Matthew Dowd identifies the problem Republicans have
Matthew Dowd expressed clearly why Republicans are in a rather dysfunctional state. It is a belief system that is preventing compromise for the fear of inevitably losing a power they assume they have or some eternal status quo. The statements by both Bill Kristol and Robert Costa represent the thought process of many Republicans. Donna Brazile spoke to the reality of governing.
“I actually think this is more reflective than what the conservatives think about the speaker and the leadership and what they think about Obama and the fact that they’re upset that America has changed,” Matthew Dowd said. “That’s what they’re really upset about, America is now less white, less married, less churched, less — less conservative. And that is a difficult prospect for them to face in the course of this.”
Bill Kristol attempted to spin the reality a bit differently. “Sixty people — there’s 62 percent of Republicans disapproved of the Congressional leadership’s performance. That’s not a bunch of conservatives,” Kristol interjected. “Or older America. That’s a lot of Republicans who would like stronger leadership on the Hill.”
Of course that did not refute Matthew Dowd. What is stronger leadership? What do Republicans expect out of stronger leadership? Even deeper uncompromising intransigence? Robert Costa said as much.
“What is it that they wanted the Republican leadership to do other than what they did, which was block Obama at every turn,” Costa said. “They wanted they wanted more aggression. That’s what you see in Congress, you see it in the presidential race. There’s this appetite for outsiders who have more aggression.”
Donna Brazile boiled it down the best. “But they don’t have the votes to do that. You have to have the votes,” Brazile said. “And because we have this so-called Hastert Rule, where you have to have a majority of the majority, and therefore, you cannot go and get any compromise from Democrats, they don’t want to govern.
The country is seemingly more ungovernable every day. Americans must either elect folks willing to compromise and govern or they will effectively start the breakup of this nation as postulated by Lawrence Wilkerson.