Living, as I do, in the progressive online community, I am always wallowing in the internal divisions of the Democratic Party. Yet, patching up the left for next year’s election cycle should be relatively easy. It’s nothing compared to the divisions that are emerging on the right. The most obvious difference is that the Dems already have their presidential candidate. The Republicans don’t, and they’re deeply dissatisfied with their choices. But there are other divisions, as well. The GOP can’t decide how to react to the president’s jobs bill. The presidential candidates are totally dismissive, but the Congressional leaders want to reach some compromise. Yet, tick down the items in the bill and you’ll find the Republicans divided on those, too. Should there be an extension of the payroll tax holiday? Opinions differ. Meanwhile, the Democrats are united behind passing the whole bill.
Things are unlikely to improve for the Republicans on the unity front. They desperately want a presidential candidate who can plausibly run on repealing the Affordable Care Act, but that bill is based on Mitt Romney’s health reforms from when he governed Massachusetts. The Republicans definitely do not want to spend the fall of 2012 trying to defend Rick Perry’s position on Social Security. So, where does that leave them? No one in the third-tier of candidates stands a chance. Santorum? Gingrich? Cain? Paul? Bachmann? Thaddeus McCotter? Huntsman?
At least Huntsman would have a puncher’s chance in the general election, but the rest of them are a bad joke.
We’ve been on the defensive for so long that it’s hard to recognize immediately that the tide has come in and is now going out. It’s time to roll-up the Republicans and demolish their lines.