was made public.
Palin
Dan Quayle looks like a genius. Nuff said.