Why Is the Republican Field So Extreme? (Read 2137 times)


Feeling the growl again

     you agree to pay more taxes? Sure, but I don't think any republican candidate would agree to either of those.

     See reference to the need to gain support of the Tea Party.  This is the difference between doing what is needed, and doing what is needed (to get elected).  Most economists agree that both substantial modifications to entitlements AND targeted tax increases (on whom/what can be debated) are necessary to balance the budget and long-term financial outlook without having to do things so onerous as to be considered austerity measures.

    "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

     

    I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

     


    Feeling the growl again

      4. Health care--at least Obama is trying to reform the system. Many interests will keep both sides from working productively on this, methinks, unless we the people get our heads out of our hineys and demand that our politicians not be beholden to large insurance interests. (Scalia's ruling on corporate personhood didn't help the cause, perhaps another reason to avoid a conservative president.)

       

       

      Well, since this thread was bound to spiral off-topic anyways...

       

      The issue here was the plan did absolutely nothing to rein in the main drivers of healthcare costs.  Nada.  It simply shifted around who is paying the bills and, in the not-so-long-term, that won't solve the problem and there still won't be money for it.  I fail to see how expensive programs that fail to address the core issues of the problem deserve credit.  We could say at least the Tea Party was trying to address the deficit issue by forcing a default.  They don't deserve credit for that either.  Rearranging deck chairs, so to speak.

       

      Realize that this is not a US issue.  Other countries struggle with this much more than most Americans realize as well.

      "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

       

      I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

       


      an amazing likeness

        To me, this recent article in the New Yorker magazine, when extrapolated into broader issues, offer insights into a very real battle over the core definition of the role of government.  This battle is driving the extreme'ing of our politics.

         

        Context is also hard -- I think it fair to say that the extreme left of American Democratic party positions would be pretty centrist in some of the core European countries.  And the extreme right Republican part positions would hardly register with the rightist.

         

        If you can find it on the web...listen to today's broadcast of the city club of Cleveland speaker, the head of Gallup, who offers his insights into the redefinition of the "American dream".

         

        Or...could be much simpler...people resist externally sourced change for many reasons and extremism and demonizing is but one symptom of change resistance.

         

        Or...you get the government you deserve.

        Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.

          I'm not a Republican but I thought the following op-ed piece was well said.  (The annoying adds weren't there when I read it in the paper.)  It has to do with a Senate race here in MA, but he touches on the problem with partisan extremism on both sides and how it has rendered our government non-functional:

           

          A Republican voter seeks answers from Brown

           

          "Yet the last three years have been a difficult time to be a Republican. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell candidly stated that it was his goal to make Barack Obama a one-term president. House Speaker John Boehner and the Tea Party freshmen have been even more fervent in this goal. But the patriotic duty of all office-holders is to make the government succeed for the American people, not to wreck it so that they might win the next election. Nothing exemplified these Republicans’ attitude more than their explicit threat to see the United States default rather than allow any rise in taxes. While the Democrats played a similar game to ruin the presidency of George H.W. Bush, they at least had the grace not to be so frank about it."

           

          Well-stated, but I don't agree with what the last line implies.  I prefer people have their cards on the table.  And, some of the attacks on Bush were utterly graceless.  I am not a Republican. 

          "If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus


          Why is it sideways?

            Well, since this thread was bound to spiral off-topic anyways...

             

            The issue here was the plan did absolutely nothing to rein in the main drivers of healthcare costs.  Nada.  It simply shifted around who is paying the bills and, in the not-so-long-term, that won't solve the problem and there still won't be money for it.  I fail to see how expensive programs that fail to address the core issues of the problem deserve credit.  We could say at least the Tea Party was trying to address the deficit issue by forcing a default.  They don't deserve credit for that either.  Rearranging deck chairs, so to speak.

             

            Realize that this is not a US issue.  Other countries struggle with this much more than most Americans realize as well.

             

            All of this might be true. My point was only that Obama was closer to reform than anyone else.

            C-R


              All of this might be true. My point was only that Obama was closer to reform than anyone else.

               

              And that depends on ones personal definition and perspective of reform.


              "He conquers who endures" - Persius
              "Every workout should have a purpose. Every purpose should link back to achieving a training objective." - Spaniel

              http://ncstake.blogspot.com/


              The Thunder

                Politics sucks.  The common voter has given up, and the people that still think they can change things are mostly the people that are on one whacko side or another.  Just give me my bowl of Cheerios and leave me outta this. 

                1 Hip and 2 Hamstring reconstructions later…

                  Who the hell is ThunderV2?

                  Runners run

                  LedLincoln


                  not bad for mile 25

                    Who the hell is ThunderV2?

                     

                    New chapter forthcoming.

                      is this like new Coke?  What if we liked the old one better?

                       

                       

                       

                       


                      Ostrich runner

                        A food scientist once told me that after New Coke failed, the company slowly shifted the recipe towards New Coke so that people wouldn't notice. Eventually they arrived at the same place, and nobody was the wiser.

                        http://www.runningahead.com/groups/Indy/forum

                        L Train


                          Like cooking a live frog in a pan on low heat.  Or something like that.

                           

                          L Train


                            Maybe like closing one eye and then putting your finger on your open eye to hold it still then slowly having your vision disappear. 

                             

                            No, that's not quite it either.

                             

                            Scout7


                              Like cooking a live frog in a pan on low heat.  Or something like that.

                               

                              Such a myth.  You ever try to get a frog to hold still for a period of time like that?  They don't.  They jump around like, well, frogs.


                              Feeling the growl again

                                All of this might be true. My point was only that Obama was closer to reform than anyone else.

                                 

                                I see what you mean, but part of my frustration with the whole idea was that it absorbed a huge amount of attention and forged all sorts of additional animousity in the Congress.  For example, it's probably one of the reasons that a budget or extension was not passed and they ended up so rushed on the deficit issue.  It's very frustrating to see that much time and energy expended that is basically for political points and doesn't make a significant effort at real reform.  Much like the deficit battle.

                                "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                                 

                                I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills