If you’re a thoughtful (which does not necessarily mean moderate) Republican, Democratic or independent voter you are probably laughing at that question — but it’s a serious one given what now seems to be the latest Republican talking point…a point made by a GOPer and then underscored on Rush Limbaugh’s show. (Let’s see how soon it takes to be seen in comments and posts on many blogs).
Think Progress notes that earlier today it covered “NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions’ (R-TX) claim that President Obama is intentionally trying to “‘diminish employment and diminish stock prices‘ as part of a ‘divide and conquer’ strategy to consolidate power.” Sessions’ paranoid theory got a powerful endorsement today from the de facto leader of the conservative movement, Rush Limbaugh. Noting new budget deficit projections out of the White House, Limbaugh declared that “the objective is unemployment.” “Think forced reparations here if you want to understand what actually is going on,” added the right-wing talker.”
“Reparations”…Wait: doesn’t that suddenly out of the blue inject you-know-what into this “debate”? This is the kind of Republicanism former Vice President Dick Cheney thinks his party should offer to the general electorate?
Actually, this isn’t a debate. Every time you think that Republican rhetoric can’t become more offensive so that it’s a turnoff to Americans sick of demonization and exaggeration, every time you seem SURE the party’s bigwigs and media stars absolutely can’t go a step further to alienate the growing demographic of African Americans and/or Latino voters…you have to re-adjust.
The one certainty is this: if this is the kind of Republicanism Cheney and other GOPers are selling, it won’t sell beyond the party’s base — and may turn off some thoughtful, solution-seeking Republicans. There are a slew of details upon which Republicans can seriously engage and challenge Barack Obama.
Instead, you can see an escalation in the wildness of rhetoric. The choice has been to offer a kind of Republicanism not seen in many years — a growing “extremism” that is not the same kind that the late Barry Goldwater argued wasn’t a vice in the pursuit of liberty. This is rhetorical extremism in the pursuit of hotbuttons. And accuracy be damned.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.