The Crisis Before Us, and Those Who Would Prolong It

8 Random Items for 12/5/2008 #8

A reader at Talking Points Memo gets right to the point about conservative Republican strategy for an Obama presidency ...

Given the new demographic realities of the country, Obama's presidency must be a failure if Republicans are to ever emerge from the political wilderness. The more they obstruct, the more Obama and Congressional Democrats will be forced to water down economic policy. And a watered-down policy just won't cut it at this moment in history. This is sabotage, pure and simple. If the poor and the middle class have to suffer in order for Republicans to have something to run against in 2010, so be it.

Is this an accusation of sabotage against the Republican party? Sure. Yeah. No problem. That's not to say every Republican in the country, or even every elected Republican, would deliberately thwart action that would help the economy. I don't think anyone is making that broad an accusation. However, there is no doubt in my mind that the most conservative members of the party, who occupy much of the Republican leadership, will do just that.

"America First" has always been sort of a hollow slogan for the Republican party.