I generally take the position that most people consider themselves good and well-motivated. When people do or say things with which I disagree, I try to understand what they are saying to themselves to justify their misguided ways. Often, I will conclude that they are either deluding themselves or they believe some higher cause is achieved by maybe shading the truth or ignoring evidence that may contradict their view or action.
So, I mostly attribute Republican lies and deceit with willful ignorance or an "ends justifies the means" approach to politics. And their end to to obtain power.
But the Republican response to the Detroit underwear bomber blows my theory. In this instance, they are just evil. Their relentless attacks on Obama are now completely divorced from any credibility and are shameless, hypocritical efforts to destroy our President without any regard to what it does to our country. When Democrats criticized Bush, they were said to be unpatriotic. Republicans, like Dick Cheney, now show no qualms about aggressively politicizing every move Obama makes. It is truly sickening.
Think Progress has a good account of Cheney's latest outrage. As does Eugene Robinson in today's Washington Post.
Sadly, the American public doesn't punish this kind of behavior. It think the only think that we save our country in the next few years is for the voters to smack the Republicans for the third time in a row. Right now, they feel politically vindicated because they have succeeded tainting the healthcare reform legislation by making the process of its enactment as ugly as possible. Eventually, the bill will pass and we will move on to the slow process of implementation. It is unclear what it's short term political impact will be. They key in November will be the economy. If the economy improves and Obama's policies are vindicated, they are dead meat. And we might see a new Republican party that believes it has some responsibility to govern. If unemployment remains high and they make political gains, the trench warfare will continue to the detriment of the country. Our steady decline will continue.
God help us.
So, I mostly attribute Republican lies and deceit with willful ignorance or an "ends justifies the means" approach to politics. And their end to to obtain power.
But the Republican response to the Detroit underwear bomber blows my theory. In this instance, they are just evil. Their relentless attacks on Obama are now completely divorced from any credibility and are shameless, hypocritical efforts to destroy our President without any regard to what it does to our country. When Democrats criticized Bush, they were said to be unpatriotic. Republicans, like Dick Cheney, now show no qualms about aggressively politicizing every move Obama makes. It is truly sickening.
Think Progress has a good account of Cheney's latest outrage. As does Eugene Robinson in today's Washington Post.
Sadly, the American public doesn't punish this kind of behavior. It think the only think that we save our country in the next few years is for the voters to smack the Republicans for the third time in a row. Right now, they feel politically vindicated because they have succeeded tainting the healthcare reform legislation by making the process of its enactment as ugly as possible. Eventually, the bill will pass and we will move on to the slow process of implementation. It is unclear what it's short term political impact will be. They key in November will be the economy. If the economy improves and Obama's policies are vindicated, they are dead meat. And we might see a new Republican party that believes it has some responsibility to govern. If unemployment remains high and they make political gains, the trench warfare will continue to the detriment of the country. Our steady decline will continue.
God help us.
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