Bill Moyers' Journal: How The Republican Party Lost Its Way
By Nicole Belle Sunday Mar 09, 2008 4:02pm
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Bill Moyers interviews former Rep. Mickey Edwards, author of Reclaiming Conservatism: How A Great American Political Movement Got Lost - And How It Can Find Its Way Back, and Matt Welch, author of McCain: The Myth Of A Maverick on what is essentially the bastardization of what the Republican Party has stood for historically.
MICKEY EDWARDS: ...(W)hile I was in the House, Newt Gingrich sort of rose in power. And Newt decided that the purpose of the Republican in Congress was not to carry out the fundamental principles that they had originally believed in, but to defeat Democrats. That was all that mattered. And it became how do— it's always war Democrats versus Republicans, all the time. And when you look at it from that mindset, you have a Republican president — you know, he is not any more the head of a different branch of government. He's your team captain. He's your quarterback.
And so, Gingrich really created a system of nonstop warfare that went well beyond, you know, what the situation was with Nixon. And institutionalized it to an extent that today, when the Congress properly issues — tries to vote a contempt citation against two people on the White House staff, Harriet Myers and Josh Bolton, you know, who defy a Congressional subpoena, and Republicans in Congress walk out in protest, rather than engage in defending the branch of government that they're a part of. So, I put a lot of the blame right on Newt Gingrich. I think he led to a lot of this.
And as Matt Welch points out, despite McCain's Maverick image, he's marching right along in lockstep with Gingrich:
Ever since then, restoring the power of the executive has been a fundamental part of modern Republicanism, which went totally against their traditions. And as part of that, John McCain actually one of the only philosophies that he elucidates in his book, his five books that he's written, is to restore executive power at the expense of Congress, especially when it comes to foreign policy and the making of war. It is basically the only interest that he shows in political philosophy in his books.
But the country has seen the incredible damage done by these kind of philosophies over the last seven years. I think author Sarah Vowell once said that the only thing that surprised her was that her own deep pessimism turned out to be too rosy for reality.
EDWARDS: But I think that he's making a serious mistake in terms of how he frames his persona for the general election. I don't think this country is ready for a continuation of Bush. And I don't think it's ready for a Hagee approved, Hagee-endorsed presidency. And why he's doing that, I don't know.
Well, if this is a losing strategy, by all means, let's hope McCain keeps it up.
Full video and transcripts of this episode available online.
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McCain isn't fooling anyone.
The neocons have nearly destroyed of what was left of the Constitution.
This was an excellent program. No bullshit, no patisan slant. Just the truth--how refreshing. That is all the Republican Party is now--no platform, no ideas, nothing--just win elections using ANY means possible ie. rig elections, smear tactics. enact voter ID laws to keep minorities from voting etc. Bill Moyers, one of very few actual journalists left. Any wonder why he is not part of the MSM?
Oil prices gush to new highs $108
Thats all that matters. Investors seek a hedge against a weakening dollar and rising inflation.
Bill @ 3:
But it was soooo boring! It probably lasts more than 90 seconds
Over the past week, Democrat Hillary Clinton has proclaimed her potential Republican rival John McCain to be the gold standard of wartime presidents. But lost in Clinton's fierce barrage against Barack Obama's national security experience is the inescapable conclusion about John McCain's own suitability as Commander-in-Chief. McCain's mistake-filled record, questionable judgment, calamitous misreading of history, nonchalance about American casualties and notorious short fuse all combine to make him a dangerous choice to lead an America at war. Simply put, John McCain is unfit for command.
For the details, see:
"John McCain: Unfit for Command."
Google Stock . . . .
Nov 07 -$747
Mar 08 -$413
After Hours: 412.80 Down
OBAMA.... let the healing begin
I think people are so used to bi-partisan warfare that they're neglecting to see how out of control it has all become. It isn't just a matter of Congress arguing over health care or education anymore, they're arguing over the existence and defense of our personal liberty. This is serious folks, to deny that to yourself is just foolish at this point. The devil lives in Washington DC.
Bill Moyers is one of the best and one of the last few real journalist in America. His show is always the best with no spin, just real discussion of real issues. This one man makes all the pundits at CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, ABC, NBC. CBS and Faux News all look like the idiots they are without even trying.
As far as McCain, he's just a not very bright, pathetic old man facing a huge defeat in Nov. regardless of who his Democratic opponent is. The republican party committed hari-kari seven horrific years ago and it's just taken a while for it to die.
This implies that the Republicans ever cared about anything but lying, cheating, stealing and sliming their way to the top.
In my lifetime, I have seen no evidence that they care about anything else.
If the Republican Party has lost it's way, how does George Bush manage to twist Nancy Pelosi around his little finger and get her and majority House Democrats to rubber stamp every piece of legislation he wants passed? If the Republican Party has lost its way how does GW get the Dems in the US Senate to grant him all the executive power he demands? Rumors of the Republican Party's demise are grossly exaggerated.
Edwards's take on Gingrinch's legacy is so true.
Up until 1994, Dems and Repubs contended against each other, but it really wasn't the sort of warfare that exists today.
Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush I worked easily and fairly well with members of the opposing party. Think: Reagan and Tip O'Neill. Or Johnson and Dirksen.
Republicans are following the traitor Reagan's admonition:
Never speak ill of a fellow Republican - even when that Republican is a war criminal, thief, torturer, child molester, traitor, buffoon, charlatan, racist, or other specie of low-life.
Party Über Alles. Foundational statement for the establishment of a criminal enterprise.
Money more money more money more money
I love the Sarah Vowell bit. I think she mentions her weeping at Dumbya's inauguration in Assasination Vacation.
When she went on The Daily Show, she talked more about it. She said that she was so upset because he wasn't going to continue policies that had worked, and he would probably screw up the wonderful economy. Years later, she was shocked at her lack of imagination. I also think Stewart might've thrown in "catastrofuck."
While reading this I couldn't help thinking of Hillary. She wants us to elect her because she's a fighter. Well, I am tired of fighting. I want to elect someone who believes in the country working together to achieve things. Hillary is stuck in the Gingrich playbook. Obama would actually get some cooperation from both sides; he's done it before and can do it again.
umen @ 17:
Agree. Completely.
abob @ 12:
That does not happen. Cute, false, characterization.
The Republican party lost its way when they decided to lay down in the same bed as the "Lamb of God." When they decided to court (and then marry) the Christian Right and all that that entails, they were no longer "worthy members of the oppostition."
Well, the republican cash machine is having a bit of a problem too!
By Reuters | 10 Mar 2008 | 06:52 AM ET Font size: Carlyle Capital Corp, an affiliate of private equity firm Carlyle Group, said on Monday it has asked lenders for a standstill agreement as it faces more than $400 million in margin calls.
Dutch-listed Carlyle Capital Corp (CCC), 15 percent owned by the private equity group's managers, said earlier on Monday it was still in talks with its lenders who believe the company is in default under financing agreements.
CCC said its lenders had significantly reduced the amount they were willing to lend against the company's portfolio of U.S. government agency AAA-rated residential mortgage-backed securities due to recent turmoil in that market.
CCC warned on Friday that its cash could run out, and its shares were suspended on Amsterdam's stock exchange after closing at $5, having lost more than half their value.
Regulators said on Monday trade in CCC would resume pending further material information from the company.
Some lenders may have liquidated collateral securing approximately $5 billion of CCC's debt, it said, but added that it did not receive any deficiency notices from those lenders who sold collateral to cover the borrowings.
"The company is in ongoing negotiations with the remaining lenders, who hold approximately $16 billion in securities, and, if a mutually beneficial agreement is not reached, some of these lenders may also liquidate their securities," Carlyle said.
umen @ 17:
Gingrichism is still in full flower, however wilted. The entire R party in Congress votes en block.
Gingrich is a top-level Iraq Invasion co-conspirator. He has his own parking slot at the Pentagon, and was Rumsfeld's "political advisor."
"There is a vast rightwing conspiracy" to take over the United States -- Hillary Rodham Clinton, 1994.
She was right; Gingrich is a criminal; this is not poiltics as usual -- it is conspiracy to defraud the United States, a series of serious felonies (and crimes against humanity).
Never interfere with an adversary who is busy committing suicide.
Bluesage @ 10:
Dying? They're still running Congress (maybe not on paper, but let's take a look at the laws being passed) and they're still running the Executive Branch and they're still running the Judicial Branch. I think death could be a lot worse, huh?
I don't understand this whole "only 8 more months of Bush" resolution sweeping the nation. What argument can anybody offer me to suggest that Bush won't continue his tyrannical reign and suspend the 2008 election. Who's going to stop him? Congress? HA!
(Just imagine this: We've entered into war with Iran)
GWB: "At this harrowing time in our nation's History we must look past issues more important than domestic elections. I must mercifully suspend the 2008 elections until further notice. Our enemies must be dealt with in a consistent pattern that I have followed for the past 7 years. To abandon my position as commander in chief in the midst of this War Against Terror would be detrimental to the safety of our great nation and our great citizens. We must unite now to fight this evil force so that our country may move forward peacefully."
If this happened and anyone tried to put up a stink about it they would be chastised. Many people in our country disapprove of George Bush. Few people in our country fully realize why they should disapprove of him. All it takes is MSM and members of the Government to preach lies to us on TV and we'll let them get away with anything.
I'm not at all saying that this WILL happen, but do you see how easily it could happen? I have very little reason to believe this would be stopped either. It would be glorified as an act of necessary protection just as the Patriot Act was.
abob @ 12:
Some of these candidates could change the initial behind their names and nobody would notice. The whole damn bunch have so much lobby cash, that's all they seem to think about. Sure, there might be a few good ones, but they are buried pretty quickly with all the bad apples.
samdog @ 20:
losing their way started in earnest with the great 'silent majority' speech, in which noxin directly ehorted whites to vote along racial lines.
Conservatism is near extinction. Amen.
Alice Hussein @ 23:
Unless they're planning to take you down with them, eh?
Dr. Hussein Matt @ 27:
A true conservative would not run budget deficits and trillion dollar debts. Has there ever been a true conservative in power, or just someone who pretends they are?
I didn't watch Moyers show, but wonder if the media's play acting in furthering the Gingrich doctrine was discussed. Was, say, David Broder's quixotic yet perennial plea that non-partisan leadership need only emerge to right the ship of state invoked as part of the problem? The unwillingness of the press to talk turkey with the seismic shift in republican party strategy is a big reason the country is in the shape it is.
Don't get me started on the democrats.
Marcus Aurelius @ 14:
Interesting choice of words, especially when I heard Mike Malloy call John McCain out as a war CRIMINAL rather than some sort of war hero last week. Malloy painted McCain as someone who bombed and killed civilians indiscriminately over North Viet Nam, and got only a minor sentence for his heinous crimes once caught. Whether you agree with this point of view or not, it is interesting to hear such an opinion coming out from the left (showing that nasty comments are not party-specific) on the airwaves.
ConcernedHusseinCanuck @ 29:
That is the definition of a "true conservative". They speak out of both sides of their mouth. They claim to be responsible on all fronts and matters, but the fact is they fail on all fronts and matters.
"I don’t think this country is ready for a continuation of Bush. And I don’t think it’s ready for a Hagee approved, Hagee-endorsed presidency."
If it turns out that the country is ready for it, then bring on Armageddon!
Dr. Hussein Matt @ 32:
Has there ever been one? Up here in the Great White North, the Liberal Party is more fiscally conservative, than the Conservative Party has ever been in my lifetime.
Frank Dufek @ 24:
If you did look at those laws since 2007, they are NOT running Congress -- they are blocking the running of Congress, but not entirely successfully. The Speaker passed minimum wage increases, passed college funds, passed SCHIP several times, passed the first CAFE standards increase in years, passed withdrawal restrictions on Iraq war funding (vetoed), etc.
What the R were able to do with their improper en block voting, and the aid of the media, is win specific (generally temporary) votes by every crooked trick in the book. That's not the same thing as running Congress.
Frank Dufek @ 24:
He doesn't have that power. The entire political system would block that. The only way any such delay could occur is with a major terror attack just before the elections. Even war with Iran would not be a sufficient basis for voiding the election.
Paranoia is fun until it makes you punch drunk, and it sounds to me like you are there.
Paul in LA @ 35:
When a big bill comes around that they want to go their way, it always seems that it does. That's what I meant. Sure there are Dem victories, there has to be! Unfortunately those victories don't usually protect the Constitution.
What does it say that I agree with the "true conservatives" interviewed here, more than I agree with any Republican? Even the so-called moderates like Mitt "Double Gitmo" Romney and John "100 years" McCain.
The middle has been moved. We have lost perspective.
I'd like to hear more from the Democratic candidates about how they are going to undo the "imperial presidency" once they are in it.
I don't want someone who will keep me safe. I want someone who will keep the Constitution safe.
I like the idea of laying blame on Nixon, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Gingrich. But Newt couldn't have done nothing without (soon to be convicted felon) Tom Delay.
Paul in LA @ 36:
Bush is punch-drunk, not me. He certainly does have the power to suspend elections.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070509-12.html
Frank Dufek @ 39:
No, he doesn't. Saying he does doesn't make it so. Which he knows.
They wanted to nuke Iran. Cancelled.
They wanted to carpet bomb Iran. Cancelled.
They want to attack Iran. Maybe they can.
They are at the one-finger approval level, and there is so little oxygen at that level they are on life-support.
And the year is far from over. They may not get down below that 20%, but they are losing power on every side.
I really like the Mickey Edwards analogy to the President being the Quarterback for the party, and how Republican congressmen will sell out their responsibilities to back him up.
It really is how politics are viewed and covered anymore, it is like a sporting event. It's either this team or that team, no room for discourse. It is win at all costs. I think Gingrich is partly responsible, but I also think the media has a large responsibility here in how it covers these things.
I don't really remember the elections being covered in colors so much until 2000. The red vs. blue. I remember the maps being colored, but I don't really remember the press talking about it it red vs. blue terms.
It is treated like the NFL playoffs, with incredible speculation, over hyping the victor, and winner take all (a mandate!)
All I got to say is, I agree With Mickey Edwards regarding his perspective on Newt Gingrich.... Another mofo who needs publicly tarred and feathered for the shit he fostered and helped institutionalize... That's basically it.. I don't know off hand who this Edwards fucker is, but I agree with what he said. I could rant and rant about the sordid details but why bother.. It's all been said before...
The only thing that really matters now, is if we as a nation of citizens can change this broken record next november with our vote... If we can successfully apply the system to get rid of these cretins, then maybe, we can dig ourselves out of this shithole.. IF not?.................IF Bush/Cheney can pull some kind of 11th hour bullshit to suspend these elections?.... All I can offer is, all bets are off............JD
Frank Dufek @ 37:
Most of those 'accomplishments' were PRIOR to the Dems taking control of the House agenda.
Not only did the Republican Congress Walk Out, they walked to an already set-up podium full of microphones at the foot of the steps of Congress. Proving one thing, their walk-out was pre-planned, they knew they were going to refuse to do their jobs before they ever went in to the halls of Congress.
These guys (Moyers et al) were so right on. we are witnessing an inept Presidency, overseen by a Congress that will not do it's oversite job. Every one of them should be thrown out, every man-jack who walked down those steps should lose his seat. Miers and Boener should stand trial.
So, hypothetically speaking of course, if something terrible were to be revealed about both Dem candidates...say for instance Hillary had a fling with a 17 yr old boy at 3 AM and Obama filmed it for her while smoking crack...do they still get the delegates they've won up until now, or would it be too late for there to be a new candidate put in place?
Paul in LA @ 40:
Not for long:
"I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon," GDoubleYa
Keep trolling the defeatism, Canuck. It's a fun hobby for a foreigner.
Paul in LA @ 40:
See, this pisses me off. Bush has blatantly expressed and shown that what he says ultimately goes. Why defend him? To escape the idea of this happening? I'm not sitting here saying it WILL happen, but it's stupid to think it's impossible. I would have thought torture and refusal of Habeas Corpus was ludicrous as well-- but here we are!
Also, I didn't just "say it." It's a Presedential directive, effective as law until Congress begs to differ-- which, as I explained, I doubt they truly would. Especially depending on what circumstances lead to the declaration. It isn't just blog chatter either, there are very credible voices concerned over this too.
http://conspiracyrealitytv.com/alarming-directive-51-ignored-by-media-an...
Why isn't the White House talking about it? Should we just ignore that minor detail? If it looks like trouble, and it smells like trouble, chances are it's probably trouble.
Paul in LA @ 47:
Keep cheerleading the D's Paul, it's hilarious to read the excuses over and over. Say, howz about New York. Got an excuse for him too?
Paul in LA @ 47:
You never did answer my relevant questions on a previous post. How are you helping the Dems win the trifecta with your continuous negativity, and arrogance towards any Dem supporter that disagrees with you? How is that helping? I've asked this numerous times and you have never responded. Still waiting.
Paul in LA @ 43:
FISA unsurprisingly passed.
Frank Dufek @ 48:
That's a false characterization. Can the R party destroy itself? Yes it can -- it has proven that. Can they use every trumped up power to override the Constitution? Yeah, they can, temporarily.
By next year everyone will be sitting around feeling very much like they did in 1992 -- like, was that really necessary? Couldn't we have stopped them sooner?
The run on the Constitution is pretty much over. While impeachment has not occured (still might for Cheney), the Congress is restabilized and the whole country has turned its back on the Bush years.
Can they declare martial law? Yes, they can. Can they hold us down? Not a chance of it. It would take 100,000 troops to hold Los Angeles County under martial law. Even then they would be suing for peace in a week. It is simply not possible, but that doesn't stop people from fearing it.
Frank Dufek @ 51:
FISA is still the law, and the immunity clause written into the bad Senate bill has NOT passed yet.
bkj @ 41:
Blame it on cable tv and the people who watch it- and I'm not talking about the cable news channels, I'm talking about the hundreds of of channels not showing news at all, that are competing for the same advertising $$'s with the news channels/shows. And, face it, most people would rather watch Simpsons reruns or Lost rather than the machinations of political campaigns.
On the bright side, there's
alwayssometimes print media that shoots straight with it's info, and there's always the blogosphere (once you figure out who's reliable).ConcernedHusseinCanuck @ 49:
Unlike you, Canuck, I'm an activist citizen. Unlike many, I'm a lifelong committed Democrat. I'm both in the party for life AND on the streets protesting for our freedoms.
You sit in an onion field and want to spread your negativity. You have no positive political action available to you, and you probably do nothing about your own politics, much less ours.
[The topic isn't Concerned Canuck or Paul In LA. I can't recall a thread where either of the two of you was the topic. So let's get back on topic, okay? Site Monitor]
Paul in LA @ 52:
Who's to say martial law would be implemented terrifyingly? They've proven to be very smart with their quest for unchecked power... I've yet to see a single revolution. I think people hear of this Directive and imagine Nazi Germany or a violent switch to a police state. That just isn't how it would happen, obviously. It would be subtle and perhaps not solely limited to the control of Bush. He can always pass the reins on to a different Neo-Con globalist.
It's the very idea of this that concerns me, not the potential reality. What concerns me more is the fact that next to no one in our country even knows of this Directive.
Paul in LA @ 56:
Blah, blah, blah, answer the question or quit trolling. HOW ARE YOU HELPING the Dems win anything with your constant attacks and arrogance to fellow Dem supporters? ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION or STFU and leave other posters alone with your arrogance and constant cheerleading. You are making it look like you would vote for Adolf Hitler and make excuses ad nauseum if he had a D beside his name, but in the end would not help him get elected.
[The topic isn't Concerned Canuck or Paul In LA. I can't recall a thread where either of the two of you was the topic. So let's get back on topic, okay? Site Monitor]
I could not agree more about "Newtie". He is the pivotal character in the whole "Pit bull politics" movement. On the one hand we have him teaching the troops which words will be used at every opportunity to characterize the "enemy" as being morally, intellectually and socially repugnant...while "Billy-boy" (William Bennett" is busy scraping together and pasting every high-minded bit of "moral rectitude" into a self-righteous blather, as though only a Republican would even knew where to find this drivel!
So with this set of bookends, we get the endless stream of hogwash about how craven the Demos are, and how spiritual "we" are. Then, to top it all off...we get an endless parade of these Jamokes on talk shows repeating the same sound-bytes over and over again. These two individuals have single-handedly set civil discourse back several decades. But you can be sure that just like Henry "croaker" Kissinger, we will get another dose whenever the CEO's at ABCNBCPBSNPRFOX can find an excuse. No wonder the ratings are in a death spiral.
What's the difference between undying loyalty to the nicer (for now) Dems and the nastier Repubs? To me, the party loyalty is the main problem. Purely defending the Democrats or purely attacking the Republicans is just making us ALL dumber.
Frank Dufek @ 56:
No, they haven't. They proved that they could take every cowardly route to power they could find, and now they have cooked their own goose.
You can take the paranoid route, but the unchecked power of fear is no longer driving the population, and there is no guarantee that a second terror attack would produce anything like the first instance (which is probably why there hasn't been one).
The disaffiliated have no check on their paranoia, because they trust no one and nothing. As such, it's a free wheel -- anything seems possible. What is actually happening in such cases is that the rhetoric is feeding the fears, and the rhetoric is not an accurate report, it's a gloss, a series of myths mixed with facts, an emotional interpretation that drives a lack of proportion.
ConcernedHusseinCanuck @ 58:
I realize that and I apologize.
Frank Dufek @ 60:
Yes, that's the root cause of the paranoia. Check and see how many REGULATIONS the Republicans have ever put into law. How much of the environmental law has come from Republicans (for instance)?
NEARLY ZERO. So, yeah, loyalty to the ONLY party that regulates is not the main problem. The main problem is a corrupt party which dismantles regulation by every craven method available, including coup d'tat.
Paul in LA @ 61:
Please read the Patriot Act and tell us of the paranoid delusions some posters have and how it is just a myth.
It misses one overwhelming fact... the stupidity of the American people.... remember "How can 34,555,678 people be so stupid."
ConcernedHusseinCanuck @ 63:
How much of what is left of the Patriot Act (much has sunsetted) will remain as law by the end of next year?
Basically nothing. The no-holds-barred attempt by the rightwing to seize permanent power has FAILED. By end of next year, with control of nearly the entire political system of the country, the Democrats will be doing the same disgusting shoveling out that we have done over and over.
Spaghetti Monster @ 64:
The bigotry of the disaffiliated.
Lincoln's Dictum is correct: 'Give the people the truth, and they will generally make the right decisions.'
IF the American people were so stupid, they would not have to steal the elections.
IF the American people were so stupid, they would not have to lie incessantly in the press.
Spaghetti Monster @ 64:
CORRECTION: There's good evidence showing that only slightly less than half of the American people are that stupid.
The truth is that the republican party does not need to come back!
It is and was the party of greed and bigotry, a party filled with pedophiles and perverts and all of them claiming to be christian.
Let them go off and die!
ConcernedHusseinCanuck @ 63:
Thanks PaulinLa. Honestly, trying to convince me that I'm nutty for even considering this after 7 years of BushCo is what I really think is insane lol. I don't get why people dislike but refuse to GO THERE with the distaste. He's screwed us all so terribly yet we still wish to believe it's as bad as it can get now. I guess if this is the main mindset of our nation then whatever we have coming we kind of deserve. *sigh*
Paul in LA @ 66:
Well, people should be smart enough to stop going to the press for information then. I mean, I'm 18 and I figured it out by myself. Maybe they aren't stupid, just lazy-- but isn't the search for the truth quite a stupid thing to be lazy about?
Frank Dufek @ 70:
I meant MSM, not "press"
I mean, from an objective point of view this is how I see our country.
Certain Citizens: The media and our government are so corrupt! Everyone lies!
Other Citizens: Ok, well then stop participating in their bullshit and educate yourself from independent sources.
Certain Citizens: BLOGS??? THE INTERNET? WHAT'S NEXT, ALIENS???
Other Citizens: I need a cigarette...
Frank Dufek @ 70:
Are you watching the primaries? The public is turning out IN DROVES for the Democrats, and the R are feeling very, very sad.
The bigotry that wants to call "Americans" stupid fails to note that there are no "non-Americans" who couldn't be called stupid. Calling people stupid is not a political view, it's a socially cynical view, a superiority complex, and a myth.
You're young. When you get older, you will understand how idiotic you are now. But now you're smart enough to call other people stupid. Later on you may grasp that ALL human beings are maddenly smart AND stupid, and tagging the adjective "American" onto that is a canard. It's mostly just myth-making to make your muscles seem bigger than they are.
WHAT are YOU willing to DO? Blaming others is not a strategy.
In the comment above ["Ever since then, restoring the power of the executive has been a fundamental part of modern Republicanism, which went totally against their traditions. And as part of that, John McCain actually one of the only philosophies that he elucidates in his book, his five books that he’s written, is to restore executive power at the expense of Congress,"] I object to the verb 'restoring'. Restoring had nothing to do with it. The proper verb is 'usurp'
Paul in LA @ 73:
[Last warning: STOP IT! One more like this and I'm giving you the equivalent to a 10 minute misconduct penalty. Site Monitor]
Paul in LA @ 73:
I know there are a lot of things I don't know yet at my age. I've learned a lot at this age I didn't know a few years ago. Respectfully, that doesn't mean my voice is idiotic.
Bush = McCain = Bush = McCain = Bush
Paul in LA @ 73:
Turning out in droves for corporate backed candidates who will still gladly run a Capitalist system at the end of the day. The way you talk about the Democrats... it's almost like you think less of anyone who votes Republican. Then, may I ask, what is there to make me think any differently of you than the other partisan-whipped citizens unwittingly dragging our country down.
Aren't you blaming Republicans? You tell me not to blame, yet you do the same! This isn't about BLAMING anyone, it's about standing up for the truth.
Thanks for the support, Canuck. Even if the moderator felt it needed to be removed.
no useful analysis of modern politics on this scale, especially in relation to the 'rise' of modern republicans is possible without factoring their talk radio monopoly. it enabled the gingrich/rove/ bush monster and the deification of reagan by allowing the GOP coordinated uncontested repetition to tens of millions, many with few alternatives for current events. they owe it all to reagan killing the Fairness Doctrine - we wouldn't be in this mess if we still had it. even with the rest of the media increasingly consolidated talk radio made the difference.
it is unfortunate that most political analysis never includes TR except as a marginal factor. and that is why it has been so effective- you can't read it or see it except its secondary or tertiary effects after they filter up into the rest of the media, and it gives those it attacks the most a headache to listen to.
Frank Dufek @ 78:
The United States upholds REGULATED capitalism as its economic system, that's true.
If you want to change the economic system, good fking luck.
This is an issue about REGULATION. Who regulates? Find the regulations by Republicans, basically none, and compare to that of the Dems (basically all of it). It used to be said that the Republicans were the responsible figures -- that's all shot to shit.
So, if you want a non-capitalist system, go fish. If you want a REGULATED capitalist system, then vote for Democrats.
trank @ 80:
Might I suggest, TR is Teddy Roosevelt.
What the rightwing radio is all about is HATE (with a political agenda).
It's HR, not TR.
Give me a break, since when conservatism had a "way"? The entire philosophy behind conservatism is based on personal gain, bigotry, violence and control. It was present when conservatives did the crusades, burned "witches", slavery, civil war , holocaust and one can argue that is even worse today, because they are trying to veil themselves as "compassionate" while commiting the same crimes.
Today's Republiclan Party is nothing more than a criminal conspiracy. Someone should clue in the MSM but then just like some reporters liked to hang out with Wise Guys because of the thrill of it, today's press corps must feel the same way about hanging with Republicans.
Frank Dufek @ 76:
On the contrary, I find your comments and concerns to be well thought out. I'm 48 and I'm still learning, as we all are. I may not agree with you on everything, but that doesn't mean I'm smarter than you.
Perhaps Paul in LA was trying to make that same point, but used language that wasn't meant to be taken as an insult (i.e. We all were young and idiotic - it comes with the territory.) I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to a poor choice of words.
Paul in LA @ 81:
I want a system where needless aggression is off the table entirely. Neither Clinton nor Obama are offering that, no matter what the rhetoric. I don't view the world as one big broken system I am obligated to partake in or else shut up about. If I see injustice I will speak up-- but I will not play the game.... not even for the prestige and glory of a regulated capitalist system.
CBS's 60 Minutes puff piece on McBush is a portent of things to come from the MSM. The fact that a majority of Americans still get their info from the MSM does not bode well for the Democratic nominess for POTUS.
trank @ 80:
Excellent point. Talk radio connected Republicans to disaffected white men. Newt rode on that momentum. I can't decide if the supporters of Limbaugh and his unholy progeny are stupid or willfully malignant. I think my father falls into the latter category.
Gotugye @ 87:
Exactly. Why are people writing off the GOP so prematurely? Sure people hate Bush, but Bush isn't McCain and you better believe that old Johnny boy is going to be marketed brilliantly by the Neo-Cons. He's only, what, 12 points behind Obama right now? The tides can turn whenever the price is right. This is America, not FreedomandJusticeandHonestyandHonor Land.
Frank Dufek @ 86:
Great! What color frosting would you like on your birthday cake?
The real question is: How hard are you willing to work for that dream?
Because that's a dream, not a reality. And I know from four decades of hard political work that dreams are costly affairs. You want? You better think about how strong your jaws are, because chewing away the barriers to what you want is going to take some teeth.
The good news here is that a lot of the hate radio listeners are dying off due to age, and the format is from another time period. When radio was king, remember that the internet was in its infancy. The young folks replacing the Limbaugh-listeners are much more attuned to active dialogue via the internet, rather than just listening to one pompous ass bloviate and cry, "Ditto!"
Paul in LA @ 90:
Just because I don't have what I want doesn't mean I have to put my tail between my legs and move on to the next best thing. I am a proud idealist and I always will be. Who knows where it could take me, who knows what good I may do in the future? To argue that I throw away my beliefs due to a corrupt reality feels wrong to me, therefore I won't do it.
Wow, this is as concise and accurate of the republican party as I've ever seen. Bravo! Fight for the sake of fighting, and the sheeple will follow 'cause the press will gloss over, and to boot: they get to bitch about "the liberal media"!! How's that for a dumb-ass populace, right where H.L. Mencken said we'd be, boobus americanus voting for complete idiots because, collectively, we're also morons!!!!
Frank Dufek @ 89:
If you think it's premature, you aren't paying attention.
This is not November. A poll, even a series of polls, in March does not predict November, but the trend is OBVIOUS.
Gas prices over $5 by the end of the year? The R incumbents who led us here are going to lose their shirts. Economy tanks? R incumbents are toast. War appears to be the cause of economic collapse? R incumbents' victory parade blocked by mountain of cow turds.
They've wrecked themselves, and perennial LOSER George W. McCain't is NOT going to save their bacon.
Frank Dufek @ 92:
Then prepare yourself to work your ass off, now, next week, next month, next year.
There's a price tag on your dreams.
I'm glad you're idealistic. Dump the paranoia and find some active political work that you can really commit to, because blaming the current Dem candidates for not offering you a free ride is not going to cover over the need for your sweat and tears to make your dreams happen.
Paul in LA @ 90:
Chill out, Paul. Sure it takes hard work, and we don't live in a perfect world. But why shouldn't we aspire to that? Wouldn't we all like world peace? Sure, but it's not gonna happen. But why not TRY? Nasty comments like the "birthday cake" one don't accomplish anything, other than to offend people, or worse: to sour them on participating in the hard work you've been doing for decades.
Frank Dufek @ 89:
Simple, Frank. Here's a couple of recent events:
1. In February, the presidential candidates raised the following for their campaigns--Obama, 55 million, Clinton. 30 million, Mc Cain 12 million.
2. A Democratic candidate won Dennis Hastert's old seat in Illinois, considered a safe Republican seat for years.
The Republican message is bankrupt and if you look at the vote turnout in the primaries, the Repubs are getting outvoted 2 to 3 to 1.
Don't give these people false credit. They deserve none, and will be buried in November.
bmw - I certainly hope you're right, and yes, it does look like that. But don't underestimate Republican chicanery (Diebold, anyone?) And we're all familiar with the concept of an "October surprise" (getting "attacked" by Iran, anyone?)
Just when you think they can't do anything more outrageous, they do. Think Habeus corpus.
bmw 528 @ 97:
I'm not giving them false credit. I do recall hearing that Clinton was almost even with McCain in national polls and that Obama was only 12 points ahead. Look how strong and good the GOP is at being evil. He has that much less money and still has, at the very least, made himself to appear to be a truly serious threat to the future Democratic nominee. Mind you, they haven't even gotten their chance to Swift Boat, but rest assured that they will. Scandals with Democrats involved are prosecuted 10x more heavily than ones with Republicans. They have the stronghold on national opinion largely because they have the stronghold on fearmongering. Fear=power.
Do not get the idea that I am defending their actions, for I am not. To be perfectly honest, I've yet to get the vibe that the GOP is all that troubled. Perhaps it's all surface and media fodder to make the race more interesting to follow, perhaps it isn't. After the goosebumps I felt seeing George Bush get re-elected, I decided never again to underestimate the power of evil in politics.
Matt Hussein in Texas @ 96:
I aspire to that, I'm not arguing for defeatism, but against it.
If you have followed, Frank was complaining that Bush was going to cancel the elections. After that, that both parties were the same. After that, that capitalism was the problem. After that, that neither Dem candidate was offering a perfect world.
Birthday cake may be cruel sarcasm, but I did offer him his choice of frosting. And now you want it chilled out, so I presume you like ice cream cake. We'll see what we can do.
Frank Dufek @ 92:
Frank,
Read this book by Paul Loeb, "The Impossible Will Take a Little While." Changing things for the better takes time, committment, and persistence. Your generation will lead our world eventually, and we need committed and engaged people---get involved and don't quit.
www.paulloeb.org/newimp/impindex.htm
Matt Hussein in Texas @ 98:
We beat them midterm, and we will crush them in November.
The country is ready for change and will turn out in droves TO LARGE FOR DIEBOLD TO STEAL to prevent any continuation of these bad policies. 2006 already showed that, even though we had landslides in 2004 and 2000 (which they were able to steal). The tide has turned, but right, we don't underestimate. Just replacing the paranoid spinout with some analysis is better than overestimating every threat and then being scared away from EFFORTS because of rhetorical self-defeat that nourishes laziness.
Frank Dufek @ 99:
To paraphrase Gandhi, evil will never triumph. It may take time to defeat evil, but we will. I was alive when Kennedy was President and saw how he was able to motivate people to do good and altruistic deeds through the Peace Corps and raising the bar of political service as something noble, which has been utterly squandered thanks to the Buscovite Junta. Hang in there.
Paul in LA @ 100:
"Complaining," such a subjective word, huh?
Also, from where I'm sitting, none of those 'complaints' negate each other and I stand firmly behind what I said. The way you wrote about what I said almost sounded like you were implying that my feelings are nothing more than flippant words drifting through the winds of progressiveness. Your mistake, I presume.
Frank Dufek @ 28:
In which case the proper imprimatur would be to help them commit suicide.
Are you Canadian, eh?
Frank was complaining that Bush was going to cancel the elections.
I don't see that happening, but I wouldn't put it past them to try.
...both parties were the same.
While I do not agree, corporate influence IS rampant in both parties, as evidenced by teh media's ignoring of Kucinich's - and then Edwards' - campaigns. Neither was beholden to the corporate media.
And now you want it chilled out, so I presume you like ice cream cake. We’ll see what we can do.
Mmmmmmm.........ice cream cake. Bring it on!
Nice try, pundits.
You can't claim something has been bastardize that was debased to begin with.
They've been assholes forever and assholes forever they will remain.
Alice Hussein @ 105:
You'll have to ask the Feds.
[Deleted. I asked both of you to disengage. He did. You apologized then reengaged. BOTH OF YOU are on thin ice. Any time you're on the same thread at the same time, the flames start to rise. It's been going on for too long now. Ignore each other and you'll be fine. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact the site team. A link is provided at the upper left of the page. Thank you. Site Monitor]
How the Republican party lost its way.
Two words: Ronald Reagan
Bill @ 3:
There is one program I watch every week, and that is Bill Moyers Journal. I usually watch it late Friday, or Saturday AM, on their website. For those of you who are not familiar with it, in my opinion, it is the finest political-social-economic journalism there is. His April 2007 show (available in the archive), The Buying of the War is just short of phenomenal. I guess what impresses me as much as anything, is how well he selects his guests and then lets them speak. I quickly grow impatient with show hosts who invite guests on, and yet we end up listening to them spout-off most of the show. You dig what I am saying, Tweety?
When you see two counter-opposing guests on 'The Journal', you are still going to see a very well-mannered, informative discussion of the current issue. Bill does a masterful job of first being very well-informed and making sure each guest gets equal airtime. You never see name calling, bickering, innuendo, party propaganda, or yelling guests trying to talk over the other. I think it is the basic warmth and humanity Bill exudes, which makes people just want to like him, and equally important, trust him. He had two great interviews, Jon Stewart and Keith Obermann, that can be found in his archive. If you have not watched them, I give them my highest recommendation.
Conservative politics have been shown to be a complete failure. So their mantra is now: This isn't real conservative politics
Apparently they've been hiding the real stuff since the New Deal popped up .. in Al Capone's vaults.
.
NEOCONSERVATIVE FASCISM IS NOT A GREAT AMERICAN POLITICAL MOVEMENT...
And it should be lost... FOREVER!
Too bad the Conservative faction of the US populace embraces the principles of Neoconservative Fascism.
I live to see the day where the Neoconservatives are banned from the political landscape of America.
.
Richard Nixon, Newt Gingrich, Ronald Reagan, Tom Delay, Bush, Cheney, PNAC, Heritage Roundation and so much more.
These are the ones that put Republican Party first and Ameirica second. As they proclaimed their religious piety, Greed, aristicratic power authority over Americans for the sanctity of corporate rule. They embraced fascisim...............!
Conservatism is a scam to give some kind of ideological cover for racism, anti-intellectualism, war-mongering, fascism, and most importantly, just good-old fashion corporate GABism (Greedy Ass Bastards).
Paul in LA @ 66:
Dream on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJuNgBkloFE
May Bill Moyers live to be 130 and have the energies and faculties to keep working.
Bill Moyers’ Journal: How The Republican Party Lost Its Way
They claim the science behind compasses are unscientific?
Newt is the guy that drove me out of the Republican Party.
How did the Republican party "lose its way?"
Who says it did? Conservatism is based on the idea of aristocratic hierarchy -- the more you own, the higher you are in the social pecking order. Any conservative party in an ostensibly democratic society must convince a majority of people to vote against their own self interest. The only way to do that is to lie.
I suppose we could interpret "lose its way" to mean "have its fundamental internal contradiction exposed."
abob @ 12:
You got that right!
Until the Democrats stop running from the word "Liberal" and until they use the Liberal/Progressive movement to counter destructive conservatism nothing will change!
^oops LOL^
Dana Perino @ 122:
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