Losing support

On May 18, 2009, Michael Grunwald of TIME magazine wrote an article about how the Republican Party is lacking leadership and fresh ideas. And they are.

On May 18, 2009, Michael Grunwald of TIME magazine wrote an article about how the Republican Party is lacking leadership and fresh ideas. And they are. If I recall correctly, the last presidential election was between a nationally admired war hero with a bipartisan appeal and an inexperienced African-American liberal with a marketable name. You know who won, and that victory was the end of the Republican Party in many ways.

Not only did the GOP lose Congress and the White House, but more recently, according to TIME magazine, “they lost a House election in a conservative New York district, then Senator Arlen Specter.” And in addition to that, only about a quarter of the electorate considers itself Republican.

What is Republican anyways? The party’s ideas about economic issues, social issues and everything else are something on the line of cutting taxes for the upper class, protecting marriage from gays, blocking universal health insurance and whatever Rush Limbaugh tells you is important. I think we can agree that the Republican agenda, is not a popular agenda. Oh wait, I forgot to mention its support for deficit-exploiting tax cuts in bad economic times. Who was behind that AIG bonus again? On that note, if I could redefine the meaning of crazy, I would just give the definition of the Republican Party.

What America sees today does not involve the above in the future. The article reported that “Hispanics, Asians and blacks are on track to be the majority in three decades; metropolitan voters and young voters who skew Democratic are also on the rise … support for gay rights is soaring and polls show that voters prefer Democratic approaches to health care, education and the economy.” The biggest problem with the Republican Party is quite frankly, everything they believe in.

According to Ben Smith’s blog Politico, in response to a question from a radio host Mike Gallagher, RNC chairman Michael Steele gives the perfect example of the mindset of the GOP about civil unions and same-sex marriage. Michael Steele said, “No, no no. What would we do that for? What are you crazy? No. Why would we backslide on a core, founding value of this country? I mean this isn’t something that you just kind of like, ‘Oh well, today I feel, you know, loosey-goosey on marriage.’ I mean, this is a foundational principle of this country.

It is a foundational principle of organized society. It isn’t something that, you know, in America we decided, ‘Let’s make it between a man and a woman; oh well now, let’s change our mind and make it between anyone and anyone.’ No.”

I just don’t get it. And I don’t get it because what comes out of the GOP’s mouth is actually what they believe in. You have got to be kidding me. There is a reason the Obama Administration is in power, and if that was not enough to give you a reason, then perhaps Rush Limbaugh can tell you why he went from the country’s most prominent and influential radio host to probably the worst enemy in the Republican Party today. I mean he did it in a 400-word statement about his “hope” for the Obama presidency on his show.

He said, “So I’m thinking of replying to the guy, ‘Okay, I’ll send you a response, but I don’t need 400 words, I need four: I hope he fails.’ What are you laughing at? See, here’s the point. Everybody thinks it’s outrageous to say. Look, even my staff, ‘Oh, you can’t do that.’ Why not? Why is it any different, what’s new, what is unfair about my saying I hope liberalism fails? Liberalism is our problem. Liberalism is what’s gotten us dangerously close to the precipice here. Why do I want more of it? I don’t care what the drive-by story is. I would be honored if the drive-by media headlined me all day long: ‘Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails.’ Somebody’s gotta say it.”

I don’t think he will. I think we have plenty of good years to look forward to. I think the Obama view is a popular view. And I think for once Americans are proud again to be American. Why would we want to give that up to Reaganomics?