It’s official; the Republican Party as we know it is dead. Samuel Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. Joe the Plumber, announced that he has abandoned the GOP, Sarah Palin ran back to the hills where words aren’t complicated, and Rush Limbaugh is still an idiot who only fringe lunatics take seriously. And those are just a few false figureheads.
The actual half-working party is plagued by infighting and doesn’t appear to have any legitimate leadership or firm ideals to stand on. Senator Arlen Spector switched to the Democratic Party and some prominent Republicans recently went on a town hall tour to find out what America is thinking. They used to be the party of bad ideas; now they’re the party of no ideas.
My only concern for this tragic downfall is the door hitting them on the way out. That being said, America is not better off with a one-party system. We need checks and balances. The worst thing the Democratic Party can do is act like the Republicans of 2003. They don’t need a get out of jail free card. The Republican Party downfall was attributed to too much power, too much arrogance and far too much reliance upon the gullibility of the American public. The Democratic Party needs a real foil and unfortunately there isn’t another half reasonable party with enough strong leadership to be able to step into the departing Republican’s shoes.
The Libertarians would make for good opposition if there were reasonable people behind the wheel. They have some great ideas that should appeal to any Republican looking to fly the coop. The headline on their website reads, “The Party of Principle, Smaller Government, and Lower Taxes.” It’s vague and malleable and surely appealing to folks who are prone to broad baseless statements. They have some fantastic views on gay marriage, crime prevention and the war on drugs, but it’s also a party firmly rooted in market faith above all. A guy I used to work with who claimed to be Libertarian believed that the market would fix all financial woes and that the government only made things worse. He also didn’t believe in public education.
If the Libertarian Party is able to popularize its stances on key issues and is able to brand the party appropriately, then it would make great opposition to the Democrats.
If you were a Republican more concerned with morality and enjoy a little bit of God with your school, then the new party for you is the American Independent Party. Their platform is designed for those who believe we’re here to protect God’s gifts and the right to support that same God. Outside of banning abortion, it’s difficult to ascertain what stances they have. Alan Keyes ran for president as the AIP candidate last year, but aside from all that, its website looks like it was designed by a third grader. They obviously represent the way of the future.
If Democrats haven’t learned from the past eight years, then they will slowly breathe life into that Republican skeleton or whatever party that’s anxious to take its place. The representatives cannot be absolutists; they have to know when to compromise and there needs to be a party rational enough to compromise with. If it’s full steam ahead without proper debate, then we can prepare for the slow implosion of the Democratic Party.
