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The Republicans: What’s wrong with America’s right

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by

mwkruse
in

The Economist: The Republicans: What's wrong with America's right

Too much anger and too few ideas. America needs a better alternative to Barack Obama.

HAPPY days are here again for the Republicans, or so you might think. Barack Obama’s popularity rating is sagging well below 50%. Passing health-care reform has done nothing to help him; most Americans believe he has wasted their money—and their view of how he is dealing with the economy is no less jaded. Although growth has returned, the latest jobs figures are dismal and house repossessions continue to rise. And now his perceived failure to get a grip on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is hurting him; some critics call it his Hurricane Katrina; others recall Jimmy Carter’s long, enervating hostage crisis in Iran. Sixty per cent of Americans think the country is on the wrong track.

All 435 seats in the House are up for grabs in November. The polls portend heavy losses for the Democrats, who currently enjoy a 39-seat majority there. Quite possibly, they will lose control of it. The Republicans stand less chance of winning the Senate, where a third of the seats are contested this year, but they should win enough to make it almost impossible for the Democrats to break a filibuster there by picking off a Republican or two. The second two years of Mr Obama’s presidency look like being a lot tougher than the first.

Malice in Wonderland

Mr Obama deserves to be pegged back. This newspaper supported him in 2008 and backed his disappointing-but-necessary health-care plan. But he has done little to fix the deficit, shown a zeal for big government and all too often given the impression that capitalism is something unpleasant he found on the sole of his sneaker. America desperately needs a strong opposition. So it is sad to report that the American right is in a mess: fratricidal, increasingly extreme on many issues and woefully short of ideas, let alone solutions.

This matters far beyond America’s shores. For most of the past half-century, conservative America has been a wellspring of new ideas—especially about slimming government. At a time when redesigning the state is a priority around the world, the right’s dysfunctionality is especially unfortunate. …

This essentially expresses my sentiments. I'm sympathetic to some of the outrage and frustration expressed by groups like the Tea Party movement, but rage alone doesn't cut it. Occasionally, I hear a Republican offer up a new idea, but it is largely a cacophony of anger.

Comments

4 responses to “The Republicans: What’s wrong with America’s right”

  1. JMorrow Avatar
    JMorrow

    Even though I’m still an Obama supporter, I do see the value in an opposition that offers fresh ideas and necessary corrective. Two things I think that will require is a better articulation of ethnic/cultural change and the willingness to confront how unrefined capitalism can tear apart and destroy communities or local cultures. The BP oil spill, housing policy and health care industry are examples of this problem.

    Reply
  2. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    To characterize the right as angry is as silly as characterizing the left as anti-American. There is anger on the right and on the left.
    As far as conservatives not having any ideas, the idea is to reverse the misguided policies of government stimulus, government enforced health care, and general governmental control.
    From my viewpoint, the BP oil spill is as bad as it is because of the unintended consequences of environmentalism. Far less oil would have been released into the gulf if they were drilling in water 150 ft deep instead of 5000.
    The housing crisis is the result of the unintended consequence of the Community Reinvestment Act forcing banks to make bad loans.
    And before health care reform, thousands of clinics were providing free health care for the poor, emergency rooms were treating people because it was illegal to turn them away. The difference between what was and what will be, in terms of the totals amount of people being cared for won’t be that different.

    Reply
  3. David Avatar
    David

    I like what you said Dave and agree 100%. I think the right had some good ideas about health care, I.e. Tort reform, Compition across State Lines, getting Ins Costs under control, etc. They had good ideas on stopping the spending & bailout after bailout.
    The right has have little if no opportunity to even express their ideas at times.
    I’m not an Obama fan at all. I wonder what history will show us of his term in office.
    But I agree somewhat with you Michael. Wish the right could get ther collective act together. This country needs them too, and quickly…

    Reply
  4. ZZMike Avatar
    ZZMike

    There’s much to be angry about. Almost everything Obama has touched has turned to lead. From the “cash for clunkers” (which ended up costing the taxpayers about $35,000 per turned-in car), to the takeover of the health-care industry, to the impetuous finger-pointing in the Gulf Oil spill disaster, to the ballooning of the national debt, and (especially galling to the Tea Party crowd) the imposition of many new taxes (I include the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, which amounts to a massive tax increase, beginning next January)) – one can only conclude that incompetence abounds.
    I could go with the “pox on both their houses” stand, but in our system, the deck is stacked against any third parties.
    Give us back the Republicans (new ones and real conservatives), so we can have a chance of getting our country back.
    As an example of the parties’ styles, take a look at the Reid/Angle race in Nevada. Consider Reid’s tactics vs Angle’s; it’s not just mud he’s slinging.

    Reply

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