Jon Stewart On RNC Convention - The GOP's Self-Deluding Myth Of An Insurgency - Harper's Article

[Median Democrat]

Jon Stewart made a great a point on the RNC convention that really bears repeating. The DNC is not going to make this point, because it hurts Democratic and Republican incumbents, but its that until January 1, 2007, all branches of government were controlled by the GOP. Thus, with all the folks at the RNC are correct in complaining about Washington and the government. Yet, the logical consequence to vote a Democrat into the White House, not a Republican. With Romney, McCain, Huckabee and Rudy complaining about Washington, then that should undermine, not help, John McCain. In other words, if you believe them, the answer is No More Years! Not four more years of GOP control of the presidency.

Harpers August 2008 Article has an excellent article, "The wrecking crew: How a gang of right-wing con men destroyed Washington and made a killing."

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2008/08/0082132

(May need a subscription)

This article has an excellent discussion of how the GOP perpetuates this myth of itself as an insurgency even though it has controlled all three branches of government until January 1, 2007. This self-delusion is so great that the GOP can have a convention where it bashes on the government it controlled for the mess it created, and try to fool the American public into voting for four more years of Republican rule to reinstate Bush's policies. Its a facinating article that also describes how the GOP paved the way for all the corruption that has roiled it in recent years.

So, the challenge is piercing this delusion, and reminding the American public that the bums the GOP complained about at its convention was the GOP itself. The GOP are not outsiders. They are the institution that they railed against during the four days of the convention, and McCain's agenda and policies are no different from the GOP's prior outsider candidate, George W. Bush.