I normally resolve to stay out of the political fray…and don’t worry, I still am here…but Ross Douthat often catches my eye as a reasonable moderate writer for the New York Times. So when he writes something suggesting a solution anywhere, I’m going to take a look.
In his piece “Here’s my Novel Idea for the Republican Party,” he suggests something for which I’ve long advocated – a moderate faction of the party banding together to form a bloc that can push actual responsible conservative policies. A group that can counter not only the left-wing progressives but also the right-wing loons by offering reasonable responses to both sides…and maybe even attracting the support of a few of the more conservative democrats.
But Douthat points out something that really lies at the heart of the problem – and it’s not necessarily Trumpism. It’s that for far too many Republicans, the target isn’t the common good of America. The target is the White House. Congress is filled with too many self-centered men who want to make a name for themselves. It’s the curse of how we present ourselves these days – that is, in order to stand out and make a name for yourself, you’ve got to be as outrageous as you can without seeming insane (Ted Cruz loses this battle, for example). And it seems many politicians think they can’t do that if they’re part of a moderate faction.
So yeah, the GOP is in pretty bad shape right now. And it’s not necessarily due to the big orange albatross around their necks. There are still (and always have been) a few decent men in the bunch. The real problem is that far too many of them are looking out for themselves and playing to an audience that isn’t really there but is made to look powerful enough by the media on both sides.
Sure, it would be nice if the saner group wins, but sane doesn’t seem to be what gets you anywhere anymore. Still, I’m hopeful. While I think it’s too late for the older generations, I get a feeling that we’ll see a swing as more people mature in our current environment and realize just how toxic and unsustainable things are. I think it’s too late even for those who are hitting college right now, but maybe the younger generation will start taking a responsible ownership of their lives. I’m thinking I’ll be long gone before we’ve washed all of the crap out of the system, but if there’s anything I can do, I sure would like to try.