1101 H. Ross Nader
Everyone tells the Republican Party it’s time to get its act together, get with the program, get in touch with the American people, get real.
The GOP is told “get to the center,” “get rid of the religious extremists.”
But their act IS together. What you see is what they are. At least for the moment.
It’s the Democrats who need help.
Here’s some advice: Get some of your moneybags boys together and secretly fund that third “centrist” party.
Can a third party elect a President? Sure. Ralph Nader has proven that. He singlehandedly elected W over Gore. Well, maybe not single handedly. He had some help from Pat Buchanan and Antonin “Tony Ducks” Scalia. But not much.
Ross Perot. Lotta votes there the first time. Not so much the second time. But that wasn’t because of his ideas or policies at least not entirely. It was because Perot became a bobblehead of himself. But he did contribute to the winners by making them seem sane and stable.
Get that mid-road party started! You’ll siphon off the Republicans With Sanity vote. You’ll marginalize The Limbaughs and the Hannitys and the Santorums and the Ryans, the anti-abortion, anti-women, anti-union and evangelical crazies. You’ll appeal to the great middle. It may be “great” in the sense of important, but it’s no longer “great” in the sense of size.
Conventional wisdom says Obama won this year because he appealed to the young, the Hispanics, the African Americans and the three remaining white left wing bomb throwers.
That’s not the whole truth. He appealed to those groups alright. But he also appealed to Republicans who realize that along with the cost of government, there are benefits to be reaped from government. Not just welfare, food stamps, Medicaid and free lunch at school. But those who realize that that carnivorous capitalism doesn’t work in a country of America’s size and scope.
Shrapnel:
--This tip appeared on Gmail: You can make a lovely hat out of previously-used aluminum foil. Now we know where the people who have them get them. But what about the antennas... how do you make those?
--We used to make fun of Britney Spears on the air, going so far as starting a five day a week feature called the Daily Britney, enumerating her battles with booze, bad child rearing, drugs, auto accidents -- real and imagined -- harassment treatment from celeb photogs. Now, 30-ish and apparently straight and sober, she has become plump, dull and boring. And if they keep her as a judge on “The X-Factor” next year, assuming there is an X factor next year, the producers need their heads x-rayed.
--And speaking of stuff like that, there is no truth to the rumor that the Geico Gecko was arrested on his nationwide trip and charged with DWI and driving without a license. The Gecko, who as far as anyone knows has no name, is quoted as saying “Blimey, mate, I don’t drive at all... I can’t reach either the windshield or the pedals from the front seat. Probably just a rumor floated by Flo or maybe Dennis Haysbert.
I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ®
Please address comments to wesrichards@gmail.com.
© WJR 2012
2 comments:
The Democrats can't start a third party or it won't attract Republicans. It will have to be started by the sane seceding from the Republican party. Dems can help with that but it has to be a Repub effort.
If a new party were to be begun by anonymous donors, the Republicans would know the Democrats were behind it. It would have to be started by Republicans who are office holders and previous office holders. And it would have to be conservative but not insane; if it were centrist it could sink the Democrats as readily as the Republicans. The present Republican party must never be permitted to regain the presidency.
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