At this critical time for the Republican Party, the Democrats are still running around ignoring a glaring opportunity currently available to completely splinter the Republicans. I will answer the obvious question first, “why aren’t the Democrats doing this?” My answer is I really don’t know why. I guess it may be inherent for the Democrats to be defensive rather than offensive.
Here is my take on the big time opportunity that the Democrats are missing. The Republicans are made up of three competing groups, namely Dick Armey’s Tea Party (or Armey’s Army), the Libertarians, and finally the Neo- Dixiecrat Southerners. Each one of these groups is bent on taking over the leadership of the Republican Party. Forget Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin. These people do not have any real power inside the Republican Party. The heavy media exposure on the Republican Primary success yesterday by the Armey’s Army in collusion with the Palin branding is a bunch of bull shit. Dick Armey’s Freedom Works financed by the Koch brothers and others are primarily concerned with their ideology which is, “whatever financially benefits corporations is good for America!”
The Koch brother’s ideology has no explicit requirements for obtaining LITTLE or NO GOVERNMENT which is central to the Libertarian political philosophy. Finally, the Neo-Dixiecrat southern Republican block (and this includes the so-called religious right) are primarily concerned about the decades old hot button race and abortion issues. Hence the Neo-Dixiecrats yearn for a return to Reagan Republicanism and therefore their ideology is somewhat mixed and confused, and is most articulate on issues involving reducing welfare and taxes.
So exists the ideological landscape of the current Republican Party as exposed, just waiting for the Democratic Party to pour the salt into these wounds opened up in the devastating Republican primaries yesterday. I say the hell with the Republican Propaganda machine, now is the time for Democrats running in the General election to promote the differences between these irreconcilable ideologies in the Republican Party instead of cringing and running away from their own party. Democratic candidates should abandon the current strategy of playing up how “NUTTY and CRAZY” these tea party endorsed Republican candidates are. The general electorate is pissed off with everything Washington. “It’s the economy stupid!!” Election campaign messages comparing a practical confident reasonable person against a raving lunatic would work in normal times. But with people out of work generally and some for more than a year, the attitude of the voter is to send a clear message to Washington, “GET ME BACK TO WORK!” If I have to vote for some crazy idiot in order to send that message, I damn well will do it. Trust me, the current Democratic strategy to drag these far right fringe Republicans into a debate simply to televise them as unstable raving lunatics will only be marginally effective at the ballot box.
However, attacking the wide historic differences in the ideologies between the three major groups making up the Republican Party will be far more effective against them in November. This strategy will work against their current frantic efforts to regroup, come together and unite before Election Day. Democrats need to play up in the upcoming general election races (especially where tea Party backed candidates are running as Republicans) the question for Republican Libertarians and Republican Neo-Dixiecrats how much of YOUR ideology will this person expedite if they go to Washington? Democrats need to aggressively sow seeds of distrust and dissention among registered Republicans in order to dampen their enthusiasm for voting in November, and they need to start now. It is only my hunch, but I think that the Tea Party ouster of so many highly respected senior Republicans in the recent primaries, there is a funky mood settling over mainstream Republicans. I think many feel that the country is in the economic toilet until at least 2012. So why not sit on the sidelines and let the Democrats and the Tea Party crazies fight it out in DC, and by 2012 with the national economy on the upswing the country will be ready for some reasonable (Republican) government in Washington.
You can rest assured that Republican leaders are meeting this very minute desperately trying to bring the party together in time for the general election. However, thanks to the Tea Partiers victories in the primaries they certainly have their work cut out for themselves. Some mainstream Republicans have started flocking to Christine O’Donnell as the new national face of Republicanism who could possible bring the GOP together. Sorry, Gov. Romney, Ms. O’Donnell is far from being a stand-in for the “Gipper”. Regardless if the Republican Propaganda Machine goes into overdrive and pollutes the nation’s airwaves 24/7, they will never be able to bring the Republican Party together. So come on Democrats, get busy, DON’T MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM for crying out loud!!
