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kpete

(71,994 posts) Tue Dec 31, 2013, 10:31 AM Dec 2013

You Make GW Bush The Face Of Your Party For 8 Yrs & Then Call Your Voters Stupid? - By MATT TAIBBI

On Christmas, Republicans Quietly Declare War on Themselves
By MATT TAIBBI
POSTED: December 30, 11:45 AM ET

..................................

Our No. 1 focus is to make sure, when it comes to the Senate, that we have no loser candidates… That will be our mantra: No fools on our ticket.

....................

If you spend years letting your voters think Saddam Hussein was an agent of al-Qaeda, that passing a national health care program will result in the formation of Stalinist "death panels," or that Barack Obama is secretly a foreigner, you’re going to end up with some loopy candidates prone to saying crazy things that will turn off voting majorities, which in turn will make it hard to the deliver policy objectives you actually care about for your big-money donors.

The Republican establishment is only just figuring this out. Hence this new $50 million initiative, which according to the WSJ will involve the Chamber working with party leaders in“an aggressive effort to groom and support more centrist Republican candidates.”

But this sudden decision by the party’s Washington establishment to reverse course and blame their failures on "fools" out there in the heartland is a joke. If you spend a decade treating your constituents like morons, you can’t point the finger at them when your party gets a reputation for being stupid.

You’re going to make George "Is our children learning?" Bush the face of your party for eight years and then turn around and call your voters stupid? Jesus. No wonder they decided to make the move during Christmas.

Read MORE:: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/on-christmas-republicans-quietly-declare-war-on-themselves-20131230#ixzz2p3xJZERG
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13 replies

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You Make GW Bush The Face Of Your Party For 8 Yrs & Then Call Your Voters Stupid? - By MATT TAIBBI (Original Post) kpete Dec 2013 OP

Republicants long term strategy is to dismantle unemployment to ... MindMover Dec 2013 #1

I hear Republican pundits continually speak about Chris Christie, Ryan, Scott Walker and Ted Cruz to monmouth3 Dec 2013 #2

Christie. MynameisBlarney Dec 2013 #5

Raging assholes burn brightly only briefly. Voice for Peace Dec 2013 #12

With all due respect to Matt ... GeorgeGist Dec 2013 #3

republican are not just stupid, they are dangerous Sheepshank Dec 2013 #4

exactly! BlancheSplanchnik Dec 2013 #8

Kick and Rec - specifically for THIS post. calimary Dec 2013 #11

I'll be watching. oldandhappy Dec 2013 #6

Not 'letting'- Encouraging n2doc Dec 2013 #7

That was my thought exactly. How many times did we see that. sybylla Jan 2014 #13

K & R always for Matt Taibbi, one of the best! mountain grammy Dec 2013 #9

Taibbi. Yes. KNR. DirkGently Dec 2013 #10

MindMover

(5,016 posts)

1. Republicants long term strategy is to dismantle unemployment to ...

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Tue Dec 31, 2013, 10:44 AM

Dec 2013

tank the economy to blame it on the Democrats ...

If you think that is not a war on themselves then you are smokin some really weird weed ....

monmouth3

(3,871 posts)

2. I hear Republican pundits continually speak about Chris Christie, Ryan, Scott Walker and Ted Cruz to

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Tue Dec 31, 2013, 10:59 AM

Dec 2013

mention a few. Who among them is not a fool? If that is their bench they really have problems. Scott Walker???? Really???

MynameisBlarney

(2,979 posts)

5. Christie.

Reply to monmouth3 (Reply #2)

Tue Dec 31, 2013, 12:41 PM

Dec 2013

He's no fool. He's just a raging asshole.

Voice for Peace

(13,141 posts)

12. Raging assholes burn brightly only briefly.

Reply to MynameisBlarney (Reply #5)

Tue Dec 31, 2013, 02:05 PM

Dec 2013

GeorgeGist

(25,321 posts)

3. With all due respect to Matt ...

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Tue Dec 31, 2013, 11:45 AM

Dec 2013

the fools won't notice.

Sheepshank

(12,504 posts)

4. republican are not just stupid, they are dangerous

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Tue Dec 31, 2013, 12:35 PM

Dec 2013

Last edited Tue Dec 31, 2013, 01:36 PM - Edit history (1)

Words have meaning and words have consequences. I saw a huge ramping up of the "stupid" under Tea party activism during 2004 elections...the darling of that being Palin, the person who preached hate, and personal victimization (remember the Blood Libel era?). Words carry meaning, they have consequences. Palin's words and those of her cronies, foster an atmosphere that is dehumanizing and makes it easier for the extremists to justify uncivilized action. You can't talk like that when you are a public figure and not expect some dimwit to act out. This is the face of the New Republican Party. Perhpas stupid, but moreso dangerous because of their willingness to buy into the hate rhetoric.

Sarah Palin blamed by the US Secret Service over death threats against Barack Obama
Sarah Palin's attacks on Barack Obama's patriotism provoked a spike in death threats against the future president, Secret Service agents revealed during the final weeks of the campaign.

The Republican vice presidential candidate attracted criticism for accusing Mr Obama of "palling around with terrorists", citing his association with the sixties radical William Ayers. The attacks provoked a near lynch mob atmosphere at her rallies, with supporters yelling "terrorist" and "kill him" until the McCain campaign ordered her to tone down the rhetoric.

But it has now emerged that her demagogic tone may have unintentionally encouraged white supremacists to go even further.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/sarah-palin/3405336/Sarah-Palin-blamed-by-the-US-Secret-Service-for-death-threats-against-Barack-Obama.html?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d2a2a998935ffeb,0

BlancheSplanchnik

(20,219 posts)

8. exactly!

Reply to Sheepshank (Reply #4)

Tue Dec 31, 2013, 01:17 PM

Dec 2013

And it's not just palin, or the other fools they run to rile up the populace. They own enough media to make it clear--hate and stupidity are party platforms.

calimary

(81,268 posts)

11. Kick and Rec - specifically for THIS post.

Reply to Sheepshank (Reply #4)

Tue Dec 31, 2013, 01:38 PM

Dec 2013

CONSTANT VIGILANCE, folks!

oldandhappy

(6,719 posts)

6. I'll be watching.

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Tue Dec 31, 2013, 12:54 PM

Dec 2013

Hard to reverse course when you have spent ever so many Koch millions promoting the stupid.

Candidates have to be working now if they want to run Nov. 2014.

The Christian Right meets on Christmas??!! Love it!! Family values.

n2doc

(47,953 posts)

7. Not 'letting'- Encouraging

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Tue Dec 31, 2013, 01:01 PM

Dec 2013

To wit:

If you spend years Encouraging your voters to think that Saddam Hussein was an agent of al-Qaeda, that passing a national health care program will result in the formation of Stalinist "death panels," and that Barack Obama is secretly a foreigner, you’re going to end up with some loopy candidates prone to saying crazy things that will turn off voting majorities, which in turn will make it hard to the deliver policy objectives you actually care about for your big-money donors.

It didn't happen by accident.