THE GANG OF 10: THE REPUBLICANS REALLY ARE THE “STUPID PARTY”
THE GANG OF 10: THE REPUBLICANS REALLY ARE THE “STUPID PARTY”
Some time ago, someone — I believe that it was Stanton Evans — came up with the expression that we have 2 Parties, the Stupid Party (the Republicans) and the Evil Party (you guessed it, the Dems), and now and then they get together and, under the guise of bipartisanship, they do something that is both stupid and evil. While not dismissing this assessment out of hand when I first came across it, I took it with a grain of salt, i.e. as just a bit of political hyperbole, but, nonetheless, embodying a bit of truth. Over the years, I began to see that there was more than a grain of truth in this assessment. And also over the years my frustration with the Republican Party’s fundamental ineptitude when it came to the bare knuckle aspects of political gamesmanship began to weigh on me. That is, in my mind, you play to win or you don’t play at all. Politics, like any other endeavor, is an undertaking to be taken seriously, and part of appreciating its seriousness is the recognition that it is a highly partisan endeavor. More and more I came to see that Republicans are still babes in arms when it comes to the high art of political combat.
However, nowhere was this lesson more forcefully thrust upon me than when I first heard of the gang of 10 (which, in all likelihood was the progeny of McCain’s original gang of 14, possibly illustrating that old bromide that what goes around, comes around). I was against the gang of 14, but I could at least understand how it came to be. My assessment of the gang of 10 is less forgiving, or, let me put it this way, I think it is not only moronic, it is one of the most glaring examples of politically self destructive behavior that I have witnessed in my period of political activism. I just don’t get it! John McCain is finally given an electioneering gift of incalculable value — the drilling question — and before he can even adequately drain a significant measure of political capital from this gift, 5 of his Senatorial Republican colleagues come up with a plan, the net effect of which is to saw McCain’s legs off at the knees. How completely stupid can you be? Don’t bother to answer that question; after all these guys are Republicans, so you can immediately appreciate the fact that the question was rhetorical.
First of all, this is the election season, and the Democrats understand the implications attendant such a season, i.e. you don’t solve problems under those conditions unless their solution materially advances your electoral prospects. What do you do then? You do what the Democrats always do — you demagogue the hell out of that issue. You see it time and time again — the Dems do not want any form of success, no matter how beneficial to the nation, if it would in any way damage their prospects for victory. Even a political tyro with very few years under his belt could have acquired that bit of political wisdom. But no, my friends, the Republicans have never learned that lesson — they take bipartisanship seriously, even when to do so is not in their best interests. How noble; how incomprehensibly stupid and self destructive.
John McCain was beating Obama about the head and shoulders with his enthusiastic support of the drill now, drill everywhere approach, when these 5 doofuses — allegedly McCain’s friends - came up with a plan that was almost certain to take the wind out of his sails. Some friends!
No doubt these gentlemen believe that they are advancing the Republican cause (in a manner that, quite frankly, escapes me). They would probably explain their action with some well intended pap that they are responding to the public’s clamor for some action with respect to our energy problem (as an aside, Republican’s energy problem is with respect to the relative lack of either energy, courage, or brains that all too many of their elected officials have displayed over the years). That is, they are legislators, and what do legislators do — they legislate. And, typically, therein lies the problem. In most cases, we are better off when our legislators do nothing. Whatever they do typically entails more laws, more government to regulate the laws, and more taxes to support this governmental overlay. And, as noted, more often than not, their laws are both expensive and counterproductive..
And that is the case here. The gang of 10’s effort will do little if anything for our energy problem, but what it will certainly do will be to take a lot of energy out of the McCain campaign, effectively emasculating the one issue which has enabled McCain to gain some political traction in an otherwise lackluster campaign. Way to go guys! The gang might also urge that they are trying to respond to the “do-nothing” image that this Congress has produced. Again, bad timing fellows. Do you recall how effectively Harry Truman used the image of an equally ineffective Congress to energize his campaign in 1948? It worked! By the same token, this Congress’s record can only help the Republican candidate. Why? That should be obvious - it is a Democrat controlled Congress.
You know the old saying — when your enemy is committing suicide, your job is to stand back and not interfere. Not our guys — they run up, take the sword of our deliverance out of our enemy’s hands, and smite good ‘ol John McCain over the head with it. Again, way to go, guys! In short, I never cease to be amazed at the facility of some Republicans to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. And I have to tell you, it is most disheartening to those who labor on behalf of the Republican platform.