GOP Aims Steadily for its Feet

Left-wing, gay-baby-seal-loving liberals like myself can only rejoice at the newest volley of shots the Republican Party has lodged in their feet. While attempting to appear “inclusive” and “diverse” during the Republican National Convention by parading token minorities and gays in front of their 90-percent white (and straight) delegates, the GOP has managed to once again put forward an ultra-conservative platform that goes against what the majority of Americans want. While they have obviously learned their lessons from past conventions in which right-wing extremists were allowed to deliver venomous polemics against gays, immigrants, and even feminists, the Republicans have done a poor job masking their true intentions if George Jr. gets elected.

Allowing gay Republicans (true modern-day “Uncle Toms” if ever there were some) to speak at a convention doesn’t mask the fact that the party opposes gay rights. Giving Colin Powell a moment to criticize Republicans for opposing affirmative action won’t stop them from continuing to oppose it. Allowing pro-choice delegates to have a few moments at the podium doesn’t change the party platform, which would make abortion illegal, even in cases where the birth might be life-threatening to the mother. In fact, Republicans plan to give fetuses 14th- Amendment rights that would effectively make it possible to prosecute a mother and a doctor for murder after an abortion.

Luckily, a majority of Americans don’t agree with most of these policies. The so-called “liberal media” has ensured that even bible-belt conservatives are more familiar and comfortable with gays and minorities. It’s hard to laugh at “Ellen’s” jokes and still hate gays.

While the GOP tries to give itself a moderate makeover, it has allowed the Religious Right to hijack the party platform once again. After choosing a candidate for President of the United States who is obviously lacking the intelligence and experience necessary to run the world’s most influential country, Republicans have proven once again that they have an adept aim for their feet. By putting forward another ultra-conservative platform, Republicans have guaranteed themselves another loss as they scare away moderates, minorities, gays, and those who want to keep abortions safe and legal.

Kevin Keyser

The problem is that the Republicans are skilled at stagecraft, doublespeak, and are good at hiding what they're really about. My fear is that the average American will buy into the glossy feel-good commercial they're seeing on TV, which carefully keeps neaderthals like Jesse Helms, Trent Lott, et al, purposely off camera. Geroge II is merely their mouthpiece, their PR front, their affable buffoon, like Reagan but without most of The Great Communicator's innate charisma. I wish I was as optimistic as you regarding the average person's ability and desire to see through all of this.

Please note that the Republicans were required to put up a charade of tolerance this year, whereas in previous years they would not have to do so. What makes this so? Well, perhaps the fact that some gay Republicans now have money might have something to do with it. Perhaps this money is a shield standing between us and a new era of intolerance; I would hope it's not just that.

For those of us who don't have the money to buy a charade of tolerance, however, the Demopublicans and Republicrats remain one party, two factions. Money rules regardless of which faction one votes into power. Disrupting this tidy scheme is the first task at hand.

This is not to underestimate the problem of American homophobia. It is, however, to note that the problem of American homophobia is, these days, a local problem (albeit one that shows up everywhere), with a local solution (I hope).

In my opinion, they only reason they're trying to appear moderate is because being ideological didn't work - it shut them out of the White House. They want to win and realize that pragmatism is the only thing that will work. A corollary to this is that in George II, they have someone who isn't inclined to be ideological anyway. In a winner-take-all system like ours, they realize what Clinton realized in 92, that you have to win the center. It's a lesson that gets repeated over and over as one party or another swings overtly to the left or right excessively and gets penalized by losing elections.

And let us not forget the role of the mainstream media, with all of their "journalists," pundits, and political "experts" in perpetuating this lie. The media serves as the tip of a triangle, including the Democrats and Republicans. The propagandists legitimize both parties and marginalize other points of view, while they give particular credence to the lies put out by the Republicans, namely, the lies that the GOPers are not racist, hate-filled, elitist homophobes who care nothing for the less-fortunate in the world. Say what you will about the weeny, lame-ass Democrats, but they are not straight evil like the GOP.