The Republican Party, in its current incarnation, disconcerts me. Actually, I'll go further and say that it pretty much scares me and comes close to keeping me up at night. This is, to a great extent, due to popular Republican stances on the "War on Terror" and associated questions of liberty vs. security and foreign policy.
But even more disturbing is the inability to rationally discuss various facets of policy, especially foreign policy, without resorting to some sort of twisted accusation of 'lack of patriotism'. It's not so much that I disagree with 9/10 of the foreign policy views I hear in a Republican presidential debate, it's that were I to miraculously become a Republican presidential candidate and stand on the stage with them, I'd be called insane, at best. Not a "Hey, I think you're wrong, and I disagree with you, but I can see how you might arrive at that opinion. Now here's why my idea's better," but a "I've never heard of anything so idiotic, and you have no reason for saying what you do. In fact, I'm offended and demand an apology."
Before you think I'm overreacting, you might want to take a look at this short clip from the last GOP debate.
Alrighty, Giuliani's clearly obsessed with his "I was mayor of New York City during 9/11!" talking point.
Now, obviously, I'm not Ron Paul, and I don't agree with everything he says. But he makes a valid point when he brings up the idea that our foreign policy decisions have, you know, actual consequences. And at least he's saying something besides the recurrent "If we leave Iraq, they'll come and murder us in our beds! If we hadn't invaded Iraq, they would have come and murdered us in our beds!" In all seriousness, I expect someone who believes the invasion of Iraq was vital to our national security to be able to lucidly explain why it was necessary. Invoking 9/11 is a cop-out.
The next question is, inevitably, "Ardith, why do you care? I mean, they're all politicians, after all." Which is true. But I do care, and for two reasons. First, I do think Ron Paul is more right than wrong when it comes to foreign policy, and I and my friends and siblings will have to deal with repercussions of the current U.S. foreign policy over the next 40 years. I'm not currently looking forward to that.
So yeah, that's depressing. But even more depressing is the apparently complete lack of any intellectual curiousity; strident adulation of a specific set of talking points, coupled with instant, almost unthinking denial of anything that might call those talking points into question. And this is in a primary debate. What, exactly, makes foreign policy and its relation to events on our shores untouchable when immigration policy, even abortion is debatable?
Of course, it doesn't actually help when FOX News personalities and popular conservative bloggers hear "what we do in and to other countries has consequences" and translate that into "Gasp! Ron Paul thinks 9/11 was an inside job and the Twin Towers were demolished by previously planted explosives!" I mean, I walk away with some doubt as to Gibson and Malkin's ability to hear properly (or have any sort of reading comprehension? I assume there are transcripts of the debate floating around), but others may not be so aware of the facts. But that's another post entitled "Why FOX News is Just as Annoying as CBS."
And this has been tonight's episode of Tirades About Politicians - Pointless Because They Don't Listen To Me Anyway. Thanks for listening, and don't let the piranhas bite.
EDIT: Fixed the YouTube URL.
Posted by Ardith at May 18, 2007 10:34 PM | TrackBack