In early July of this year, Daily Kos Classics republished a fine diary murphthesurf3 wrote last year after the catastrophic mid-term elections. It was a remarkable diary then, it is remarkable now. murph wrote about a GOP strategist who wrote a doomsday/gutcheck followup to the elections. I remember finding it to be a very heartening diary at a time when that was in critically short supply.
Revisiting murph's diary in July was encouraging, again, to a point. I think many of the strategist’s insights are basically reasonable ones. But the hint of warning bells I sensed in November are now beginning to clang very loudly, indeed.
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Yes, Democrats have some significant advantages in the 2016 elections. But one of the worst enemies a party can ever have before a campaign is complacency. Nothing that strategist said guarantees ANYTHING. The campaign challenge before us is as great as any challenge we’ve ever faced. We’ll have to work at least as hard as we did in 2008 to get the votes we need, to get our voters to turn out. The last thing we need is a GOP strategist trying to dupe us into over-confidence.
As murph did, I am going to quote from the strategist’s blog posting:
It is almost too late for Republicans to participate in shaping the next wave of our economic and political transformation. The opportunities we inherited coming out of the Reagan Era are blinking out of existence one by one while we chase so-called “issues” so stupid, so blindingly disconnected from our emerging needs that our grandchildren will look back on our performance in much the same way that we see the failures of the generation that fought desegregation.
Something, some force, some gathering of sane, rational, authentically concerned human beings generally at peace with reality must emerge in the next four to six years from the right, or our opportunity will be lost for a long generation.
Of course, I have no wish to HELP that party in any way. (It's one reason I have not used his name. They search on their names, for ... gratification.) But the individual is seriously deluded if he thinks Republicans care to shape the next stages of our economic and political transformation. They care about power only. Nothing more, nothing less. And certainly not the productive EXERCISE of that power. They’ve taken Reagan’s proclamation about government being the problem rather than the solution as a guiding principle, not as a challenge. They work tirelessly to make the thesis true, not to make it false, no matter how much the people of our country suffer from it.
He can’t name one single Republican candidate for the highest office who has offered even one proposal for the serious problems facing our country. (There isn't one. There isn't going to BE one.) All they do is emit a shrill cacophony of whining about Obama and Democrats. Criticisms galore, alternatives non-existent. There has never been a greater bankruptcy of political ideas and constructive intent than we see in the present day Republican party. Not in any nation, not on any continent. Because the only problem they value is the problem of losing.
This strategist is puzzled why that is, when the answer may be found, quite simply, in his blog-handle, G0PLifer. (Also intentionally obfuscated.)
We (Democrats) cannot get them to change, dude. Because, as your handle states, you (and millions of other GOP voters) enable them election after election with your votes and your support. What incentive do you give them to change? They face ZERO consequences election after election for campaigning on rhetoric alone, never substance, never service, never productive contribution. With them, you’ve created a world of soulless message, of nearly limitless wealth laser-focused on such miserably toxic ad campaigns that people vote Republican in exhaustion and pools of vomit.
They aren’t going to listen to us Democrats. They care nothing for what we say. Your only hope with a party so deeply invested in black and white (almost exclusively white, really) is to convince them to change their ways, and to start working on real solutions for real problems. You can’t do it by enabling them, day in and day out, election after election. You want them to learn when you won’t.
I wish you assholes all the political failure in the world. You’ve earned it.
On to tonight's comments! Collated and formatted by brillig!
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From bluezen:
Please read this fine illustrated comment from dmhit 66 on Choice, so that Republicans can understand it!
From BeninSC:
Daily Kos first time commenter, kensch, proposes the ideal solution for the McKinley/Denali brouhaha!
From wmspringer:
This comment by OllieGarkey sparks the imagination. From kos' Consumer Reports calls latest Tesla best vehicle they've ever tested, right wing goes nuts.
From ZenTrainer:
I nominate this one by Anthony Page aka SecondComing, from Jeff Singer's Conservative Nashville mayor candidate attacks opponent as anti-Christian. It's what I think about a lot of things but I've never said it out loud.
Top Mojo for yesterday, August 30th, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you
mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary
FAQing Top Mojo.
1) You are reducing it to but a Pie Fight by not by TheLeftistheCenter +194
2) Destabilizing the entire world by Damnit Janet +180
3) The best/easiest thing about being... by Queries +163
4) "Stick Around"? by johnnygunn +153
5) This is how we do ot--we attract new voters by blue jersey mom +130
6) Radditz doesn't acknowledge that at all by Dallasdoc +116
7) What a nasty little piece of work you are by rocklawyer +113/-3
8) You need to ask yourself why he is not part of it by TheLeftistheCenter +104
9) No, that's you creating a strawman. by DeadHead +101
10) And Calling Bill Clinton "Dirt" - by johnnygunn +96
11) He helps Democrats PASS LEGiSLATION by lunachickie +92
12) Precisely by Dallasdoc +91
12) Encouraging news! by Dallasdoc +91
14) We certainly must build the northern wall first... by craiger +89
14) Nice try by mkor7 +89
16) The problem is these people are dangerous by a2nite +85
17) This is why "look forwards not backwards" on Iraq by RFK Lives +83
18) Also the Telecommunications Act of 1996 by Geenius at Wrok +82
18) Absolutely Correct And isn't it strange the old... by koNko +82
20) Vietnam and Gulf War II were utter debacles by RFK Lives +80
21) I think you're reading into it. by Bob Johnson +77
22) Why the fuck does the D on the cap by PhilJD +75
22) Good for Sanders. These questions, written & by duckpin236 +75
24) Notice that it was one of his flock who by occupystephanie +74
24) the young respond to "truth speaking by soaglow +74
26) This can't be right. by leu2500 +73
27) America's owners don't by Dallasdoc +72
28) "Never count the underdog out" by MsGrin +70
29) The only way to defeat Fear and ignorance? by Angela Marx +68
29) The politics of the possible vs. the probable by Shockwave +68
29) the majority of Dems in FL did not show up by soaglow +68
Top Pictures for yesterday, August 30th. Click any picture to be taken to the full comment. Thank you
jotter for the image magic!