Friday, September 01, 2006

What we deserve

It's Hannity's favorite phrase of late, "just consider the alternative, Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House, Reid as Majority Leader". Such a weak defense of today's crop of Republicans is pure embarrassing. If neither party can put competent people on the ballot maybe it's time for more Independents.

Just this week democrat strategist James Carville made the following observation:
``We have to go back to 1974 (during Watergate) to find such a favorable environment,'' says James Carville, who ran Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. ``If we can't win in this environment, we have to question the whole premise of the party.''
Fact is, their victory is by no means a lock or he wouldn't have said it. Deep down he knows their current leadership is a collosal joke and even deeper down knows that Hannity's warning has some merit. The thought of those buffoons in positions of leadership should scare the pants off any rational intelligent citizen.

But actually Mr. Carville has it backwards. The Republicans really must question the premise of THEIR party if they lose. After all, the "pocket book issues" are pretty good--we have a decent economy and people are paying less in taxes. The only way they should lose in such a climate is by a base so angry about immigration, Social Security reform, and lack of progress in Iraq that they just stay on the couch.

Santorum seems to get it, just look how close his race has become after he began talking about immigration. Thing is, even if they win it might be their last chance. Talk is cheap, and many conservatives are loathe to see their elected officials become real-life "party of the rich and powerful" stereotypes such as Duke Cunningham or Tom Delay or others who see no problem with gas companies and military contractors carting off wheel barrows full of cash in a time of war.

If enough get the impression they're being used they might take a permanent liking to that couch. Undoubtedly that would usher in a new wave of social liberalism the likes of which have never been seen in America. Unless we get some decent Independents on the ballot, that is.

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