August 13, 2010

The WaPo takes pity on us Republicans...

Seem to be a lot of that lately. Liberals trying to help us poor confused Republicans get on the high road to electoral success. Mighty kindly I take it, their giving us some helpful advice. And I thought they didn't like us.

But it's a funny thing. They all seem to have the same advice... Have you noticed?

A Washington Post editorial, Sarah Palin endorsements help push GOP farther from the center:

...Still, the particulars of Mr. Murphy's background are not the most interesting aspect of this tale. In fact, the endorsement reveals much more about Ms. Palin than about Mr. Murphy.

It shows, first of all, that the former Republican vice presidential nominee does not really care much about winning. [She's a loser. My heart's abroken.] After all, Mr. Murphy stands virtually zero chance of stealing the Republican nomination away from former governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who maintained relatively high approval ratings statewide even as he was defeated in his bid for reelection four years ago. Maryland is one of the most liberal states in the nation; if any Republican stands a chance at winning statewide office, it will be a moderate like Mr. Ehrlich, not a conservative like Mr. Murphy. [That's the CW. Lather, rinse, repeat.]

It also suggests that Ms. Palin's political worldview, if you can call it that, consists mainly of a short checklist of slogan-ready, litmus-test issues on which Mr. Murphy ranks higher in the conservative canon than Mr. Ehrlich does. Opposed to raising taxes? Check! [How marginal can you get? Only six people in the country oppose raising taxes.] In favor of Second Amendment gun rights? Check! [a few kooks!] Opposed to abortion? Check! [The guv would never endorse someone like, say, Carly Fiorina.] Dislike illegal immigrants? Check! [We marginal Republicans not only dislike them, we string them up from the lampposts.]

To the extent that Republicans follow Ms. Palin down this path, they will find it leads to a very snug tent, just big enough for the hard-core partisans [You have to "make your bones" to get in the club] who refuse to deviate from checklist politics for the sake of character, pragmatism or victory. You could call that principled. You could also call it a political strategy so narrow that it amounts to self-marginalization. [Guns? Check! Ammo? Check! A year's supply of food? Check!—we're ready, Sarah!]

I really don't deserve such bliss, sinner that I am, but the pleasure I would have watching those worms writhe and squirm and yelp through the eight years of the Palin presidency.... I shouldn't even think about it...

Posted by John Weidner at August 13, 2010 5:17 PM
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