Shadegg’s Party

Representative Shadegg of Arizona is making a bid for the minority whip post in the new Republican minority leadership. This excerpt from his letter demonstrates that the GOP isn’t chasted by their loss at all. If anything, movement conservatives are more out of touch with reality than ever.

"The vicious onslaught of attacks against us, individually and
collectively, showed us that our opponents will stop at nothing to gain
power. We will not stoop to their level, but we must prepare for 2008.
We must craft an agenda for the next Congress that emphasizes those
things we all agree on – our core principles – and we must build a
record of Democrats support for extreme positions out of touch with
America."

‘Vicious onslaught of attacks’? What race was he in? Democrats will stop at nothing to gain power? As opposed to stopping at nothing to retain power? What the hell is wrong with this guy? ‘We will not stoop to their level’? You mean these guys can still stoop from race-baiting, gay-bashing, personal attacks as an entire campaign strategy, and calling anyone who disagrees with the President’s policies un-American terrorist lovers? All I can do is roll my eyes in disbelief at this guy’s disconnection from all reality.

Finally, the really chilling part of this little graf, ‘we must build a records of Democrats support for extreme positions’. What this tells me is that Shadegg proposes to use the same divisive showboating and political theater in opposition that Newt Gingrich and his gang used. The GOP has wasted untold resources and, most importantly, Congressional time (a very limited commodity) in pursuing absolutely meaningless, even unconstitutional, legislation just to be able to use the votes against Democrats and energize their basest constituents. Shadegg proposes a return to the pettifogging bullshit that, in part, won them election in 1994. Shadegg thinks that the American people will fall for that dog and pony show again.

This is not a Representative interested in using a minority leadership position to benefit the country or attempt to moderate Democratic control of Congress with conservative values, Shadegg is only interested in using his office to sabotage and exploit the democratic progress and score political points. He knows that Democrats will not keep the changes to House rules with which the GOP has bound and gagged the minority, and he plans to exploit our fairness to harass and embarrass the majority, not to improve the deliberative process.

This is just more of the same political posturing that has landed the GOP in hot water with voters in the first place. Americans want a change and they want progress on key issues like Iraq, health care, immigration, income inequality, job growth, and the pains of globalization; Republicans should be wary of throwing monkey wrenches in the works for political gain, and instead get down in the trenches and help fix what is desperately wrong with America before it’s too late.

The alternative is just the opposite of Karl Rove’s dream for the GOP: a permanent minority. I actually don’t think there is any possibility of a party building a ‘permanent majority’ in American politics. One party rule is a self-limiting proposition in a democracy given human nature. But one can certainly ignore what voters want, and act in a counter-productive manner that will ensure your party wanders in the wilderness for a very long time: witness the GOP during the 40 year rule of Democrats in the mid-twen-cen. It can happen again, and with leaders like Shadegg, it will: and we’ll all suffer for it.