Conservative Sun Gazette: "A GOP Suicide Pact?"

By: Rob
Published On: 12/10/2007 12:19:49 AM

When the normally conservative Sun Gazette thinks the Virginia GOP is circling the drain, it's not a good sign:
One does have to wonder whether Virginia's Republican leadership has quietly, among itself, agreed on a political suicide pact. The party's bizarre behavior in recent weeks certainly seems to suggest it.

We'll start with the GOP's desire to force voters in the February presidential primary to sign a "loyalty oath," pledging to support the party's eventual nominee for president, no matter who that may be. Under the weight of public opinion, the party dropped the idea late late week.

As well they should have. While it was intended to keep spoilers from casting ballots in the primary, it was counterproductive and unenforceable - and gave the party a black eye....

Fresh off that debacle, GOP poobahs are now circulating legislation for the 2008 General Assembly session that would prohibit Virginia students from attending state-run colleges and universities, unless they could prove legal residence in the country.

[...]

Were this proposal coming from a fringe element in the GOP, we'd largely ignore it. But it has the support of House Speaker William Howell, who ought to know better.

It was just a decade ago that the future of Virginia's Republicans looked so bright. Now, the party is in disarray, and the public is penalizing its increasingly marginal stances on important issues. The question is, how far will the GOP's fortunes have to sink before more rational heads prevail?

Given the wingnuts they nominated in 2007 and are about to nominate for 2008, they've got a ways to go still.

Comments



A golden opportunity for Democrats (soccerdem - 12/10/2007 7:43:22 AM)
The Virginia Republican Party is being dominated and dogged by an element of members that are unable and incompetent in intelligently dealing with the increasing complexities of a changing world and consequently a changing Virginia.  Psychology tells us that, unfortunately, many human beings, when presented with new and complex problems (illegal immigration, multi-culturalism, new religions, etc.), are only able to deal with them in a reactionary way -- outwardly expressing phobias (anxiety, avoidance, irrationality, obsession, and terror).  And every election we witness these weaknesses in the Republicans with their fear-baiting to scare the voters to their side.

It is the better party, the Democratic Party, that generally has the psychological soundness, stability and intelligence to look at "problems" as something to address with proper perception, insight, ideas, and legislation...  and not as fears, as do the Republicans.  Today's Republicans have no ideas or plans on how to do the work to analyze complicated issues and coming up with real plans for addressing them.  May I remind you of these recent Republican "solutions":  instituting abuser fees rather than sensible increases in taxes; proposing to kick out all illegal immigrants, which is neither feasible or fiscally possible for many localities; insisting on same sex marriage; wanting to declare Christianity as the religion of the US; and on and on.  Get the picture?  

I would hope that the Democrats can run on the theme that Republicans don't have solutions or plans for Virginians, which they don't.  Virginia is changing, for sure.  Democracy and freedom allow that.  Democrats are the ones who can identify the issue, think through and examine the elements, and Democrats are the ones who come up with solutions that are good for all:  Social Security, Medicare, the minimum wage, etc., etc., etc.



soccerdem got it right (Kindler - 12/10/2007 11:41:34 PM)
Repubs are circling their wagons, thinking who can we scapegoat to unite our people against?  In the process, they are excluding and offending everybody except the true believers.

And that's how a once-great party dies...