CNN: 5 reasons the GOP will rebound, with my rebuttal

[Scam of God]

Here is a little article posted on CNN today, written by John Feehery. He is "is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Feehery Group, a boutique strategic advocacy firm dedicated to helping its clients achieve their legislative and communications goals in Washington D.C.," according to his bio on the Hill's Pundits Blog, to which he contributes. Besides his decidedly shady work history as essentialy a talent whore in Washington D.C., the Feehery Group represents the interests of such wonderful organizations as Newscorp and PhRMA. This is all technically irrelevant to the article I am posting, I do think it is worth pointing out that its author is a staunch Republican.

Anyway, here is the text of his piece, interspersed with my commentary:

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While I agree that a massive -up on the part of the Democrats is the only way the Republicans can salvage their reputation in the short term, Feehery's take on this is rather puzzling. He just mumbles vaguely about socialized medicine and gay marriage (without providing any evidence as to why these particular issues will lead to the downfall of the Democrats, despite the utter failure of the Republican's value campaigning strategy last November). I do not know much about the economic crisis in California, but is it fair to say it was "liberal governance" that caused it? I was under the impression it had more to do with across the board mismanagement of the budget gap, among other things. Also, Schwarzenegger is no liberal, and his approval ratings are in the tank.

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Does anybody have any idea what polls he is citing? I can not find any evidence of what he claims. This reason seems utterly insubstantial, except for a vague reference to the American system being better than the European one.

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It is true that the mid-90s forced the Democratic party to move more to the center, but that does not necessarily mean this will happen again. If anything, the opposite is happening for the Republicans. Between Specter's defection and Limbaugh's bitch slapping of the party, it seems that the GOP is discouraging independent thought and enforcing philosophical orthodoxy DURING its time of crisis. Feehery makes the point of what the Republicans SHOULD do, but I see no evidence that this is actually what they ARE doing.

Furthermore, Feehery's above reference to "abortion on demand and gay marriage" above tells me that libertarians who place equal emphasis on economic and social liberty remain just as unwanted today as they were during the height of the Reagan Revolution. So be it; I will remain happy to continue voting for Democrats.

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This he is mostly pulling out of his ass. A lot of Republicans hate Cantor, and Limbaugh has already bitch slapped him into place for supposedly diverging from the party line ("we don't listen, we teach!"). He desperately ignores the important example of Specter in all of this: it is true that some of the old guard have been wiped out, but they are being replaced by what amount to fanatics like Jindal. New faces, same ideas.

Also, political parties != the markets. Nobody likes a political loser.

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This is objectively untrue, as I (and many other civil libertarians) will openly attest to, and it proves Feehery's Big-Government Conservative credentials as real as rain. Again, I reiterate that support for a woman's biological liberty and support for freedom of marriage go hand in hand with any real commitment to libertarianism; those who would have government shrunk for the sake of their pocketbooks while enlarging it for the sake of their Holy Books are hypocrites, and no dedicated libertarian would want to be part of something like that.

This last point is ... well, I am just going to let it stand for itself. It amounts to nothing more than, "Hey, remember the last eight years? Me neither!"

The bullfrog, when it is threatened, likes to puff up its stomach so as to ward off predators.

I sense the same fundamental instinct at work in Mr. Feehery.

[k-onmmunist]

Of course they will rebound. You live in a two party system. They'll resurface eventually.

[Zarn]

Einzige... in the end, you just don't understand what libertarianism really is.

[k-onmmunist]

Einzige... in the end, you just don't understand what libertarianism really is.

[Scam of God]

Of course they will rebound. You live in a two party system. They'll resurface eventually.

Sure. But not with this philosophy.

Einzige... in the end, you just don't understand what libertarianism really is.

No; it's you who are confused. Free markets are great, but without individual freedom even the most capitalistic nation on Earth can become an oppressive hellhole. Liberty first, freedom later.

[Scam of God]

Einzige... in the end, you just don't understand what libertarianism really is.

Antiquities Act of 1906 - Against
Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 - Against
Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - For
Federal Reserve Act of 1913 - Against
Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 - For
Hepburn Act of 1906 - Abstain
New York State Tenement House Act of 1901 - For
Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 - For
Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Against

Don't presume to tell me what I do and don't know ever again.

[Nhoj]

Einzige... in the end, you just don't understand what libertarianism really is.

you are not really any better at that.

[k-onmmunist]

Einzige... in the end, you just don't understand what libertarianism really is.

Antiquities Act of 1906 - Against
Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 - Against
Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - For
Federal Reserve Act of 1913 - Against
Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 - For
Hepburn Act of 1906 - Abstain
New York State Tenement House Act of 1901 - For
Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 - For
Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Against

Don't presume to tell me what I do and don't know ever again.

Yeah yeah, ok. If there was a classic liberal avatar, I would use that.

[Lief 🗽]

You're all poor-haters, stop arguing

I found this part pretty hilarious though:

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Yes, because if the current Republican Party is anything right now, it's a party that encourages independent thought and discourages philosophical orthodoxy. Remember folks, you're allowed in the house; just don't dare to suggest that everything isn't perfect inside.

[Nhoj]

You're all poor-haters, stop arguing

I found this part pretty hilarious though:

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Yes, because if the current Republican Party is anything right it, it's one that encourages independent thought and discourages philosophical orthodoxy. Remember folks, you're allowed in the house; just don't dare to suggest that everything isn't perfect inside.

i dont hate the poor i am relatively poor :/ your point on the second part is of course correct about the GOP.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Yeah, I saw that article and stopped reading once I got to the stereotypical GOP boogeymen of California liberals, "abortion on demand", and SOCIALISM!!!111. It would have been more interesting had it had some actual thought put into it.

[Rob]

Yeah, I saw that article and stopped reading once I got to the stereotypical GOP boogeymen of California liberals, "abortion on demand", and SOCIALISM!!!111.

I stopped reading after he mentioned Jeb Bush as a man to "lead the party back to power," without apparent irony.

[The Duke]

This proves why so many libertarians on this board have always thought I have a populist streak.  They have no idea what libertarianism is.  The idea that to be for the FTC or the FDA prevents you from being considered libertarian is insane.

[??????????]

Einzige... in the end, you just don't understand what libertarianism really is.

Antiquities Act of 1906 - Against
Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 - Against
Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - For
Federal Reserve Act of 1913 - Against
Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 - For
Hepburn Act of 1906 - Abstain
New York State Tenement House Act of 1901 - For
Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 - For
Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Against

Don't presume to tell me what I do and don't know ever again.

Yet you wear the avatar of one of the most anti-libertarian parties around.

[Democratic Hawk]

Libertarianism is best confined to the dizzy heights of some Ivory Tower where it can do no harm

[??????????]

Libertarianism is best confined to the dizzy heights of some Ivory Tower where it can do no harm

Yes, because every idea they have is so terrible. Maybe the US can be more like your "free" country, we can ban people for speech we don't like.

[k-onmmunist]

Einzige... in the end, you just don't understand what libertarianism really is.

Antiquities Act of 1906 - Against
Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 - Against
Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - For
Federal Reserve Act of 1913 - Against
Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 - For
Hepburn Act of 1906 - Abstain
New York State Tenement House Act of 1901 - For
Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 - For
Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Against

Don't presume to tell me what I do and don't know ever again.

Yet you wear the avatar of one of the most anti-libertarian parties around.

So the libertarians are anti-Libertarian? :S

[Devilman88]

Libertarians are classic conservatives. Our party, GOP, was taken over by the fascism of today and is now what we call the Republican Party. Once we retake our party back, we once again can call it the GOP.

[k-onmmunist]

Libertarians are classic conservatives. Our party, GOP, was taken over by the fascism of today and is now what we call the Republican Party. Once we retake our party back, we once again can call it the GOP.

I agree with this.

[Zarn]

I can't wait for it, actually.

[??????????]

Einzige... in the end, you just don't understand what libertarianism really is.

Antiquities Act of 1906 - Against
Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 - Against
Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - For
Federal Reserve Act of 1913 - Against
Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 - For
Hepburn Act of 1906 - Abstain
New York State Tenement House Act of 1901 - For
Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 - For
Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Against

Don't presume to tell me what I do and don't know ever again.

Yet you wear the avatar of one of the most anti-libertarian parties around.

So the libertarians are anti-Libertarian? :S

I'm talking to the professor with the red avie.

[Lunar]

Libertarians are classic conservatives. Our party, GOP, was taken over by the fascism of today and is now what we call the Republican Party. Once we retake our party back, we once again can call it the GOP.

"classic conservatives?" 

Read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_liberalism

[The Duke]

Libertarians are classic conservatives. Our party, GOP, was taken over by the fascism of today and is now what we call the Republican Party. Once we retake our party back, we once again can call it the GOP.

"classic conservatives?" 

Read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_liberalism

I think he means conservatives of the 1950s (William F. Buckley types).  I don't think he means the days of Edmund Burke.

[opebo]

i dont hate the poor i am relatively poor :/ your point on the second part is of course correct about the GOP.

Most libertarians are poors Nhoj.  By that I mean working class.

But it is very obvious that self-hatred is a major component of the psychology of libertarians.

[dead0man]

You guys are hilarious.