The show orchestrated by Nancy Pelosi last week accomplished its purpose. The woman who testified was participating in a morality play, or immorality if you will. She was turned down by the Republican majority committee to testify. Nancy Pelosi, although she holds no official role in Congress, other than as a member, managed to arrange a televised “hearing” at which a 30 year old feminist activist was able to pass herself off a a 23 year old law student. Her testimony was not credible but she managed to create a public relations disaster for Republicans. Some of this, I blame on Rick Santorum. He has not learned, or is unwilling to learn, that social “conservatism” is not a winning strategy for Republicans. The issue on which Obama can be defeated is the economy. He has botched every attempted intervention, mostly because he does not understand economics. His ideology is incompatible with a modern economy in 2012. The Democrats are desperate to change the subject. Why do Republicans feel obliged to help them ? I can understand Santorum who is unable to understand the political world right now. But Rush Limbaugh? He is supposed to be smart.
Romney came out of this looking pretty good but why do his party associates seem so eager to help the Democrats ? We can lose this next election. The consequences would be catastrophic. Why are so many Republicans willing to lose it to ride their own little hobby horses ?
Social conservatism is what drives Rick Santorum. I respect him for living his Catholic faith to the hilt, but his faith seeps into his politics, and most Americans–hell, even most Catholics–do not share his emphases.
With Romney, I can discern no hint that he is a Mormon. If nobody had told me, I wouldn’t have guessed it.
As for Limbaugh, I don’t think he really cares if he damages the conservative cause. He’s all about himself, just like many in talk radio, whether left or right. Anyone who looks to talk radio for an objective, shades-of-gray discussion of politics is a fool.
Neither US political party Democrat or Republican has a unified policy. Members of each party need not have the same beliefs, message, or policies. Each party is a coalition of politicians, and I mean that as an insult. Think of them as almost always being mercenaries gathered under two flags, fighting for the income of the taxpayer. One central theme is not enough to capture the support of most Americans, but two themes mostly does the job.
Each party uses power to enrich itself while delivering policies which appeal to a majority of the populace. Neither party cares much that these policies are the best for the peasants, or even sustainable. Both parties support the increasing power of the state, the power which they want for themselves, to do well “by doing good” for the peasants.
The people running for the nomination of the Republican party cannot be called Republicans because of their common understanding of public policy. They are only Republicans because they last held office or registered to vote in the Republican coalition, and they have at some time or another spoken in favor of some theme which is more common to Republicans than Democrats.
That is why the message of the Republican candidates is argumentative and negative. They don’t have to support the central policy of the Republican Party, because there is no central policy to respect. The nomination is a competition of themes, lies, and accusations. Some accusations could have been made by Democrats.
The first priority is to win the nomination by any means. Whoever wins has a chance to rule. The eventual policy of the Republican Party is whatever the winners say it is.
Andrew, I’m sorry to say that I agree with you. If there is anything that Republicans should have as a common denominator, it is economics and the concept of small government. I’m just as sorry to say that GW Bush gave it a big push after 9/11. I have a good enough memory to recall that the Democrats were a big force behind the Patriot Act. The TSA was a private service hired by the airlines. The TSA made them government union employees. A lot the other provisions were equally midwifed by Democrats. They always win these contests. I guess the old saying that you can’t beat something with nothing applies.
Sometimes whenever you innovate, you create mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and obtain up with enhancing your other innovations.
It’s name is a pen. It’s like a printer, hooked straight to my brain.
Mike,
Tell us more about this “modern economy of 2012” that apparently only you understand.
Hey… I agree with you that Santorum doesn’t understand economics… but the only thing *I* understand about our “modern economy of 2012” is that it’s fraudulent on pretty much every level.
As to Limbaugh…
Well… seems that you jumped the gun a bit with your knee-jerk reaction to the initial media bombast. Ten days later Rush is little the worse for wear and the Dems have been outed with regard to their little scam involving a “ringer.”
BILL
It was a dumb thing to do for him. The Democrats are getting blowback but it’s close to a draw.
One reason our economics are so screwed up is that we have had divided government so much of this century. The 1920s was the last real boom in US economics and it was a high tech boom like the 90s only powered by radio, the auto and small appliances powered by the electrical grid which was new.