Eugene Robinson: You Can’t Make Up Republican Candidates Like These

[babylonsister]

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/you_cant_make_up_republican_candidates_like_these_20100812/

You Can’t Make Up Republican Candidates Like These

Posted on Aug 12, 2010
By Eugene Robinson


The Republican Party’s candidate for governor of Colorado believes that bicycle paths are “part of a greater strategy to rein in American cities under a United Nations treaty.” The party’s Senate candidate in Nevada wants to privatize Medicare and Social Security—and has called for the United States to withdraw from the U.N., though not because of the bicycle conspiracy. And the GOP’s Senate candidate in Connecticut once climbed into a professional wrestling ring and kicked a man in the crotch.

I could go on, but you get the point. Democrats may be facing a tough fight this fall, but Republicans are giving them plenty of material to work with.

The big political story of the year may turn out to be the consequences of the GOP’s foray into extremism and wackiness. It could be that the party acculturates its not-ready-for-prime-time candidates, harnesses the energy of the tea party movement, and sweeps to a grand old victory. There is also the distinct possibility that the acute philosophical split within the party—basically, a clash between bedrock conservatism and utter nonsense—will hand victories to Democrats that they didn’t anticipate and frankly might not deserve.

snip//

Not all of the GOP’s internal issues involve the tea party. In Connecticut, Linda McMahon won the party’s Senate nomination through one of the traditional routes: She bought it by spending part of her personal fortune, which comes from the WWE pro-wrestling empire. The problem is, ahem, the nature of the WWE wrestling empire—and the fact that McMahon occasionally appeared as a character in the ring.

“Today the party of Bob Dole, Jack Kemp and Dick Lugar nominated a candidate who kicks men in the crotch, thinks of scenes of necrophilia as ‘entertainment’ and runs an operation where women are forced to bark like dogs,” a Democratic Party spokesman wrote, in what promises to be just an opening salvo. Then again, association with pro wrestling may not be a deal-breaker at the polls. Just ask Jesse “The Body” Ventura, former governor of Minnesota.

Democrats would be foolish to take a single contest for granted, but Republicans would be equally foolish to assume that some kind of sweeping win in November is guaranteed. The GOP already knows what the Democrats’ campaign themes will be—but has no idea what some of its own candidates will say or do next.

[Kind of Blue]

1. Thanks, Babylonsister, for refocusing on the civil war within

Republican Party nationwide. Bless their crazy hearts, may they continue with the madness and Dems capitalize on every wretched thing they stand for.

KnR

[catgirl]

2. I love Eugene Robinson

Somehow I missed the bike path episode. Too funny. A U.N. conspiracy? Wow.

[JustAnotherGen]

3. Thanks for posting this . . .

But I have a feeling that people in a place to vote/not vote for the whackadoodles running . . . will be voting for them. Example - Michelle Bachman's foe Tarryl Clarke . . . M.B.s constituents drink the kool-aid. And Clark is behind in fund raising by about $2 million.

So how do we get the message across that Crazy Ain't Cool? I dunno. I'm not seeing the party leadership throw money at our candidates so they can effectively combat the crazy. Heck, even in the 7th district of NJ? It COULD be easy pickings off of Leoanard Lance. But Postonak needs financial help from the leadership NOW to start getting his name out there. I know his name . . . but do the Indies know it?

[catgirl]

7. Start a new thread on it

Ask people to spread the word. I don't anyone in that area, but I'm sure many DUers do!

[rurallib]

4. No matter how fucking crazy, how fucking stupid 40% + of America

will vote for them.
That says all you need to know about why the country is so fucked up.

[catgirl]

5. K & R

[Supersedeas]

6. Laissez-faire economics leads to this type of extremism and wackiness

[Dawson Leery]

8. The right wing has performed a marvelously disastrous

job to dumb-down the population, making them fear intelligent people. So instead, we get bigots and hustlers in power.
With Clinton and Obama, their communication skills were key in they victories, without such abilities, they would
have been painted into a corner, ridiculed and chastised by the school yard bullies (i.e modern Republicans).