tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post2074219486746392208..comments2024-03-22T10:49:51.766-05:00Comments on Horizons: "Please proceed, Republicans"Nancy LeTourneauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-3011451315247162662013-05-13T12:17:24.878-05:002013-05-13T12:17:24.878-05:00I think it's clear now what the Republican str...I think it's clear now what the Republican strategy has been on this:<br /><br />1. Throw as many accusations at the wall as you can, no matter how ridiculous.<br /><br />2. Statistically, at least a couple of them might have enough stickiness that they might justify serious mainstream media coverage.<br /><br />3. The media will ignore the hundreds of insane accusations once one at least semi-serious accusation arises.<br /><br />4. Use the plethora of accusations (again, most of which were ridiculous), to push a "scandal plagued administration" narrative once at least one accusation actually demonstrates the necessary stickiness.Chris Andersenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-52335714585777342202013-05-13T10:10:13.671-05:002013-05-13T10:10:13.671-05:00At some level, they're doing this simply becau...At some level, they're doing this simply because this is what they do. They do it because it works with their audience. I know I've said this over and over, but if the GOP wants to win national elections it will have to not only change its rhetorical line, but the actual way it operates. However, if the GOP changes the way it operates, they lose a greater number of voters than they gain, in the short or even medium term. So, despite clear evidence in 2012, we see the GOP intensify its appeal to precisely the constituency that drives other constituencies away. Cruz really is what the party is about.<br /><br />And for the politicians who stoke this stuff, the benefits are at the same time very tangible and totally fleeting. Michelle Bachman is the example. Her star rose, and now has fallen. That said, if at one point she might have commanded five if not six figure speakers' fees, she looks at a future where she commands four. While this might produce some real resentment in her, any of us who work for a living would still think that's pretty good pay for a day's work. There is a right-wing--I know you know this--industry of sorts that can provide for those who can stomach it a lot of money, if with diminishing returns, over decades.<br /><br />The point of the GOP is not to govern. It feeds Fox, Fox feeds it, and everyone involved makes more money than they ought to. THAT is the point of the GOP, and it's the only interpretation I know of that fits the facts.Billhttp://freeandeasywandering.com/noreply@blogger.com