This seems to be Mickey Edwards' way of saying "Don't blame me. It isn't my fault." Except that he and Reagan and the rest of the Heritage Foundation ilk are culpable. After all, it was Reagan who began the practice of bringing ideologues into the executive branch. It was Reagan who encouraged ridicule of the opposition. It was Reagan who opened the GOP to the Christian right, encouraging the assumption that these people could always be controlled. It was in the Reagan Justice Dept that the careers of John Roberts and Samuel Alito took off.
The GOP of today did not spring out of whole cloth. Its genesis lies in the tactics of Lee Atwater and Newt Gingrich, and it first expressed itself in a major way by impeaching Bill Clinton. I don't recall the Heritage Foundation jumping up and down to oppose that.
Its supposed noble heritage of classic European liberalism notwithstanding, the GOP's ugly secret is that it has been a haven for yahoos and know-nothings since the days of Joe McCarthy. (BTW, David Halberstam's excellent book about the Korean War very effectively captures this period in GOP history.) They've finally taken over, ruined their party, and left the likes of Mickey Edwards wringing their hands from the ivory towers of Harvard.
Thanks for linking to this article. I've been wanting to blog on the current state of the GOP, but have needed a touchstone like Edwards' article. As self-serving as he is, he provides an important perspective.
There is no denying that Reagan & Company are partially responsible for the sorry state of the GOP, but I was interested in how the facts are twisted and edited to serve a new generation of Republicans.
The least credible portion of the story is the part where Reagan is in heaven...
Wouldn't it be pretty to think so.
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be Mickey Edwards' way of saying "Don't blame me. It isn't my fault." Except that he and Reagan and the rest of the Heritage Foundation ilk are culpable. After all, it was Reagan who began the practice of bringing ideologues into the executive branch. It was Reagan who encouraged ridicule of the opposition. It was Reagan who opened the GOP to the Christian right, encouraging the assumption that these people could always be controlled. It was in the Reagan Justice Dept that the careers of John Roberts and Samuel Alito took off.
The GOP of today did not spring out of whole cloth. Its genesis lies in the tactics of Lee Atwater and Newt Gingrich, and it first expressed itself in a major way by impeaching Bill Clinton. I don't recall the Heritage Foundation jumping up and down to oppose that.
Its supposed noble heritage of classic European liberalism notwithstanding, the GOP's ugly secret is that it has been a haven for yahoos and know-nothings since the days of Joe McCarthy. (BTW, David Halberstam's excellent book about the Korean War very effectively captures this period in GOP history.) They've finally taken over, ruined their party, and left the likes of Mickey Edwards wringing their hands from the ivory towers of Harvard.
Thanks for linking to this article. I've been wanting to blog on the current state of the GOP, but have needed a touchstone like Edwards' article. As self-serving as he is, he provides an important perspective.
There is no denying that Reagan & Company are partially responsible for the sorry state of the GOP, but I was interested in how the facts are twisted and edited to serve a new generation of Republicans.
ReplyDeleteThe least credible portion of the story is the part where Reagan is in heaven...