The GOP Cult
Frank Rich ponders the NY-23 special election and what it means for the GOP:
The battle for upstate New York confirms just how swiftly the right has devolved into a wacky, paranoid cult that is as eager to eat its own as it is to destroy Obama. The movement’s undisputed leaders, Palin and Beck, neither of whom has what Palin once called the “actual responsibilities” of public office, would gladly see the Republican Party die on the cross of right-wing ideological purity. Over the short term, at least, their wish could come true.
Soon, the GOP will be small enough to drown itself in a bathtub.
The right’s embrace of Hoffman is a double-barreled suicide for the G.O.P. On Saturday, the battered Scozzafava suspended her campaign, further scrambling the race. It’s still conceivable that the Democratic candidate could capture a seat the Republicans should own. But it’s even better for Democrats if Hoffman wins. Punch-drunk with this triumph, the right will redouble its support of primary challengers to 2010 G.O.P. candidates they regard as impure. That’s bad news for even a Republican as conservative as Kay Bailey Hutchison, whose primary opponent in the Texas governor’s race, the incumbent Rick Perry, floated the possibility of secession at a teabagger rally in April and hastily endorsed Hoffman on Thursday.
The more rightists who win G.O.P. primaries, the greater the Democrats’ prospects next year. But the electoral math is less interesting than the pathology of this movement. Its antecedent can be found in the early 1960s, when radical-right hysteria carried some of the same traits we’re seeing now: seething rage, fear of minorities, maniacal contempt for government, and a Freudian tendency to mimic the excesses of political foes. Writing in 1964 of that era’s equivalent to today’s tea party cells, the historian Richard Hofstadter observed that the John Birch Society’s “ruthless prosecution” of its own ideological war often mimicked the tactics of its Communist enemies.
The same could be said of Beck, Palin and their acolytes. Though they constantly liken the president to various totalitarian dictators, it is they who are re-enacting Stalinism in full purge mode. They drove out Arlen Specter, and now want to “melt Snowe” (as the blog Red State put it). The same Republicans who once deplored Democrats for refusing to let an anti-abortion dissident, Gov. Robert Casey of Pennsylvania, speak at the 1992 Clinton convention now routinely banish any dissenters in their own camp.
So now the national party has taken over local decisions and GOP candidates must pass the purity test set by the farthest right of their base. Here’s my question – how will this play out in Delaware? Will the hard right base put up a fight against Mike Castle? Will it attract national party purgers like Sarah Palin? Mike Castle is popular in Delaware and doesn’t seem worried about O’Donnell, but should he be?
Tags: Republicans, Wingnuts
Mike Castle will be retired in the primary 50/50 odds. Now were do I start. One Palin has been an office holder for years so has Thompson. They are not exactly fire breathers like Beck and Savage.
Now to the main point. We are completing a realignment of the parties. Liberals have no place representing the GOP. If they want to come to the party they can sit in the back wait to be asked for a couple of dances and sip a drink. Be seen and not heard. Otherwise as Malkin says don’t let the door hit you on the way out. The problem with the GOP was not that it wasn’t liberal enough. It was that liberals ruined the brand by keeping it from tax reform, stronger ant-abortion policy, anti-cloning measures, spending cuts, and the like. The only way that Republicas are going to win is to stand for something and stand united just like ’80 and ’94.
The Democrats have pretty much purged conservatives at the national level. It is called a realignment. It is better for voters and better for policy.
The impotent DE teabaggers pose zero threat. That is a given. Therefor…
Will the hard right base put up a fight against Mike Castle? No
Will it attract national party purgers like Sarah Palin? No
Mike Castle isn’t worried about O’Donnell, but should he be? No
I see Republican David really went out on a limb there with a primary prediction. Castle may win or he may lose. Good stuff. Fox “News” has got its Delaware expert. Republican David, are you ready for the spotlight?
I do think that the NY-23 race is the takeaway from this election. It doesn’t matter who wins in Virginia or New Jersey. I’m happy to see that national Republican conservatives think it is a fine thing to be messing in local politics that THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT. If the DNC came into Delaware in regards to the Congressional seat we will be picking up, I would be pissed.
It will be interesting to see wingnut reaction in Delaware when national Conservatives come out for Castle in the primary. Picking up Delaware is way too important for the Republican party than wackos trying to make the USA safe for Christianity.
I agree, nemski. The real story with NY-23 is the interference with local politics.
Rich’s point on a Hoffman win is valid, although punch drunk may to mild a word to describe Conservative reaction. They’ll go through the roof.
I think Castle is safe as well, but I bet he gets a lot of headaches from the teabaggers… and if Palin, etc. does jump into the race, it’s a whole new ballgame.
Look at his record. Castle votes with his party when the chips are down. He does not stoke the GOP ire on a national level that he’d need to for them to take notice. Listen – I’m not saying that I would not love for Palin to go on TV in order to make trouble for Castle. I just don’t see it happening. Even the extreme lunatics on the right can see that they have a shot at a Senate seat. The wingnut craziness dial goes to 11 – but it would need to go all the 15 for them to mess with the very dependably conservative, Mike Castle.
Fair enough, J. But I heard somewhere that she likes going rogue. 😉
And, don’t forget, O’Donnell is a woman. Gender trumps everything else with the wing-nuts, Palin not withstanding. They’ll fall in-line behind Castle.
Rebecca obviously doesn’t know conservatives. Look at the polls if you don’t know anyone. O’Donnell has majority support from men in a match up with Biden. Conservatives love women and many are women. Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, and Dr. Laura have huge followings. You must listen to Eleanor Smear(l).
They’ll fall in-line. “Don’t worry. Castle is really one of us.” is going to be the conventional wisdom among wingnuts by the time the primary gets here. The only entertainment we’ll be able to get out of the Republican primary is getting a load of O’Donnell’s pouty face when the teabag army fails to arrive at the battle field.
I can not make a great prediction this far out and without certain factors being fixed yet. I won’t even know what happens until some very important developments playout. I could predict anything but if you want it to be meaningful, we have to know who falls in line. There is conservative discontent with Mr. Castle on issues. There is conservative discontent with O’Donnell on process. She did not run her campaign up to expectations in 2008 especially before September. She has to be able to get a strong organization set up before she gets 100% support.
You know, what I think when I read this is “What makes Dem’s think this issue only applies to the GOP?”
There is nothing as “sucked up to” in the media, the popular culture and the halls of power as the GOP base, and there is nothing so ignored and disregarded in those spheres as the Dem base. That is the difference.
David, you’re comparing apples and oranges, you list a bunch of pundits, not candidates. And we just saw them throw the female candidate under the bus in NY-23. The Republicans have always reveled in being the Daddy party — male dominated. I have no doubt they love women, as long as those women keep in their place.
Is that reply to me, Jason? If so, I’m not getting it, quite.
Tina Fowler, Melissa Hart, Michelle Bachman, and Ann Northrup are a few popular conservative women who are or were recent office holders. Liddy Dole is another one. The article already mentioned Kaye Bailey Hutchinsen.
Brooke, I think what Jason is saying is that Dems feel pretty safe ignoring their base. Why else would there be such a fight to get a public option, supported by 60% of the population and more than 80% of the Democratic base. I do think the Democratic base is getting better at making itself heard but we’re a long way away from party purges.
I agree nemski that the first test will be the reaction of the wingnut base when the Republican party lines up for Castle against O’Donnell.
The problem in the 23rd was not that Dede was a woman. It was that she was a commie lib. A moderate would have been tolerated and won. A conservative wins. A liberal was unacceptable. The whole point of electing a Republican is to stand for the market and culture. If you fail on both, it is worse than pointless. The person gives cover to lunancy and tyranny. A liberal Republican is even lower than a liberal Democrat. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing. An honest Democrat socialist is better than a dishonest republican socialist.
LOL Republican David. Does that mean Newt is a commie lib?
David, you really need to learn the definition of words you are using. There is only one Socialist in Congress and that is Bernie Sanders. There are no “commie libs.” Scozzafava is not a “commie lib” whatever the hell that means. She’s a mainstream conservative in New York. This study shows her voting record to be slightly to the right of New York Republicans. Just admit that the base didn’t like her because of her support of abortion rights and same sex marriage. Hoffman didn’t even live in the district and didn’t know a lot of issues in the district.
I think Republicans might get away with this in a highly Republican district like NY-23 but do you think this is going to play well everywhere? Replacing Castle with O’Donnell makes a likely party turnover into a slaughter. Replacing Crist with Rubio makes a likely Republican seat into a highly competitive race (and will probably attract more top-tier Democrats to that race).
Ah, thank you, UI. I suppose it partially depends on how you define the “party base”. I agree, I think issues like the public option should be automatic for D elected officials and party folks. All the numbers say yes, as well as the justice. But i think you can get into some more fuzzy areas in who “the base” is when you look at divisions over platform planks… as we saw this year. Are we the party of unions? Do we represent “progressive values”? Would Black churches, or environmentalists, or Catholics always know to check the D? We’re a coalition, and there has to be a lot of listening going on, in order for us to be an effective coalition. Sometimes I’m afraid we get insular and forget that. And when we do, NY-23 can hit us just the same way.
Shhh… let David go on. He is part of the purification process that will end the GOP in our lifetimes.
The move to the right will likely pay some initial dividends for the party of no in 2010, especially in districts that lean conservative anyway. After back-to-back whippings, the GOP has a chance in the midterms to at least put forth a respectable showing in the House. Their position in Senate races is less positive, due to retirements and some difficult primaries pitting the right against the center (Florida and Texas). If the GOP picks up House seats in 2010 by running conservatives, it will fuel the notion to pursue that course in 2012.
Longterm and nationally, moving to the right is a losing proposition. The demographics of the country have changed. The country, by and large, is no longer white and Christian and intolerant. Most Americans are in the center, socially tolerant and accepting of the government’s efforts to improve the condition of its populous (in other words, real Christians). Assuming the economy continues to show improvement and the democrats pass health care reform, it is hard to see how the republicans do better in 2012 than they did in 2008. The exclusion of moderates in the GOP has only one ineviatable outcome: minority status.
Forget about any primary for Castle. He’ll crush O’Donnell or Prozack. But if Biden runs, it is hard to see how the wingnut right wing stays out of a race featuring the vice President’s son. The Castle camp may try and keep them at bay, but somehow I see buses coming to Delaware. When those loonie toons show up, it might swing a very close race Biden’s way.
As for women in the GOP, sure there are some. Old habits die hard. But after what happened in NY, the recent Supreme Court fight, the delay in the Surgeon General’s appointment and the fact that most people who speak on behalf of the GOP are old white guys, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out this is another problem for the GOP. How may demographic battles can one party fight and remain viable?
Wow…this is big news:
Has the GOP war just blown up even bigger? In the same article in the Watertown Daily News:
This rural district depends on the federal government for an investment in Fort Drum and its soldiers, environmental protection of our international waterway and the Adirondack Park, and the livelihood of all our dairy farmers across the district, among other support. Our representative cannot be locked into rigid promises and policies that would jeopardize these critical sectors of our economy.
WAIT, Rural America hates the federal government. Maybe we should END ALL FEDERAL PORK AND EARMARKS TO RURAL AMERICA and they can secede from the union. Why should my tax dollars be wasted on people who can’t make it on their own and are living on government handouts!!
That is a great editorial from Watertown. It is well past the time for all of the wingnut fantasies about their hardy self-reliance to come crashing down.
You guys must be missing something here. The national GOP establishment was behind the liberal Republican. It was the grassroots who opposed her.
And Frank Rich, by his use of the word “teabagger” proved himself to be an un-serious pundit who does not merit consideration by anyone with an IQ over room temperature.
It was the grassroots who opposed her.
Palin, Thompson, etc are grassroots in your mind?
If missing the point was an olympic sport Rhymey would be the Johnny Weissmuller of it. The national GOP establishment is being overthrown by a bunch of nutbags like yourself. That’s why this race is interesting. Try to keep up.
anon,
Or, at least, only send back to the states in proportion to what they pay in taxes. And let the cities get their fair proportion. Let all those bootstrap folks use their bootstraps and get their FAIR share.
“The Democrats have pretty much purged conservatives at the national level. It is called a realignment. It is better for voters and better for policy.”
You should rename yourself Clueless David, because what you don’t understand about elective politics would fill a blog — in fact, it does.
America’s winner-take-all two-party system means the coalition-building that takes place after elections in the parliamentary system takes place beforehand in ours. Purging for purity is therefore self-defeating. Wait and see.
If they want to come to the party they can sit in the back wait to be asked for a couple of dances and sip a drink. Be seen and not heard.
Gee, David, can they drink from the same water fountain as you, too?
The only way that Republicas are going to win is to stand for something and stand united just like ‘80 and ‘94.
Just how in the hell can you be united with that first comment of yours I highlighted? You, sir, are a political segregationist with all the distaste and hate that comes with it. Admit it and you shall be free. You conscience will remain dispicable, but at least you will no longer be lying to yourself.
“The Democrats have pretty much purged conservatives at the national level. It is called a realignment. It is better for voters and better for policy.”
Adding to Geezer’s post the point that wingnut everywhere are cheering on Blue Dog Democrats — meaning that Delusional David can’t even follow the thread of his own narrative. There are plenty of conservatives at the National level in Democratic politics. Democratic politics is way harder than the repub politics precisely because they have to keep a much more diverse coalition together.
But repubs wouldn’t know a thing about diversity or managing differing interests.
Not that David can cast any real influence on the overall landscape, but his attitude is frightenly prevalent out there. I know many tried-and-true Democrats are happy for it, but it truly is sad. Then again, I have the vantage point of looking over my shoulder at “what was” and can’t help being sad, for that was a place where I once was, but was no longer welcome. Pardon me, I could have stayed and when I would have been a good boy to those bosses, I may have been rewarded a tongue-lap or two at the waterfountain of self-appointed kings.
No offense intended to anyone here, but I honestly never thought I’d see the day that I was way more welcomed by members and the ideology of the Democratic Party than I am the Republican Party. Funny thing is, I’d still be to the right of many Blue Dogs, but my opinion would still matter.
Which stage is dispair?