The Best Analysis Of The Death Of The Republican Party
Two of them, and they oddly come from typically more unforgivably conservative outlets. Mark Lilla writes The Perils of ‘Populist Chic’, a thorough repudiation of the Palin wing of the Republican elite. Check out this devastating commentary:
The Palin farce is already the stuff of legend. For a generation at least it is sure to keep presidential historians and late-night comedians in gainful employment, which is no small thing. But it would be a pity if laughter drowned out serious reflection about this bizarre episode. As Jane Mayer reported recently in the New Yorker (“The Insiders,” Oct. 27, 2008), John McCain’s choice was not a fluke, or a senior moment, or an act of desperation. It was the result of a long campaign by influential conservative intellectuals to find a young, populist leader to whom they might hitch their wagons in the future.
And not just any intellectuals. It was the editors of National Review and the Weekly Standard, magazines that present themselves as heirs to the sophisticated conservatism of William F. Buckley and the bookish seriousness of the New York neoconservatives. After the campaign for Sarah Palin, those intellectual traditions may now be pronounced officially dead.
And the second, I kid you not, from the Weekly Standard:
Republicans have a big problem. Nope, it’s not figuring out how to rebuild their party after consecutive defeats in national elections (that’s easy). Nor is it finding new leaders in Congress (also easy) or latching onto fresh ideas that might improve the Republican brand (easiest of all). The problem is simpler–but also more difficult–than those. It’s the tricky business of dealing with President Barack Obama.
For starters, Republicans should recognize their position in relation to Obama. For the time being anyway, he’s a colossus astride the continent, the most commanding political presence since Ronald Reagan arrived in Washington. He’s the star. Republicans are extras. If they attract attention, it’s likely to be because they’ve done something the media consider outrageous or dumb.
See Also: Sound Advice, New Leadership In Both Parties By February, How to lose a generation in six years, The Real Difference with 2004, Why We Do Not Need a Republican Party, Goodbye To All That, and History Doesn’t Always Repeat Itself.
[tags]republicans, direction of the republican party, where does the republican party go, populist chic, wall street journal, the weekly standard, republican party, direction for republicans, sarah palin, palin wing, conservative movement, conservatives after obamas election[/tags]
