As Rick Perry struggles to count to three, and Herman Cain is forgetful of both his own sexual wrongdoing and basic facts about Libya, we are reminded yet again of the stunning collapse of the Republican Party as a coherent and mature political entity.
The 2012 Republican field is a laughable parody of presidential candidates. Perry and Michelle Bachmann are under-informed extremists, and Cain is an unqualified pizza magnate dogged by sexual harassment allegations. All three have become popular because Republicans can’t stomach the idea that a nominal moderate like Mitt Romney might actually be the nominee. Meanwhile, less than half of Republicans even recognize the name of candidate Jon Huntsman, a successful two-term governor and former U.S. Ambassador to Singapore and China.
Huntsman is a descendent of the classically conservative GOP of Nixon, for which principles guided policy decisions. He upholds conservative economic values and a pragmatic, realist foreign policy perspective. Huntsman should be a viable Republican candidate, yet he has been shunned in favor of the radical circus. He is an example of the moderate conservative voices that the GOP has shoved out of the discourse in favor of a callous, reactionary desire to score cheap points at the expense of the public interest. Today’s Republican elected official flippantly neglects the search for meaningful solutions to America’s woes in favor of indulging his or her crass desire to bring down President Obama.
Fringe radicals have hijacked the GOP at the expense of unifying, reasonable figures like Huntsman. One of the most extreme examples of this radicalization is the “birther” movement that led to clownish failed real estate magnate Donald Trump’s brief appearance in the field. Republicans today obstruct the political process without principle or alternatives. Instead of defining themselves as a conservative party, Republicans have become the rigidly anti-Obama party.
In this time of global economic malaise and mounting societal discontent, America needs two fully-formed ideologies, and two qualified presidential candidates, that together represent the American people and American potential. Instead we are given the politics of personality, not policy. As long as Republicans continue to promote extremist fringe candidates at the expense of politicians who may demonstrate some complexity of opinion, they continue to participate in the gradual destruction of the party and country they claim to love.
Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman are the only two GOP candidates with a clue. Gary Johnson too, but they won’t even let him debate.
Ron Paul is going to pull an upset in Iowa, though now it’s less of an upset with him actually high in the polls. I’ve been saying it for a while now and this will definitely shake things up in the race. Even when you don’t agree with him, at least you know you’re getting what he really believes and not just talking points.
http://www.whatthehellbook.com/the-book/