Stunts By GOP Activists Borderline on Dangerous (Dems Also Guity Too)

Note:  I consider myself a conservative. Not cray ones like those currently steering the Republican Party down the crazy nutty path that even Jeb Bush stated that President Reagan and his father would not have been able to succeed.

You want to know if the GOP base is energized?  Well, given that the Republican Party has been taken so far to the right now, you can say that the base is energized and it’s being populated by crazies.  Now, I’m not saying there are those of us who want sensible policies that are right of center that will truly solve the country’s fiscal problems that are fighting to be heard.  However, it’s these crazies that are wagging the tale and the GOP establishment is afraid to stop it out of fear that they’ll be reprimanded on talk radio and Fox News.  And they also fear it’ll stunt the enthusiasm of the base.

Unfortunately, the base isn’t what it used to be.  Jeb Bush was right when he said Presidents Reagan and Bush (the first one) would not belong in today’s Republican Party.  Jeb Bush would not belong either.

More than that, the fringes, which include the left, has made Congress such a dysfunctional institution, more so with each election cycle.  Have Republican leadership forgotten about Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords already?  Though the act of a lone crazy man, I cannot shy away from the politically charged environment created national and state leadership (that’s right, Sarah Palin comes to mind).  And again, I’m not only blaming GOP congressional leaders but also Pelosi/Reid as well.  During President George W. Bush’s terms, they could every bit as venomous towards the President.  The Democrats offered nothing but criticism and worked to undermine President Bush for the benefit of the American people but for the Democratic Party.

The average Americans want solutions to the economy and dismal job picture.  We don’t want Romney to blame Obama or Obama’s people to make us focus on Romney’s Bain days.  We don’t want stupid pledges that handcuff Congress or election year stunts from the White House.

Governor Jeb Bush was forced to clarify his statement when he criticized the GOP by saying that this blame is to be shared by both parties.  I agree.  There are plenty of good representatives and senators that really want to embrace common sense policies but are hammered by party politics and fearing that they will earn the ire of activists who are used to having their ways.

As for party politics, if your policy cannot stand on its own merits and all you can do is try to confuse voters by deflecting arguments and try to create hate towards the other party, your policies have failed.

And for those who used effigies or paint targets on the opposition and claim they're all in "good fun", sure it is until one of their followers takes it literally and goes too far.  By then, any kind of soul searching or attempts to dial back the hate would be too late.

Maybe it's not changes in Washington that is needed. Maybe it's a change in each of us and just how far we are willing to tolerate those cancerous behaviors.
Animosity shown by GOP

I’ll tell you this.  You want to know if the GOP base is energized?  Well, given that the Republican Party has been taken so far to the right now, you can say that the base is energized and it’s being populated by crazies.  Now, I’m not saying there are those of us who want sensible policies that are right of center that will truly solve the country’s fiscal problems that are fighting to be heard.  However, it’s these crazies that are wagging the tale and the GOP establishment is afraid to stop it out of fear that they’ll be chastised on radio and Fox News.  And they also fear it’ll stunt the enthusiasm of the base.

Unfortunately, the base isn’t what it used to be.  Jeb Bush was right when he said Presidents Reagan and Bush (the first one) would not belong in today’s Republican Party.  Jeb Bush would not belong either.

More than that, the fringes, which I know include the left, has made Congress such a dysfunctional institution.  Have Republican leadership forgotten about Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords already?  Though the act of a lone crazy man, I cannot shy away from the politically charged environment created national and state leadership.  And again, I’m not only blaming GOP congressional leaders but also Pelosi/Reid as well.  During President George W. Bush’s terms, they could every bit as venomous towards the President.

The average Americans want solutions to the economy and dismal job picture.  We don’t want Romney to blame Obama or Obama’s people to make us focus on Romney’s Bain days.  We don’t want stupid pledges that handcuff Congress or 2012 political stunts from the White House.

This is what I like to see done.  Incumbents that want to remain in office should run on their previous two years, four years, or six years of record.  And for the challengers, they should only be allowed to talk about their own policies. And no one is allowed to talk about the opponent’s policies to try to confuse the issues.

Idealistic and naïve.  I know.  But it doesn’t mean we should just take it.  That’s what the political parties are counting on.