The Republican Direction Is The Same Tired One As The Democrats; Just Slower

Posted on | September 28, 2014 | 73 Comments

by Smitty

As is generally the case when reading purported conservative writers
like Brooks and Noonan, one wonders: what part of “Progressivism is
played out” do they not understand? Noonan in the WSJ:

But put aside the word “nationalized.” Shouldn’t the Republican Party make it clear right now exactly what it is for and what it intends to do?

Here the views of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and much of the Washington-based GOP election apparatus have held sway. If you are explicit in terms of larger policy ideas, you just give Democrats something to shoot at. Don’t give them a target. ObamaCare, the foreign-policy mess, the IRS—these are so unpopular they’re more than enough reason to vote Republican. Don’t give voters a reason not to!

Dems to shoot at; conservatives to vote for: WDATPDIM?
Noonan cites the old trope

The cliché is that
Republicans are old, white, don’t like women or science, are narrow,
numeric and oppose all modern ways. The cliché probably isn’t as
powerful as it used to be because the president has made so many new
Republicans, but it’s still there.

And why won’t it die? Look at the low points in this year’s primaries:

Why would the Republican Party want a radiologist like Milton Wolfe in office, somebody who might speak credibly in favor of market reforms for healtchare? Somebody who might insist the actually GOP do something to offend the clerisy, like sending ObamaCare repeal legislation to #OccupyResoluteDesk? Nah, lets just keep a deadwood incumbent in place instead. Somebody ‘reliable’. Like in those banana republics we used to laugh at. Those rubes in the base are supposed to get the hint and just play along. This is a Progressive country now, heading in the direction of Old Europe; the legacy Constitutional features,

Pat Roberts may yet cling to power in Kansas

for example, the Bill of Rights, are being steadily pecked away at,

and will eventually collapse in a “Too old; didn’t read” tweet.

Speaking of ‘reliable’, how about that Mississippi miss? Why not blow away any GOP pretense of credibility by completely jacking up a runoff vote? Those far gone conservative ISILs will shut up, lay by their dish, and vote GOP–what other choice do they have? It’s like this: the GOP interest in
balancing the books, reforming taxes,	Thad Cochran reached for the brass knuckles in the Mississippi primary

limiting government, and restoring power to the states hasn’t been more

	than pro forma posturing since Reagan. Today’s GOP is just not substantially different in its commitment to Progressivism than the Democrats; what differences you can point to are of style only. Yeah, it’s a bit of a shame that small donors are going to have to be rooked into contributing to campaigns,
John McCain is rumored to ponder another 6 years fronting the legislative thrash band “Zombie Warhorses”	only to discover that they were being shamelessly used,

but isn’t that the essence of politics? At least, that’s what I got out of the last Brooks column I formally laughed at.
Mark Levin says that it’s time to nominate another Reagan for 2016. The 2014 GOP doesn’t seem to care fig #1 about the future, reform, the base, or anything other than keeping the elite in power.
What’s the point of the Republican Party if it can’t nominate anyone other than Ward Cleaver, unless his name rhymes with “Tush”?
Now, it is certainly the case that not voting is unacceptable. You’re all paying customers, directly or indirectly. Let’s get out and vote. Keeping the Tea Party pressure up on the deadwood is still the most reasonable way to affect change. I will say that if there is one political scalp to covet, it’s John McCain’s. Start saving aluminum cans now, and hope that Arizona puts forth a credible conservative challenger, because I’d love to donate to anyone capable of sending that warhorse out to pasture.

Category: Republicans

Comments

73 Responses to “The Republican Direction Is The Same Tired One As The Democrats; Just Slower”

Evi L. Bloggerlady
September 28th, 2014 @ 12:20 pm

To be fair to the GOP, Brooks and Noonan are quislings who want to appease the media by being the “right kind” of Republicans.

The GOP is not that much better (there are plenty of quislings in the party), but it is in aggregate better than Brooks and Noonan.
Adobe_Walls
September 28th, 2014 @ 1:45 pm

I very much doubt that there is any longer a “reasonable way to effect change”. If we had an elite in power we might be alright the problem is that we merely have elitists in power.
DeadMessenger
September 28th, 2014 @ 2:31 pm

It’s a problem of perception, I think. Progs perceive the GOP to be “right wingers”, when in reality, they are leftists only slightly to the right of Dems. And TEA Partiers are viewed as far right, when in reality, they are more moderate and centrist.

I don’t like the current status, but I think the best we can do is work to effect moderation, rather than progressivism, in our own communities. Any Christians reading this will know that there are Biblical prophesies of a globalist, dictatorial future, and that God’s will will be done. And this future is right at the door, because when the US domino falls, the rest of the dominos will fall in quick succession. This is, of course, why the Sock-Puppet-In-Chief is busily destroying the economy, and why he golfs as Rome burns.
The American Jihad … | Regular Right Guy
September 28th, 2014 @ 2:33 pm

[…] The Republican Direction Is The Same Tired One As The Democrats; Just Slower […]
Evi L. Bloggerlady
September 28th, 2014 @ 3:36 pm

We could have a revolution. I am guessing that might be a tad more disruptive than voting for the GOP.

All we can do is promote more Ted Cruz candidates, do what we can to get rid of the Cochrans, McCains and Barbours. That said, I would take corrupt pustules like Barbour over pederast scum like Harry Reid.
NeoWayland
September 28th, 2014 @ 3:43 pm

So if elected officials no longer honor the Constitution and rig the game so it isn’t possible to elect anyone not approved by national party leadership, what obligations do citizens have to honor and respect the government?
Coulter76
September 28th, 2014 @ 4:10 pm

Our side seems obsessed with settling scores within our own ranks. I see far more ire aimed at incumbent Republicans than I do the Democrats that actually put the Obama agenda into law.

I can understand being frustrated, but I do get tired of Republicans getting all the blame when it’s really the Left that got us here.

There’s only so much a political party can do when it’s not in power and a nation continues to back a certain ideology.

Could the Republican leadership have been better? Of course, but look at the Democrats, their leadership of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama. You want to talk about incompetent?

I would like to see new leadership, but Mitch McConnell did not pass ObamaCare. Short of these Senators taking guns into the chambers, I really don’t know what you expect them to do when the American people put the Socialists in power.
Adobe_Walls
September 28th, 2014 @ 4:33 pm

NONE.
Adobe_Walls
September 28th, 2014 @ 4:37 pm

That’s exactly the problem voting for the GOP is not DISRUPTIVE at all.
There is no substantive principle Barbour and Reid hold, that is significantly different enough to make a real distinction between them. When one votes for one over the other we’re merely picking different sized striped shirts that are identical in every other respect.
Given that there is very little left to conserve, the descriptor “Conservative” has very little meaning anymore, however for the sake of this diatribe I shall use the term.
Many believe that if we had a “Conservative” majority in the house and senate and elected a “Conservative” president we could salvage the Republic and straighten this country right up. In point of fact we don’t need nearly that much. The goal could be accomplished with Republican majorities in both houses as long as both caucus had healthy conservative majorities within them. We don’t need 55 or 60 Ted Cruses in the senate, we only need 35 or 40 Ted Cruzes among the 55 or 60 Republicans in the Senate. This. Will. NEVER. Happen. The most we’ll ever get is between a small handful and a dozen.
Adobe_Walls
September 28th, 2014 @ 4:39 pm

“Short of these Senators taking guns into the chambers,”
You might be onto something.
smitty
September 28th, 2014 @ 5:29 pm

The Democrats make no effort to hide their statism; in this twisted sense, they are more honorable than the Vichy GOP.
johncunningham
September 28th, 2014 @ 5:31 pm

But the Repubs are like TOTALLY DIFFERENT from the DemonRATs!! the Demos want to drive off the cliff at 75 mph, while the wiser Repubs want to go over the cliff at 30 mph…see the difference?
Adjoran
September 28th, 2014 @ 5:53 pm

If you truly believe this, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, you don’t belong in the GOP.

Every single one of our congressional leadership was elected by overwhelming vote of his colleagues – Republicans – and most have been elected by them for five Congresses or more. And you can’t see any difference between them and Democrats except for “degree” or the “speed” with which they guide the nation to destruction.

Do us all a favor and get out now. Form your own party. Nominate doctors who post patient X-rays on social media if you think they have good judgment. Vote for your favorite talk radio hosts no matter how many on-air racist rants they are known for.

You can even design your own party flag. I suggest a cuckoo and assorted nuts.

But part of forming your own Purity Party is no longer participating in our GOP functions, including our primaries. That goes with the territory.

Good luck. We will watch your progress with interest.
Adobe_Walls
September 28th, 2014 @ 6:04 pm

Alas that won’t do it either. You are correct of course participating in Republican primaries has a lot in common with masturbation.
Coulter76
September 28th, 2014 @ 6:25 pm

It’s easy to be “honorable” when you have a media covering for you 24/7.

I really don’t think there’s a single voter that doesn’t know the GOP opposes Obama and his agenda.

The problem is what you can do about it when you’re not in power? Only turn up the rhetoric or make dumb tactical moves like shutting down the government that only empowers Democrats and Obama.

If the GOP controlled Congress and the White House, ObamaCare would be gone.
Coulter76
September 28th, 2014 @ 6:30 pm

I agree, if people want to leave, there’s the door.

Somehow they never have the balls to start a new party, they’d rather be the ones whining about how everyone ELSE should leave the GOP.

People like Smitty and McCain seem to think we need more Rick Santorum and Christine O’Donnell type Republicans. Basically, hyper-SoCons that even most religious people would feel alienated.

Good luck winning elections with that platform.
Art Deco
September 28th, 2014 @ 7:27 pm

I’ll offer that I think Smitty’s point is overdone. There are significant differences between the interests to which each party answers and in front of whom each can be embarrassed. The note of asymmetry is that both opinion journalists and leading politicians find much of the party base distasteful, which is not a problem the Democratic base has.

Now down to cases. Pat Roberts has been a resident of greater Washington since 1969. His wife owns a real estate business in Northern Virginia. He has a nominal domicile in a small town in far western Kansas of all places; there are only about 100,000 people in that section of Kansas and they are very. spread. out; the largest town has about 11,000 people in it. He and Thad Cochran are both nearly 15 years beyond an ordinary person’s retirement age, both had by 2006 logged more years on the federal payroll than an average person’s years of full time and pro-rated part time employment and both are eligible for the enhanced pension available to federal employees hired prior to 1984. Richard Lugar in 2012 had a life expectancy of 8 years, of which he told voters he would like to spend six years in the U.S. Senate (after already having spent 36 years there and 44 years as a f/t office holder). It was discovered during the primary campaign that he had for more than three decades been using as a voting address a house he had sold in 1977. There’s a reason these fellows are getting challenged in primaries.

As for the camarilla at the apex and center of the GOP, who typifies it more than Haley Barbour, fat business lobbyist extraordinaire?

Purity, you say? Cannot we have people who enter politics in late middle age after accomplished careers doing other things and then leave at a time when it is graceful to do so?
Daniel Freeman
September 28th, 2014 @ 7:52 pm

People like Smitty and McCain seem to think we need more Rick Santorum and Christine O’Donnell type Republicans. Basically, hyper-SoCons that even most religious people would feel alienated.

And by “seem to” you apparently mean “I imagine,” which I am forced to point out is a poor substitute for reading and thinking. My politics does not perfectly align with theirs, but neither does your imagination.
Bob Belvedere
September 28th, 2014 @ 8:14 pm

And why would we want a Revolution, considering that the War For Independence wasn’t one?
McGehee
September 28th, 2014 @ 8:41 pm

If you truly believe this, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, you don’t belong in the GOP.

I, for one, am not “in” the GOP. I do not pay dues to the party, nor does my state record party affiliation upon registering to vote. My only tie to the Republican Party comes, if at all, on Election Day — if and when its candidates have earned my vote.

For once having been the party of the free market, the concept of pleasing the customer completely eludes Republicans these days.
Adobe_Walls
September 28th, 2014 @ 9:34 pm

Obamacare will not be repealed. If I had any money I’d bet all of it on that. To be precise in order for Ocare to be considered repealed the legislation must contain a phrase similar to “The Affordable Care Act is hereby repealed” with no language retaining any of it’s clauses. Passing legislation that is stated as replacing the ACA is not repeal.
Matt_SE
September 28th, 2014 @ 9:37 pm

Good piece, I agreed with it entirely.
After the 2012 loss, I realized that Obama was a symptom and that the real problem was the electorate. They thought electing and reelecting this clown was a good idea. They were aided in this by the left’s general strategy: HIDE THE DECLINE.
This is the one reason Obama was reelected: not enough people have yet felt the pain of Democratic policies. I’m sure they will soon enough, and I summarize this by the observation that “socialism is its own cure.” Fine.
After the GOP’s conduct in the 2014 primaries, especially the Mississippi fiasco, I’ve come to realize that we have the same problem on our side. You might say we’re risk averse, or that GOP voters have more faith in our leaders, but I would say that is misplaced. Too many Republicans don’t realize the fecklessness of the current leadership.
I hope Republicans are bold and successful in their endeavors after they presumably retake the Senate. But rationally, I don’t expect that. I expect timidity and vacillation.
If general voters need to be burned by Dems in order to forsake them, then Republicans will need to be burned by the GOP before they throw the bums out.
But the Tea Party is still young, and improving each cycle. With more polish, we can continue slowly picking off the weak incumbents. It will be the work of a generation.
2016 will be interesting.
Adobe_Walls
September 28th, 2014 @ 9:41 pm

I can’t recall any of Smitty or Stacy’s writing indicating either are big fans of Christine O’Donnell. AS for Rick Santorum well that’s a matter of public record. One need not “imagine” it.
Adobe_Walls
September 28th, 2014 @ 9:47 pm

I am often mystified as to why those who write from a “Right” perspective must be Republicans.
Adobe_Walls
September 28th, 2014 @ 10:39 pm

Probably half of the “Tea Party” candidates elected to the house were co-opted early in their terms case in point Renee Elmeers NC 2nd district. Many of them of course were just calling themselves that because it was the buzz word of that cycle.

Then there is the increasing professionalization of many of the Tea Party groups. As Eric Hoffer wrote

“Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”

If and when the Tea Party becomes dominant it will have become just another political racket. Particularly because it’s attempting to do so through an already well established racketeering organization.
DeadMessenger
September 28th, 2014 @ 10:51 pm

Agree 100%.
Daniel Freeman
September 29th, 2014 @ 12:02 am

I did a search, and I couldn’t find anything on Rick Santorum newer than 2012. It was essentially just commenting on the Presidential primary contest. I could be wrong, but at a glance, it looks fairly neutral.
Coulter76
September 29th, 2014 @ 12:02 am

Then you haven’t read much of their writing.

They were SUPERFANS.
Coulter76
September 29th, 2014 @ 12:30 am

I here this stupid line all the time.

How many time has the Republican House passed an ObamaCare repeal bill? 50 times.

I know in tin-foil hat land, the GOP actually passed ObamaCare and are the real enemy, but please step aside and let the adults work.

Every Republican in Congress voted against ObamaCare. But yea, secretly, they were thrilled it passed.

Start your own 3rd party, maybe Sarah Palin will run on the ticket. Oh wait, she continually endorses RINO John McCain.
Adobe_Walls
September 29th, 2014 @ 12:39 am

Well we find out shortly won’t we.
K-Bob
September 29th, 2014 @ 5:53 am

This is why I came up with my own concept of Vote West. (I am willing to modify it to Vote Cruz. But the concept is the same):
1) No matter what names are on the ballot in the primary, write in or vote Allen West.
2) No matter what names appear on any straw ballots or polls, write in or select Allen West.
3) When people whine about SCOTUS nominations or winning the Senate, just ignore them and Vote West.
4) When they ask you for money, send money only to Conservatives via PACs that DO NOT contribute to the general Republican ticket. And tell them to support West.
5) When your friends are are sitting around bashing all the candidates, just ignore them and tell them you’re voting West, and they should too.

That way, you did something useful. It could even catch on. We need a military guy in office now to deal with the growing Caliphate. May as well be West.

Does it sound flighty? Non-standard? Who cares. We’re right on schedule as far as timelines leading up to civil wars go, so screw the Conventional Wisdom. Those people are stuck in the Jimmy Carter years.

Now, Cruz us good, too. Great, in fact. But there can be only one.

I could sleep at night if it was Perry, and not one of the usual names like Christie, Jeb, Huck, Romney, et al. Perry isn’t great, but he’s better than those guys. And he served in the military.

But unless we pick one guy and stick to him, no matter what the Progressives say, we’re done. It’s over. Amnesty Uber Alles.

So may as well Vote West.
K-Bob
September 29th, 2014 @ 6:00 am

I’ve certainly never been in the GOP. I registered Republican on my 18th birthday because I was a dumb kid. I re-registered as Independent immediately after the next election, and I’ve stayed there ever since.

Republicans mean nothing to me. Lately, they pretty much stink up the place, as Smitty has demonstrated.

We need our own version of UKIP. ( Sort of like Libertarians without being led by potheads and cranks.) At this point, if it takes another Republican loss in the polls, then that works for me.

The cliff is behind us. Hilary being president isn’t any scarier than some back-stabbing RINO being president, SCOTUS or no SCOTUS.

Obamacare was the cliff. Conventional wisdom was destroyed in the crash. It’s time for something better.
K-Bob
September 29th, 2014 @ 6:00 am

Mostly these days, they really aren’t.
K-Bob
September 29th, 2014 @ 6:03 am

Oh there’s no real need to leave. The place is coming down around us. We can stay right where we are and the Republicans will still fade into meaninglessness, just as they have while sitting in their seats in Congress.

They’ve become a joke. Or the punchline of one, at least.
K-Bob
September 29th, 2014 @ 6:07 am

That last line is not supported by anything other than an overactive imagination.

For those who can actually parse the language, it’s clear she writes in mentions of McCain strictly in reference to her time spent on his ticket, and that’s a fact. She did endorse him one time as promised. Since then , her comments have been solidly in the form of a workman who makes no excuses for the quality of her tools.

She had one ticket to be a pert of. So yes, she mentions thatr McCain should have won.

He damn well should have. That’s obvious. But he didn’t get it done, did he? And she isn’t making excuses for it. She even apologized for not getting it done.

But the PDS-afflicted insist that was some sort of endorsement for the current-sitting Senator.
K-Bob
September 29th, 2014 @ 6:08 am

Repeal and Replace will become “just fix it” in no time at all.

You’re spot on.
K-Bob
September 29th, 2014 @ 6:16 am

Kinda depends. When the citizens honor and respect the government, they might choose to do so by more kinetic means. This is why the Republicans are so idiotic, right in the face of human history and the history of the Republic.

Smitty’s reference to guns in the Senate means that he’s read the timeline to the buildup before the Civil War. He knows what can happen. IF it can happen (because it did before), then people ought to take it more seriously.

Or at least, semi-seriously…

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3a00000/3a08000/3a08100/3a08181r.jpg
K-Bob
September 29th, 2014 @ 6:20 am

I agree, but like the term “Brontosaurus”, the monicker is hard to dislodge. Besides, I liked the term brontosaurus.

But yeah, where’s the “Che” shirts from 1777? It was definitely not a revolution.
Adobe_Walls
September 29th, 2014 @ 6:41 am

And yet so many are so sure that they are, lack of imagination I suspect.
Adobe_Walls
September 29th, 2014 @ 6:43 am

I’ve consistently maintained we went over the edge long ago it’s just a really loooong way to the bottom.
Art Deco
September 29th, 2014 @ 9:15 am

Probably half of the “Tea Party”

How’d you come by that number?
Art Deco
September 29th, 2014 @ 9:18 am

I see you’ve brought the useless sectaries out of the woodwork. Fat lot of good any of these people do.
Quartermaster
September 29th, 2014 @ 10:04 am

Progtards perceive the GOP as right-wing because they are so far out on the left. Frankly, Hitler is a right winger to them for that very reason. If they were honest, they’d fess up that Stalin is a right-winger to them as well.
McGehee
September 29th, 2014 @ 10:23 am

I give to candidates only.
Quartermaster
September 29th, 2014 @ 10:37 am

Perhaps in your fevered imagination they were.
Quartermaster
September 29th, 2014 @ 10:52 am

Alas, Adjoran has acquired a very serious case of GOPe dementia and is best ignored.
Quartermaster
September 29th, 2014 @ 10:54 am

I can’t agree that it is overdone. While you can point to specific exceptions, the GOPe is basically just a DimoKKKrap lite party.
Your last paragraph, however, does need to be taken to heart. The Dims never will, and they are quite good at snowing people that want to be snowed. Consequently, the country is going down.
Bob Belvedere
September 29th, 2014 @ 11:43 am

I’ve been a registered Republican since I first registered in 1979. These past few years I’ve stayed one only so I could get the Party’s mailings and send the pre-paid envelopes back empty. But, I think the time as come to become independent – I just can’t take the association any more.

UKIP – American Style!
Art Deco
September 29th, 2014 @ 12:25 pm

the GOPe is basically just a DimoKKKrap lite party.

I’m nodding off now.

Their recruitment pool is different, their frames of reference are different, their biases on given issues are different. To take a case in point, 2/3 of the Senate Republican caucus voted against upChuck Schumer’s scamnesty. Nearly all the Democrats voted for it.

You’re not seeing it because your not looking with any care.
Art Deco
September 29th, 2014 @ 12:33 pm

People like Smitty and McCain seem to think we need more Rick Santorum
and Christine O’Donnell type Republicans. Basically, hyper-S oCons that
even most religious people would feel alienated.

Exactly why would you put these two individuals in the same sentence? Christine O’Donnell is a childless spinster who has concealed most of her employment history, has had trouble with creditors, and has neglected her property to the point where she had disputes with her neighbors about it. She’s got…issues.

Mr. Santorum’s work life since 1984 is an open book, he has a wife and seven living children, he has proven capable enough to practice law, and demonstrated in 1990, 1994, and 2000 that he could sell his stock-in-trade to purple electorates. He got to Congress the hard way: by knocking off an incumbent who had no history of trouble with his home constituency, and he did so in a year (1990) when only six incumbents lost their seats.