Sunday, September 7, 2008

Time for a Civil War in the GOP

Given the recent takeover of the GOP (again) by the wrong values and the silencing of the old John McCain, it's worth reviewing this article from the New York Times in October 2004. An official in both the Reagan and Bush I administrations, Bruce Bartlett said "if Bush wins, there will be a civil war in the Republican Party starting on Nov. 3.".

Clearly it didn't happen, and we've seen how well the last four years have gone. The party is in ruins and it's been handed again to the same people responsible for converting the GOP into an intrusive big government free-for-all, in the process trashing our economy and foreign policy. Moderates, businesspeople, free market Republicans, progressives, rationalists - it's time to think about Bartlett's words. You have another chance.

1 comment:

Squid said...

What do you mean, "it didn't happen"? The GOP lost support in droves, and were relegated to minority status in both houses of Congress. Bush only won in '04 because there was a war going on, and the Dems found a truly odious excuse for a human being to represent their side.

And I'm not sure how easily McCain can be lumped in with the "Compassionate Conservatism" gang. Yes, he supported the war in Iraq, but then, so did three-quarters of Congress. Unlike his colleagues, he didn't yank his support when it became unpopular.

I still hold a major grudge against McCain for the blatant abridgement of our First Amendment rights which bears his (and Feingold's) name. That doesn't mean I want to turn the country over to a Pelosi/Reid/Obama regime that will make the last eight years look like a picnic.

I realize that Palin is driving a lot of people crazy; I'm just sad to count you among them.