Charles Pierce over at Esquire begs the Democratic Party to try and salvage what’s left of the GOP. Looking at the root of the rot, he finds that the Democrats are as culpable in the deterioration of the Republicans as the Republicans are themselves.
As conservatism was developing its powerful infrastructure, the Democratic party was still sucking its thumb over what happened to George McGovern in 1972. While conservative millionaires were pouring money into the construction of the network of institutions on the right, the Democrats were throwing themselves, through the creation of the Democratic Leadership Council, in the general direction of the same money. Nothing arose on the left, or around the Democratic party, that remotely resembled the formidable arsenal of opinion that developed on the right, and of which the Republicans took full advantage, not realizing at the time that all of that success was hollowing out their party’s essential intellect until all that is left today is raw, overwhelming id.
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The Democratic party has an obligation to beat the Republican party so badly, over and over again, that rationality once again becomes a quality to be desired. It must be done by persuading the country of this simple fact. It cannot be done by reasoning with the Republicans, because the next two generations of them are too far gone. The state legislators now passing all manner of crazy laws represent the next generation of national Republican leaders. They are proudly unknowing. They are certain, because it is impossible.
What Mr. Pierce either ignores or forgets is that the Democratic party is politically inept and morally bankrupt. In the rush to chase corporate money they sold their souls and forgot to actually stand FOR anything rather than just stsnding against extremity. They look and act like cowards without any real convictions at all. Their whole platform is based on being the lesser of two evils
I don’t think he does either… He’s very clear that the Democrats behaved in a most callow and unforgivable manner.
This is why I am not a Democrat.
Why should the Democratic Party be responsible for saving the Republican Party? That’s like asking teens to volunteer for one-on-one time with John Wayne Gacy. WTF?
Because… What is the Road Runner without the Coyote? What is Abbot without Costello? Elwood without Jake?
A Yin without a Yang is no longer Yin… The Democrats need the Republicans as much as the Republicans need the Democrats.