Paul Krugman wrote this in his Friday column:
As I've mentioned elsewhere, the 'intellectual' qualities are essential to Conservatism, which is opposed to the macho attitude of surety and the simple mantras by which it is expressed. But that's apparently all that defines today's Republicans. The realist's appreciation for complexity has been overtaken by a visceral rejection of anything not ridiculously simple; finesse and slow, prudent application have been overtaken by unwavering reliance on force; patience and a desire for exposition have been overtaken by impatient and obsessive 'message' proffering; a willingness to debate and compromise has been overtaken by a childish need to 'talk back' to one's opponent and reject anything they say, responding with SOME countermeasures - almost ANY countermeasures - no matter how ignorant they might be.
The Republicans who are currently making a racket in the (otherwise recessed) Congress might wind up ‘scoring points’ over energy; and the Republicans who are currently directing John McCain’s campaign may wind up steering their man to victory. But such wins are losses for America. They deserve a realistic, well-planned and exhaustively considered energy solution, a thoughtful compromise between right and left that makes use of ALL America’s resources – its untapped oil, its inexhaustible coal supplies, its unlimited access to nature’s energy, whether from sunlight, from wind or the from the atom.
And Americans deserve a president who will move us away from the (unfortunately) ruling characteristics of Republican rule. I’m no Democrat; I’m a Conservative to the core. But Conservative ideals have a better chance of returning to politics, and America has a better chance of succeeding, if the Democrats are in power for a while – or, more importantly, if the Republicans are forced (perhaps only temporarily) out of power, to regroup or rebuild or, hopefully, fundamentally refashion themselves.
Republicans, once hailed as the “party of ideas,” have become the party of stupid... What I mean, instead, is that know-nothingism — the insistence that there are simple, brute-force, instant-gratification answers to every problem, and that there’s something effeminate and weak about anyone who suggests otherwise — has become the core of Republican policy and political strategy. The party’s de facto slogan has become: “Real men don’t think things through.”Republicans have no doubt become the stupid party - though Democrats are mostly just as stupid. The GOP has abandoned the 'intellectual' tradition of slow-moving prudence, of realistic, historically grounded analysis of problems and informed application of 'solutions'. Republicans have shown these qualities occasionally in their history. Considering only the last half century, we saw hints of them in the 94 revolution and in the first George Bush - their full and sustained expression, though, hasn't been seen since the eight years of Eisenhower, who expressed them so well, so quietly and subtly (as they should be), and with such a lack of presumption, that people thought him dangerously passive. History has vindicated Ike, though. His years were comparatively peaceful and prosperous; they saw not insignificant progress and left us plenty of lasting accomplishments - American monuments.
As I've mentioned elsewhere, the 'intellectual' qualities are essential to Conservatism, which is opposed to the macho attitude of surety and the simple mantras by which it is expressed. But that's apparently all that defines today's Republicans. The realist's appreciation for complexity has been overtaken by a visceral rejection of anything not ridiculously simple; finesse and slow, prudent application have been overtaken by unwavering reliance on force; patience and a desire for exposition have been overtaken by impatient and obsessive 'message' proffering; a willingness to debate and compromise has been overtaken by a childish need to 'talk back' to one's opponent and reject anything they say, responding with SOME countermeasures - almost ANY countermeasures - no matter how ignorant they might be.
The Republicans who are currently making a racket in the (otherwise recessed) Congress might wind up ‘scoring points’ over energy; and the Republicans who are currently directing John McCain’s campaign may wind up steering their man to victory. But such wins are losses for America. They deserve a realistic, well-planned and exhaustively considered energy solution, a thoughtful compromise between right and left that makes use of ALL America’s resources – its untapped oil, its inexhaustible coal supplies, its unlimited access to nature’s energy, whether from sunlight, from wind or the from the atom.
And Americans deserve a president who will move us away from the (unfortunately) ruling characteristics of Republican rule. I’m no Democrat; I’m a Conservative to the core. But Conservative ideals have a better chance of returning to politics, and America has a better chance of succeeding, if the Democrats are in power for a while – or, more importantly, if the Republicans are forced (perhaps only temporarily) out of power, to regroup or rebuild or, hopefully, fundamentally refashion themselves.
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