Ghastly Outdated Party - by Maureen Dowd

[powergirl]

Maureen Dowd

"IT’S finally sinking in.

"Republicans are getting queasy at the gruesome sight of their party eating itself alive, savaging the brand in ways that will long resonate.

“Republicans being against sex is not good,” the G.O.P. strategist Alex Castellanos told me mournfully. “Sex is popular.”

"He said his party is “coming to grips with a weaker field than we’d all want” and going through the five stages of grief. “We’re at No. 4,” he said. (Depression.) “We’ve still got one to go.” (Acceptance.)

<cut>

"The Republicans, with their crazed Reagan fixation, are a last-gasp party, living posthumously, fighting battles on sex, race, immigration and public education long ago won by the other side."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/opinion/sunday/dowd-ghastly-outdated-party.html?_r=1

[RKP5637]

1. I often wonder how many republicans think sex makes one go blind or to need glasses. n/t

[crunch60]

7. Or God forbid, grow hair on your hands, like I was told in catholic school.

that of course was the curse brought on by masturbation,

[RKP5637]

14. And destined to spend life as a hairy sasquatch!

[hyphenate]

15. OMG!

So THAT'S why the Search for the Sasquatch reality show is so popular!!!

[RKP5637]

16. LOL!!!

[Mumble]

2. A lot of ghastly outdated institutions just never die

As long as people feed them money they linger on regardless if they serve a purpose or not. They are political, religious, or social in nature, and there seem to be a lot of fools that keep 'em alive.

[Zalatix]

3. UGH, Ghastly Outdated Commentator alert.

She jumped the shark with her "Incredible Shrinking Y" and "Are Men Necessary" bullshit. That shit might be popular on the DU but if a man had written articles like "The Incredible Shrinking X" or books like "Are Women Necessary" the DU would have a backroom fundraiser going for a bounty on his head.

We can certainly find better commentators to represent the Left than someone who questions the biological necessity of her father and half the human species...

[Matariki]

8. Touch a nerve?

[Zalatix]

13. Yes. Would someone saying that women are becoming obsolete touch a nerve with you?

Well, would it? Would you take such a person's opinions on ANYTHING seriously?

Lawrence Summers didn't even go that far.

[DefenseLawyer]

4. The only people left for them are the ultra rich and the authoritarians

The ultra rich will by and large always vote Republican as the entire party works to serve their needs and their agenda. But while their dollars are many, their numbers are few. The rest of the people who remain drawn to the party are authoritarian in mindset. Just has they are drawn to strict orthodox religions which strict rules and hierarchies, they want the same thing in politics. That's why these issues that seem nuts to everyone else make it to the fore among this minority of a minority which is the Republican primary voter. Sure they name themselves "conservative" but they are authoritarian; what they really want is structure and uniformity which emphasizes and elevates their "way of life" and shuns anything or anyone that is different or threatening. While the idea of someone telling most of us when to have children or what language to speak or what books to read is an utterly unacceptable circumstance, to the authoritarian mind it's safe and satisfying.

[blue neen]

5. Interesting analysis.

You stated some excellent points that make a lot of sense.

[applegrove]

6. Yes, well said.

[Major Nikon]

9. The GOP has royally fucked itself

The biggest problem the GOP has is it's a party of white Christian people and they don't even have all the white people or the Christians. In their attempts to retain the white people they do have, they have completely alienated themselves from everyone else. In 30 years, non-whites will outnumber whites. Long before that, the GOP will be nothing but a memory. Certainly they will retain some representatives in some areas, but each election will bring them less and less. Even among whites, they are going to lose voters. In the last 20 years, the number of those who who identify themselves as Christians has risen, but the population has risen much faster. The result is a 10% loss relative to the population. Meanwhile those who identify themselves as having no religion has increased by 7% relative to the population.

So the GOP has a choice. They can stay the same and die a slow death, or they can reinvent themselves in order to try and attract new voters, but if they do that their base falls apart. Either way they lose.

[Ship of Fools]

10. "...long ago won by the other side."

That's the saddest part, imo -- the fact that sex, race, immigration and public education
*policies* had to be fought for in the first place.

I truly hope this era is coming to an end and sanity is restored, but I won't hold my breath!

[KG]

11. the problem seems to me is that vast numbers of americans cling to comforting myths

long after any evidence to support them is gone, evidenced by the fact that the GOP still holds significant power and the dem party's pandering to conservative voters.

[meow2u3]

17. Separation of Republicans and power

Robert B.
New Mexico

What the country desperately needs is the separation of power and Republicans. Preferably for several generations.