Not to worry anyone overly much. Most of these changes would require a Republican sweep akin to the Dem wins of 2008, plus a solidly conservative Republican in the White House. The former is not outside the realms of possibility, but the latter? No such person is currently running.The Washington Monthly asked a group of distinguished journalists and scholars to think through the likely ramifications of a GOP victory in November. Here’s what they conclude:
David Weigel reports that the Tea Party will control the agenda regardless of which Republican wins the nomination.
Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann predict that there’s a “better-than-even chance” that the Senate filibuster will be destroyed.
David Roberts shows that the GOP won’t eliminate the EPA, but will permanently cripple it.
Harold Pollack disabuses liberals of the hope that health care reform can survive a Republican presidency.
Dahlia Lithwick writes that one more round of judicial appointments by a Republican president will lead to a generation of anti-government rulings no future Democrat can undo.
Plus: Jonathan Bernstein on why campaign promises matter; Michael Konczal on the end of Dodd-Frank; James Traub on the GOP’s “more enemies, fewer friends” doctrine; and Paul Glastris on why, this time, conservative anti-government aspirations will be fulfilled.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Doom And Gloom
Some Dems are contemplating the prospect of Obama not getting a second term. Main story at Washington Monthly, executive summary at Insty. Just look at the potential devastation:
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Anrew Sullivan observes "The End of Republican Fusionism" :
What we're seeing, I think, is Romney as the last, dying gasp of Republican fusionism. The old alliance - free market capitalism, social conservatism and anti-Communism - has morphed into a new one - libertarianism, Christianism and anti-Jihadism. Each faction has become more extreme as they have marinated in their own media complex, and responded to their fantasies about president Obama. And there is therefore no fusion possible between them. Maybe a charismatic figure like Reagan could somehow bind them together again; but such a figure comes along rarely.
Romney's problem is that he understands he has to unite all these strands, but so obviously sees each of them as merely marketing tools for Romney Inc. that he inspires real confidence from none of them. They may get over it. But this feels like a loaf that won't rise in the oven. The fusionist yeast has disappeared. And Obama, far from uniting them all, seems only, in his inimitable way, to drive them into suicidal distraction.
via Evan McKenize, who writes that this is an
Interesting analysis. Ron Paul's followers are almost all young men who are obsessed with libertarianism's simplistic world view that justifies radical selfishness as some sort of higher morality. How they can make common cause with the religious right and the neocons I can't imagine. I mean, are we going to simultaneously punish and legalize prostitution, gay marriage, and abortion? Are we going to both invade and not invade Iran?
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