We live in strange times. After 5 years of demolishing every aspect of democracy and leadership that they could get their hands on, it's a sex scandal that brings down the Republican's house of cards.
The GOP has desperately tried to make Mark Foley take the blame by himself (KatieG's translation of GOP strategy is right on the money), but that obviously didn't work for very long.
And what's this... the media paying attention for once? Even the MSM isn't letting GOP leaders get away with changing stories and shady explanations. Color me surprised. Here's a brief list of Boehner's and Hastert's changing stories over the last few days.
The way the GOP has handled the Foley issue should not surprise anyone. Karl Rove has transformed the GOP into a campaign machine, not a governing machine. The modern GOP knows only one thing: how to campaign. They do not know how to govern or lead. Republicans don't get into office on the strength of their leadership or governance; they get elected because they campaign tough and dirty.
Republicans know how to get votes (pander to Christian fundamentalists) and money (pander to corporate interests). That's all it takes to win office. But that doesn't translate into leadership. It doesn't translate into good government. That's why all we hear from Republican executives is campaign rhetoric. No matter what the issue, they can only spout the same old slogans about liberals, taxes, and terrorism. That's not policy, that's empty rhetoric.
2 comments:
I submit that it has never been about governance. The desire of the Gingrich/DeLay GOP has been for power, and that's all. They do not offer solutions on governance because it simply is not important to them. Government is only one more means to funnel money to cronies and kin.
And if that means starting wars or creating boogeymen ("Look! Homos! Having abortions while burning flags!"), then sobeit. None of them are going anyway.
There was a time when the partisan divide was about two competing views of governance. Now it between governing and not governing.
WF
Some Dems hate both Gingrich and Delay, but they are acutally two vastly different people. I believe that Gingrich did try to live up to the promises he made in the Contract with America.
This country ran pretty well with Gingrich watching the purse and Bill Clinton in the White House. We never knew how good we had it.
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