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babylonsister

(171,079 posts)
Thu Sep 26, 2013, 08:24 AM Sep 2013

“Most Americans Are Simply Ignoring Republicans — and They Should”

Former GOP Senator Bashes Party: “Most Americans Are Simply Ignoring Republicans — and They Should”
September 25, 2013 By Allen Clifton


In a Monday morning op-ed published on TheHill.com, a former Republican senator had some harsh words for his own party based on the current wave of radicalism that seems to be taking over the GOP.

Judd Gregg, who’s a former senator from New Hampshire, had a detailed and very critical assessment targeted at his party and how they’ve let the fringe radicals take over the “mainstream” message of the GOP.

Gregg wrote:

“Most Americans these days are simply ignoring Republicans. And they should. The self-promotional babble of a few has become the mainstream of Republican political thought. It has marginalized the influence of the party to an appalling degree.”


But he didn’t stop with just that. He went into great detail when attacking the utter stupidity of any politician who thinks the vote to increase our debt ceiling should be used as some kind of political leverage:

“An approach to the debt ceiling that says one will not vote for its extension unless ObamaCare is defunded is the political equivalent of playing Russian roulette with all the chambers of the gun loaded. It is the ultimate no-win strategy.

You cannot in politics take a hostage you cannot shoot. That is what the debt ceiling is. At some point, the debt ceiling will have to be increased not because it is a good idea but because it is the only idea.

Defaulting on the nation’s obligations, which is the alternative to not increasing the debt ceiling, is not an option either substantively or politically.

A default would lead to some level of chaos in the debt markets, which would lead to a significant contraction in economic activity, which would lead to job losses, which would lead to higher spending by the federal government and lower tax revenues, which would lead to more debt.”


And everything he said is absolutely true. This Republican strategy makes absolutely no sense. How anyone takes these people seriously baffles me every single day. There’s a difference between an ideological difference on issues such as abortion or spending, and taking care of fiscal obligations. When you’re operating on some kind of “reality” that simply does not exist, as people like Senator Ted Cruz and other fringe radicals have been, how am I not supposed to consider you insane?

more...

http://www.forwardprogressives.com/former-gop-senator-bashes-party-most-americans-are-simply-ignoring-republicans-and-they-should/
23 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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“Most Americans Are Simply Ignoring Republicans — and They Should” (Original Post) babylonsister Sep 2013 OP
"The self-promotional babble of a few has become the mainstream of Republican political thought." FSogol Sep 2013 #1
Does it matter? D has morphed into R of old. n/t PowerToThePeople Sep 2013 #2
Nature abhors a vacuum. HereSince1628 Sep 2013 #3
Tell me about it.. pangaia Sep 2013 #5
. wyldwolf Sep 2013 #8
I preffer to be realistic. PowerToThePeople Sep 2013 #9
Realistic, perhaps, but not totally honest wyldwolf Sep 2013 #11
I like him PowerToThePeople Sep 2013 #12
I think the term "Republican Lite" has outlived it's meaning and usefulness wyldwolf Sep 2013 #13
May not be the correct term PowerToThePeople Sep 2013 #15
you're point is with economic issues. On Social issues, Dems today are much more liberal wyldwolf Sep 2013 #19
" I do not see moving right as bettering" Amen !!! L0oniX Sep 2013 #20
This really impressed me Democracyinkind Sep 2013 #4
The Kabuki Theatre is losing Nielsen ratings..... Junkdrawer Sep 2013 #6
Ignoring Republicans is Very Dangerous. They pass trans-vag probe laws and cut food stamps. nt Bernardo de La Paz Sep 2013 #7
^^ this x 1000 ^^ Myrina Sep 2013 #14
We should help them remember the Obamacare defunding votes. MineralMan Sep 2013 #10
They want to crash the economy so as to win elections in the future. riqster Sep 2013 #16
unfortunately, too many are still voting for them. KG Sep 2013 #17
most do ignore republicans.RW will continue to place in the laws that benefit them & harm Americans Sunlei Sep 2013 #18
A republican that speaks the truth ...one in a million. L0oniX Sep 2013 #21
Normal people don't care The Wizard Sep 2013 #22
K & R Scurrilous Sep 2013 #23

HereSince1628

(36,063 posts)
3. Nature abhors a vacuum.
Thu Sep 26, 2013, 08:45 AM
Sep 2013

But, seriously, the tea-party is very relevant at the state level, where they swing wrecking balls against civil society.

pangaia

(24,324 posts)
5. Tell me about it..
Thu Sep 26, 2013, 09:13 AM
Sep 2013

Republicans are definitely NOT to be ignored, are they.
They must be 'beaten with a stick' until they are no longer able to stand..

 

PowerToThePeople

(9,610 posts)
9. I preffer to be realistic.
Thu Sep 26, 2013, 09:50 AM
Sep 2013

More like this.



edit - but an obvious response form someone sporting the avatar that you have going.

wyldwolf

(43,868 posts)
11. Realistic, perhaps, but not totally honest
Thu Sep 26, 2013, 09:54 AM
Sep 2013

Comparing any party to it's former self of years past is highly subjective.

(chose to ignore snipe at my avatar.)

 

PowerToThePeople

(9,610 posts)
12. I like him
Thu Sep 26, 2013, 10:02 AM
Sep 2013

I was very pleased with his speech at the convention last year. I was young when Lewinsky deal came out. It was the first major strike against repubs that I experienced first hand. I fully supported him against their cries for impeachment. I truly like him in many ways. The decade of the 90s was the best overall time period I have lived through.

But, he did continue many of the policies of regunomics. Policies that continue to haunt us and harm the people of this country today. He was Republican lite as many D's are Republican lite today.

wyldwolf

(43,868 posts)
13. I think the term "Republican Lite" has outlived it's meaning and usefulness
Thu Sep 26, 2013, 10:13 AM
Sep 2013

... anyone who agrees with Republicans on any issue. Dennis Kucinich, for example, started his political career anti-choice. He only changed it for political expediency when he took the national stage. Howard Dean was a well-know gun rights proponent while a governor. Republican Lite?

FDR sold out civil rights activists to appease southern segregationists and put Japanese-Americans in concentration camps. Republican Lite?

In fact, FDR was viciously attacked by the left in much the same way Clinton and Obama have been.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/08/11/891631/-UPDATED-Liberal-Criticism-of-Franklin-Roosevelt-and-The-New-Deal#

Gay rights, gun control, and especially abortion rights would have been completely off the table to Dems of the 40s/50s/ and even the 60s.

Dems of old? FAR more likely to increase military spending. In fact, Reagan's military zeal came from the Truman-Kennedy era.

In many ways, Dems today - including Clinton - are far more liberal than their counterparts in decades past.

 

PowerToThePeople

(9,610 posts)
15. May not be the correct term
Thu Sep 26, 2013, 10:23 AM
Sep 2013

Generic terms seldom are.

Regun Democrat? I do not know.

We could come up with more specific terms to call to task the "non-left" Democratic views.

Free-trade Democrat (Regun Democrat)
Gun-totin' Democrat
Drone-strike Democrat (Kissinger Democrat)
Man on Dog Democrat
Union busting Democrat (works closely with free-trade democrat)
Dark People scare me Democrat
If you have nothing to fear, you have nothing to hide Democrat (NSA Democrat)
MIC Democrat
(Insert your own here)

I don't know, just thoughts. We all have flaws. It would be impossible to find that "perfect Democrat" looking back in time. We can work towards the goal of bettering ourselves though. I do not see moving right as bettering ourselves.

Democracyinkind

(4,015 posts)
4. This really impressed me
Thu Sep 26, 2013, 09:07 AM
Sep 2013

"You cannot in politics take a hostage you cannot shoot. That is what the debt ceiling is. At some point, the debt ceiling will have to be increased not because it is a good idea but because it is the only idea."

Word!

MineralMan

(146,324 posts)
10. We should help them remember the Obamacare defunding votes.
Thu Sep 26, 2013, 09:52 AM
Sep 2013

Frequently, and starting now. This can be a winning strategy in many Congressional districts around the country. It should be a campaign constant.

riqster

(13,986 posts)
16. They want to crash the economy so as to win elections in the future.
Thu Sep 26, 2013, 10:31 AM
Sep 2013

They hope to blame Dems for not fixing the economy (and of course, it's really the fault of obstructionist Reeps).

Don't laugh, they've done it before. And won.

Sunlei

(22,651 posts)
18. most do ignore republicans.RW will continue to place in the laws that benefit them & harm Americans
Thu Sep 26, 2013, 10:34 AM
Sep 2013

We can't even get rid of the worse of them. Once they're elected they are in for life.

The Wizard

(12,546 posts)
22. Normal people don't care
Thu Sep 26, 2013, 11:30 AM
Sep 2013

what Republicans have to say unless it's under oath, and even then, no one believes them.

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