The Wrong Side of the Right

Posted by Jake G. on 01.13.2009

These should really stop being the party's talking points.

It's got to be a tough time to be a Republican. The savior of the party, the man who once was heralded as dawning a beginning of a new Republican majority is about to leave office in virtual disgrace. That man, President Bush, is so despised by the majority of the country that when his replacement was announced as the President-Elect, people were literally dancing in the streets. For much of the last few months Bush has been completely ignored, sans a few scant comments here and there. Of course most Presidents become lame ducks in their last few months but Bush actually seemed to be come a lame duck even sooner. As the country's economic crisis began to explode, Bush stood there helplessly as he tried to offer advice and no one really listened. It's been almost comical to watch as Barack Obama has been leading the country for almost two months before he was actually sworn into office. President Bush has looked like anything but the strong leader of a Republican legacy. He's rode his family name down into flames and is easily one of the most hated and divisive Presidents in modern history.

Yet, I feel for my friends on the right who are hoping that their party can be rebuilt. I, like many others truly hoped we'd see the Republican brand rebuild to a true alternative to those on the left, with logical plans, good arguments and message for the future that wasn't so asinine as it had been since early 2001. Despite Bush leaving with his head down, John McCain slinking off into obscurity and Sarah Palin, well, doing whatever it is that she does, we find the Republican party still in shambles and the right's loudest voices are now not the most sensible, but the least.

I started this column off by saying it must be a bad time to be a Republican and I truly believe that. This past Sunday's new cycle produced so much vile ignorance from the rights that I just cringed and hoped that someday these voices wouldn't be the loudest.

First I present, President Bush basically sealing whatever chance he had at getting people to forget some of the atrocities under his administration, by granting an interview in which he admits to knowing specifically about torture and working to find out what types of torture he could use as well as how he could get them to slide by under the rules. It's nothing new or nothing most people didn't know already, but it seems damning coming from the own man's mouth.

Bush is however, as I said at the top of the article, a sinking ship. The Republicans aren't latching onto him. They've been abandoning the S.S. Bush for the last two years. However, this past election cycle, they did champion one man. A man of the people, he was to some a great philosopher, he was to others a beacon of hope and to most he was a phony plumber... I present story #2 that's getting lots of national attention, Joe the Plumber, while acting as a member of the media, thinks the media shouldn't be allowed to report on wars. Never mind that Joe is actually working as a MEMBER OF THE MEDIA, thus essentially saying he himself is the problem (I would agree on that point) but he even goes so far as to say that we should go back to World Wars era of propaganda films to get our updates on the "boys". That's right, Joe doesn't think we should have actual accurate information about where our soldiers are or the war they're fighting, but that we should get 2 minute news blurbs about how the "boys" are having a fun Christmas fighting the evil and Marilyn Monroe stopped by to cheer them up. That's all we need to know about war and our soldiers. Thatta boy, Joe, you stick it to the media!

Finally, we have a clear plan for the future from the right... They've identified their #1 enemy and he's one of the most powerful Democrats in recent memory. The dreaded and feared, Al Franken. That's right, say hello to the new arch nemesis of the Republican party. Apparently they're going to focus all their efforts on being particularly rude to freshman Senator Franken. Why should Franken be public enemy number one? Well for starters, he SHOULD have dropped out of the election once it was revealed entirely possible that he might win. Remember that the Coleman camp and every major Republican (plus some guys writing for this site) said that Franken should drop out. It was the honorable thing to do... Never mind that Franken won the recount, he should have let Coleman have the senatorial seat. Rest assured, that's not the only reason he's on the top of the right's hit list, though. Franken often had mean things to say about the right and he even wrote a comedy sketch about them as late as this past year. OH MY! Forget restructuring your party, forget coming up with a plan that might have a Grand Ole Party that welcomes not ostracizes, forget even coming up with a way to work with President Obama... Focus all your attentions on derailing Al Franken!

As I said, it's a bad time to be on the right. The stories coming out don't shine a bright light on the party. This is only a smattering of the ignorance, I didn't even mention some of the latest revelations of the new savior of the party, Sarah Palin. I just feel for my red brothers and sisters, who I know have great plans, valid points, intelligent arguments and are being buried under the burden of bad leadership and blind partisanship. President Bush, Joe the Plumber and whoever thinks Al Franken is the biggest threat to the Republican party, should not be the figureheads of the right... But sadly, they are. That's why it's got to be a hard time to be on the wrong side of the right.