Conservative Movement "Has The Emotional Maturity Of A Bratty 13-Year-Old"

The Politics of Spite
How did one of our great political parties become so ruthless, so willing to embrace scorched-earth tactics even if so doing undermines the ability of any future administration to govern?

By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: October 4, 2009
There was what President Obama likes to call a teachable moment last week, when the International Olympic Committee rejected Chicago’s bid to be host of the 2016 Summer Games.
“Cheers erupted” at the headquarters of the conservative Weekly Standard, according to a blog post by a member of the magazine’s staff, with the headline “Obama loses! Obama loses!” Rush Limbaugh declared himself “gleeful.” “World Rejects Obama,” gloated the Drudge Report. And so on.
So what did we learn from this moment? For one thing, we learned that the modern conservative movement, which dominates the modern Republican Party, has the emotional maturity of a bratty 13-year-old.
But more important, the episode illustrated an essential truth about the state of American politics: at this point, the guiding principle of one of our nation’s two great political parties is spite pure and simple. If Republicans think something might be good for the president, they’re against it — whether or not it’s good for America.
To be sure, while celebrating America’s rebuff by the Olympic Committee was puerile, it didn’t do any real harm. But the same principle of spite has determined Republican positions on more serious matters, with potentially serious consequences — in particular, in the debate over health care reform.
Now, it’s understandable that many Republicans oppose Democratic plans to extend insurance coverage — just as most Democrats opposed President Bush’s attempt to convert Social Security into a sort of giant 401(k). The two parties do, after all, have different philosophies about the appropriate role of government.
But the tactics of the two parties have been different. In 2005, when Democrats campaigned against Social Security privatization, their arguments were consistent with their underlying ideology: they argued that replacing guaranteed benefits with private accounts would expose retirees to too much risk.
The Republican campaign against health care reform, by contrast, has shown no such consistency. For the main G.O.P. line of attack is the claim — based mainly on lies about death panels and so on — that reform will undermine Medicare. And this line of attack is utterly at odds both with the party’s traditions and with what conservatives claim to believe.
Think about just how bizarre it is for Republicans to position themselves as the defenders of unrestricted Medicare spending. First of all, the modern G.O.P. considers itself the party of Ronald Reagan — and Reagan was a fierce opponent of Medicare’s creation, warning that it would destroy American freedom. (Honest.) In the 1990s, Newt Gingrich tried to force drastic cuts in Medicare financing. And in recent years, Republicans have repeatedly decried the growth in entitlement spending — growth that is largely driven by rising health care costs.
But the Obama administration’s plan to expand coverage relies in part on savings from Medicare. And since the G.O.P. opposes anything that might be good for Mr. Obama, it has become the passionate defender of ineffective medical procedures and overpayments to insurance companies.
How did one of our great political parties become so ruthless, so willing to embrace scorched-earth tactics even if so doing undermines the ability of any future administration to govern?

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pokey11
I agree fully with Paul but I have to say that many on the left ( including him at times ) act like spoiled brats as well. Their mentality is we want everything you promised us done our way and we want it done now. If you don't do it our way and now we are going to accuse you of selling out to corporate america etc. The behavior on the right is much worse of course.

Watch Dem Candidate's Stutter Mocked At Rally For GOP Rival

tjconkster
Ms. Johnson, You owe my daughter and all of those with disabilities an apology! THis goes beyond the pale. My daughter has suffered from a stutter disability since she was very young. I've seen the look in her eyes when someone makes fun of the disability. It took years of thearpy in, wait for it, Public Schools from a very dedicated theapist to get her past the severity of the disability. She still stutters when she's tired, but man what an improvement from a Government Run Program. Now, she is enrolled in a State Run University studying to be a speech therapist. So repubs and Ms. Johnson, don't tell me that government run programs don't work. And take your hate speech and attittude and stick it where the sun don't shine! Go Buckeyes!
Kristen777
Here. Tell the compassionate philanthropist how you feel through her foundation.
http://sheilajohnsoninstitute.org/contact.html

Ed Schultz Slams Bill Kristol, GOP For Cheering Chicago's Olympic Defeat

Conservatives have been reveling in the defeat of Chicago's Olympic bid this weekend, and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol was right there with them, crowing about Obama's failure to secure the bid on Fox News Sunday. For this, he made MSNBC's Ed Schult's segment "Psycho Talk." Schultz blasted Kristol and the rest of the GOP: "The GOP's joy in the failure of Chicago's Olympic bid is flat-out anti-American."

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