Some whiny little idiot who voted for Obama (twice!) claims that her beloved Democrat Party has left [sic] her behind and transmogrified into the Raving Loony Party (RLP) — the latter being quite true, of course.
But what she’s really upset about (apart from Obama lying to her about “free” ObamaCare, of course) is that Republicans are just focusing on the craziness instead of giving “centrist” Democrats (like her, ha!) a good reason to vote against their party by offering policy alternatives instead of just mocking the Raving Loonies:
See, Republicans have a problem. They’re lazy. As a political institution, the Republican Party has developed a remarkable ability to avoid doing anything useful while pointing across the aisle and shouting: “WHAT, ARE YOU GOING TO VOTE FOR THOSE LUNATICS?”
And the infuriating thing is that this argument often works. Its working for me, now during the midterms. That pisses me off.
When the opposition is busy defending political absurdities, Republicans don’t have to work very hard to present themselves as the reasonable alternative. They don’t have to develop good policies. They don’t have to solve problems.
They don’t even have to keep their promises. They just have to be marginally less insane than the other guys.
This is not a healthy political system. It’s the electoral equivalent of two restaurants competing for your business, except one serves spoiled meat and the other serves cheap, frozen pre-packaged crap. The first restaurant doesn’t have to improve its food. It just has to point at the spoiled, smelly garbage the other place is selling.
I want Republicans to have to earn my vote.
I want them to have to defend their policies, produce results, and explain why their ideas are better.
I want Democrats to propose sensible alternatives that force Republicans to think harder.
I want genuine arguments about taxes, health care, education, individual liberty, national defense, and the proper role of government.
I want two political parties competing to persuade Americans that they can govern effectively, not two groups of increasingly furious people trying to prove that the other group is composed entirely of dangerous idiots.
Competition makes institutions better. Complacency makes them worse.
Okay, fair enough. Allow me, then, to offer what the Republicans are offering, policy-wise:
Taxes: lower taxes, for everyone (not just for “billionaires” like the RLP are screaming).
Health care: Abolition of ObamaCare which, as you have learned, is an utter failure, to be replaced by a proper, market-based system. Ask HealthSec RFK Jr. for details, if you can stop calling him Dr. Mengele for a moment.
Education: Closing down the federal Education Department altogether (because it has a longer, and worse record of failure than ObamaCare), and returning the business of education standards to parents and the states, where they belong — standards that include the protection of our children from Raving Loony policies like trannie concerts to 5-year-olds, and sex change operations to minors. Once again, if you can stop screaming that EduSec McMahon is a racist Nazi who hates children, ask her for details. One more thing: the teachers’ unions are a baleful group, more interested in protecting themselves than the children nominally under their care, and regard homeschooling like a vampire regards sunlight. Republicans will reduce their influence (as McMahon is trying to do), in favor of things like school choice.
Individual liberty: Let’s talk about our Constitutionally-guaranteed liberties, then. Ask yourself which party is more in favor of muzzling free speech (because of “hurt feelings” or other wokist nonsense)? Which party wants to take away Americans’ Second Amendment rights? Which party has tapped their political opponents’ phones? Which party has promised lawfare against their political opponents?
National Defense: Republicans want to make our military stronger. Given even the most cursory glance at history over the past two centuries or so, explain to me why this is a bad thing. Even more telling is that a strong military not only protects us as a nation, it allows for better, more muscular foreign policy than continuous appeasement of hostile states forced on us by a weaker military (as, for example, under the governments of Clinton, Obama and President AutoPen).
But, as the saying goes, that’s not all: there’s more.
Energy policy. What Republicans are proposing is the loosening of the absurd eco-mandates forced on us all by the Green (and since debunked) policies of past Democrat governments. This creates a huge strategic industry of oil extraction and -refining, which not only generates considerable export revenues, but also brings down fuel prices domestically, which in turn automatically relieves price pressure on consumer goods. (Ask yourself which party has fantasized publicly about bringing European-level gas prices to America, for instance.) Also, cheaper oil and expanded refining capacity means cheaper prices for consumer goods such as, oh, plastics, lipsticks, lubricants (of all types), medications, packaging and still many more I couldn’t be bothered enumerating. Republicans are also proposing an expansion of nuclear power generation which, despite the ravings of the eco-lobby, is still the cleanest (and cheapest) energy source available. (Ask your good friends the Germans about the consequences of shuttering their nuclear power plants.)
Next, let’s talk about the proper role of government. Of course, the recent policies of the current Republican administration have resulted in a massive reduction in government bureaucracy, and less intrusion into people’s businesses and private lives. This, the Republican Party is pledging to continue — whereas under a RLP administration (as with socialist governments everywhere) to opposite would occur: bigger government, clogged bureaucratic processes, more-arrogant officialdom (ask the Brits or Europeans about that little issue) and all the inefficiencies that stem from that.
Now let’s talk about the most important role of government: the protection and security of our nation’s borders. Right off the top, please don’t even mention the RLP’s support for “open” (i.e. no) borders because at one time, even Bill Clinton supported a robust border enforcement (unless he was lying, which is always a possibility). And Republicans promise to correct the previous Democrat administrations’ dereliction of duty — some might even call it active sabotage — with regard to border security. Republicans are promising to roll back that laxness and restore the United States to a nation of citizens. If you’d rather go back to Biden-era floodgate-opening of unrestricted immigration, you’re not going to want the Republicans to stay in power. As we are seeing in Europe right as we speak, untrammeled immigration is not an ideal policy.
And in passing, Republicans are trying to clean up the criminal activity involved in the voting process — i.e. allowing (or even encouraging) non-citizens to vote, as happens in practically every Democrat-controlled state, and has happened at every election since the Civil War. That Democrats — and especially the RLP — are crying about the iniquities of voter ID cards, ask yourself if you are against the simple Republican proposition that voters should be citizens, alive and eligible to vote (geographically). If you are against those three simple precepts, then the Raving Loony Party has a ballot (or two, or three) for you.
The above, then — and not only them — are the Republican alternatives to the Raving Loony Party’s intentions. If Democrats like yourself can just bring yourselves to stop screaming Hitler!Hitler!Hitler! all the time, you might actually see that the benefits of the above far outweigh the negatives.
Oh, and by the way: stop allowing and encouraging anti-Semitism (under the guise of “anti-Zionism”, which is specious bullshit). We can debate Israel’s actions and policies — that’s a valid activity — but when American Jewish students are hassled, intimidated or even attacked on college campuses by foreign anti-Semites (and their American Useful Idiot supporters), all bets are off. And yes: historically and morally, Israel has a right to exist. That, at least, is not a topic for “debate”, and support for Israel’s existence is very much a Republican position — and always has been. (And on a related note, if you can’t see the absurdity of platforms like “Queers For Palestine!” — as Republicans see all too clearly — you shouldn’t even be voting, for anyone, because you’re fucking stupid.)
There, then, are the Republican policy positions. Feel free to make your decision tomorrow, but if those are not sufficient to “earn” your vote, then the problem may not be with the Republicans.