nytimes.com— Forty years ago the G.O.P. decided, in effect, to make itself the party of racial backlash. And everything that has happened in recent years is a consequence of that decision.
Jan 2, 2009View in Crawl 4
And let's not forget that they've poured at LEAST $4 billion dollars into those think tanks (don't have the source of that with me, but I think it's Lakoff). That kind of money's going to mean that they're going to be real reluctant to give up the advice, no?
"Mr. Obama therefore has room to be bold. If Republicans try a 1993-style strategy of attacking him for promoting big government, they’ll learn two things: not only has the financial crisis discredited their economic theories, the racial subtext of anti-government rhetoric doesn’t play the way it used to."Will the Republicans eventually stage a comeback? Yes, of course. But barring some huge missteps by Mr. Obama, that will not happen until they stop whining and look at what really went wrong. And when they do, they will discover that they need to get in touch with the real “real America,” a country that is more diverse, more tolerant, and more demanding of effective government than is dreamt of in their political philosophy." Krugman: Smart man.
... and, he seems so soft spoken in TV ... I live in Los Angeles & Louisiana and the difference in racial attitude and discussion is amazing. Without personally uttering the words, Mr. Krugman did it for me - PERFECTLY. The ugly undertone about race is unbearable in Louisiana. However, take it a step further, the problem is education. The Republicans have worked hard to cut back on education and insulting the "intellectuals" for years. As a result, the less educated have less confidence and are more likely to feel threatened. Therefore, they are more likely to support the Republican party who have courted their vote so aggressively over the past decades with platforms that show disdain for the educated and "elites."
Well we've seen this one over and over and over again:"If the Bush administration became a byword for policy bungles, for government by the unqualified, well, it was just following the advice of leading conservative think tanks: after the 2000 election the Heritage Foundation specifically urged the new team to “make appointments based on loyalty first and expertise second.”"And summed up nicely here:"Contempt for expertise, in turn, rested on contempt for government in general. “Government is not the solution to our problem,” declared Ronald Reagan. “Government is the problem.” So why worry about governing well?"They wanted government to do so poorly that the people would hate it and never complain about all the privatization of government jobs. "My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub." ~Grover NorquistLet's keep that money out of public hands and flowing to our corporate buddies.
The sea change brought on by the defeat of the "Southern Strategy" has profound implications for immigration reform. So far, many in the GOP have blocked reform and stirred up divisions over immigration, but with little electoral payoff and significant electoral backlash from immigrant, moderate, Latino, Asian, and younger voters. If the GOP really abandons their divide and fail strategies, immigration reform may be an area of greater common ground than previously imagined. Then again, old dogs learn new tricks very, very slowly.
peheimbachJan 2, 2009
And let's not forget that they've poured at LEAST $4 billion dollars into those think tanks (don't have the source of that with me, but I think it's Lakoff). That kind of money's going to mean that they're going to be real reluctant to give up the advice, no?
williamcrandallJan 3, 2009
"Mr. Obama therefore has room to be bold. If Republicans try a 1993-style strategy of attacking him for promoting big government, they’ll learn two things: not only has the financial crisis discredited their economic theories, the racial subtext of anti-government rhetoric doesn’t play the way it used to."Will the Republicans eventually stage a comeback? Yes, of course. But barring some huge missteps by Mr. Obama, that will not happen until they stop whining and look at what really went wrong. And when they do, they will discover that they need to get in touch with the real “real America,” a country that is more diverse, more tolerant, and more demanding of effective government than is dreamt of in their political philosophy." Krugman: Smart man.
Closed AccountJan 3, 2009
Krugman is an idiot anti-american zionist... enought said!
greeniemeaniJan 3, 2009
Who else saw the thumbnail and saw George Clooney?
latolaJan 3, 2009
... and, he seems so soft spoken in TV ... I live in Los Angeles & Louisiana and the difference in racial attitude and discussion is amazing. Without personally uttering the words, Mr. Krugman did it for me - PERFECTLY. The ugly undertone about race is unbearable in Louisiana. However, take it a step further, the problem is education. The Republicans have worked hard to cut back on education and insulting the "intellectuals" for years. As a result, the less educated have less confidence and are more likely to feel threatened. Therefore, they are more likely to support the Republican party who have courted their vote so aggressively over the past decades with platforms that show disdain for the educated and "elites."
sarahleeJan 3, 2009
Well we've seen this one over and over and over again:"If the Bush administration became a byword for policy bungles, for government by the unqualified, well, it was just following the advice of leading conservative think tanks: after the 2000 election the Heritage Foundation specifically urged the new team to “make appointments based on loyalty first and expertise second.”"And summed up nicely here:"Contempt for expertise, in turn, rested on contempt for government in general. “Government is not the solution to our problem,” declared Ronald Reagan. “Government is the problem.” So why worry about governing well?"They wanted government to do so poorly that the people would hate it and never complain about all the privatization of government jobs. "My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub." ~Grover NorquistLet's keep that money out of public hands and flowing to our corporate buddies.
forumdrivJan 5, 2009
The sea change brought on by the defeat of the "Southern Strategy" has profound implications for immigration reform. So far, many in the GOP have blocked reform and stirred up divisions over immigration, but with little electoral payoff and significant electoral backlash from immigrant, moderate, Latino, Asian, and younger voters. If the GOP really abandons their divide and fail strategies, immigration reform may be an area of greater common ground than previously imagined. Then again, old dogs learn new tricks very, very slowly.
magus_melchiorJan 7, 2009
I told you he was tricksy! I told you he was false!Don't ask Smeagol!