In the last week I have seen what I believe to be the beginning of the end for the Republican party as we know it today. First, I want to start with Alan Greenspan's testimony on capitol hill today:
This is striking. Is it possible that the republican party will now acknowledge that the government has a vital oversight role to play when it comes to the economy? I certainly hope so. I really respect what Greenspan did today. It takes a lot of courage to admit that the policies you championed as chairman of the federal reserve created an environment that enabled the largest economic crisis since the great depression.
The second major event I would like to talk about is Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama. It was one of the most thoughtful moments I have seen throughout the course of this two year campaign. In addition to being an endorsement of Barack Obama, it was a rebuking of what the Republican party has become: one that has moved further to the right on domestic and foreign policy, values anti-intellectualism, and seeks to divide us rather than unite us.
Need evidence? Over the past week we heard Sarah Palin talk about the "real" America, and Michelle Bachman call for investigations into the anti-american members of congress (i.e. liberals). Take a look:
So what does this all mean? It's looking increasingly likely that November 4th will be a big win for the Democrats (gains in both houses of congress and the presidency). I believe that we are at a defining moment in our history, and that Barack Obama, like FDR before him, will usher in a new era of progressivism. The good news for the Republican party is that it will have some time to do some serious soul searching. My guess is that the party will become more moderate on social and economic issues, while continuing to advocate for small government and fiscal conservatism when possible. Personally, I'd welcome a return of the party of Barry Goldwater. At least then we could have an honest debate about the direction of the country.
6 comments:
Do you think there's a chance that we could see a shift toward a three party system over the next decade? Like you said, the Republican Party seems to be in a state of disrepair, and Libertarians seem to be gaining supporters on the far right both because of and despite the recent failings of the economy, especially with younger voters. If the Republicans shift to a more centrist position, it would almost certainly disenfranchise a number of voters. It seems that many Democrats have generally become increasingly progressive over the last eight years, which would certainly make room for a moderate party.
I guess the question then would be what would happen to the evangelical religious right? No matter what happens in November and in four years it seems that their status as a major political player has been essentially lost. At least I hope so!
Anyway, it's an interesting hypothetical.
I would love it if a multiparty system emerged. I'm with Nader on this: more voices more choices. It really is insane that two political parties are supposed to speak for 300 million americans. Could you imagine what the debates would have been like if Ralph Nader and Bob Barr were allowed to participate?
I do sense that libertarians are getting some traction. Does anyone know how Bob Barr is polling?
I think a moderate Republican party is a real possibility. Any ideas on current members of Congress that might take the lead on this? I probably would have said John McCain before this election, but he has moved pretty far to the right at this point.
In response to the religious right, I think that Sarah Palin is their gal.
I think there are already some Republican leaders trying to push the party in this direction.
I know some people place Arlen Specter and Schwartzenegger in this camp, but I'm not sure if they're the Colin Powell sort of moderates we're talking about. I think there are several moderate governors in New England. Maybe Rhode Island and Connecticut?
Anyway, if this election is a true landslide, I would bet on seeing a new face of the Republican party come midterm elections.
Also, I think it's interesting that Bob Barr doesn't seem to have been able to capitalize on the enthusiasm a lot of people seemed to have for Ron Paul. I don't know if that relates to his status as a third party candidate or not.
That's a great point about Bob Barr. I don't know why he hasn't been able to capitalize on the Ron Paul phenomenon. My guess is that Ron Paul benefited greatly from participating in the nationally televised debates during the Republican primary. Had Barr been invited to the most recent presidential debates, perhaps he might of gained more traction.
Bob Barr snubbed Ron Paul when he declined to show up to Ron Paul's third-party endorsement party, which Nader, Chuck Baldwin (Constitutionalist Party), and Cynthia Mckinney (Green Party) attended. Barr said he didn't think it would help get him any votes. Seems like kinda like an asshole move on his part.
I think the amount of attention Ron Paul was able to attract was phenomenal, and it really says something about political inclinations of younger voters in the country. I think there's a considerable shift happening and people are doing some deep ideological soul-searching.
The main thing I want to see is the Republican party purge itself of the evangelical component, and especially of all this 'us vs. them' mentality they adhere to.
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