Which Reagan wannabe will lead the GOP back to glory?
Seems those who inherited earned their vast wealth while still in the womb are reminiscing about the many splendors of growing up rich. Regaling one another with stories about how the poor considered themselves lucky to share in the lovely homes they served; how blessed they felt to eat some of the same food, sometimes even sleep in the same homes as the more-deserving gracious and generous masters. These are the days they strive to return to! They must find another Reagan.
Who will it be?
fnord
I’ve heard a few people compare Obama to Reagan in that Obama is an inspiring orator and Obama has the ability to grow a grassroots movement into real political action.
I like to think Reagan was only the prototype for the real thing – Obama. What Reagan lacked in real empathy for all American citizens – Obama seems to possess.
What Reagan lacked in fairness for all citizens – Obama seems to possess.
Maybe history just made things right after 28 years and let a black man be the Reagan that everybody thought was Ronald Reagan in the 80′s?
As far as any current GOP leader being able to fill the Reagan void – there are none. But I would not be surprised if someone pops up within the next decade.
Only trouble is – their pickings are pretty slim. Their party is is in big trouble and they still aren’t even willing to admit what hit them.
Looking in from the outside, it seems they’re going to need to decide who they represent and what their party stands for. Really stands for — not the pandering for votes they’ve done a lot of, but truthfully looking at what their policies will be. They pandered to the religious and got people who hadn’t been involved with politics to become involved by making promises they never intended to keep. Since their Contract With America got them votes, what have they accomplished?
Michael Steele said just yesterday they are finished looking back! They aren’t going to talk about or even think about how they screwed up, what needs to change or improve, no more reflection and introspection — the past is gone, they’re moving forward.
Okay.
Wonder which direction they plan to take. Are they still standing in the circular firing squad stance?
Did they come up with an idea yet? Just one single idea? Or maybe a plan?
I also think as long as they revere Reagan they deserve to remain wandering in the wilderness of politics. His wasn’t a presidency to be proud of.
But it did make alot of Republicans wealthy.
And there are the bigger number who are wannabe rich but vote against their own wallets!
These things are always cyclical, and I have no doubt that we will see a new leader emerge from the massed ranks of the GOP. Currently the party is too divided, split between a faction which believes that the party is too conservative and one which believes it is not conservative enough.
What it is going to take is someone with the same charisma Obama has, someone not yet jaded from the party infighting, someone with a vision the electorate can get behind.
And for that, this person will have to be something of a moderate, someone willing to shake off Limbaughism in favor of blazing a new trail of his or her own making.
That’s a pretty tall order, and most of the known contenders look unlikely to fill it. It’s a viable way forward for the right candidate, but it’s a hard line to walk when you want to appeal to the base as well as the independents – a line which is only getting harder. Giuliani tried this, and failed spectacularly.
Could Charlie Crist be the kind of guy? Could Bobby Jindal?
Maybe. Most of the rest of the field would be hard-pressed to evince the necessary charisma, never mind visionary policy.
I think Bobby Jindal did more damage in that one speech than he can undo by 2012 – other than with the Social Conservatives base in the GOP.
In my opinion, Bobby Jindal has joined the ranks of Sarah Palin in the caricature level of politics. Weren’t there stories about Jindal believing or participating in exorcisms? That sounds too much like Sarah Palin and her saying God wants Alaska to have a pipeline, or God wants the US military to win, or when she participated in a ceremony to ward off witchcraft.
I agree with everything you said about Jindal. He has quite a bit in his past to overcome before he can appeal to enough to win at the national level.
I’m inclined to disagree – I think Jindal can, with the right team, still become more than the caricature that the one speech turned him into. It wouldn’t be easy by any means, but it could be done.
That said, he will have to have an effective counterstrategy, since he will inevitably have the volcano monitoring quote thrown in his face at every turn.
What about Gov. Jon Huntsman, new ambassador to China. Is he charismatic? Moderate? This new appointment will add value to his resume while still keeping the distance from the mainstream of Washington.
It will be interesting to see how well Charlie Crist does in Florida. If this moderate Republican succeeds, then maybe it is the first gong of the death bell for the Social Conservatives’ stronghold on the GOP?
But, alot also hinges on how the economy rebounds.
But more than that, if the Wall Street bankers come out of this economy in better shape than the middle class, won’t there still be some resentment towards the GOP for defending these CEO’s exorbitant salaries in the first place?
Time will tell.
Have you guys heard the GOP is wanting to do something to commemorate Regan’s 100th birthday? They are way too stuck on that failed president.
Charlie Crist is gay – nothing wrong with that, of course – but his reasons for being single is that “he hasn’t met the right woman yet.”
Nice try – that approach will turn off the GOP and the Democrats.
Mark Sanford, Gov. SC looks like the GOP’s best hope, but the true leader will emerge for the Republicans when this happens:
“(enter name): Rush Limbaugh, STFU, you do not represent me or my Party!”
Until that happens, the GOP will be wandering in the wilderness.
I just Googled Charlie Crist and it looks like he married in December of 2008. Her name is Carole (Rome?) and she has kids but they are still in shool in New York.
I didn’t read everything but there were some blog comments about Carol just giving her kids up to their father because she didn’t want to be bothered with them.
Where did you read Crist as gay? I agree that it should not matter whether he is gay or not. But if he married some woman who gave up her kids to play the role of governor’s wife – then that might also not play well with the voters – in both parties.
As for Sanford in SC – I think he is pretty much catering to the Conservatives Tea Baggers at this point in time and if the blogs I’ve seen are any indication, South Carolina people don’t like him much.
I also agree that whoever has the cahones (sp?) to tell Rush where to shove it and make it stick – will emerge as the new Ronald Reagan. The only question will be – can the country stand another Reagan if he was anything like the first?
I’ve heard it rumored for forever that Crist is gay. The rumors say he married to quiet the rumors and it was a marriage of ‘convenience’ for both. Who cares? I want to know very different things about someone who will represent our country than his/her sexual persuasion. However, I’m me, and I’m certainly not a Conservative, so maybe Crist has a problem?
They would do well if they did look back. If they don’t know where they made their mistakes, they’ll only continue to repeat them. And that’s pretty much what the past 8 years were: A repetition of past mistakes, and taking them to the max.
Fnord please check your gmail.
The Reagan successor?
Well, Reagan was a corrupted Democrat. At heart, he WAS a good man. But he was convinced that HIS success was his own and not owed to those who Nancy helped make him. That is what caused him to forget everything he believed in.
Thunderchild sings…
When a man loves a woman…
Short of raising Reagan from the dead, THAT is what they will? be looking for . A Democrat who has “seen the light”. I don’t know who that is or could be. The first person comes to mind is Joe Lieberman. But Joe is too….Joe.
Powell was right in his response to Cheney and Rush that there is a wing of the party he would still fit in.
But the problem is that the divide is so great that neither side truly has many numbers. Both are in the league of two third parties within one party.
Holding on to Reagan? He was the last truly successful GOP President for the party.
G. H. Bush was mediocre for the most part and his reneging on the tax promise set him for damnation.
We will not go into the effect that G. W. had on the party.
Personally I have yet to see any real possible saviors coming out. Christ depending on how much hold the nitwits have during that time of presidential hopes selection. He would never fly with the Social Cons or the Neo-cons.
There is kind of stuck in the middle those I would call the “average Republicans” they are for the most part some what “a-political” otherwise they truly do not think about politics enough to really pay attention.
Their concept of the issues mainly come from the two second sound bites on the MSM.
Otherwise they have more important thing to think about, now many are Republican for two reasons.
One being that the choice is Democratic or Republican so they will be Republican! The second is the gun issue and they do not know actual issues except that the Republicans are safe guarding their gun rights and the Democrats are trying to take them away. That is as simple as it is for them, so they are Republican.
I actually meet a number of Democrats that are the same way a single issue and deciding on a party based on minor known information.
Right now I do not hold much hope for the Republican party, the real Republicans are behind to the point that they do not have the strength to overthrow the Conservatives. The average Republicans are so disinterested that they do not know that the party is endanger. Both the Social Cons and the Neo-cons are such ideologists they will not change or slack up to join with the Republicans that are left. Both hope that anyone that is not a social or neo will leave and they will have total control. The average Reps are so conditioned that they will not think about it and just assume anything they do hear is partisan spin.
That is the ace in the hole that the Neo-Conservatives have, they play the partisan card to hide their real intents. But then they did take lessons from some of the best at controlling the populist. Soviet Communists and Nazis. No I am not kidding, or being sarcastic their heroes are Trotsky and Hermann Goering.
“Of course the people don’t want war. But after all, it’s the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it’s always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it’s a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger.”
You summed it up well, tstb.
Many in Kansas are Republican because that’s what family members are and have always been (remember they don’t really know what “being Republican” means) or because in those two-second soundbites they heard that Democrats are socialists or worse (again, no understanding of what that actually means). They’re among the ones easily led and scared by the neocons who want to rule the world with military dominance!
The Republicans have the gun nuts who live in a world they created that isn’t reality. The Republicans have those who still think they can make abortion illegal. And, the Republicans have those who think the Bible is literal and the Constitution of the United States must more closely resemble the Bible (they don’t have any idea what the word theology is and being “Christian” is so superior to everything else anyway!).
Add to that the truth of what Rove said — half the population is below average intelligence. Take a look at the party affiliation of those who are college educated — they are leaving the Republican Party in droves!
Without something that wins new appeal, Republicans are reduced to people who can’t see beyond their obsessions and they are concentrated in states that don’t have electoral votes adequate to win at the national level.
They are a regional party.
Add to that the truth of what Rove said — half the population is below average intelligence. Take a look at the party affiliation of those who are college educated — they are leaving the Republican Party in droves!
You would think that would be a Canary in the coal mine for them. But it’s simply dismissed at reaffirming of the suspect that it is education, intelligence and thinking is the enemy of what they see as right!
They are those school yard bullies who hate the smart kid in class for being smart.