Robert Parry: A Method to Republican 'Madness'

[laststeamtrain]

consortiumnews.com

A Method to Republican 'Madness'

By Robert Parry
March 31, 2010

Washington’s conventional wisdom for explaining the intensity of Republican obstructionism toward President Barack Obama breaks down one of two ways: either it’s a philosophical disagreement over the role of government or a desperate need to stay in line with a radicalized right-wing base.

But there is another way to view the GOP political strategy, as neither principled nor reactive to the rantings of Tea Partiers, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. It is that the Republicans are following a playbook that has evolved over more than four decades, to regain power by sabotaging Democratic presidents.

In this analysis, the Republicans believe they can reclaim the lucrative levers of national authority by making the country as ungovernable as possible while a Democrat is in the White House, essentially holding governance hostage until they are restored to power. Then, the Democrats are expected to behave as a docile opposition “for the good of the country” (and usually do).

The “destroy Obama” game plan tracks most closely with Newt Gingrich’s strategy for undermining Bill Clinton 16 years ago. But today’s strategy also traces back to Richard Nixon’s sabotage of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Vietnam peace talks in 1968 and Ronald Reagan’s October Surprise gambit against President Jimmy Carter’s Iran hostage negotiations in 1980.

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This GOP strategy is pursued even if it tarnishes the international image of the United States or if it undermines national security, even if it means more than 20,000 additional U.S. soldiers dying in Vietnam, or 52 American hostages facing longer captivity in Iran, or the likes of Timothy McVeigh feeling empowered to blow up a federal building.

The strategy continues even if it raises the current threat level against President Obama and Democratic lawmakers. The strategy continues because it works.

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http://consortiumnews.com/2010/033110.html

[geckosfeet]

1. SOP for the GOP

[ejpoeta]

2. yeah, sounds like my kid when she can't get a toy in the store. make it so miserable in there

and anywhere else we go to the point i have to give up and go home. the thing is it doesn't get her the toy. it just gets her sitting in her room alone. unfortunately the republicans wouldn't be doing it if it didn't work.

[Demeter]

3. No Need to Work Hard to Make Obama Fail

He's got Goldman Sachs on the job.

[ixion]

4. and becausee they know the dems won't reciprocate

they're in no danger of payback, no matter how ridiculous they act. They can be sure the dems will play softball to their hardball.

It works out well... for them. They energize their base by acting like the idiots that they are, make the dems look weak and ineffectual, and presto, they're back in the majority. They've been playing this game to varying degrees all my life, and yet people still fall for it.