therelevantrhino

So here we are, 24 days until the election, and the Republican party is suffering from multiple personality disorder. In the last three weeks, the party of Gingrich has brought about Mary Shelly syndrome. Only this time, it’s Frankensteins, plural.

First, we had the massive economic implosion, and while blame can be lain at both parties, the brunt of the blame falls on the narrow, girlish shoulders of McCain’s best pal Phil Gramm, and the even more narrow, girlish shoulders of Dubya. We saw Camp McCoward switch stances more often the the Blue Man Group on meth. Then there was the fake suspension of his campaign, follwed by the “will he/won’t he” fake drama of the first debate.

Then Mooselini proved to the world that she can only answer questions if they have been crammed into that giant hairdo by Steve Schmidt, but she’s really good at inciting hate, death threats, and near violence among the dwindling wingnut base. And reading stuff off a teleprompter if it’s phonetically spelled out for her. Now she’s guilty of abuse of power in the firing of Walt Monegan for personal reasons.

So where does this leave the Republican Party? Split between two factions(with in-fighting in them as well), if my conversations with Repubs that aren’t virulent bloggers have any basis in reality.

1) Traditional Conservatives: The people that became Republicans because they believe in small government, fiscal responsibility, personal freedoms, and the idea that individual merits should be rewarded. These people have been ostracized by George W. Bush’s Republican Party. They have nothing in common with them anymore, least of all the belief in small government and a right to privacy. They have more in common with the brand of Libertarianism advocated by current Presidential candidate Bob Barr.

2)  Rove Republicans: The new base. The wingnuts. The Limbaugh, Hannity, Hagee crowd who believe, actually believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim, that Sarah Palin is perfect, and anyone who doesn’t vote Republican supports the terrorists. The anti-intellectual crowd that thinks an above 100 IQ is a terrible thing for anyone, ’specialy fer the Preznint. The people for whom GOP means Gaga Over Palin. The ones shouting “kill him”, “off with his head”, “terrorist”, “treason”, “sit down, boy!”.

These people are at complete odds with the principles of their own party. They exist on blind faith, and the belief that America would be better off segregated, and dominated by orthodox Christianity; walled off and separate from the outside world, unless we need ta blow up some A-rabs. You know these people; some of them post here. So do the fist kind of conservatives. When you can’t agree with people in your own party on what you stand for and why, you’re no longer a member of that party.

If this election continues to go the way it is, and 2010 piles on more progressives than Rovians, there will be a complete dissection of the Republican Party. And good on ‘em. Perhaps the Libertarians will pick up enough support to gain recognition on a Presidential level. Without a complete change in the two-party approach, I do fear that we are doomed as a nation. The old establishment reluctantly supports Obama, and the old establishment is scared of McCain. We need young, focused, progressive elected officials on both sides, not dinosaurs so entrenched in the politics of the past that they become dead weight to America-dragging us back to the Fifties.

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