talkpolitics | So, Republicans -- What's the Next Step?

There's been some discussion here about the right wing response to the shocking, I tell you, SHOCKING re-election of President Obama and the over-the-top reaction we've been seeing. A lot of it has involved personal idiocies from Freeper vowing everything from cutting off disabled Obama supporting relatives from support (I kid you not) divorcing spouses, spitting on neighbors, moving into bunkers, etc.

And there have been some hints of payback from people actually in a position to hurt either Obama supporters or perceived Obama supporters. The CEO of the same coal company that forced employees to spend a day without pay listening to a Romney speech laid off over a hundred employees on November 9th after publicly reading an unctuous and insulting "prayer," and on Thursday a man claiming to be a business owner in Georgia called C-Span and boasted about cutting employee hours and laying off two people because of the election. “I tried to make sure the people I laid off voted for Obama,” he said.

The fact remains -- Obama won.

Attempts at limiting the franchise and making it hard to vote didn't help Republicans. It just pissed off a lot of voters to the point where they were willing to stand in line for seven hours to vote for a Democrat. Threatening to fire employees if Obama were re-elected didn't help Republicans. It just highlighted the insidious damage Citizens United has done to our political environment. Attacking blacks, women, gays, and hispanics didn't work. It just galvanized a large portion of black, gay, female, hispanic, etc. voters into fighting Republicans.

So my question is, Republicans, what's the next step?

A couple of weeks ago, Frank Rich wrote a piece in Salon about the fact that losing an election does not seem to make the Republicans reassess their extended march to the right. They just double down and march further to the right.

Is that what's going to happen, Republicans? Because I have to tell you, you've been marching to the right for so many years you're on the verge of stepping off one hell of an ideological cliff. Are you going to openly embrace the genteel racism of Charles Murray? Are you going to openly work to limit the vote only to people of a certain income level? Is the aim going to be disenfranchising large portions of the public and telling the rest, "vote for us or we'll fire you?"

Just curious.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm all for letting the Democrats run the country into the ground so I can say that I told you so.

Is that motto for your proposed campaign run? You'll travel far with that.

I think the Republican take on this would be: "You can run the country into the ground, or we can do it for you. Doesn't matter to us one bit."

Hardly. I won't be running until 2024, if we all last that long.

I'm not worried about either possibility. You'd never win elective office anyway.

That's about as vindictive as you can get.

I wish you as much success with this as Mitch McConnell had in making Obama a one-term President.

Your love of country astounds.

Nationalists are fools. Why would I love a country?

I can't really give you a 'why', here. But nonetheless, I do, and I am surprised that you do not.

Furthermore, love of country is not the same as nationalism.

Yeah, it basically is. Nationalism, patriotism, collectivism, etc., all the same thing, to different degrees.

I totally hope that your political opponents find this comment, in particular, when you run for office.

Sure thing. I'm sure I'll repeat it on the campaign trail. Love of country is not required to want to do the best job in helping run it.

(no subject)

dwer.livejournal.com - 2012-11-13 16:08 (UTC) - Expand

I'd believe that of you if you didn't seem to care so much about the election's result.

gunslnger.livejournal.com - 2012-11-13 07:56 (UTC) - Expand

rimpala.livejournal.com - 2012-11-13 17:09 (UTC) - Expand

gunslnger.livejournal.com - 2012-11-14 09:42 (UTC) - Expand

Ironically we agree that nationalists are fools.

Do you understand why this is a stupid statement to be making?

I'm curious why you think it is.

Because you're smugly hoping for the demise of the country just so you can tell us how intelligent/insightful of a seer/prophet you are.

I realize that mere citizens are pretty powerless, and any help offered is pretty pathetic in the grand scheme of things. But given that the reality is that there is an Obama presidency, what you should be doing/saying/offering is help.

I realize you don't like and don't trust Obama. That's fine. But to hope that he fails the country is pretty low. Where's your morality?

The point of having a party system is debate. When a issue is presented one party has one argument and the other has a counter-argument (and in multiple party system multiple positions are taken), and hopefully a compromise results. The problem with the American system is the nearly complete absence of compromise. Or worse, the unwillingness to participate in the debate with the objective of simply shutting down the opponent, The objective isn't for a political stripe to win or loose. It's for the the country to proceed.

While you may be all for running the country into the ground for your "told-you-so" moment of glory to stroke your ego with, it comes across as a pretty selfish position to take.

luzribeiro.livejournal.com - 2012-11-11 11:35 (UTC) - Expand

gunslnger.livejournal.com - 2012-11-13 07:47 (UTC) - Expand

I'm all for letting the Democrats run the country into the ground so I can say that I told you so.

Yes, I believe you are. Fortunately, many do care, so would you like some cheese?

Edited 2012-11-11 15:50 (UTC)

many do care

None that I can see.

Use better eyes.

malasadas.livejournal.com - 2012-11-15 17:54 (UTC) - Expand

I'd be happy in a well-grounded country.

Depends on the kind of ground it is.

In other words, the same way you've been tacitly supporting them for the past 4 years.

No, this is a change from the past 4 years.