Two Big GOP Political Ironies this week:

[salin]

Two items I read this week made me shake my head with the clear ironies pertaining to the bush admin and gop.

Irony #1 Conservatives (led by Norquist as reported in The Hill) trying to get Bushjr to adopt rhetoric that includes "troop withdrawal". Their stated belief is that if bushjr (who won't do to his obstinance and ego) uses language that the public wants to hear - but just cleverly never says WHEN troops would withdraw (as if the public would still fall for this type of slight of hand...er word), then they believe that it would look like everyone agrees with withdraw and now the "radical" position is the dems who want actual dates. Their major concern (and here is the irony) - that without such a shift, the war is central to the upcoming elections and these folks want to get the war talk out of the way - so that the GOP can focus on domestic issues (as if *those* are winning issues for republicans :eyes: ).

Flash back to the summer of 2002. War drums getting louder from the admin - and dem leaders initially try to stall the conversation ... then retreat with the idea that allowing the vote to go forward would allow the issue to stop being a focus for the upcoming elections - allowing dems to focus on domestic issues. The GOP, on the other hand wanted to roll it out before the elections to reiterate who strong they were on national security (and bushjr was panting to get his war on.)

Hey Grover... bed.made. Sleep In It!

Two side notes on this first irony: 1) Deep gratitude and kudos and wisdom to that strong voice which tried to slow things down... who can forget Sen Byrd trying to filibuster on the senate floor, with the constitution in hand - warning that to vote now was to force politics to play a role in decisions of war... the memory and import of that message will be seared into the minds of many in the future - may it prevent such blatant politics in the decision to go to war. 2) I doubt that all the pleading of conservatives in the country would budge bushjr to do as they ask - they have played to his ego for so long that he is NOT controllable on this issue. And playing to that ego is central to the second irony of the week...

Irony #2 Longitudinal polling data is reported that suggests a serious generational shift among young voters that is distinctly away from the GOP; progressive on many social issues and hostile to self-identification as republicans. Along with concerns about the next election - this is what is prompting the conservatives cited in Irony #1 to try to get bushjr to linguistically bamboozle the public with rhetoric of future troop withdrawals - they are afraid of losing a generation of voters, in the very years (age wise) that people tend to solidify their political beliefs and voting habits (18-29).

Bush had been coached by Karl and others (I believe by their playing to his ego - that he could be BIGGER THAN REAGAN if he followed their script) - and sold as "The Second Coming of Reagan"... do everything Reagan did but bigger and bolder (Deregulate All! Cut MORE Taxes! Be more war-like/bellicose).... this was part of the Rovian goal of establishing a one-party govt rule "for a generation (for the next 20-30 years)... and instead per his effect on the voting public - he acts as the Anti-Reagan... pushing more people out of the GOP and repulsing, rather than attracting, a whole new generation of voters.

Hey George, KKKarl and Dick... (and all your acolytes and sycophants) welcome to the political wilderness/hinterlands!

From early on in this era (the Reign of Terror of bushco) I have felt that it is not enough to vote the batch out of congress and the whitehouse... the PARTY as it exists today has to be discredited by the public - thoroughly and devastatingly - this can not be a "bad apple" moment (ala Nixon - where he was bad - but the party itself quickly regained power and in 6 short years elected Reagan). This week's political ironies suggests the rotting chickens are coming home to roost for the GOP. Maybe there is some hope for our future, after all.

[bbgrunt]

1. yes, the whole republican agenda must be discredited--not just the *administration.

[salin]

5. a big blunder for bush was in the first week or so after his second

inaugeration - he gave a big speech boldy stating that he had such a great mandate (hah!) that he was going to take on the "third pillar" of american politics... Social Security. He arrogantly said in that speech that others were afraid that it would be the end of their career in politics to take it on... but not him!

Ironically, it was the beginning of the lame-duckiness of his administration - wasted capital. And in the course - the beginning of the discrediting of the domestic side of the republican agenda.

[Arugula Latte]

2. I am so glad the younger generation is on to these criminals

I have to say, I really don't like my generation as a whole. I was born in the mid-60s, and my peeps were in high school and college in the 80s -- the Reagan Years. Many of them bought into the whole Preppy, Material Girl, Greed-Is-Good Republican Way. That has always sickened me about many of us (now) 40-somethings.

[salin]

6. same generation here... and watched how Reagan shaped

our generation. Am thrilled that a reshaping is happening with those coming into adulthood now. Find it deliciously ironic that it is one who tried to "out do" reagan that is likely to undo what reagan did in terms of gluing a generation to the GOP.

[Arugula Latte]

7. I have the coolest nieces (ages 18 and 21)

They are so liberal and progressive and on top of things. A lot of it has to do with the Internet and the way the young folks (Jeez I sound like a geezer) "get" irony and sarcasm and satire and The Daily Show. They just aren't gullible like previous generations -- they can see through the propaganda.

The exception is the sizable number of kids who have been raised by these psychoChristian-Jesuscamp-homeschool-FourSquareChurch types. They scare the crap out of me with their ignorance.

[salin]

9. I am in a red-state - and my neice and nephews

either have been raised in a main-line but radicalized/politicized church, or in a catholic church without the radicalization but in a community with strong self-identification of republicanism.

But those from the fundified church - have come out pretty horrified by bushco - and holding some double standards per the politicization from the pulpit (that is they still go to the church - but they hold their political beliefs aside and are growing to be rather progressive) - and the kids in the other family have watched the GOP get so radical that while the kids (only one is of voting age) are becoming more independent... as in looking for moderate repubs and finding the radical ones down right scary... my bet is that given another few years these kids may not be fully progressive, but they will be thinking adults and reject the BS that flies from the radio/news rightwing talking head factory. Given their environs - that is pretty big.

[salin]

3. Didn't the GOP in congress keep going after Clinton (with investigations)

after he left office? I imagine there will be investigations of this administrations bad acts throughout the rest of the decade. I think the anti-bush sentiment (and ergo due to the incessant propoganda techniques of "branding" the GOP as bush (when he ws popular)/anti-GOP sentiment could be the gift that keeps on giving.

[seemslikeadream]

4. I'm not too happy with all the right-wingers rootin' for Hillary either

[salin]

8. God forbid what I am about to write...

I think the democratic candidate will win. The margins to big for any steal.

So who to support?

For me, right now, watching the massive damage done throughout the federal government - the pure politicization of department after department - and thus halting of the govt in functioning in ways to serve the public (think EPA, FDA, DOJ, etc., etc.,) - that we need someone with executive branch experience - with Institutional Knowledge to even begin to put plans in place to put things back together. Gore is my first choice - but not likely to win. In my read this leaves Hillary or Bill Richardson. Hillary is not my first (or second) gut level choice - and the whole bush-clinton-bush-clinton thing leaves me a bit spooked. And her tendency to "triangulate" and play "political calculus" leaves me less than enthused. However, she does have the institutional knowledge and understanding of how deep the damage has been done to the government. Rhetoric aside - I think she has institutional knowledge enough to know that our military is broken and can't take on more campaigns - so she may sometimes talk hard-line I don't think she would be have neoconatrically. So right now, I have to find solace in the belief that she would preside from the reality-based world and some of the damage caused by bushco would constrain actions on the foreign policy area (some of my biggest concerns with her), but the need for know-how going in on how to fix our domestic government has become a tantamount concern for me.

[mrcheerful]

10. Think about why they are so for Hillary, it will hopefully cause a number of

things that would work out in their favor. 1 The knuckle dragger's out there will not vote for a woman. 2 Clinton will also invoke republicans memories of Bill, cigars and stained blue dresses, driving republicans to the polls. 3 democrats themselves are finding it hard to find reasons to vote for Hillary And republicans hope that enough democrats will stay at home on election day. You forget that democrats are thinking shrub has ruined the republican party come 2008. But after McCarthy, Nixon and Reagan history shows just how stupid americans are when it comes to remembering corruption.

[salin]

11. But what we are seeing is so much worse than Nixonian corruption

and a growing part of the public sees it that way. The anti-any gop for pres group of independent voters will counter the complacent dem voters, IMO. And the GOP base - that will be 'driven to the polls' shrinks further by the day.

Somehow the image of Bill and cigars as an outrage - seems laughable to many (except the die-hard twenty-five percenters) - when compared to the lie us into war, ignore and destroy the constitution, let the functions of govt to 'keep us safe' (epa, fda, etc.) become so corrupt as to only serve corporate interests rather than serving the public... the anti-bush and anti-gop outrage is much stronger and more palpable than the outrage stirred up by Gingrich etal in the Clinton era.