Banging hot lobbyists?

God, Gays and Guns?

Banning gay marriage?

Prayer in schools?

Guns for everyone?

Surely I'm missing something...

Sadly, gay-bashing seems to be pretty much okay with the general population.

Drum: Anybody?

Chirp, chirp, creeeck. Creeeck chirp.

Right on, Kevin. As you said below of Ezra's take on health care, THAT'S the way to play the game! You've spoken volumes in a nice tidy blogpost.

Of course, re/Iraq, the situation is complex, and unfortunately the GOP is going to continue to 'make their case,' however cynical and dangerous it might be, and ppl are going to listen.

Even with trade and market issues, if the economy continues to tank through the Fall (likely), expect the GOP to resort to further pandering measures that go against their bedrock economic principles and dress up those measures as necessary-- think Bear Stearns bailout.

As you've mentioned in previous posts: will the MSM step up and call them out? There is little reason to believe they will unless McCain's poll #s look bad from the start-- then, knowing what the people think, they will give them more of what they want.

Your post reinforces my hunch that much of the GOP (and maybe some of the Clintonian Dems) is quietly sanguine about losing this election. First of all many GOPers can tell that beyond the b.s. that Obama is going through now, he is going to ruthlessly exploit McC's many weaknesses to win the election. Second, from their persepctive it'll be fun to watch a Dem president deal with the Bush fallout, which is so profound that it will monopolize his/her agenda. The likelihood of a serious recession and/or depression and/or the complete fall of the dollar in the near future makes Obama's job that much harder.

Good work getting to the nitty gritty, Kevin. Now I'd like to know what you think about this idea of an Obama-as-fall-guy theory. Also what is your take on a depression being imminent, and all that will come with it?

best, c

What is the Republican policy on immigration? I think if they advocated shutting down most immigration, and getting really tough on illegal immigrants, the public would be mostly in agreement. (Not that that reflects well on the "public", IMO).

Not that that IS Republican policy, but I think they are pretty cool with the "getting tough on illegal immigrants" part.

And I'm not sure there is any big difference between Democrats and Republicans on the issue.

If there were a plebiscite for outlawing ALL immigration into the US, legal and otherwise, I think it would probably pass by 60%. People just don't like people who are different than them. It's not just an American phenomena.

*REALLY* loving America!

That's all the matters, even though you baby-killing homos won't ever realize it!

Why would they advance any serious proposals now? To give the DNC extra time in advance to prepare a rebuttal?

Raising military spending to ever greater and more ridiculous levels comes to mind.

The GOP doesn't believe in "policy positions". Period. It is all about greed, pandering and appealing to reptilian, base emotions such as fear, hatred and resentment. The GOP wouldn't win a single election if they expected people to actually thnk about issues and who can best resolve them.

Look! A gay, welfare-stealin', illegal immigrant atheist who wants to steal my gun! [See how easy that is???]

fear is always popular

McCain 08: Boo!

I've yet to see many actual policy proposals from the McCain camp.

You might as well milk a cement cow as ask for policy proposals from the McCain camp.

You'll ruin your hands pulling teat, the cow won't even notice you, and there'll be nothing in the bucket when you're done.

Evolution. More than half of Americans reject it, and so does the Christian Taliban branch of the Republicans.

Well if the big issue in the next election is evolution I'm going to vote against it. Then we can stop heading into a big recession.

I think that there are a lot of people out in the hinterlands that like Republicans because they seem like manly men. They want to be able to go to their local hunting club and say, "hell yeah, boyeee, I won't vote for no woman or black".

Sounds dumb, but these people voted for Bush .. TWICE ... and they will vote for McCain.

It's a lie to think that most Americans want responsible governance. They don't. They want John Wayne. They want to vote tough so that they feel tough. Voting for a Republican is like buying a brand new truck. It compensates for shortcomings.

I think I found two GOP policy-type things that ALL AMERICANS can support with absolute certainty.
1.
H.Res. 578 - Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should be established a National Watermelon Month
2.
H.Res. 892 - Expressing support for designation of March 11, 2008, as "National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day"

Number one is controversial since watermelons with seeds are funner to eat than the seedless ones. The whole point of the seeds is to squirt them at another unsuspecting person!

Number Two...? well I think it's a dead issue.

God Bush America, land of the taxcuttin cowboys!

Well,

1.) Immigration -- the public seems to generally buy into the Republican party's consensus (but far from unanimous) view on this issue. Too bad for them the public doesn't vote on it.

2.) Unions -- Ditto.

3.) Affirmative action -- Sort of ditto, but I'm less sure what the majority public opinion actually is.

I think the main takeaway from this is that the Republicans have a few issues where their position is a closer match to public preferences, but (1) voters generally do not base their votes on these issues, and (2) the voters who do base their votes on these issues are swing voters who favor the unpopular positions.

If you can't see the racist implications of a National Watermelon Month, you are just not looking very hard.

And I am shocked that any sensitive person would declare a "National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day." Really, those offensive terms went out in the 20th century. We now say "Bereavement Professional." %$#^ Republicans :)

Kevin,

Sure, that's true. But that's really always true. Republican policy only plays to the public as vague slogans. The problem is that most American's never look past the titles of bills (Say, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, for example).

The public doesn't really care about policy specifics (either Democratic or Republican), but only support vague ideas of stuff like "Lower Taxes", "Reducing Welfare" or "Securing the Borders". But on nearly every specific policy's actual support is on the Democratic side.

And until Democrats can recognize and use the same tactics, they'll always get out maneuvered when it comes to implemenation.

BombIranForChrist: It's a lie to think that most Americans want responsible governance. They don't. They want John Wayne. They want to vote tough so that they feel tough. Voting for a Republican is like buying a brand new truck. It compensates for shortcomings.

Could progressives be more condescending of the people we want to listen to us? Even if you actually believe someone is an idiot, you don't go proclaiming that to everyone around you. Respect and empathy go a long way.

bret: The public doesn't really care about policy specifics (either Democratic or Republican), but only support vague ideas of stuff like "Lower Taxes", "Reducing Welfare" or "Securing the Borders". But on nearly every specific policy's actual support is on the Democratic side.

It's not that they don't care, it's that they don't have the time to learn the specifics. That's why they trust journalists, politicians, and bloggers to condense a subject so that they can follow it. Unfortunately, those people fail them most of the time, or the subject simply cannot be condensed accurately.

Maybe you took this off the table, but around these parts it is still "lower taxes!" That is combined with "Democrats RAISE your taxes, we will lower them."

What's Cowen doing commenting on policy? I thought it was all about teh awsum. Oh, wait, it's McCain. Sorry.

"Could progressives be more condescending of the people we want to listen to us?"

I know I could.

Even if you actually believe someone is an idiot, you don't go proclaiming that to everyone around you. Respect and empathy go a long way.

It would be nice if this were not so, but it is hard to explain the last eight years or the fact that there is a good chance we will end up with someone even worse than the Worst President Ever any other way.

BombIranForChrist:

It's a lie to think that most Americans want responsible governance. They don't. They want John Wayne. They want to vote tough so that they feel tough. Voting for a Republican is like buying a brand new truck. It compensates for shortcomings.

This is simply not true for most people, and it is insulting for the people it is true for.

I really wish you would read the book "The Authoritarians." Yeah, I know, I'm a broken record. I'm a shill - this book was great! I don't get money from this book. It is even available for free on the web.

This book answered so many of my questions about what the heck was going on with my fellow citizens.

The second step after acknowledging a problem is understanding the problem and this book does a great job with that. It can help us get our country back.

Gap? Like the Grand Canyon is a gully?

1. Criminalizing flag burning -- even Hillary supports that.

2. Voto Photo (voter ID).

3. Crackdodwn on illegal immigration -- at the local level as well as building that fence along the border

4. Support for Israel.

can you name a single major area of public concern today in which the Republican position is also popular with the public?

Hispanic genocide.

The idea that the Republicans want to avoid the blame for a depression by letting Obama win doesn't square with their desire to maintain control. They would want to control the government's reaction to a depression, otherwise, they might get hit with policies that would be detrimental to the ruling class. The worst things get, the more they need to be in control.

"If there were a plebiscite for outlawing ALL immigration into the US, legal and otherwise, I think it would probably pass by 60%. People just don't like people who are different than them. It's not just an American phenomena."

I hear no complaints about all the Russian and other Eastern-block states in my home state. I think your proposal will only work if you can somehow get a melanin test involved.

Could progressives be more condescending of the people we want to listen to us? Even if you actually believe someone is an idiot, you don't go proclaiming that to everyone around you. Respect and empathy go a long way.

Oh, my breaking heart, where DID I leave my violin?

Sorry, Sojourner, but after the systematic and deliberate rape that the Bush gang has perpetrated on the country -- the economy, the military, the rule of law, our moral and geopolitical standing, the people of Iraq, and the environment -- all with the APPROVAL AND SUPPORT of self-described "conservatives," you and your "ideas" don't deserve an ounce of respect, other than that perhaps reserved for living things in general, e.g., rats and pigeons.

Take your sanctimony and your self-pity and crawl into a hole with it.

Ummmmm. . . Ummmmm . . . OO!OO!OO!

They like ponies, right?

Ponies. That's probably it.

Sounds an awful lot like the question I ask all my friends:

Can you name a single thing this administration has touched in the past nearly eight years that they haven't f...ed up?

The silence is deafening.

"That's always a crowd pleaser, but the only taxes left to cut are those aimed at corporations and the rich."

Don't you mean, the only taxes the Republicans want to cut are those aimed at corporations and the rich?

They could cut Social Security taxes, alleviating the burden of those very regressive taxes "aimed at" people who work for their living.

But they'd rather die--even if their heirs have to pay inheritance taxes!

[C]an you name a single major area of public concern today in which the Republican position is also popular with the public?

1) Man whores in the White House? OK! Promiscuous interns practicing consensual sex? No way!

2) Kill them damn furriners over there so we don't have to kill them here.

3) Flag lapel pins.

4) Club Gitmo.

Yeah, it doesn't make any sense to me either.

Saturday Night Live redux:

Sam Donaldson: Vice-President Bush, there are millions of homeless in this country - children who go hungry, and lacking in other basic necessities. How would the Bush administration achieve your stated goal of making this a kinder, gentler nation?

George Bush: Well, that is a big problem, Sam, and unfortunately the format of these debates makes it hard to give you a complete answer. If I had more time, I could spell out the program in greater detail, but I'm afraid, in a short answer like this, all I can say is we're on track - we can do more - but we're getting the job done, so let's stay on course, a thousand points of light. Well, unfortunately, I guess my time is up.

Diane Sawyer: Mr. Vice-President, you still have a minute-twenty.

George Bush: What? That can't be right. I must have spoken for at least two minutes.

Diane Sawyer: No, just forty seconds, Mr. Vice-President.

George Bush: Really? Well, if I didn't use the time then, I must have just used the time now, talking about it.

Diane Sawyer: No, no, Mr. Vice-President, it's not being counted against you.

George Bush: Well, I just don't want it to count against Governor Dukakis' time.

Diane Sawyer: It won't. It will come out of the post-debate commentary.

George Bush: Do you think that's a good idea?

Diane Sawyer: You still have a minute-twenty, Mr. Vice-President.

George Bush: Well, more has to be done, sure. But the programs we have in place are doing the job, so let's keep on track and stay the course.

Diane Sawyer: You have fifty seconds left, Mr. Vice-President.

George Bush: Let me sum up. On track, stay the course. Thousand points of light.

Diane Sawyer: Governor Dukakis. Rebuttal?

Michael Dukakis: I can't believe I'm losing to this guy!

McCain doesn't need comprehensive policies, or any understanding of the issues at this point, because he's got nobody to run against. As long as his buddies in the press make sure that Obama is running against Jeremiah Wright and Hillary is running against the superdelegates, there is actually nothing for McCain to do. And he does that so well!

Well, there is the national do-not-call list...

I've yet to see many actual policy proposals from the McCain camp.