2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumRepublican Civil War? There’s No Such Thing
by Michael Tomasky Oct 24, 2013 5:45 AM EDTIts not moderates vs. conservatives. The two opposing Republican sides, if they really are opposing, are radical and conservative. And only one side is fighting. The other is rolling over, says Michael Tomasky.
The more I think about this Republican civil war, the less it looks like war to me. It often gives the appearance of being war because these Tea Party people march into the arena with a lot of fire, brimstone, and kindred pyrotechnics that suggest conflict. But what, really, in hard policy terms, are these two sides arguing about? Practically nothing. Its a disagreement chiefly over tactics and intensity. Thats a crucial point, and so much of the media dont understand it. But Im here to tell you, whenever you read an article that makes a lot of hay about this war and then goes on to describe the Republican factions as moderate and conservative, turn the page or click away. You are either in the hands of an idiot or someone intentionally misleading you.
Whats going on presents many of the outward signs of political warfare. Insurgent radical extremists are challenging already very conservative incumbents whose thought and deed crimes are that they are conservative only 80- or 90-something percent of the time instead of 100 (or 110, preferably). Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), American Conservative Union 2012 rating of 92, being challenged? Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell? He got 100 percent in 2012! Hey, I was joking about that 110!
So sure, running primaries against people like this can be called warlike acts. But a real war has two sides who believe different things and are willing to fight to the death for them. In this war, that description applies only to one side.
This...skirmish, lets call it, is between radicals and conservatives. (It certainly doesnt involve moderates; there are roughly four moderate Republicans in Congress, depending on how you count, out of 278.) The conservatives, the more traditional conservatives such as John McCain, Orrin Hatch, and many others in the Senate, and House Speaker John Boehner, could be a force if they wanted to. But by and large, theyve refused to be. If the GOP had two warring factions, then you might expect that on all major high-profile legislative votes, the schism would evince itself in the roll calls. But when you look back over the list of high-profile measures that have come before them while Barack Obama has been president, the conservatives and the radicals only really split on two occasions.
full article:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/10/24/republican-civil-war-there-s-no-such-thing.html
Laelth
(32,017 posts)-Laelth
FSogol
(45,488 posts)daleanime
(17,796 posts)Chakaconcarne
(2,454 posts)But this seems to be a tactic conservatives use where they faction out their party so they can hold different positions on issues depending on which way the wind blows. You noticed this during the election where each candidate had their own spin on conservative. When it became just Romney, he could pick and choose which version he might endorse depending on response from voters, polls, etc. I think conservatives have to use this tactic to appeal to a greater number of voters and to prevent being pigeonholed to a narrowed ideology which they really attempt and sometimes succeed with Democrats. I personally see 95% of all Conservatives as one. To the extent that we can label them as such, the better.
It may be a civil war on the surface, but make no mistake, if a so called "moderate Republican" can get away with representing Tea Party ideology, they will.
daybranch
(1,309 posts)This so called war is just an attempt by conservative owned main stream Media to mislead the public. They also label it a war between moderate republicans and conservatives. Like it is said here , it is a war about tactics between two conservative groups both intent on serving their greedy corporatist masters.
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They can call themselves republicans, republican moderates, Tea Party, Evangelicals, or Dominionists but they are all corporatists that want to further rob the people.
Othervoice
(8 posts)Tomasky nails it once again. The radicals clearly have the upper hand and its a shame because they are not interested in governance. That is not good for the GOP or the country because the democratic process depends on both sides compromising on policy not principle. However this what the Republican Right gets for being extremist. They created this monster and now they have to pay for it. They thought they could use an extreme activist movement to bring down President Obama and the last few GOP centrists. Well the Tea Party people as it turned out had a mind and agenda of their own. Surprise ! Being a conservative is one thing, but being a reactionary is something else, and that's not good. I live in Kentucky and I will be interested to see if Tea Party favorite Matt Bevin of Louisville will hurt Senator Mitch McConnell in the GOP primary.
Thanks Don Viejo for posting this really fine piece !