Is this the right time for a Left-Right rebel alliance?

Interesting suggestion from an anti-Bush rightie...

Sounds like a rat trying to salvage what's left of his sinking ship. I'd sooner let him drown.

The Libertarian branch of the right is almost as pissed off at Bush as we are.

I still feel that no matter what they say on the outside, this is just pandering to try to keep some modicum in power. At least with Republicans in power, their side of the political spectrum was being represented. That's going to be pissed away real fast with Democrats taking over soon, and so they're trying to take whatever they can get by extending a dirty olive branch towards us. None of these issues are truly new since the 2004 election. If they really felt that bad about Bush, they'd have jumped ship then and changed the outcome.

Asm probably do you. And quite likely, as do they.

Dirty olive branch ... I like that. It says it all.

What I meant to say was that none of what has gone on has exactly strayed from the GOP platform in 2004. They're doing everything pretty much exactly the way they said they would. The only thing that's different now is that the scandals have come more into the light, but Iraq, the energy problem, you name it - they're fulfilling their campaign promises.

Wave goodbye as they sink along with their emperor.

During the 2000 election, the third/fourth-party candidates Nader and Buchanan had very similar positions on trade, immigration and the media. I call it the wrap-around effect - the far left and far right end up in the same positions (Stalin-Hitler.)

comparing it to Stalin-Hitler? Get a grip, I have voted Green before--what is wrong for civic responsibility and taking care of the people in your country. What's wrong with regulating corporations and rescinding NAFTA-GATT? What's wrong with promoting a livable wage and fighting for labor and safety standards? What's wrong with fighting for clean air, water and food? What's wrong with believing in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights? Stalin and Hitler, I DON'T THINK SO!!!!!! Believe it or not, there are people on the right who still, actually believe in the Constitution and Bill of Rights--there are some people on the right who believe in protecting the environment for their children and love breathing clean air, eating safe food and drinking clean water. And, there are some people on the right who believe in true fiscal responsibility!!!!!

really hate *ss then they will vote against him and his idiots. They do not need an alliance to do that.

Can only be entered into with a fixed resolve to betray and destroy the temporary ally at the earliest favorable opportunity: it must be inherently unstable. It is a business only for the most cold-blooded and ruthless of characters.

An alliance with the John Birch Society is, on its face, laughable.

Or is it, really?

As robcon so eloquently termed it upthread, its the 'wrap-around' effect. There are, in fact, areas of common ground between us and them. As but one exaple, we agree with them on the notion of fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets and deficit reduction/elimination. We probably **disagree** with them on how to accomplish that. But these people, as I understand what I read in the OP, are not part of the cabal now in power. Their views are similar, to be sure, but their underlying philosphy is quite different.

A temporary 'partnership' with the sole goal of getting the cabal out of power might not be such a bad thing. We wouldn't need to adopt one bit of their message as ours or support one thing they want to accomplish, nor they for ours, except to rid the country of the ones now in power. And that would involve supporting candidates that clearly opppose bushco/cabal candidates. And that would be our guys.

Once accomplished we would both go our separate ways.

Here's why I would not oppose such a temporary partnership. While these people may well hold the antithesis of our views, they are, at least, intellectually honest - unlike the band of amoral assholes now in power. You can at least deal with them straight up.

They would enter into the thing with exactly the same attitude described above. Things like this are very dicey all around. It may well be a useful course, at least in short term, but it cannot be entered into except with wide open eyes and a deep understanding that a common enemy is the sole tie. Defeat of the common enemy will simply signal a new round of hostilities between the former partners. An example on titanic scale is the alliance of the capitalist powers with Stalin, and its quick succession upon victory over the common foe by the Cold War.

As stated in my next to last paragraph: "Once accomplished we would both go our separate ways." Implicit in 'separate ways' is a struggle for power between them and us.

"While these people may well hold the antithesis of our views, they are, at least, intellectually honest - unlike the band of amoral assholes now in power. You can at least deal with them straight up."

And that's the 'straight up' truth - I can disagree with someone on damn near everything but can respect them if there positions are honestly held. As much as it can be annoying sometimes, disagreements, even strong ones, are part of the price of living in a democracy. Of course, it's easy for me to be an optimist - in the greater scheme of things, the country, inexorably, is getting more liberal. Compare the social climate/culture of 150 years ago to today's.

Better a loud and spluttering face-off with an honest Bircher than a "deal" (or anything resembling cooperation) with a neo-con or DLC-type or any other corporatist. They'll turn on you as soon as they find another position that is more profitable.

would be imprudent--however, there are moderate Republicans being left on the side of the road. I worked in Phoenix when I was much younger and my boss took me to this book store (he knew I loved to go to book stores and museums at lunch hour). Well, I picked up one book, thought it was full of BS--picked up another book, it was like the previous book. Then, he laughed and told me we were at a John Birch book store. I was totally clueless.

in his memoirs that poor southern whites were really no better off than the blacks they claimed to despise so much -- both were under the thumb of the southern white aristocracy, which ignored and exploited them both. In other words, they had more in common than they realized. Could it be that working class "righties" and working class "lefties" are in the same position? Neither side seems to be particularly happy with the Bush regime.

But hell, no! to alliances with the racist, xenophobe bastards.

Before we know it, they'll be pushing Murdockian Dems on us to defeat the cretins in the Administration--no thanks.

Stay the hell away, creeps! YUCK.