Tuesday, May 12, 2009

More Kool-Aid

The Frankenstein monster Christian Right just keeps on giving to the GOP as evidenced by recent statements by Christianist - let's amend the Constitution to track the Bible - Huckabee. There were some that courted these people and now that they have effectively taken over the GOP rational Republicans (or at least the few that are left) are looking for a wooden stake or silver bullet to somehow stop the lurching of the party into irrelevance. The problem with the Bible beating party base is that they continue to be so delusional that they will not accept the fact that it is they who are killing the GOP. The problem for the GOP exists at both the national level and here in Virginia. Indeed, one attendee at the Brian Moran event last night stated that they have always considered them self a Republican, but Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell is too much of an extremist for them to support notwithstanding McDonnell's efforts to pretend that he is a moderate. Here are some highlights from CrooksandLiars:
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Mike Huckabee isn't happy about the talk that the GOP should be more open to the American people to expand their party by diminishing the views of social conservatives: In an interview with the California newspaper The Visalia Times-Delta, Huckabee said the GOP would only further decline in influence should it alienate social conservatives — largely considered the most energetic and loyal faction of the party.
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What he's saying is a big problem for Republicans. To be a more inclusive party they would have to try and entice Latino voters over, but since the extremists want to round up Latinos and are so opposed to anything that will handle our immigration problems, that's a "no go."
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If they want to appear more moderate in the gay rights arena, then they will alienate the religious-right bloc
that has been a significant part of their base for year now, and has enjoyed enormous influence within the GOP ever since Bush took office (and Rove used them to win in 2004), so that's a "no go."
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The Washington Monthly has more: But Huckabee's point isn't wrong. If the religious-right crowd no longer feels welcome or valued in the Republican Party, and the GOP is left with a country-club base, it's not likely to do well in national elections. It might as well be "the end of the party."
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On the other hand, if the Republican Party takes the culture warriors seriously, and signals to the rest of the country that the GOP is dominated by far-right activists who are principally concerned with gays, abortion, Terri Schiavo, and state-sponsored religion, the party will remain stuck where it is now. And that's not a good place to be. It's quite a conundrum. Good luck to the whole gang.
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Since Rush Limbaugh constantly rips any "moderate Republican" and even whips conservatives that he likes if he perceives them straying even slightly, even for a minute -- I'd say a new party is brewing. And to me it looks like Newt Gingrich wants to lead the new revolt for Republicans. I so dub them "The Twigs." It'll be made up of social conservatives, dittoheads and teabaggers.
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Those who embraced the Christian Right out of cynical expediency have no one to blame but themselves for the GOP's current predicament. Of course, if they had cared at all about the Constitution, they never would have tried to fuse extremist religious belief with the civil laws. I wish the continued electoral losses.

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