The diminishing Republican brand.

First this week we have new polls that show that Republicans are losing the argument for renewing taxcuts for the rich.

www.huffingtonpost.com...

And they're losing the argument for slashing spending on entitlements.

ap-gfkpoll.com...

On top of that, we've seen Republicans thumbing their noses at Grover Norquist and his silly pledge:

www.cbsnews.com...
www.bloomberg.com...

Which is causing infighting between the lunatic fringe that have been running the party for the last two years and the more practical wing of actual lawmakers...

That's be funny enough, but on top of all of that...

www.nytimes.com...

Rick Santorum, he of the sweaters and push ups, recently managed to force the US to NOT sign a UN treaty, which was supported by such liberals as Bob Dole.

The rejected treaty, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, is based on the Americans with Disabilities Act, the landmark law Dole co-sponsored. So, as Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts kept pointing out during the debate, this is a treaty to make the rest of the world behave more like the United States. But Santorum was upset about a section on children with disabilities that said: “The best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.”

“This is a direct assault on us and our family!” he said at a press conference in Washington.

The theory about the treaty on the disabled is that the bit about “best interests of the child” could be translated into laws prohibiting disabled children from being home-schooled. At his press conference, Santorum acknowledged that wasn’t in the cards. But he theorized that someone might use the treaty in a lawsuit “and through the court system begin to deny parents the right to raise their children in conformity with what they believe.”

If I felt you were actually going to worry about this, I would tell you that the Senate committee that approved the treaty included language specifically forbidding its use in court suits.

In the Capitol this week, disabled Americans lobbied for ratification, arguing, among other things, that it could make life easier for them when they travel. Since more than 125 countries have already signed onto the treaty, there will certainly be pressure to improve accessibility to buses, restrooms and public buildings around the globe. It would be nice if the United States was at the table, trying to make sure the international standards were compatible with the ones our disabled citizens learn to handle here at home.

But, no, the senators were worried about the home-school movement. Or a boilerplate mention in the treaty of economic, social and cultural rights that Senator Mike Lee of Utah claimed was “part of a march toward socialism.”

The GOP is making itself more irrelevant every day.

They have NOT learned any lessons from there huge loss in 2012 and the fringe is instead doubling-down on the crazy.

In four years time, when the GOP loses another Presidential election, look back at this Santorum nonsense and remember that it's the party, and it's fringe supporters, that are destroying it. This is suicide...

I agree that the GOP is becoming irrelevant but not for any reasons stated above. Romney offered jobs to a country that doesn't want to work. It's clear a majority in this country now want to vote themselves money from the treasury.

The supporters of the republicans are the last people whom want to see entitlements slashed. All those big chains who make money paying a minimum wage that has been stagnant for years can get away with paying such a low minimum wage and have customers with disposable incomes because foodstamps and co. help subsidy the low wages they pay and help free up disposable income that would be spent in other ways if those persons about 40 million or so, would not get foodstamps and other forms of aid.

In essence because the largest taxpayer in the country is the dwindeling middle class, foodstamps and other programs go towards the profits of Burger King Walmart Target etc. and by extension their ceos (bonus stock options) and of course the stockholders in form of subsidized wages and subsidized disposable mostly payed by the middle class.

Therefore Foodstamps and other entitlement programs are an assault by the 1% on the middle class whom take their money by funneling it through the poor, which they pocket in form of low wages and in the form of the disposable income the poor spend in their establishments because they can due to all those entitlement programs. That is the case because people above a certain income bracket can avoid paying their fair share of taxes through various means.

reply to post by jjkenobi


Oh keep it up, I'm sure American's love being told how lazy and worthless they are. They will just line up to vote for that.

Most people I know who voted for Obama are actually doing very well, they work and they are not on government assistance. Then again, I live in Tennessee, this is deep red country. Keep up the insulting behavior, I'm sure people will come running to vote for that.

I didn't even vote for Obama and that crap just disgusts me.

Originally posted by jjkenobi
I agree that the GOP is becoming irrelevant but not for any reasons stated above. Romney offered jobs to a country that doesn't want to work. It's clear a majority in this country now want to vote themselves money from the treasury.

This sort of nonsense is why the GOP will continue to fail and flail. Please, and I mean this seriously, spread this insane message of hate and intolerance far and wide.

War and rape.
GOP did it to themselves.
Good riddance.

reply to post by longlostbrother


Bingo, of course I think we should support all of our republican brothers on their trip into obscurity. Especially by reinforcing the idea they are losing because they aren't conservative enough, wink, wink.

reply to post by jjkenobi


Romney offered jobs? What jobs did he offer? I never heard him say the same thing twice.

A big crusher for the Republicans are their social positions. They exclaim that they are for small Gov and liberty but then they want to create life controlling legislation...you have to hire "gov workers" to enforce the laws...that is NOT small Gov. Hypocrisy never sells well.

The "people" also feel that "trickle down" economics failed and will continue to fail. The general attitude is "we gave the wealthy a tax cut to create jobs and they kept the money and didn't create jobs". So...this is why we are going over the "fiscal hoax"...erm...I mean the fiscal cliff.


I'm Libertarian so...on some fiscal issues like a balanced budget, I can agree with them. I think we tax too much and waste too much and spend way-way too much...but that is my position and I realize many people do not agree with me. I am for big freedom where everyone has the freedom to make money doing whatever they can do...and I do not care what that is as long as it works for them...go for it.

reply to post by Jeremiah65


I think the Social issues are the Achilles heels of the GOP. I know plenty of people who would have voted for Romney based solely on economic issues but couldn't bring themselves to do it because of the GOP Social platform.

Originally posted by soundguy
reply to post by longlostbrother

 

Bingo, of course I think we should support all of our republican brothers on their trip into obscurity. Especially by reinforcing the idea they are losing because they aren't conservative enough, wink, wink.

[touches nose and winks]

Originally posted by 0zzymand0s
reply to post by jjkenobi

 

Romney offered jobs? What jobs did he offer? I never heard him say the same thing twice.

I think he was referring to Romney's position on September 7th, between 2 -4:30pm... maybe you were at the Dentist or something and missed it.

Originally posted by Jeremiah65
A big crusher for the Republicans are their social positions. They exclaim that they are for small Gov and liberty but then they want to create life controlling legislation...you have to hire "gov workers" to enforce the laws...that is NOT small Gov. Hypocrisy never sells well.

The "people" also feel that "trickle down" economics failed and will continue to fail. The general attitude is "we gave the wealthy a tax cut to create jobs and they kept the money and didn't create jobs". So...this is why we are going over the "fiscal hoax"...erm...I mean the fiscal cliff.


I'm Libertarian so...on some fiscal issues like a balanced budget, I can agree with them. I think we tax too much and waste too much and spend way-way too much...but that is my position and I realize many people do not agree with me. I am for big freedom where everyone has the freedom to make money doing whatever they can do...and I do not care what that is as long as it works for them...go for it.

The GOP has never been serious about balancing any budgets, etc.; they are simply selling a brand, which they themselves don't believe in... hypocrisy...

and hey, you should fix your quote in your signature, as it's wrong... and gives the wrong impression...

the real quote is:

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

The key words being essential and temporary...

Franklin wasn't insane enough to be some Libertarian ideologue, but instead was a passionate pragmatist,,,

In fact, he believed things like this:

"the good particular men may do separately, in relieving the sick, is small, compared with what they may do collectively."

Which is a great argument for Universal Healthcare....

reply to post by longlostbrother


Yeah, I realize it's not an exact quote...I paraphrased it from memory when I put it in the signature and never corrected it...It's actually time for a new signature anyway...lol...I changed the avatar the other day and haven't changed the sig's...

I got a new one in mind...

I think that they have more young blood than the Democrats with Ryan, Rubio, Walker, and also George Prescott Bush. Plus Christie.

But more importantly, the Republican party is one side of a duopoly. They have their own media. They have big money.

Plus there is no real competition. The Green Party and the Libertarian Party are nothing.

I see the Republican Party and the Democrat party as the same party and it doesnt seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Its a regime. A regime funneling desired outcomes.

Originally posted by jjkenobi
I agree that the GOP is becoming irrelevant but not for any reasons stated above. Romney offered jobs to a country that doesn't want to work. It's clear a majority in this country now want to vote themselves money from the treasury.

That is not true I am sure if the people in India and China could have voted they would have loved to have those jobs Romney was offering them. If only he had a plan on how to get some here in the US he might have got some votes here as well.

Originally posted by longlostbrother

They have NOT learned any lessons from there huge loss in 2012 and the fringe is instead doubling-down on the crazy.

I think perhaps you missed the lesson.

Their is no POLITICS in DC, just Business. Both sides wipe their @rses with political ideals and do what is best for the lobbyist.

The Democrat versus the Republican thing is to keep you distracted from the real issues and keep you busy arguing among yourself while they rob you blind.

Originally posted by interupt42

Originally posted by longlostbrother

They have NOT learned any lessons from there huge loss in 2012 and the fringe is instead doubling-down on the crazy.

I think perhaps you missed the lesson.

Their is no POLITICS in DC, just Business. Both sides wipe their @rses with political ideals and do what is best for the lobbyist.

The Democrat versus the Republican thing is to keep you distracted from the real issues and keep you busy arguing among yourself while they rob you blind.

Hardly.

That's just a massive cop out.

There's very real differences between the parties.

Of course the system itself is broken to a large degree, but that's not equivalent to your vote being meaningless, politics being destroyed, etc.

All partisanship aside...the fact is that the GOP as we knew them are done.

As the economy crashed, the middle of political spectrum swung right and the right swung to the far right.

Fear, Xenophobia ..."Sharia Law!!"..."Black Agenda"..."Born in Kenya"..."Terrorist hell bent on destroying America" !!! Emotion rules in times of severe economic stress...the lizard brain, fight or flee kicks in...and the rational thought centers take a back seat.

If the GOP in DC had held the center line during the crazy time, they'd be fine...but capitalizing on the chaos was too tempting and they swung far right to meet their angry/scared base.

By the time the GOP Presidential Nomination debates arrived the country was already recovering...and the center of the political spectrum had returned to sanity...but the Nominees were still pandering to the far right base. The middle, plus left...even the moderate right watched the debates with a "WTF is going on" type of amazement...nominees competing over who didn't like immigrants more...audiences cheering letting folks die...it was a competition about who was more far right....while the country had shifted to the center again.

Romney couldn't run back to the middle fast enough. It gave Americans whiplash. Now the GOP as a whole is trying to map a route back to the center and thier far-right base is not happy about it.

The GOP has to return to center or further losses are on the way.

Ponder this...in the past 6 Presidential elections (the past 20 years)...the GOP has only won the popular vote once in 2000..... In 2004 Pres. GWB lost the popular vote by 2 Million, but won the electoral college.

That is a problem.

So in 6 elections/20 years...the GOP won once in 2000...How did Pres. GWB win in 2000? By campaigning on "Compassionate Conservatism"...remember that strange phrase? It was the idea that conservatism did not mean darwinism or Ayn Rand. That conservativism could be inclusive and care for all the people. Now whether Pres. GWB governed that way could be debated, but that is how he won the popular vote in 2000...the only time in the past 20 years.

The GOP will return to center and then some, and I don't think they can do it fast enough. That or they will become obsolete, but I seriously doubt that will happen.

Originally posted by longlostbrother

Originally posted by interupt42

Originally posted by longlostbrother

They have NOT learned any lessons from there huge loss in 2012 and the fringe is instead doubling-down on the crazy.

I think perhaps you missed the lesson.

Their is no POLITICS in DC, just Business. Both sides wipe their @rses with political ideals and do what is best for the lobbyist.

The Democrat versus the Republican thing is to keep you distracted from the real issues and keep you busy arguing among yourself while they rob you blind.

Hardly.

That's just a massive cop out.

There's very real differences between the parties.

Of course the system itself is broken to a large degree, but that's not equivalent to your vote being meaningless, politics being destroyed, etc.

Yeah the system is broken. Its broken because politicians ears are listening to the lobbyist and not the people.

The only difference between the parties is rhetoric. Yes they have different and very real differences in ideals.

However, are you suggesting that a politician would not sway from his ideals no matter what how much money is being thrown at him.

Are you suggesting that Lobbyist are dumb and that their billions spent on year after year in campaign contributions and lobbying efforts are worthless and they get no monetary returns?

Are you suggesting that lobbyist are spending billions in lobbying efforts because of the good of their heart and they strongly believe in their political ideals versus getting a return on their investment?

Are you suggesting that political ideals wins over money in Washington?

Are you suggesting that even though a lobbyist can legally pur$ued both sides they wouldn't because they would prefer to stick to their ideals over money?

Are you suggesting that Lobbyist are dumb and they aren't aware that if they control both the DNC and GOP that would in essence control who gets elected. Or they realize it but they don't do it because it would be morally unethical eventhough its legal for them to do it.

Because in order for their to be an actual difference in action between the parties those fairytale things would have to happen.

Sorry to burst your bubble , but its just business in Washington and ideals have no chance against the billions being thrown around. Your party is not immune from it.