I love when non-Republicans advise the GOP on how to act. In this case, it is resident “radical Centrist” Thomas L. Freidman, who, despite being a self avowed “radical centrist”, tends to take the side of the extreme Left more often. Regardless, he does actually make a few good points
Dump the G.O.P. for a Grand New Party
If a party could declare moral bankruptcy, today’s Republican Party would be in Chapter 11.This party needs to just shut itself down and start over — now. Seriously, someone please start a New Republican Party! (snip)
And we know just how little they are attached to any principles, because today’s Republican Party’s elders have told us so by (with a few notable exceptions) being so willing to throw their support behind a presidential candidate whom they know is utterly ignorant of policy, has done no homework, has engaged in racist attacks on a sitting judge, has mocked a disabled reporter, has impugned an entire religious community, and has tossed off ignorant proposals for walls, for letting allies go it alone and go nuclear and for overturning trade treaties, rules of war and nuclear agreements in ways that would be wildly destabilizing if he took office.
Despite that, all top G.O.P. leaders say they will still support Donald Trump — even if he’s dabbled in a “textbook definition†of racism, as House Speaker Paul Ryan described it — because he will sign off on their agenda and can do only limited damage given our checks and balances.
He has a good point. The GOP has long abandoned principle for pure pragmatism. One must have some pragmatism in politics, because not ever candidate or party will jibe perfectly. What does the GOP stand for now? I disagree on Trump’s “racist” statement: it’s not racism. Mexican is not a race. It was bigoted, and, more relevantly, just a person being a jerk. As for Muslims, perhaps they should work to reduce the ever-growing population of extremists within their own ranks. Trump doesn’t seem to have a firm grasp of policy on most things. It’s all based on soundbites.
This is exactly why so many Republican voters opted for Trump in the first place. They intuited that the only thing these G.O.P. politicians were interested in was holding onto their seats in office — and they were right. It made voters so utterly cynical that many figured, Why not inflict Trump on them? It’s all just a con game anyway. And at least Trump sticks it to all of those politically correct liberals. And anyway, governing doesn’t matter — only attitude.
Again, a good point. The GOP barely stood up to Obama. They aren’t being fiscally responsible. They assailed Ted Cruz and a few others for attempting to instituted financial sanity. Too much get along go along. You know the story, no need to regurgitate it. Here’s the kicker, though. See that (snip) in the first excerpt? Let’s start with Freidman’s third paragraph, to see what kind of GOP we need
America needs a healthy two-party system. America needs a healthy center-right party to ensure that the Democrats remain a healthy center-left party. America needs a center-right party ready to offer market-based solutions to issues like climate change. America needs a center-right party that will support common-sense gun laws. America needs a center-right party that will support common-sense fiscal policy. America needs a center-right party to support both free trade and aid to workers impacted by it. America needs a center-right party that appreciates how much more complicated foreign policy is today, when you have to manage weak and collapsing nations, not just muscle strong ones.
Freidman loves his centeredness schtick. He wrote a book on it. He’s correct that we need a GOP to support free trade and fiscal sanity. But, climate change? Really? What he means by “market based solutions” is Government. That’s not the free market. By common sense gun laws he means lots of infringement on the Constitutional Rights of law abiding citizens.
But, where is the notion of a center-left Democratic Party? If we need a new GOP, we need a new Donkey Party, as they’ve left the plantation for massive Big Government. It’s not really left leaning on the political scale. It’s way, way to the right. The GOP is center right. At times, it veers into center left. The problem here is that the center has shifted. The real center would have a party that supports limited rule. Limited involvement with our private lives. Limited involvement with our economic lives. And, as part of what is American Classical Liberalism, limited federal government, leaving everything except those powers delegated to the federal government to the States and The People.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
I agree, the GOP does need to die since they have been stabbing the base in the back for years — but everything wrong with the GOP is orders of magnitude more wrong with the Democratic Party.
We have an unindicted felon who has just cinched the nomination who left Americans to die, hates the First and Second Amendments, and could even be considered a traitor.
The current Occupant of the White House, ALSO from the Democratic Party is also an unindicted felon, arguably a traitor (giving aid and comfort to terrorists/Iran), and just as morally bankrupt as Hillary.
And the masses in the Democratic Party DO. NOT. CARE.
It’s THEIR turn, dammit, and they are going to get every possible abuse and act of tyranny they pretended GW Bush would commit while they can.
While the NYT is correct that a new GOP needs to be created, one that actually listens to and supports their base, a new Democratic Party is ALSO needed, to hose out their moral Augean Stables.
We need parties more representative of the ACTUAL citizenry, more centrist, instead of the way, WAY Left of the Dems and the not-quite-as-Left-but-not-at-all-Right GOP.
What I think the GOP needs is something of an emphasis on intellect. It seems now that there is more anarchy in the GOP because now anybody can just say any old thing. Like, for example, Trump embracing the conspiracy that Cruz’s dad helped assassinate JFK, I mean, really? He says crazy stuff like this and you want him to be president?
I really think that you all will be seriously let down because you all think Trump will bring about some kind of renaissance in American political culture; sadly, he won’t, and I don’t know why you people think that he is qualified to do so. He has alot of money, so what?
So claiming to dodge sniper fire on a tarmac in Bosnia isn’t a little crazy?
— Hillary Clinton
Robert,
What do conservatives hope to gain from Trump? A president who for the first time in 100 years will be pro-business, wealth accumulation, real jobs, decreased regulation. Will he deliver, not known, but what we do know is that the US is very close to revolution and if we keep up the crap from the Dems, it will happen. I went to Korea one month ago and saw first hand what a third world country is, but it was not Korea or any of the countries in Asia, it was the US. That is what we now have from the liberals. People in Korea actually worked, no homeless were allowed in the street, infrastructure and tech was at the highest level, people liked others getting rich and applauded their efforts to do so. Here you have to hide the fact that you have a desire to have wealth or a better life.
Then we have the alternative, Hillary. This is the most corrupt woman in the US. She and her husband (used loosely) have broken almost every law and used the political structure for their own purposes and enrichment. If they desired to do this, they should not be selling influence and other illegal activities. We are truly sunk if Hillary gets into office instead of jail.
As to the other Republican candidates, they were to a one girly men.
The editors of The New York Times loved the Republican Party, the Republican Party of Everett Dirksen and Hugh Scott and Gerald Ford, the go-along-to-get-along GOP of the sixties and seventies, the ones on board with a mushy liberalism, a go left, just do it slowly Republican Party.
They’d be perfectly happy with that kind of party again.
Republican voters spoke loudly and clearly and voted for Trump over conservatives Christie, Rubio, Bush, Kasich and Cruz. Except for the dreadfully unpopular Cruz, any of the others, if nominated, would have been our next President!
Republican voters rejected balancing the budget by cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Republican voters rejected the smoke and mirrors of mainstream Republican conservatism that rewards the wealthy at the expense of the working classes, ships jobs overseas; that wants to gut the lifelines of Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. Add to that Trump’s blaming others for the problems of poor whites and you have the makings of a populist, nativist uprising! He hates all the right people – Blacks, browns, Muslims, Mexicans and women – he wants to build a wall – restrict international trade – kill the families of terrorists.
His positions on social issues like Christian persecution in the US, abortion, Planned Parenthood, gays, what bathrooms LGBTs use, contraception, teaching evolution, his atheism – who cares!!
Trump is obviously unsuited and unqualified to be President of the US, but the Republican voters find him more desirable than any other candidate, such is their disdain for modern conservative ideology. The Paul Ryans, Marco Rubios and the host of “young gun” fiscal conservatives who wanted to continue Reagan’s decimation of the middle class must be frightened.
Trump promises to take care of you – he will smite your enemies – return your good paying jobs – and leave your government subsidies in place – and all he demands in return is that you worship him.