Hobbling and discrediting Obama has been the Republicans' sole strategy since 2009. As disgusting as I find it, I do understand. The GOP's brand is so befouled at this point that obstructionism is really all they have left, and of course the loudest, dimmest members of the party (the Tea Party politicians and their useful-idiot constituencies) hold the few sensible Republicans that remain hostage to the whims of their puppet masters, e.g., the Koch brothers.
It maddens me no end that the right wing propaganda machine has been so successful here. Most of the people I work with have swallowed the Kool Aid and are utterly convinced that Obama is solely responsible for this debacle. Listening to them discuss current events is like being locked in a Fox News echo chamber.
Here's something that the GOP party bosses and the plutocrats behind the scenes need to consider. Many of the Tea Party faithful are, or are descended from, the old conservative, Southern Blue Dog wing of the Democratic party whom Reagan successfully brought over to the Republicans. These deluded souls have spent the past thirty-odd years carrying the water for a group of people who don't really give a damn about their concerns; they are just seen as useful, reactionary foot soldiers. If they ever collectively came to the realization of how badly they've been manipulated, used, screwed, and discarded there is a very good chance that they would go off the reservation and effectively end what's left of the GOP's electoral chances.
The Republicans should tread very carefully. They have far more to fear from their own right wing than they do from the Democrats. The Democrats can merely beat them in elections. The Tea Party can destroy them.
It maddens me no end that the right wing propaganda machine has been so successful here. Most of the people I work with have swallowed the Kool Aid and are utterly convinced that Obama is solely responsible for this debacle. Listening to them discuss current events is like being locked in a Fox News echo chamber.
Here's something that the GOP party bosses and the plutocrats behind the scenes need to consider. Many of the Tea Party faithful are, or are descended from, the old conservative, Southern Blue Dog wing of the Democratic party whom Reagan successfully brought over to the Republicans. These deluded souls have spent the past thirty-odd years carrying the water for a group of people who don't really give a damn about their concerns; they are just seen as useful, reactionary foot soldiers. If they ever collectively came to the realization of how badly they've been manipulated, used, screwed, and discarded there is a very good chance that they would go off the reservation and effectively end what's left of the GOP's electoral chances.
The Republicans should tread very carefully. They have far more to fear from their own right wing than they do from the Democrats. The Democrats can merely beat them in elections. The Tea Party can destroy them.
