Reason Magazine: A Republican Party of Emotions, Not Ideas

How will the newfangled GOP make America safe again? By blustering like the last 15 years didn’t happen

Matt Welch|Jul. 19, 2016 2:21 am

"War is not about bathrooms," former Gen. Michael Flynn said near what should have been the end of Opening Night at the 2016 Republican National Convention. "War is about winning."

Forget plagiarism—this confident non-sequitur was a concise and timely reminder that when it comes to ideas, the GOP has gone to shit.

Monday was officially "Make America Safe Again" day at Trump's RNC, so let's recap some of the tautologies, taunts, and threats put forth to accomplish that goal:

* "To defeat Islamic extremist terrorism we must put them on defense. If they are at war against us—which they have declared—we must commit ourselves to unconditional victory against them." – Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.

* "Ever heard of a place called Gitmo? Let's just say that I'm personally acquainted with many of the individuals now experiencing those accommodations. Let me tell you, they need to stay there forever." – Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Montana).

* "There is no adversary the U.S. military cannot defeat if we unbind them from the restrictive, ludicrous rules of engagement they've been forced to fight under for the past seven years." -- Karen Vaughn, mother of a killed Navy Seal.

* &quot Elect) a commander-in-chief who speaks of winning wars and not merely ending wars, calls the enemy by its name, and draws red lines carefully, but enforces them ruthlessly." – Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).

* "The question I hear time and time again is 'Where is America's leadership?' There's a void in the world, a deficit that cannot be filled by others. Our country and the world of which we are a part simply cannot afford four more years of this lack of leadership." – Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).

* "We are in the crosshairs. Our own city streets have become the battleground….Instead of protecting Americans, the Obama administration turned a blind eye to the danger. Let's cut through the suffocating political correctness and call the threat what it really is. The enemy is radical Islam." – Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas).

To translate, in order: 1) Win, 2) Permanently incarcerate without due process, 3) Erase restrictions on killing, 4) Talk tougher and back it up, 5) Lead, and 6) Use different words. These aren't policies, they're authoritarian slogans (with a little editing aspiration thrown in). And in many cases, they were the closest thing to constructive suggestions given through the whole speech.

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http://reason.com/blog/2016/07/19/a-republican-party-of-emotions-not-ideas