The Kurtz Republicans

[hazlnut]

The Kurtz Republicans

His baldness bathed in gold, his body pooled in shadow, Kurtz murmurs: “Are my methods unsound?”

And Willard — filthy, hollow-eyed, stunned by what he’s seen — replies: “I don’t see any method at all, sir.”

Every sensible person, most Republican politicians included, could recognize that the shutdown fever would blow up in the party’s face. Even the shutdown’s ardent champions never advanced a remotely compelling story for how it would deliver its objectives. And everything that’s transpired since, from the party’s polling nose dive to the frantic efforts to save face, was entirely predictable in advance.

The methodless madness distinguishes this shutdown from prior Congressional Republican defeats (the Gingrich shutdown, the Clinton impeachment), when you could at least see what the politicians involved were thinking. And it distinguishes it, too, from many of history’s marches of folly as well.

You could compare the behavior of current House Republicans to the diplomatic sleepwalking that led to World War I, but at least, in that case, the various powers had reasonable theories of how they would actually win the ensuing war.

Or you could compare it to Paraguay’s decision in the 1860s to declare war on both Brazil and Argentina at once, but at least Paraguay’s armed forces managed to win some victories before being ground into defeat.

Now, admittedly, just because the Republican strategy has been irrational doesn’t make it inexplicable. The trends that brought us to this point are clear enough: the discrediting of the Republican establishment during the Bush era; the rise of a populist right that often sees opposition as an end unto itself; the willingness of too many media figures, activists and politicians to stoke that wing’s worst impulses; and the current Republican leadership’s desire both to prevent an intraparty civil war and avoid a true national disaster like default.

Given this underlying landscape, it may be that John Boehner chose a kind of rational irrationality these last two weeks — accepting the Kurtzian shutdown “strategy” in order to demonstrate its senselessness and persuade his members to behave slightly more sensibly in the future.

But even if Boehner’s decision-making ends up looking like a least-bad approach under the circumstances, he’ll only have won a temporary reprieve. Kurtz Republicanism isn’t likely to go away until somebody else within the party — someone with more movement credibility than the speaker, and more subtlety and vision than Ted Cruz — figures out how to take the energy driving the shutdown and redirect it to more constructive ends.

It’s clear, right now, that the populists can’t be trusted not to drive their party into a ditch. But neither can Republican leaders just declare war on their own base, as some moderates and liberals would have them do.

 

[BullKurtz]

The Kurtz Republicans

His baldness bathed in gold, his body pooled in shadow, Kurtz murmurs: “Are my methods unsound?”

And Willard — filthy, hollow-eyed, stunned by what he’s seen — replies: “I don’t see any method at all, sir.”

 

[Stephanie]

well now, that article was so UNBIASED....

I stopped reading after the first "unbiased" sentence....

Every sensible person, most Republican politicians included, could recognize that the shutdown fever would blow up in the party’s face

figures it came from the NYslimes...

hey some will eat it up as we see

 

[JoeNormal]

The Kurtz Republicans

His baldness bathed in gold, his body pooled in shadow, Kurtz murmurs: “Are my methods unsound?”

And Willard — filthy, hollow-eyed, stunned by what he’s seen — replies: “I don’t see any method at all, sir.”

Apocalypse Now.

 

[BullKurtz]

The Kurtz Republicans

His baldness bathed in gold, his body pooled in shadow, Kurtz murmurs: “Are my methods unsound?”

And Willard — filthy, hollow-eyed, stunned by what he’s seen — replies: “I don’t see any method at all, sir.”

Apocalypse Now.

Yeah....I heard all about it.

 

[Stephanie]

do these people ever write anything normal ?


By ROSS DOUTHAT

Published: October 12, 2013 327 Comments

Ross Douthat

Ross Douthat’s Evaluations

The columnist’s blog on politics and culture.

More From Evaluations » .



His baldness bathed in gold, his body pooled in shadow, Kurtz murmurs: “Are my methods unsound?”

And Willard — filthy, hollow-eyed, stunned by what he’s seen — replies: “I don’t see any method at all, sir.”

This is basically how reasonable people should feel about the recent conduct of the House Republicans.

like this one
we will stop the seas rising and heal the planets sent orgasmic thrills to the crowd

I guess some people like hearing and reading nonsense gibberish

 

[hazlnut]

well now, that article was so UNBIASED....

It's an opinion piece -- of course it's biased.

Duh!

 

[Trajan]

this is the political forum, be topical........or....

 

[Stephanie]

this is the political forum, be topical........or....

oops, forget because that article is so not politics

I'm off to the corner

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Given this underlying landscape, it may be that John Boehner chose a kind of rational irrationality these last two weeks — accepting the Kurtzian shutdown “strategy” in order to demonstrate its senselessness and persuade his members to behave slightly more sensibly in the future.

Unlikely, Boehner’s not that smart.

It’s clear, right now, that the populists can’t be trusted not to drive their party into a ditch. But neither can Republican leaders just declare war on their own base, as some moderates and liberals would have them do.

Republican leaders need not declare war on their base, the TPM; but they do need to lead, instead of being bullied by the radical right.

There are enough sane republicans left to take their party back and save it from future disasters such as this ill-advised shutdown, but they must have the courage to match that sanity.