The GOP's Dirty War - Rolling Stone

[piratefish08]

A very interesting piece this month on how a minority party continues to rule DC. There is also a short Taiibi piece at the website about what the left should do to fix it...........

Thoughts, comments?

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/32537691/the_gops_dirty_war

The GOP's Dirty War - How Republicans have risen from the dead by distorting Obama's agenda and shutting down the government

TIM DICKINSON
Posted Mar 03, 2010 8:15 AM

Only a year ago, the Republican Party had been given up for dead. Top GOP strategists despaired that their party — decimated by two consecutive bloodbath elections — was leaderless, dominated by Southern conservatives and lurching rightward into irrelevance. "The Republican Party seems to be slipping into a position of being more of a regional party," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned his colleagues. "In politics, there's a name for a regional party: It's called a minority party."

As the embittered remains of the GOP caucus locked arms against President Obama and a stimulus plan designed to put Americans back to work, the Party of No seemed no match for Yes We Can. Stuart Rothenberg, one of the Beltway's top handicappers, derided as "lunacy" the boast last April by Rep. Eric Cantor — architect of the Republican strategy of obstruction — that the GOP would soon return to power. "The chance of Republicans winning control of either chamber in the 2010 midterm elections is zero," Rothenberg declared. "Not 'close to zero.' Not 'slight' or 'small.' Zero."

What a difference a year makes: Visions of a generation of Democratic dominance have been eclipsed by a brutal economy and the party's internal gridlock. Despite the $787 billion stimulus, unemployment remains stuck in double digits. Health care reform — Obama's centerpiece legislation — has jumped the rails, and every day spent seeking to get it back on track is a day not focused on the economy, stupid. "Barack Obama spent seven months talking about something other than the most important issue to voters: jobs and wages," says party strategist Simon Rosenberg. "Democrats left the door open for the Republicans."

(snip)

[bridgit]

1. Yep, but there's little new about that, its what republicans do they said they would and they did...

They did it to Carter, Clinton and now Obama = same '1' same trick same pony. You can see their plan unfolding contiguously every time Mitch McConnell blackmails the future of American Democracy with his/their threats of continued bigotries, grid lock and Rush Limbaugh styled white-chaos till they get what they want which is everything

[daa]

5. I disagree

Carter did it to himself. Clinton hung it around Newt's neck. Obama is weak, even his own party isn't afraid of him, and so the repugs have hung it around his neck.

[bridgit]

6. I understand, but we're not taking human Dem foibles - more like worms in apples...

The worms are the republicans, they bore into both perfect & bruised apples - its what they do

[daa]

7. I agree n t

[bridgit]

10. Peace ~

:kick:

[patrice]

2. Job #1: Hang tough through this crap, until those who are against us are gone.

[LaPera]

3. Rolling Stone has been doing the best progressive political exposé journalism bar-none.

This includes Mother Jones, The Nation, Huffington Post, Raw Story, etc....

[piratefish08]

4. I re-subscribed a year ago BECAUSE of the political articles. They expose the truth,

however painful.

[troubledamerican]

8. UNREC: "Dirty War" is a very specific term, sorry for RS to have misused it -- Link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_War

[donheld]

9. Recommend you back.