home

The Awakening

John Cole writes a powerful piece:

I just thought I would go on record stating that the last few weeks and months have really sucked for me. I spent my whole life in the GOP- starting in 1984 with county meetings, going to Teenage Republican camp (my friends called it Hitler Youth Camp, proving that Nazi/Republican quips are no new development), and spending the better part the fall of 1984 going door to door for John Raese in his race against Rockefeller (Raese, as you know, lost). Now, 22 years later, I find myself not only refusing to support Raese against Robert Byrd (the man who for years has embarassed me with his pork), but I have come to the conclusion that the Republicans are so corrupt, so dishonest, so beholden to special interests and fanatical lobbying groups that Byrd not only looks to be the better option, but the entire Democratic party looks better.

In short, it really sucks looking around at the wreckage that is my party and realizing that the only decent thing to do is to pull the plug on them (or help). I am not really having any fun attacking my old friends- but I don’t know how else to respond when people call decent men like Jim Webb a pervert for no other reason than to win an election. I don’t know how to deal with people who think savaging a man with Parkinson’s for electoral gain is appropriate election-year discourse. I don’t know how to react to people who think that calling anyone who disagrees with them on Iraq a “terrorist-enabler” than to swing back. I don’t know how to react to people who think that media reports of party hacks in the administration overruling scientists on issues like global warming, endangered species, intelligent design, prescription drugs, etc., are signs of… liberal media bias.

. . . I hate getting up in the morning, surfing the news, and finding more and more evidence that my party is nothing but a bunch of frauds. . . . Bush has been a terrible President. The past Congresses have been horrible- spending excessively, engaging in widespread corruption, butting in to things they should have no say in (like end of life decisions), refusing to hold this administration accountable for ANYTHING, and using wedge issues to keep themselves in power at the expense of gays, etc. . . . Why do they keep attacking decent people like Jim Webb- to keep this corrupt lot of fools in office? Why can’t they just admit they were sold a bill of goods and start over? Why do they want to remain in power, but without any principles? Are tax cuts that important? What is gained by keeping troops in harms way with no clear plan for victory? With no desire to change course? With our guys dying every day in what looks to be for no real good reason? Why?

Read the whole thing.

< Election Night Coverage: Battle of the Anchors | Back to the Election Please >
  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


  • Display: Sort:
    Are tax cuts that important? (none / 0) (#1)
    by jerry on Wed Nov 01, 2006 at 07:16:09 AM EST
    If we don't gain the house and some control, I fear he's headed for a reeducation camp.

    Ah yes, (none / 0) (#2)
    by Che's Lounge on Wed Nov 01, 2006 at 12:03:32 PM EST
    1984.
    The Hate rallies.
    The victory gin.

    Those were the days, eh Winston?

    Learning from experience... (none / 0) (#3)
    by Edger on Wed Nov 01, 2006 at 12:29:04 PM EST
    Good to see that not all Republicans are brittle and obtuse and stuck in unredeemable denial.

    Sometimes it's a long and winding road back to reality I suppose. Welcome back to the real world, John.

    Cole sounds like a thinking man who lives by values that include facing reality, taking responsibility and being accountable.

    Quaint old values that historically, till the past few years, were both conservative and liberal values.

    "The essence of the Liberal outlook lies not in what opinions are held, but in how they are held: instead of being held dogmatically, they are held tentatively, and with a consciousness that new evidence may at any moment lead to their abandonment."
    --Bertrand Russell