The Coming Conservative Crack-up

The Republicans' split over the bailout bill is the latest example of the party's internal divisions. Unless the GOP figures out what it stands for, it's headed for civil war and electoral disaster.

Bumping abortion and other social issues to the top of the Republican agenda isn't how things are supposed to work -- those issues are supposed to be the opiate for the Republican masses, doled out generously at campaign time with the understanding that they'll have little importance once power is obtained. Palin, in fact, is the first Republican vice-presidential nominee drawn from that wing of the party obsessed with what other people are doing with ... Full Story »

Posted by Kaizar Campwala

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Review

James Staley
4.5
by James Staley - Oct. 1, 2008

This is an excellent opinion piece in which it is claimed political conservatism is sputtering toward the end of its three-decade reign in the Republican Party. Mr. Waldman makes a cogent, convincing case that the three pillars of conservatism are crumbling due to recent disasters. Warmongering conservatives are out of favor thanks to the disastrous Iraq War; social conservatism is on its deathbed, thanks to growing conservative rejection of the poison pill Palin; and economic conservatism has been shown to be a house of cards by our current economic meltdown. The one factor Waldman forgets is the Republican spin/smoke/mirror machine that may succeed in duping American voters about all the above, resulting in another Republican in the White House.

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