The leaders of our alleged political salvation, that federally-funded patronage franchise called the GOP, are utterly lacking in both style and sense. I say this without having performed a systematic analysis. Still, I keep my ear to the ground, and if a worthy conservative champion had risen to the top of the greasy Republican pole I think I’d have heard something about it.
The latest suit to cultivate a little superficial “outsider” status within the comfortable limits of party is Pat Toomey. Here’s a little chronological linkage, to bring readers up to the level of a fella who browses a newsfeed from his home PC: Shortly after Arlen Specter switched parties, the idea of a primary run by ex-governor and former Homeland Security czar Tom Ridge began to develop. Then it stopped developing. Now apparently Toomey is no longer an outsider. So indicates convicted felon Bob Asher, who somehow remains the keeper of the keys for Republicans in the Keystone state in spite of a public portfolio stuffed with seedy activity.
One doesn’t enter into a “process of a very constructive consolidation of support” with folks like Bob Asher by being a good guy or a solid defender of Western civilization. Perhaps this comes about merely because Toomey is working from a position of strength and Asher sees no percentage in chasing him around. Perhaps there’s some level of quid pro quo occurring somewhere. Regardless, I’m calling a strike.
You can call strike two from the upper deck, which brings me back to the matter of style and sensibility. The Republicans are in the process of reorganizing, repackaging, and rebuilding. In intellectual terms this effort has produced a book deal for Human Events “Conservative of the Year” Sarah Palin, a “listening tour” featuring some of the head honchos, Michael Steele expressing love for his “brother” Barack Obama, and Meghan McCain. Recently Mr. Toomey made his own theoretical contribution to this expert redesign:
Since the “tent” seems to be the preferred metaphor for addressing this issue, I will use it to make my case.
I see the tent’s poles as the many ideas that animate the Republican Party. We can and should have a vibrant, ongoing debate about how many poles the tent should have and where they should be positioned.
May I spare everyone further quotation? It would just deepen my dark mood. We used to hear about “mystic chords of memory” and houses of national character divided against themselves. Now we’ve got a tent with some poles. Even my eighth-grade English teacher, who emphasized the pedagogical value of markers, construction paper, and “group projects,” would experience a tinge of our collective embarrassment at having such verbally challenged overlords.
I wouldn’t have to look far to find a third strike. But I don’t want to be the Young Turk who relies on ideological litmus paper in order to see. I recognize the need to live in the real world, adapt principles to practice, and get things done, while continuing to reserve the right to boo and jeer from the balcony. I also reserve the right to give Toomey some credit in case he accidentally does something creditworthy, like kicking out Janet Napolitano’s beaver teeth, publically identifying the transparent fifth column, or voicing unqualified support for Dr. Ron Paul.
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We’ve Got This Tent, See
The leaders of our alleged political salvation, that federally-funded patronage franchise called the GOP, are utterly lacking in both style and sense. I say this without having performed a systematic analysis. … [Read More]
Posted by Evan McLaren on May 14, 2009
The Usual Suspects