Thursday, March 18, 2010

"The Original Sin of Contemporary Republicans"

A Dish reader takes down Andrew for giving Karl Rove the benefit of the doubt over creating Republican policy that vilifies gays while knowing his own father was gay. Money quote:
Really, this is the problem with the GOP, when people talk about good roads and good schools, the base doesn't listen. But when they talk about faggots, the base stomps the floor. The role, and obligation, of leaders is to say what is right and do what is right.
The Democrats have been no different in their focus on winning elections over everything else. Their context, however, was broader and more sensible. Clinton's mantra -- "It's the economy, stupid" -- centered on people's fear of national financial ruin rather than their fear of gays or foreigners. After Bush 43 took office, economics went out the window in a blizzard of profligacy and cronyism while cynically calling it "compassionate conservatism."

Read Thomas Frank's What's the Matter With Kansas? and you'll get my drift.

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