You know, the Party of Old White Grumpy Elephants really gets off the hook when it comes to characterization in the general press and in our collective thinking. It seems there are several entities, including the key candidates, the congressional caucus leaders, factions such as the Teabaggers, the Christian Right, the Moderates, the whatevers.
All of this seems to allow the party as a whole off the hook for the sins of their constituent elements. The public at large, not the Kos crowd of course, but the lesser-engaged sorts get to look at GOPers as members of a large coalition that may include some fringe freakazoids.
However, this is not the picture that really holds when it comes to policy deployment. Since the GOPers have mastered all-for-one voting, the fringe drives whatever center there might be, and in truth drives them out. GOPer policy is the collection of all the fringes.
Still, walk-a-bye voting Republicans separate themselves from the fringe.
Let's go below the caterpillar thingy to talk some more.
As I was saying, most of our Red neighbors consider themselves Conservatives, but not the militant wing-nuts. They get to poke at Libs in mixed company, but consider themselves mainstream, not radical and not revolutionary.
On that point, these folks separate themselves from Con reality (such as it is). Yet, when one polite suburbanite votes Red, what we get is whack-job policy.
So, here it the advert I'd love to see the DNC run:
(I don't write screenplays, so this will be rough).
Opening shot: Simple black-and-white with the statement:
"These are the Republicans:"
Begin a montage of clips --
Rush Limbaugh calling the Georgetown law student a slut.
Ted Nugent saying that by the time of the inauguration, he's either be dead or in jail.
Ted Cruz opposing abortion in every case.
The dumbs NRA lobbyist talking about the "Connecticut effect".
Richard Mourdock on just about anything, but maybe his best is his definition of compromise being when Democrats acquiesce to conservative perspectives.
Dick Cheney lying about Iraq weapons of mass destruction.
"Shrub's" lie during the state of the union about yellow cake from Africa.
Close with the same black-and-white screen with the statement:
"If you vote Republican, that is what America gets."
"Conservatism -- wrong on everything from energy to taxes, from poverty to war, from environment to safety from guns. They don't care. And they think you will buy it."
With the rich trove of stupidity from the Reds, this ad could be modified and repeated many times, with the point reinforced that
ALL THAT CRAP BECOMES LEGISLATION, JUDICIAL RULING OR FILIBUSTER.
If you vote Republican, that is what we get.
Make the Reds own the whole of their constituency and not get off the hook by having those guys considered the fringe, one-offs, not part of the Red party mainstream. The con ascendency came from demonizing liberalism, associating it with "the failed policies of the past".
Cons are the masters of the demonizing blame game -- everybody different from them is evil incarnate, Muslim, Socialist, Marxist, class-warring, envy-ridden, irresponsible and takers.
Maybe that's another set of ads:
"Rather than work on the nation's problems and promise, Republicans work on dividing the nation through blaming and demonizing."
Run a montage of idiot Republicans denouncing liberals, poor, blacks, gays, immigrants, the 47%, takers, unions, etc.
"To Republicans, it's always someone else's fault."