Comments on: Iowa: The Republicans Fall Apart

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:22:00 +0000

It would seem then that the crisis of the Republican party is in part due to lack of a central charasmatic (yet sane) figure that could unify them. Worshiping in the Church of Reagan and reciting passages from “The Reagan Diaries” won’t do the trick without a living embodiment of the mythic ideal type conservative (or at least an adequate public visage of him or her). I would not be surprised if there is one waiting in the wings somewhere, but in the meantime it seems that Republicans will try to make due with hating Obama, threatening Iran, and xenophobia. And while Romney is not “the one” I think the fact that, compared to Tea Party standards of conservatism, even Reagan would appear too liberal for their own tastes, they need to wake up to the fact that, in one shape or form, we’re all liberals.

By: Michael Corey

Michael Corey — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:49:00 +0000

Over time, I have learned to respect the opposition. This principle works in all aspects of life. Underestimating the opposition invariably leads to disasters.

Relatively few people watch the early part of the primary season carefully. Many voters simply don’t tune in until after the conventions and the Presidential debates unfold. Even then, few don’t follow the election carefully and are moved to vote based upon impressions and habits rather than thoroughly considering policy issues.

Most likely this will happen again. Late in the process, there are always extrinsic factors that influence voters. We could speculate about what they are, but we would probably be wrong: chances are it will be related to the economy, fiscal or international issues. Just think abut how the last election developed. Many candidates tested the political waters in Iowa. The Democratic candidates included: Barack Obama, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden, Christopher Dodd, Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gavel (and others?). The Republican candidates included: Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Duncan Hunter, Alan Keyes, John Cox (and others?).

Actually, I do think that there are issues at stake and they will be contrasted for most people in the fall. Between now and then, most of what happens will be of interest to a relatively small number of people in my opinion.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:12:00 +0000

It is very dangerous when a group of people unite around and through their hatred of an “other”— in this case Obama and all that they have made him to be (Islamofascist). The hatred is palpable and it is, as you say, the only thing that unites the opposition. I am not sure that the Republicans are going to scatter and fall apart, thus making Obama’s second term (if he gets it and I am not sure he will) any easier. We do see an absence of a candidate worth anything and we see all the fissures, as you say, of the fractured ideology (I think we are watching, over time (decades), the reshaping of conservative identity—- but we don’t see an absence of anti-Obamaism. A lot is up to Obama himself—- I would like to see him court Dr. Paul’s voters (young and angry) and I would like to see him chase until he wins over OWS. Neither one of these groups is on his side (to their own peril) and he needs them and frankly, if he had delivered more in terms of the economy and punishing the banks, he would have them.