The author has written plenty on the faults and shortcomings of the Republican Party, and how they have stood in the way of promoting necessary reform and change in the midst of the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression!
The Republican party, by embracing Tea Party Movement favorites, such as Sharron Angle of Nevada, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah, Dan Maes and Ken Buck of Colorado, and Marco Rubio of Florida, have painted themselves in a corner!
Some, or possibly all of these candidates, might win office this fall, in the mood of discontent that exists in this country, but particularly for those running for the Senate, all of the above except Maes, their victory would only have the effect of weakening the Republican appeal for 2012 and beyond, and would lead to total chaos and anarchy in the Senate, worse than now exists, as these people have no desire to work at solving anything! 🙁
All they are interested in doing is “stirring up the pot”, and promoting whacko, loony ideas that will never make it to law or the Constitution! Their behavior, as Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post published this morning, is unpredictable and outside the mainstream, unwilling to work “across the aisle” or even with other Republicans! 🙁
This is NOT what we need at a difficult time for our country, and the Republican leadership in both houses of Congress will come to regret the fact that they have flirted with these Tea Party extremists who are just as willing to work against the establishment leaders, as against the Democrats!
In addition to their destructive behavior, which will undermine the party, the fact that the GOP is gaining a reputation as the party against African Americans, Latinos and Hispanics, gay and lesbian Americans, women, and young people, will doom them long term!
More than ever, they seem to be the party of WHITE older Americans and rural Americans, but the long term reality is that African Americans, Latinos and Hispanics, gay and lesbian Americans, women, and young people (both white and nonwhite) will reject this party that represents a past that cannot be revived, and promotes a message of division, hate, racism, prejudice, and concern only for the wealthy and privileged! 🙁
The Republican party as we knew it no longer exists, and is in the process of imploding! 🙁 This is a serious, and at the same time, sad matter, as the GOP in the past had much to offer as a legitimate alternative to the Democrats!
But now the Republican party is a shell of its old self, and an embarrassment to mainstream Republicans who can no longer be proud of where their party is headed! 🙁