Maybe the polls are wrong, and John McCain is about to pull off the biggest election upset in American history. But right now the Democrats seem poised both to win the White House and to greatly expand their majorities in both houses of Congress. Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala
Insightful column that predicts that if Obama wins the election, the Republican party is likely to become more extreme, rather than moderate. The author offers reasonable evidence to support his points, which are logically presented.
the G.O.P.’s long transformation into the party of the unreasonable right, a haven for racists and reactionaries, seems likely to accelerate as a result of the impending defeat. This will pose a dilemma for moderate conservatives. Many of them spent the Bush years in denial, closing their eyes to the administration’s dishonesty and contempt for the rule of law. Some of them have tried to maintain that denial through this year’s election season, even as the McCain-Palin campaign’s tactics have grown ever uglier. But one of these days they’re going to have to realize that the G.O.P. has become the party of intolerance.
If the author is right, this presents a challenge for those of us who seek to find common ground across party lines. More than ever, we need inventive ways to reach out to people whose views are very different than our own, and figure out ways to make them comfortable in broadening their perspective. Education can help with young generations, but how do we get through to adults who are already set in their ways and beliefs?