The Repugs WANT to lose this election - here's why

[TrogL]

I was listening to the morning economics report about what's happening in the economy in general and oil in particular and I sudddenly figured out what's going on. The Repugs are playing true to form. Their strategy has always been:

• get into power by lying and stealing elections
  
• immediately implement their anti-gay, anti-feminist social programs (eg. faith-based)
  
• start an expensive, unwinnable war
  
• hand out fat contracts to their buddies (eg. Halliburton)
  
• tax cuts to the rich
  
• spend any surpluses that happen to be lying around
  
• throw everybody out of work
  
• increase the rich vs. poor gap
  
• drive interest rates through roof
  
• wreck the economy beyond any hope of redemption within four years
  
• step back and watch the fun
  
• block any attempt by a Democratic administration to clean up the mess
  

There's a perfect economic storm coming due to high oil prices, massive debt, outsourcing and poor balance of trade (primarily oil, cheap Chinese clothes, Far Eastern electronics (eg. your motherboard)). They're attempting to fix this by trade barriers (softwood lumber dispute, cattle block), but eventually the dam will break.

What they're doing is making sure it happens on a Democratic government watch.

Why? A bankrupt Congress cannot enact social programs.

[UpsideDownFlag]

1. seems very elaborate, just to stop social programs from being enacted.

but maybe it's just me.

[TrogL]

3. Well there's all that money to be made

and the key point (which I won't bother to rewrite) is on a Democratic government's watch

[mhr]

4. Grover Norquist Has As His Stated Agenda To Bankrupt The Country

expressly to eliminate all New Deal social programs.

Think about it. By eliminating all social programs, the ultra-wealthy cement their economic control and enhance their political control of the country.

[UpsideDownFlag]

5. ..touche.

it's not the social programs they loathe, it's that they want the control.

[giant_robot]

14. "Starve the beast"

What insanity.

[mhr]

2. Exactly! Screw Things Up SO Badly That No One Can Fix The Problems

All the while smiling on the way to the bank.

Their agenda is painfully clear to anyone willing to open their eyes.

Good synopsis.

[patrice]

6. I know some extremely intelligent but average otherwise people,

i.e. not members of the tin hat society, who say that's the point of what is going on. End government, period, forget about big, just simply end any government, big or small, by bankrupting it.

This makes me worry about how bad the next 4+ years are going to be for Democrat incumbents.

[ThoughtCriminal]

7. No, they're not done looting yet

The mind set is more like a burgler who cleans out a multi-million dollar mansion but still checks for change under the sofa cushions.

[Catherine Vincent]

8. They better tell their supporters.

[hiphopnation]

9. Wouldn't they need another four years to really complete the job?

Seems like conceding the election now they'd be cutting this plan a little short.

Otherwise, this is a frightening notion. :scared:

[stickdog]

10. Then for once, I agree with them. (nt)

[FatSlob]

11. Seems a little tin foil hattish to me.

But I've been known to be wrong.

[Kazak]

12. I've had my suspicions...

:puke:

[IrateCitizen]

13. While I agree with you on GOP aims, they're not "throwing" this election

Grover Norquist has said on numerous occasions that he actually WANTS a few states to go bankrupt, because it will then force them to substantially cut social programs. He has also said that the era of history that he wants to take the US to is the McKinley era -- meaning every man, woman and child (except the rich) for themselves.

Karl Rove has stated that his political hero is none other than Mark Hanna, the chief political advisor to William McKinley. Hanna believed that the role of government was strictly to serve business interests.

Does all this sound familiar?

But, I don't think they'd ever think of throwing an election. They would want nothing more than the realization of their aims under their watch. Furthermore, even if thing DO disintegrate, never underestimate the power of "The American myth" to deflect the attention of the American people away from reality and toward some rose-colored vision of the realization of a Golden Age sitting on the horizon.

The GOP is too overcome with hubris to abandon their grand plans right now. They control all three branches of government, and realize that a victory in 2004 could help them cement their twisted aims into the national conscience.

[bklyncowgirl]

15. I've always thought that they let Clinton get in to pass NAFTA & GATT

While big Bill had his problems before then the shit really hit the fan after those bills passed. Let's face it a Repbulican never could have gotten them through.

We need a Democratic president and at least one house of the congress.

[Joe Chi Minh]

16. If that were the case,

they would *insist* on a paper trail. All the hard evidence of their election rigging endeavours points in the opposite direction.

[Deja Q]

17. Baby boomers and the cost of healthcare 50+ year olds pay too...

And if Kerry is in command when any of these storms hit, the republicons can sit pretty. x(