It was just a few months ago when people were discussing the GOP as it were a bygone epoch.
Last night’s voting results proved otherwise.
Lots of questions and conjecture swirl around these races and others. What is certain about is that the GOP has played these times since the inauguration beautifully. Like ‘Michael at the baptism’ good.
They were gracious for a few months while people reveled in the moment, then when the sparkles had worn off a bit, they went to work protecting their agenda and interests in whatever way they saw fit. They played bare-knuckle politics and let their hatchetmen and women go to work.
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Fact: Barack Obama has gotten plenty of things wrong in his first few months. But not everything. In fact, he’s done a few things right and gotten a few things done. But you wouldn’t know it. Despite a Democratic White House and majorities in the House and Senate, the GOP–and its supporters–are still framing and controlling the debate. Why? Because they don’t concern themselves with “fighting fair”; they understand that, in politics, “fair” is whoever says it first and loudest.
This isn’t a matter of beliefs. It’s downright foolish to assert that conservatives never have any good ideas about anything and that the left can do no wrong. Just dumb. This is not about beliefs; however, it is about approach. It is about how one side delivered its message. And like it or not, the GOP got this right again.
They’re like a Michael Bay film: Maybe the dialogue isn’t the strongest, but it’s pro-America and a lot of things are blowing up in a delightfully appealing way.
They silenced the conservatives that weren’t all the way on board. Think about it: What prominent party member was passionate about telling his or her constituents that the birth certificate thing was absurd or that comparing the president to Adolf Hitler wasn’t the classiest thing in the world? Which one said the antics should be placed aside so we can see the points at which we honestly disagree?
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It didn’t happen. They closed ranks, stoked the flames of fear and divisiveness–either actively or passively–and did little to put them out. And why would they? However ugly, they furthered their agenda.
Democrats, meanwhile, stood there and tried to reason with a mob mentality, a mob mentality rooted in making the individual feel special (while simultaneously say “we want our country back”. Fucking genius).
They talked in circles, unable–or unwilling–to grasp that, yes, these guys and gals were doing it again.
How long are Dems going to try to create a bipartisan relationship with people who, time and again, have said they want nothing to do with it? While the initial efforts were commendable, maybe it’s time to take a page out of the GOP’s playbook and not worry so much about the feelings of people who don’t agree with you anyway. In the words of Three 6 Mafia, “don’t save her/she don’t wanna be saved.”
But Dems don’t want to do that. They want to feel as though they’ve won the right way, even if it means not winning. Even at the expense of their good ideas. So, they’ve allowed themselves to get outshouted. Again.
Jonathan Pitts-Wiley is a news aggregator and contributor for The Root. You can check out his personal blog at pittsindeed.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/pittswiley. Jonathan currently resides in New York City.
