~~~ModNote: Link repaired here and at the other comment.~~~

What Gabler believes is that, because of this tradition, the Republican Party will continue to move rightward. Fear and blame; rabble-rousing; the Rush Limbaughs and Sean Hannitys and Bill O’Reillys; and now Palin. This is the direction the Party will take. Probably because it cannot be believed as the party of small government or fiscal responsibility or moral integrity; all credibility lost in the harsh reality of events; at least not until people forget and these actualities become memories and fade. It is a dangerous approach because it incites people to do violent things, especially as times become more stringent.

According to Gabler, the myth made it possible for Nixon to hide behind and co-opte conservatism, talking like a conservative while governing like a moderate, disenchanting true believers. Ronald Reagan, next, embraced it wholeheartedly, becoming the patron saint of conservatism and making it the dominant ideology in the country, even though he didn’t practice it in terms of fiscal responsibility or size of government. George W. Bush picked up Reagan’s fallen standard and “conservatized” government even more thoroughly than Reagan had, cheering conservatives until his presidency came crashing down around him. That’s how Gabler believes the mythology tells it.

Gabler’s thesis is that the real connection is from Sen. Joe McCarthy, to Nixon to Bush and possibly now to Sarah Palin. McCarthy attacked alleged communists and the Democrats whom he accused of shielding them, as well as the centrist American establishment, Eastern intellectuals and the power class, many of whom were Republicans, including moderate ones. McCarthyism became a means to play on the anxieties of Americans, convincing them of danger and conspiracy even when they didn’t exist, which he used to build power and support. George H.W. Bush used it to get himself elected, terrifying voters with Willie Horton (and denigrating Dukakis as a commander-in-chief). His son used fear of 9/11 and convincing voters that John Kerry was a coward and a liar and would hand the nation over to terrorists, tried and true McCarthy tactics used very aggressively, and W. then used fear and stealth in pushing through totalitarian unconstitutional measures. The thread continued through McCain and then Palin, probably through Rove (who also coached W.), and I quote from Gabler, “That’s why John McCain kept describing Barack Obama as some sort of alien and why Palin, taking a page right out of the McCarthy playbook, kept pushing Obama’s relationship with onetime radical William Ayers.”

It is, I believe a shame, because some of the original precepts of fiscal responsibility and keeping government out of peoples’ lives and moral integrity are well worth preserving. The Republican Party which stood for those princples was a Grand Old Party. But, I hate to say it, those are all too easily trumped by fear-mongering and, I might add, difficult to achieve. I would nominate the Republican Party today as the Party of Fear, as opposed to the Party of Solutions. And, if that’s the direction it’s going in, yes, it’s a shame.

The consistent thing about guys like Jeb Bush, in line with the old Republican philosophy, is to be against something, not for it; to be in a position to scare people, not to advocate good positive things. Putting people and ideas down is the tack they have taken; witness McCain’s whole campaign; witness Sarah’s natural proclivities. So Jeb Bush starts off by surfacing and proposing that the Republicans start a “shadow government” to watch, and criticize, and follow what Obama’s Administration does closely.

What bothers me about this, deeply, I might add, is the fact that it is not being supportive in any way. No one is saying, if we want to survive, we have to work together, guys. No, the implication is that “they” (Democrats) are the enemy. And in this terrible time, when the country is literally falling apart, and everybody is unsettled, these isolated Republicans are settling in to be critical. As if they aren’t losing their savings, too; as if they are exempt; as if, should the country really fail, they wouldn’t be affected. Quite a blind spot. isn’t it. They aren’t even pretending to help, to support, to work with their counterparts to make things better for everybody, themselves included. How antedeluvian, how “old school”, how traditional, how like McCarthy and all of the Republican demogogues, to stand back and continue criticizing the Democrats who are working very hard, very earnestly, to fix what went wrong with this country.

So Jeb Bush is nothing more than another toxic Republican, joining in the long line of negative right-wing naysayers and destroyers, no better than Limbaugh and Hannity and O’Reilly. Pretty disgusting, I’d say. Stand on the sidelines and criticize while the Titanic goes down; criticize everything the crew and captain does. Disgusting, guys, absolutely disgusting. For more, see: http://www.ocpatriot-runningcomments.blogspot.com.

Managers get the Carly Fiorina shuffle, failures paid well to STFU about their own and their companies’ failures. George Bush is about to do the same dance. He will shortly be paid eight figure fees to “write a book” or “speechify”, dazzling us with his misunderestimated loquaciousness. Average Americans? They get the boot and have to live with their employer’s as well as their own failings.

Like the propaganda phrase “clean coal”, “Right to Work” should be stricken from use or placed in quotes. It means the opposite of what it says.

One big union and a general strike would do far more to clean house in Washington than sham elections.

agreed. but with the big unions, i’m pretty sure they are not going to be willing to challenge the dems in any serious way for some time. they probably feel they need to make nice in order to get employee free choice passed. but if the dems don’t seriously support that and they sell out the auto union my guess is that will change things significantly.

also… please don’t assume that because someone rants on a blog that is all they do. i know i’m not doing enough, but i’m doing what i can. always open to better ideas though.

http://www.thestate.com/letters/story/610620.html

The good part:

What really made the automakers’ hearing interesting were the responses of Sen. Shelby of Alabama and our very own Sen. Jim DeMint. These senators extolled the virtues of the foreign auto manufacturers who are located in their respective states, but did not acknowledge the financial incentives given to entice their relocation.

Sen. DeMint went on to say that the auto bailout is a payback to the United Auto Workers for supporting the Democratic Party. Perhaps Sen. DeMint can tell us what he considers to be a just living wage.

The question I have to ask is who is subsidizing whom? In 2005, Alabama received $1.66 for every $1 sent to Washington. South Carolina received $1.35. On the other hand, Michigan received 72 cents for every dollar sent. If you look at the state-by-state rankings, it does appear that the progressive states with strong unions are subsidizing the so-called right-to-work states.

In a previous post I suggested we mobilize to support the actors guild. If that’s not your cause, pick another-auto workers perhaps. We have to think of something more effective than ranting on blogs.

One big union and a general strike would do far more to clean house in Washington than sham elections.