THE PALIN PERPLEX
I think those far-out Tea Party candidates caught the Palin disease. They probably knew they were going to lose, but by being so out there, they became heroes and role-models to the far right and will make sh*tloads of money on books and speeches, and, with their name recognition, can keep running for office forever.
Look at Palin. She wants to be the next president in the worst way -- and it would be the worst way for the GOP, and the country. (What on earth was McCain thinking??) But she's made herself the darling of the extreme right and they'll follow her off the electoral cliff, and maybe take the rest of us conservatives down with her. I'm still hoping I can lure Jeb into re-considering a run.
A FLESH WOUND?
"We have scotched the snake, not killed it," Macbeth tells his Lady. Obama clearly has been wounded by the midterm election results, but it could have been, should have been, even worse for him. He's still in the White House, and so is Harry Reid and enough Senators to make some majority trouble for our agenda.
Obama will make feints to the center-right, but on key matters, he'll try to ride it out, re-energize the Dems in Congress, and stay true to his inner principles (even though he's effectively compromised most of those by now; he's so damn easy to roll).
We're entering the post-election shake-out phase, where the new political alignments begin to figure out how to move, how to organize themselves, what kind of battles they're willing to fight. The Dems alienated their progressive base and paid the price for disrespecting them. They stayed at home on Election Day or voted for the Republicans, just to send a message. So now the Dems have to figure out how to placate those progressives -- all those black voters, and young voters, and activist voters -- so that they're back on board for 2012.
And we Republicans are facing much the same situation. The politically savvy folks I represent have to figure out how, and how much, to deal in reasonably friendly fashion with the Tea Party crazies while not pushing them out of the GOP completely. It's a delicate dance, and I'm not sure we have leaders capable of that kind of complex political thinking (and I include Beck. Limbaugh, Hannity and the rest of the rightwing bloviators). They want revenge, destruction, blood. I just want to get back in power.
In point of fact, diary, it kinda looks I'm the best qualified person to lead the party back to the White House and total control of the system. But, of course, I can't say that out loud. I'll have to wait until those that matter figure it out and call me in (at high fees, I can assure you). Back to the future! #
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Bernard Weiner, a poet/playwright, has peeked into the diaries of numerous politicos over the years (http://www.crisispapers.org/weinerpubs.htm#diaries). A Ph.D. in government & international relations, he has taught at universities in California and Washington, and worked as a writer/editor for the San Francisco Chronicle. He currently serves as co-editor of The Crisis Papers. To comment:
Email address removed">Email address removed .Copyright 2010 by Bernard Weiner.
First published by The Crisis Papers 11/10/10.
>> http://www.crisispapers.org/essays10w/rove.htm
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