Great Op-ed on how the Republicans self-destruction

I only see thread titles when this poster posts, not the posts (much better BBS experience)...but this thread title begs the question:

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Who has majority control in the House of Representatives?
Who has majority control in the Senate?
Who has 31 governors currently in office?
Who has people driving to the voting booth in record numbers over the competition?

 

Who has engaged in unprecedented obstructionism?
Who has turned "compromise" into a dirty word?
Who decided on the night of Obama's inauguration to refuse to participate in any of his efforts to solve the problems facing the country?
Who is now taking the unprecedented position that they will refuse to have hearings for any SCOTUS nominee?
Who has lied to the American people so much that they actually believe that tax cuts increase revenue?

Who is about to nominate Donald Trump as their presidential candidate?

 

Tacky, and 'tis a shame in this case, as the linked article is one of his better contributions, one of anyone's better contributions.

I didn't know this writer, Leonard Pitts Jr., but he lays out in uncommonly lucid, informed writing what a lot of rational Americans have experienced and why it's so damned dangerous for our country.

Now I'm looking him up. Pulitzer Prize 2004, etc.

http://www.leonardpittsjr.com

 

Not that anyone here is, but I wouldn't celebrate the potential or hypothetical end of the GOP as we know it. Because whatever it is that replaces it would be horrifying to say the least.

 

Uh yeah that's the whole point, genius - they rode the Ignorance Tiger to short term success and the result is that the governing institutions are now kind of in a self-imposed state of cluster**** because of it and the national party is clown show.

 

[Premium Post]
Before high fives are exchanged, keep a few things in mind: The absolute last thing that the libs would want to see is a Trump Presidency. It would represent a stunning rebuke of Obama, his legacy would be trashed, and everything he has done would be mercilessly unwound. Having Trump as a candidate in November is very dangerous. Many external events could occur, as they did in November 2008 (stock market crash) which could disrupt the race. These events could include another stock market crash, terrorist attack/war, hurricane (see the 2012 election), etc. An external event can change the trajectory of a race, often in unexpected ways. This year's race is particularly susceptible to an external event, given FBI Suspect Hillary Clinton's legal problems and potential disqualifying news. How sweet it would be for the media to be hoisted by their own petard when their own creation (Trump) is inaugurated in January? So be careful what you wish for, libs, as it relates to Trump winning the GOP nomination.

GOOD DAY

 

I agree, and the writer in the OP does not celebrate it. He fears it deeply. So do I.

I can't believe how badly I long for the days of G. Ford, Bush I, Bob Dole.

Just hoping Roger Ailes, who is much smarter than me, has a master plan for his body-checking our entire politics off the rails over the last 20 years. I'm just not seeing the good outcome yet.

 

Not if GOP split into two parties, one for nuts and one for the more rational conservatives.

 

From you? Doubtful.

I'm not certain that many liberals truly want Trump as the nominee simply because just having him running against their candidate tarnishes the entire reputation of our political process and, given the depths to which that reputation has sunk over the last couple of decades, tarnishing it further is truly a difficult task.

Any day when you post inane garbage (so, every time you post) is a good day for me.

 

I agree with this, but our electoral rules aren't conducive to third parties.

 

Self destruct is right when your only viable choice seems to be Trump or Cruz.

Imagine a 2020 race with a Trump type candidate with Cruz's social stance. Is that the future of the GOP party?

 

more lib concern trolling, lulz

 

While I agree I don't want to see a Trump Presidency, it's not because of Obama's legacy. For one, as much as I like Obama, I don't care what happens to his legacy. His Presidential Library can worry about that, and I'll worry about the future of the country. But, more to the point, I think a President Cruz would be more of a rebuke and would do more to unwind the progress that Obama has made, more or less because Obama did them. Cruz is Obama's diametric opposite. Trump is a wild card that would undo some things Obama has done while leaving other things alone. If Obama is GI Joe and Cruz is Cobra Command, Trump is the Dreadnoks -- allied with Cobra but ultimately doing his own thing.

I worry a bit about the anti-Trump movement in the Republican party. If they succeed, it could mean Cruz instead of Rubio or Kasich or Trump, which -- from a lib perspective -- is worse imo. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

 

Random musing. If Trump was the candidate and lost (inevitably) to Clinton, I think it may catalyze a strategy reset for the Republicans away from the obstruct-at-all-costs trajectory the op-ed piece describes. They may conclude that (1) obstruction isn't winning them the presidency and (2) obstruction is breeding rebellion in the conservative base. But, if they manage to install Cruz or Rubio as the candidate in the end -- who then hypothetically loses in the general to Clinton -- they may continue with obstruction seeing that they can at least control their own primaries.

(Of course, if Rubio or Cruz wins the general, it'll instead be a conservative legislative bonanza. Whereas if Trump wins the Presidency, it'll be more mixed with some conservative wins but a misalignment between the executive and the legislature would slow an outright bonanza.)

 

I do have a question, if Texas have such a high percentage of non white population, why isn't it less conservative, as in more like the west coast? Is it because these non whites do not vote or are they not eligible to vote?

 

Yes, and because the Texas GOP makes it as difficult as possible for them to vote.