Watching the House Republicans try to figure out how to pass some kind of immigration reform without inviting a fatal backlash from their racist base is one part comedy and one part tragedy. It’s funny because they all try to pretend to be standing on principle, but they are really trying to wait until most members have been renominated and cannot be defeated in a primary challenge. And it’s sad because the modern GOP has taken on all the attributes of a xenophobic, nationalistic, race-based fascist party. Even the people who want to do the right thing seem to want to do it less because it has intrinsic merit and more because they are dimly aware that fascism isn’t a long-term winning political strategy, at least so long as we keep having elections.
I keep hearing “reasonable” Republican strategists arguing that the party cannot continue to alienate Latinos and Asians, but they say that because they know it will cost them elections. You almost never hear them slam the racists (unless anonymously) and it’s even rarer that they make a moral case for immigration reform.
At some point, a decent person stops trying to convince a group of vile, angry bigots to reform and walks away from the group.
And yet – http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/30/1273690/-Complete-Analysis-of-the-2014-Gubernatorial-Electi
ons
They represent well those that vote for them. Better than Democratic politicians represent theirs.
The Democrat’s Achilles Heel.
In the long run — all that GOP flailing may make them look like fools, but the assessment will be less generous for those that subverted COP15. Reactions to this revelation are predictable –
For such a realist, it’s odd that McKibben would be shocked by this revelation. Seemed clear enough in real time that Obama, Clinton, etc. were doing everything they could to stop any climate change progress at COP 15 and that they succeeded.
I’ve gotten to the point where I rarely read anything GOPers say anymore unless it’s embedded in an article I want to read for other reasons. I was surprised to read Rubio’s comments after SOTU. He’s indicating interest and possibilities in areas I didn’t suspect. Maybe he’s always been saying this. And I’m not saying he’s gung ho, I was just surprised there was any give at all. Rubio appreciated the optimistic tone of the speech. He does apparently want immigration reform. He said the myRA had potential. Has he always been this [potentially] receptive?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/29/us-usa-obama-rubio-idUSBREA0S1T520140129
“…Still, while cautioning he wanted more details on the poverty proposals, Rubio acknowledged room for consensus.
He welcomed in principle Obama’s proposal to expand the earned income tax credit to single Americans without children as having the same goal as his alternative plan: a “wage enhancement,” that is tied to work and paid in regular paycheck increments rather than one lump sum…..”
And bonus: he didn’t offer to thrown anyone over a balcony!
Rubio still wants to be the Great Brown Hope.
And EIC For All would be more corporate welfare for Mcdonald’s and Walmart, substituting for the decent wage they should be providing.
MyRA has potential because they can expand it to get even more funds into Wall Street’s hands. The TSP G fund that Obama is proposing as the sole fund for MyRA doesn’t even cover inflation. It’s like your savings account, a long term loser. So, the GOP will want to spice it up with an S&P fund or the like. All that extra buying cash will propel the stock market ever higher.
The G-fund beats inflation, certainly in these times of deflationary pressure. If you invested $1,000 in the G-fund in 1990, you’d have ~$3,184 today. $1,000 in 1990 is worth 1,782.38 today.
You are starting in 1990. Try starting in 2009.
Self interest is the primary reason that a conservative ever changes. I suspect that may be a defining feature of that mentality.
Selfish and nasty is the definition of a conservative Republican.
WFBuckley was a nasty POS back in the 1950’s and Ted Cruz is a nasty POS today.
and they’re proud of it.
At some point, reporters and pundits will stop considering to be “reasonable” people whose job it is to get more vile, angry bigots into public office.
But I have no idea what that point could be.
Should the state of Texas have rounded up and euthanized all its non-white residents? Today, we’ll hear from both sides: a guest who insisted it needed to be done immediately, and one who argues that the mass executions were premature because they could cost The Party votes if it honors its pledge to reinstate elections…
Such poppycock.
I don’t know why they can’t just explain to their folks that cheap labor is what makes America great. It’s certainly what makes Texas great.
Most of the pig people are lost.
I say we ship them to Texas and then give Texas back to Mexico.