The Republican Wasteland

The Republican Party is in shambles. It’s last president, George Bush was soundly repudiated. Now he’s going out with two wars raging and the economy in shambles. Guantanamo is still stinking, the specter of special renditions remains, and the nation is virtually an outcast among the international community. The cowboy rides away into the sunset. Alone.

Its last standard bearer, John McCain is clearly beyond the age limits to be considered again. His final tally in his only presidential campaign was less than half that of his opponent. His only lasting legacy to his party will be that he claimed to be a “maverick” and had “fought his party leaders”.

His vice-residential choice, Sarah Palin of Alaska, certainly does not have a strong base even in her own small and isolated state. Her only claim to Republican Party fame is that she appeals the the far right Christian extreme elements. She can’t name any magazines, remember the three countries in North America, or find Africa.

Rudy Giuliani is forever pinned to a 9-11 mentality, Mitt Romney cannot escape the Mormon Church label - probably worse for him because of the Republican Party being in bed with the extreme far right Christian base. They won’t do Morman.

Gingrich is considered to be a clown, even by republican standards, Tom Ridge is still stuck on Duct Tape, Tommy Thompson never got the joke. Mitch McConnel and Boehner are just plain mean. Stevens is gone whether he leaves or not.

So there are still possibilities like Crist or Jindal and others too. but there’s also the specter of Jeb! Bush to run sometime soon (it’s now his turn?). The republicans have lost a big opportunity by supporting Bush. If you thought New Orleans was ravaged, just look around - look all around. He has let the entire nation collapse just like its roads and bridges. Right now the Republicans biggest hope appears to be that the democrats will do the same thing they did.

But they have chased out the moderate and progressive members of their party and replaced them with the extreme Christian right, and those Christians are not really concerned with the traditional interests of the Republican Party. Like Palin, they have seen that God has partly opened a door for them and they are going to “punch through it!”, as she said in a recent interview.

© John Womack, 2008, All rights reserved