Daily Kos REIN IN THE FAR RIGHT OR BECOME A SECOND-RATE POWER

[babsbunny]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/5/5/863863/-REIN-IN-THE-FAR-RIGHT-OR-BECOME-A-SECOND-RATE-POWER

by Burt Hall

The Republican Party has been dominated by radicals ... who, at a fundamental level, do not accept anyone else’s right to govern. Hastening ... a return to power is all that matters.

Paul Krugman
NYTimes
Oct.5, 2009

This is a wake-up call to rein in the far right before our country further declines to a second-rate power. The far right has taken over the Republican Party and believe they have a god-given right to be in power. They demonize the opposition, are devisive and allow self-interest to dominate public interest. When they are in power, the government is mismanaged badly. When not in power, they rebel and seek to make our country ungovernable. It's a vicious cycle and either way, we lose.

* Burt Hall's diary :: ::

[marmar]

1. "OR BECOME A SECOND-RATE POWER "

Too late to avoid that....Fait accompli. The right should have been reined in decades ago.

[DJ13]

2. We need to rein in the Centrists as well

They're actually more dangerous, as they operate in the shadows influencing our government to a greater degree than the far right.

[ThoughtCriminal]

3. By anything but current standards

The "Centrists" would be considered extreme right. That's how far we swung.

[damntexdem]

4. What a misleading title! It should be:

Rein in the far right or never recover from having declined to being a second-rate power -- and a second-rate economy.

[Enthusiast]

6. Better, yes. nt

[The Magistrate]

5. Mr. Hall Is Quite Right, Ma'am

[depakid]

7. "before our country further declines"

Alas, that's inevitable- due to the lack of political will and fortitude (coupled with structural impediments to reform) though one can still slow down the process.

[Vogon_Glory]

8. I'd Made Similar Conclusions A Long Time Ago

I'd come to similar conclusions a long time ago--and I'm not really a properly-progressive DU liberal.

If I can reach such conclusions, surely not only the centrists of the Democratic Party can follow similar chains of logic to the same conclusion, but also those dis empowered moderates and moderate-conservatives of the Republican Party who still hope that the radical right fanatics might throw them the occasional odd scrap or two from the table.

I gave up begging for scraps from the vicious sociopaths controlling the GOP some time ago; but it looks like some folks apparently still need time to rediscover their dignity and self-respect. At this point, I've come to the conclusion that the Republican Party isn't worth salvaging, and I hope the remaining sane people in its ranks let the Elephant Party expire.

I suppose there'll be an in-house brawl among us Democrats after the Republican Party tanks about what sort of party the Democratic Party should be, and what sorts of visions for the future we should pursue. I hope we can do it sanely and with at least some civility, while leaving the lunatics that are running the Republican Party into the ground and who threaten to send the USA in the same direction out in the cold.

:dem:

:patriot: