Is there anything like an intellectually honest Republican left in the USA? The party of the intellectually ignorant is actually proud of their status. Why would you want someone smarter than you running the country? Naaaa, it's much better to have a guy (or woman) you'd like to have a beer with be in power. You can easily make the argument that Republicans are the party of ignorance, at least over the last 8 years. What is even more amazing, is that in a Rovian manner, the Republicans make their ignorance a selling point! Don't listen to the elites! Use common sense instead. Why not argue that you shouldn't listen to your physician, accountant, lawyer, plumber, electrician, or auto mechanic either. Just use your common sense...expertise isn't needed or wanted.
It recently made me wonder, as I've seen Republican campaign storefronts open in Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, who are these people that after almost 8 years of Republican disaster....are actually willing to support more Republicans being elected? It's like that stupic TV commercial that runs too much lately. The guy says to his psychologist, "AM I INSANE"??? His psychologist points out that Ben Franklin defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same result. That is what local Republicans are doing in my opinion.
So is there even one intellectually honest Republican left in the country? Every now and then Joe Scarborough will slip and show some intellectual honesty, but that is a rare event. The moderate congressional Republicans have lost their jobs. Country first Republicans? Bullshit! Remember when Republicans were honest enough that they put Howard Baker in place to clean up Ronald Reagan's Iran/Contra scandal mess? Remember when Republicans realized it was time for Richard Nixon to leave office. Those days are long gone.
Accepting Sarah Palin as their VP candidate is another perfect example. It's become more and more evident that this woman is not ready for national office. She is an embarrassment to women, the Republican party, Conservatives and to the country in general. Palin can barely string two comprehensible sentences together. No wonder they are keeping her away from the press. Yet loyal Republicans insist that Sarah Palin is the answer to all our problems.
Actually, I just remembered. Conservative Andrew Sullivan has come to his senses over the last couple of years.
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I'm sorry but this is precisely the sort of nonsense that makes this country hate politics. Not only is the other side wrong, not only are they idiots, but they all lying sacks of crap (while my side gets a blank check).
Is there an intellectually honest Republican left in the USA? Yes. There are Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, the US Senators from Maine who consistently tow a moderate line. I have far more respect for Republican Chuck Hagel, who's been a consistent critic of the neo-cons war against American values, in contrast to, say, Democrat Joe Lieberman's pro-barbarianism stances. There's Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward, who put her humanity ahead of her party's orthodoxy to vote in favor of an NYS gay marriage bill and got a lot of a crap for it. You have Ron Paul, who I don't agree with ideologically but I don't think anyone can question his intellectually honesty.
I understand the general point you are making. Intellectually honest Republicans are not the ones really running the party. And the ones running the party are basing their campaigns on appeal to ignorance and fear.
But isn't your completely false implication that all Republicans are dishonest also based on ignorance and fear?
So instead of spreading these falsehoods, why don't you praise the Republicans that are intellectually honest? The country would be better off if they regained the ascendancy in their party.
And how can you completely ignore problems on the Democratic side? They signed off (and continue to do so) on the disaster in Iraq. They ok'd Bush's war against civil liberties (Patriot Act passed a Democratic Senate 99-1 for example). They are just as much pawns of corporate America as the Democrats. Take this bailout for instance. Democrat Obama has received about 50 percent more in campaign bribes ("donations") from Wall St. than Republican St. John. The massive deregulation of the financial industry that's led to our current crisis was passed by a GOP Congress... but signed by Democratic President Clinton. Democrats have colluded with Republicans to thwart democracy by rigging state electoral laws to set ridiculous barriers for smaller party and independent candidates; by excluding smaller party and independent candidates from debates; by refusing to implement a sane campaign finance system. New York's system is ridiculous and I'm sorry to tell you that Sheldon Silver is just as culpable for it as Joe Bruno.
Democrats want to be seen as being on the ride side of these issues without showing the cojones to actually do anything. And liberals give them a free pass for all this. Intellectually honesty? My foot!
How can you ignore the Democrats' complicity in all this? Yes, the Republicans are worse in most of these cases, but in many cases, they got plenty of Democratic help.
If you want to lecture on intellectual honesty, then try holding Democrats to the same standards you hold Republicans to.
Several points. When looking for intellectually honest Republicans I think I was refering more to the average Republican voter that actually believes 4 more years of Republican control of our country will solve our problems. I probably didn't make that clear enough.
Will, 4 years of Democratic control solve all our problems? Probably, not. But we will be better off overall than if we had Republican control of the government? I can only hope so.
It must be great to be in the holier-than-thou position of being an independent or member of a 3rd party. "Look at me! I can criticize both Democrats and Republicans because both parties are lying pieces of crap." Fortunately, I am intellectually honest enough to criticize Democrats as well as Republicans. As you probably well know, I've publically criticized Rep. Gillibrand on this blog many times and she must get sick of my emails that are critical of her positions. I've publically stated on this blog that I will not support nor vote for either Senator Clinton or Senator Schumer next time they run for office (for different reasons). I actually hold Democrats to a higher standard than I do Republicans.
You point out that Susan Collins is a moderate Republican. Sorry, that is bullshit. You need to look more closely at Collins record. The real moderate Republicans are being defeated by members of their own party because they are moderate.
No where did I say that all Republicans are dishonest. That is something you came up with in your own mind. Intellectual honesty means "keeping one's convictions in proportion to one's valid evidence." That is what many Republicans are not willing to do.
Yes, yes, I know I'm about to get a dressing down and lecture on how 3rd parties are the answer to all our problems. Unfortunately, I'm too old to wait for your completely honest, completely ethical, completely utopian 3rd party to come to power. I'd like to retire. I could afford to retire right now but for one reason - health care. My hope is that the people of this country are ready to support health care as a right for all US citizens. I don't think Republicans can lead us in that direction. I hope Democrats can because I think people are ready for the idea given the proper leadership.
Sorry, I just don't have time for Ralph to become President.
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