How many times can the Republicans jump the shark before they lose ALL credibility?

[MrModerate]

I mean, c'mon -- birthers, deathers, teabaggers, and now the war on education.

True, they've stirred up their base to a fever pitch and made America look crazy and stupid in the eyes of the world, and even (perhaps just by blunting his momentum) dragged Obama's approval ratings down. They may even have so weakened healthcare reform that what emerges will satisfy no one.

But how long can this preposterous hysteria go on? At every turn they prove themselves even more small-minded, mean, delusional, venal, and unpatriotic. To the degree that they had any appeal to uncommitteds and "centrists," that's melting away like the arctic ice cap. Sentient beings don't have the luxury of cutting them any slack anymore and have to see their shrill, crazed attacks as the increasingly desperate struggles of a movement that has no heart, no brains, and no honor.

Sure it's embarassing to the rest of us, and there's very real danger that some of their crazed trogs will end up hurting someone. In fact it's a near certainty that there will be violence from some Freepers (or the equivalent) who drag themselves out of their basements and waste a handful of damn socialist-nazi-liberals before blowing their own brains out.

Or worse.

But a real movement, a real political party wouldn't be acting this way if they had any foundation under them. I'm just hoping the ultimate implosion causes the minimum of collateral damage to the rest of us, and frankly to Republican voters too, who -- unlike their politicians -- deserve as much "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" as anyone else.

[hobbit709]

1. They have credibility?

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Many wonder the same thing. And yet they go on.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6468610

[depakid]

3. It went on for 8 years under Clinton...

And his pandering to them only made it worse.

[MrModerate]

4. It looks to me to be much worse now. The haters weren't nearly as well organized . . .

Or funded. And they weren't as obnoxious to sensible people.

[niceypoo]

15. It was the same thing

At this point in Clintons presidency the republicans were in their 'Hillary is a lesbian' phase

[Cosmocat]

5. Here is the problem ...

We hear the crazies LOUD and clear. The problem is that we don't hear those who are died and true Rs.

The math is the math - they still have a very sizeable portion of the country that is going to vote R come heck or high water. It took the worse presidency in the history of the country to get a sizable portion of the middle to break back toward the Ds, but over time this coalition will break down.

IMO, we are at about the max for the total numbers for Ds in the house - we have about as many swing districts with Ds in the house as we can expect. I would say that it will probably swing a bit in the other direction. The Senate might stay the same or even break to the Ds a bit because of the seats that are up.

But, the issue at hand is making hay now while it is possible.

Problem is the swing state Ds who are worried about their jobs, and are too short sighted to see that they ARE going to get hammered whether they cowtail to the right or not.

They might as well go all in and do the right thing and hope for the best, cause the right is coming after them regardless - might as well be able to speak with a good conscience with what they have done than having to deal with political back and forth.

The numbers over time do not look good for the Rs, in terms of demographics, no doubt. But, again, Bushco created a backlasht hat pushed the current numbers to the max. Given time and enough screaming from the right, it is going to back tick a little.

You have to remember that Bush beat Gore after a very good decade in the 90s - the text was that Gore was arrogant and Bush was a guy you would like to have a beer with, the bottom line being that the right was so god darned shrill in its hatred of Clinton that the country kind of threw its hands up and said, "if this shuts them up ..."

This is going to be what is going to happen with BO ... The country is going to get sick and tired of the hatred, given the MSM playing to the right, their acting like children won't be the issue, it will be about the left and BO, and the country will most likely give in and vote for the R for some retarded reason.

Again, BO and the left would be best advised to go all in with what is right now, cause again, it does not matter how much they give in, the right is going to throw an endless array of tantrums regardless.

[teamster633]

6. You make a great point about the blue dogs.

Like so many of us, I'm frustrated by the slow progress we're making on nearly every front. At the same time, I couldn't help but accept the conventional wisdom that Dems in conservative districts had no choice but to pussy foot around in order to protect their jobs. I never considered an alternate theory until you pointed out what should have been obvious to me from the beginning: the Cons are going to find a load of shit to sling at these conservaDems regardless of the positions they take. After all, any party that manages to conflate the two most antagonistic political ideologies of the past few centuries isn't going to blush at the prospect of inventing whatever outrage suits their fancy to attack the hapless conservaDem. One of the primary reasons the Dems saw gains at every level last election was that the American people thought the country was going in the wrong direction. Unless they make a principled effort to move us in the right(left) direction, the voters will have no reason to keep them in office.

[MrModerate]

7. I agree that Obama and his administration should simply stop listening to the idiots on the right.

Politely, but firmly. Wingnuts (all that's left in the Republican leadership excepting Michael Steele, who's clearly suffering from from an exotic brain disease) aren't going to work in good faith with this White House no matter what. So extend them the minimum of courtesies but make it clear that their hysterical rants have the credibility of a two-year-old's tantrum. That'd pull Obama's approval ratings back up, because he's lost support not because he's been too radical, but because he's been too accommodating, and is being seen as weak.

OTOH, Dems can loose several seats in the house and still have a strong majority, even with Blue Dogs sitting on their hands. It's the dysfunctional rules in the Senate that are the problem now. I'd toss the "a threat to filibuster is equivalent to a filibuster" rules and take advantage of Dems' majority. Failing that, picking up a few seats in 2010 would be very nice indeed, both giving us the numbers we need even when some Senators waver, and also giving political cover to the more spineless among their number.

Hit hard now, hit hard in 2010, hit hard in 2012.

[Subdivisions]

8. As many times as they damn well want to...

as long as they have the media in their pocket.

[old mark]

9. Rec. I see every week that people who are not as crazy as the Really Right

are coming to their senses and abandoning the GOP. Sadly this makes the Dems slightly more centerist, but we are NOT talking "socialism" here, just healthcare and having kids do well in school. The 'publicans are too crazy even for the 'publicans, and it is only to our benefit that the extremists believe their own bullshit....

By election time, their party will consist only of rabid snakehandling racist drooling crazies and opportunists. They are pretty close to that right now.

As much as they offend me, they offend their own, who leave them behind......


mark

[spanone]

10. as long as our lazy media portrays them as credible opposition

[NC_Nurse]

11. Bingo. nt

[HughMoran]

12. They used the "radicals on the left" as a cudgel for years after the 60's

Why do they think acting angry to the point of violence will work for them?

[daa]

13. I live in Georgia

the people that vote republican are incredibly stupid and ignorant. I have never seen a group vote against their self interest like this. The are all republican and then the republicans vote 100% for business and business tax cuts and rate increases and these asshole just keep on keepin on. Amazingly dumb. No wonder we are last in education.

[niceypoo]

14. They really don't care about credibility

All they want to do is instill doubt and poison the well. They did the same thing when Clinton was president.

[KittyWampus]

16. Never, the Mediawhores will always keep helping them save face and appear reasonable.