From the Article-"WATCHING the Republican Party struggling to agree on a presidential candidate, one wonders whether the G.O.P. shouldn't just sit this election out - just give 2012 a pass. "


Gee, I thought that's what they've been doing... You mean all those insane policy ideas have real?

Good freaking God!

Conservatives have allowed for their party to be taken over by fringe fundies.

Is anyone surprised at this?

/would be great if this is the beginnings of the creation of a 3rd party

You know how in Scrabble sometimes you look at your seven letters and you've got only vowels that spell nothing? What do you do? You go back to the pile. You throw your letters back and hope to pick up better ones to work with.



This what you get when you restrict your party to North American apes.

Sorry, but you can't address the great challenges America faces today with that incoherent mix of hardened positions.

Democrats did well when the party had to include conservative Southern voters as well as liberals from other regions. There was more of a mood to compromise back then when parties had to tolerate internal dissent. Young people may not remember, there was a time when it didn't feel like every vote in Congress was a straight party line vote.

Needs irony tag. Author's wish-list for a great conservative candidate pretty much describes Obama.

Has anyone else noticed that the current crop of Republicans each represents the position of one radical bloc in the Republican party and candidates seem to drop out if another bloc candidate dominates the other? The author mentions some of the radical positions in the article. The problem is that each are polarizing and radical and nobody can coalesce conservatives into one bloc anymore.

1. Santorum: the religious fundamentalists. Bachmann fit here too.
2. Romney: anti tax wealthy. Cain fit here.
3. Ron Paul, libertarian.
4. Gingrich: the sour old conservative bastard bloc and tea party meets old school conservative (he runs on his early record). Huntsman fit here but not bastardly enough.

Romney likely gets the nom only because he's the least polarizing among all the radicals.

Now, taking Romney's candidacy and the article to heart, Republicans, you will realize that no radical position will unify your fragmented party. You are doomed to cycles of milquetoast candidates who try to simultaneouly try to please six orthogonal political positions unless you start grooming intelligent conservatives.

BunkyBrewman: Conservatives have allowed for their party to be taken over by fringe fundies.

I blame talk radio and Fox. The talk radio folks have been doing their very best to fan the flames of discontent (directed at Democrats) and both radio and Fox have to constantly up the ante to keep the followers entertained and coming back for more.

Over time they increasingly embrace fringe ideas because they simply run out of entertaining material. Their listeners become acclimated to an increasingly disconnected belief structure. The reality of their beliefs slowly fade and at some point only the crazy remains.

I openly admit I was one of these people. I was very conservative and listened regularly. Then one day I realized that many of the things Fox and conservative radio were telling me were simply not based in reality. But even though I knew this, I still wanted to hear more. It was at this point I realized I was being programmed. That's when I backed away from the table and began reading both sides to every political argument. It was only then that I realized that 90% of politics is simply propaganda designed to trigger a emotional response from the public. .

NFA: BunkyBrewman: Conservatives have allowed for their party to be taken over by fringe fundies.

I blame talk radio and Fox. The talk radio folks have been doing their very best to fan the flames of discontent (directed at Democrats) and both radio and Fox have to constantly up the ante to keep the followers entertained and coming back for more.

Over time they increasingly embrace fringe ideas because they simply run out of entertaining material. Their listeners become acclimated to an increasingly disconnected belief structure. The reality of their beliefs slowly fade and at some point only the crazy remains.

I openly admit I was one of these people. I was very conservative and listened regularly. Then one day I realized that many of the things Fox and conservative radio were telling me were simply not based in reality. But even though I knew this, I still wanted to hear more. It was at this point I realized I was being programmed. That's when I backed away from the table and began reading both sides to every political argument. It was only then that I realized that 90% of politics is simply propaganda designed to trigger a emotional response from the public. .

So .. their radicalism is based solely on the desire for higher ratings?

Oddly, I can believe that.

Nadie_AZ: NFA: BunkyBrewman: Conservatives have allowed for their party to be taken over by fringe fundies.

I blame talk radio and Fox. The talk radio folks have been doing their very best to fan the flames of discontent (directed at Democrats) and both radio and Fox have to constantly up the ante to keep the followers entertained and coming back for more.

Over time they increasingly embrace fringe ideas because they simply run out of entertaining material. Their listeners become acclimated to an increasingly disconnected belief structure. The reality of their beliefs slowly fade and at some point only the crazy remains.

I openly admit I was one of these people. I was very conservative and listened regularly. Then one day I realized that many of the things Fox and conservative radio were telling me were simply not based in reality. But even though I knew this, I still wanted to hear more. It was at this point I realized I was being programmed. That's when I backed away from the table and began reading both sides to every political argument. It was only then that I realized that 90% of politics is simply propaganda designed to trigger a emotional response from the public. .

So .. their radicalism is based solely on the desire for higher ratings?

Oddly, I can believe that.

Yes. Talk radio (and Fox New by extension) is one of the worst things to happen to the Republican party. The hosts go radical to attract audiences, gradually their radicalism becomes the mainstream, and the hosts go more radical to keep attracting listeners. The talk radio hosts (Limbaugh et al.,) are entertainers! They shouldn't be your think tanks. From them we got the concept that anyone who compromises is a RINO and needs to be kicked out. They drive the party to radical extremes and there is no one with the power to reduce their influence. No we have a party of extreme views that can not compromise and is actively damaging America "to keep the other side from winning." There are no winners in government. There are just those who make the government work and those who break it. The Republicans are breaking our country. Until they learn to turn off those pundits and actually think this will continue.

I miss the days of intelligent conservatives like Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, and Bush Sr. They had their ideals, but they knew when to compromise to achieve other goals and how to appeal to moderates. The current party is a bunch of screaming children willing to hold a gun to the county's head and pull the trigger if they do not get their way. You can't govern like that. Voters got fooled in 2010 because they underestimated how childish the current Republican party is, but they won't be fooled in 2012.

NFA: Over time they increasingly embrace fringe ideas because they simply run out of entertaining material. Their listeners become acclimated to an increasingly disconnected belief structure. The reality of their beliefs slowly fade and at some point only the crazy remains.

I openly admit I was one of these people. I was very conservative and listened regularly. Then one day I realized that many of the things Fox and conservative radio were telling me were simply not based in reality. But even though I knew this, I still wanted to hear more. It was at this point I realized I was being programmed. That's when I backed away from the table and began reading both sides to every political argument. It was only then that I realized that 90% of politics is simply propaganda designed to trigger a emotional response from the public. .


This.

greentea1985: I miss the days of intelligent conservatives like Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, and Bush Sr. They had their ideals, but they knew when to compromise to achieve other goals and how to appeal to moderates. The current party is a bunch of screaming children willing to hold a gun to the county's head and pull the trigger if they do not get their way. You can't govern like that. Voters got fooled in 2010 because they underestimated how childish the current Republican party is, but they won't be fooled in 2012.

Barry Goldwater also understood this.

"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them."

That scene from Annie Hall with Marshall McLuhan comes to mind. You know, whenever people drape themselves in the flag or carry a cross, while proclaiming what the founding fathers or Jesus would want.

Put simply for the tl;dr folks: Ye have reaped what ye have sown

CapnBlues: That scene from Annie Hall with Marshall McLuhan comes to mind. You know, whenever people drape themselves in the flag or carry a cross, while proclaiming what the founding fathers or Jesus would want.

crap, wrong thread. mods can freely delete this and the previous post. sorry everyone.

FTA: Maureen Dowd and the public editor are off today.

That's a relief. I wouldn't want to read whatever crap Dowd faxed in on a good day.

Anyway, Friedman has a pretty good take on the situation, but I think he cribbed a lot of it from Ric Romero's notes.

CapnBlues: CapnBlues: That scene from Annie Hall with Marshall McLuhan comes to mind. You know, whenever people drape themselves in the flag or carry a cross, while proclaiming what the founding fathers or Jesus would want.

crap, wrong thread. mods can freely delete this and the previous post. sorry everyone.

I wouldn't have pegged that as a crosspost unless you pointed it out.

That post would make sense in just about every politics thread lately.

CapnBlues: CapnBlues: That scene from Annie Hall with Marshall McLuhan comes to mind. You know, whenever people drape themselves in the flag or carry a cross, while proclaiming what the founding fathers or Jesus would want.

crap, wrong thread. mods can freely delete this and the previous post. sorry everyone.

No, it's quite fitting. I say keep it.

DO NOT WANT Poster Girl: I wouldn't have pegged that as a crosspost unless you pointed it out.

That post would make sense in just about every politics thread lately.

Gonz: No, it's quite fitting. I say keep it.

MFAWG: Yup.

well shucks. thanks, you guys.

The irony here, is that Friedman basically has what he is looking for in one President Barack Hussein Obama. He is basically a moderate conservative. Problem is that the extremes of both parties, but mostly the Republicans, make governing from the center nearly impossible. Talk radio, and cable news (which I would argue is WORSE than talk radio) fans the flames of discontent from any group to fill up airtime and sell ad space.

The President is not the problem here.

Close2TheEdge: The President is not the problem here.

It's because the president is near.

Good find subby, excellent read.

What a stupid post.