Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Monday, August 3, 2015

GOP: " Lost at sea with terrible morale."












Take a walk on the angry side -- the right wing news sites and blogsphere (you'll have to find them yourselves, since I won't link to them here) -- and witness the roiling rage consuming their posts and comments.  Witness their willingness to ride the Trump Clown Jalopy into the ditch of fatuity and despair, their willingness to believe that Trump is the real deal because he has ideas and "tells it like it is."  

When asked in an interview what he would replace Obamacare with should he become president, Trump, like some oracle dispensing authoritative pronouncements and revelations, answered, "Something terrific," and his 24 percenters swooned:  "Now that there's an awesomely specific idea!  SOMETHING TERRIFIC!"

Seriously, that's just one sad example of how earnestly blind to Trump's chicanery his 24 percenters are and of how they ignore his feckless boast to take jobs back from Mexico and China, (countries where he has outsourced the manufacture of his clothing line), and of how he promises to put Americans back to work, while Trump himself has imported thousands of foreign workers who take jobs away from Americans.  

While trying to figure out why Trump holds the 24 percenters in thrall by saying nothing of substance and offering no ideas on foreign or domestic policies, I found this explanation at Booman Tribune: 




"...the right has been enduring a string of brutal defeats which have only been mitigated somewhat by their successes in the last two midterm elections. The Supreme Court just legalized gay marriage in all 50 states, which wasn’t what the right had in mind when they went to polls in droves in 2004 to pass anti-gay marriage initiatives and referendums. 

We just normalized relations with Cuba and are talking about making an historic agreement with Iran. The Confederate Flag just lost its last semblance of official respectability. The Affordable Care Act survived its last serious legal challenge and is here to stay. And they’ve been badly discredited, too. Iraq didn’t go as planned. Gitmo didn’t go as planned. Torturing folks didn’t go as planned. Massive tax cuts and deregulation didn’t go as planned. 

So, when you add all of this up, you have a movement that is completely lost at sea with terrible morale. And their prospects are even dimmer as the younger generations do not share their values or mourn the America that we’re leaving behind. 


That's a whole lot of betrayals and disappointments for the Goopers to deal with.

No wonder they're attracted to someone who, instead of finding solutions to problems, entertains them with empty promises and facile sound-bites.  For them, that's a lot easier than having to deal with the reality Booman Tribune so aptly describes.

It is no wonder that their news sites and blogs are awash in cynicism and anger, blaming their disappointments on everyone but themselves.


17 comments:

Shaw Kenawe said...

Here's a great way to reach out to voters:

Chris Christie vows to punch the national teachers union ‘in the face’ because they ‘deserve’ it


Just the sort of belligerent temperament needed in a world leader: Bullying threats and anger!

Ema Nymton said...

.

Thank you for this introduction to "Booman Tribune." It is a joy to read such an articulate, distinct, and thought provoking writer.

[The GOP is truly, finally, totally fucked up. And it’s the biggest national disaster I’ve ever witnessed.

The only thing I’m confident about is that this will not end well.]
.
.
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Thanks Obama ...

Ema Nymton
~@:o?
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Shaw Kenawe said...

Yes, Ema, just look at the link on Christie and his thoughtful statement on how he would like to deal with the teachers' union. He and Trump and Huckabee and Cruz are the culmination of years of right wingers lying to themselves about where the American people are on social and political issues. They were wrong about marriage equality, health care, the Confederate flag issue, to name a few. They just refuse to see how they've been had by their leaders. No wonder they're so angry.

Jerry Critter said...

Is there a republican who is not angry?

Call Me Hank said...

"Is there a republican who is not angry?"

Better question: "Is there a Republican who isn't crazy?" Huckabee's gonna call in lthe FBI and National Guard to stop a legal medical procedure, Christie's gonna punch the teachers in their faces, Jeb!'s gonna end Medicare and Social Security, Walker's gonna face down ISIS the way he faced down teachers unions, because they're exactly the same thing, Graham kills his phone, and Trump is gonna get the Hispanics to love him after he insults them all!

There isn't a loony bin big enough to hold all these damn fools!

Les Carpenter said...

Was thereca democrat who was not angry from 2000 - 2008 Jerry?

Les Carpenter said...

Actually Shaw there is a very sizable number of Americans who do support the unenlightened agenda items you touched on. Those folks believe as strongly in their values as you, or I, or anyone believes in their values. Of course they gravitate to politicians and lawmakers that share their beliefs.

The politicians they support believe they are serving their constituency. They simply do so disingenuously. Pumping up the volume is in part how they insure their jobs remain secure.

Large minorities are often angry when they feel they are being ignored or made fun of. It can create a very unstable social environment.

Jerry Critter said...

RN,
The dislike and expression of that dislike by the Democrats for Bush's policies was much different than the anger and the expression of that anger at Obama, his person and policies, by the republicans.

KP said...

<< Was therea democrat who was not angry from 2000 - 2008 Jerry? >>

Hello Rational Nation USA!

That's the first thing I thought of as well.

I recall commenters the first eight years of 2000 using ALL CAPS to emphasize their anger and decibels and you could almost see the spittle on the keyboards :-)

They may be back some day. Turn turn turn.

I can't get that fired up. Not only is it not healthy, there are too many other things locally to tend too that I can actually influence.

Les Carpenter said...

Yeah, I recall some off the wall rhetoric as well. But balance is not in high demand these days. From either side of the political aisle. Although at present it does hold the republicans are dominating the screech machinery L.P..

Shaw Kenawe said...

It's true that liberals were angry after the SCOTUS ruled in favor of Bush in the 2000 election, but I don't recall a concerted effort by Congressional Democrats to sabotage President Bush. If anyone has any evidence of such a conspiracy, I like to read about it.

Former Ohio Senator George Voinovich has unequivocally stated that Congressional Republicans vowed to obstruct or sabotage anything newly elected President Obama would initiate, even if it hurt the country.

From Michael Grunwald, TIME, August 2012:

TIME just published “The Party of No,” an article adapted from my new book The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era. It reveals some of my reporting on the Republican plot to obstruct President Obama before he even took office, including secret meetings led by House GOP whip Eric Cantor (in December 2008) and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (in early January 2009) in which they laid out their daring (though cynical and political) no-honeymoon strategy of all-out resistance to a popular President-elect during an economic emergency. “If he was for it,” former Ohio Senator George Voinovich explained, “we had to be against it.”

Les Carpenter said...

That's old news albeit undisputed.

What's more important is, at least in my mind, is for democrats (HRC et all) to lay out their specific plans as how they will improve the fiscal situation and the economy, reduce unemployment, balance domestic and defense expenditures without growing the national debt, and why the democratic party deserves to hold the presidency for another 4 years.

What we hear from republicans is 90% negative and 10% positive and democrats are not far behind. Time to candidates and parties to accentuate the positive while at the same time being honest with the people.

Constant negativity is like a cancer feeding on itself. And that folks is what American politics and the complicit media has devolved into.

Jerry Critter said...

What is important is for ALL CANDIDATES (not just Clinton) "to lay out their specific plans as how they will improve the fiscal situation and the economy, reduce unemployment, balance domestic and defense expenditures without growing the national debt". Let's not just lay that responsibility on the Democrats, RN.

Les Carpenter said...

Where have I just laid responsibility on the democrats? I've almost given up entirely in expecting the truth and a workable ag w nda from republicans. It would be great to hear
something from democrats but other than Bernie Sanders the unabashed socialist it has been pretty quiet.

Jerry Critter said...

RN,
I guess I should have included he first part of your quote:
"What's more important is, at least in my mind, is for democrats (HRC et all) to lay out their specific plans..."

Looks to me like you are laying the responsibility on the Democrats.

Les Carpenter said...

Guess you don't read my views on republican candidates of late on my site or other comments elsewhere.

Oh well. It is what it is and partisanship gets in the way... I can only conclude.

KP said...

Agree, Shaw Kenawe.

Side note, yours is still the best name I have ever seen on a blog or as a commenter!

Brilliant.

You are top shelf.