The GOP’s most ludicrous election myth: “The Reasonable Republican”

[DonViejo]

Ohio Gov. John Kasich's recent surge in the polls -- attributable to his "moderation" -- shows how crazy the GOP is

HEATHER DIGBY PARTON

One of the big stories to come out of last week’s Republican primary debate was the emergence of Ohio Gov. John Kasich as a serious contender. It’s true that he had a home field advantage but that alone cannot explain his apparent rise in the polls. It’s hard to know what it is about him that has excited primary voters, but the likely answer is that he appealed to the small segment of the Republican base that hasn’t completely lost its mind.

(Of course, they don’t know Kasich very well; once they get better acquainted, they may find themselves turning to … well, there really isn’t anyone you could conceivably call a moderate in the race.)

The beltway is intrigued by Kasich for all the reasons they are always intrigued by Republicans from the rust belt:Working class white voters live there, and in their mind they are the avatars of Real America. These states around the Great Lakes tend to be swing states, and they like to elect bipartisan “reformers,” which is a thrilling concept to the beltway establishment, which fetishizes the idea that all that’s required of the president is a particular personality that commits to “getting the job done.”

Previously, Scott Walker had them tricked into thinking he was 2016’s bipartisan “it guy” — until they realized that he has the personality of a doorstop and the policies of Ted Cruz. Even these insiders can’t pretend that Walker will be the bipartisan champion they’ve been waiting for. So now Kasich is the guy.

The problem is that Kasich is seriously out of touch.

more
http://www.salon.com/2015/08/13/the_gops_most_ludicrous_election_myth_the_reasonable_republican/

[Gothmog]

1. This creature became extinct back in the 1990s

There have not been a reasonable republcian since the late 1980s or early 1990s

[sketchy]

2. K&R