I never could understand what policies Reagan brought to bear in any economy or political landscape because none of it really made any sense within the frame work of society at large. In other words it was just a feel good patchwork of delusional smoke and mirros. Sort of like the pile of goods NASA is currently trying to sell the public on the MARS lander regarding permafrost beneath the surface. If ice cannot be detected by remote spectral sensing on the surface, then finding it beneath the surface is going to pose a real challenge. But the military machine has to have it’s billions.

http://www.bccmeteorites.com/misconduct-planetary.html
SRD

Excellent post, you sum it all up nicely.  I just wish the rest of “them” could connect the dots so well.

Nope. You are both wrong. Arlo Guthrie made it famous. Steve Goodman wrote it.

I’m glad at least that Corker had both the good sense and political savvy to realize that the national Republican Party is SO destructive, slanderous and abusive that voters are finally turning off to it, seeing it as “Oh, just more dirty politics”.

I believe in the two party system—that debate, argument and non-physical conflict are healthy for Democracy—and that deal-making across the aisle is neither weak nor corrupt—it’s every legislator’s DUTY in order to actually get anything done.

Curiously, it’s John McCain’s strongest card—he can cut a deal with Democrats.

He epitomizes the small, less intrusive conservative and constitutional republicans who by hook and by crook have been replaced by the big-military and big-government neo-republicans who infest our government now.

...which depicted the GOPelephant about to commit suicide with a handgun, labelled “MCCAIN”.

I’m a disillusioned former conservative Repub, and boy! Would I love to see it happen!

^ remember which one.  I thought Woody, but it’s Arlo; they’re both American heroes.  Thanks CY.

It is time both parties scrape the crap off their boots before they enter any of our nations “Houses”.the Republicans of Old- small Gov’t, fiscally Responsible (admirable tight wads/Bean counters)  have be usurped for Decades- Reagan screwed them along with the rest of the nation!Of course I ma giving REagan far too much Credit- revision- The Cheney Shadow Go’vt which Propped him Up too (Poor man had alzheimers when he Took office,Nixon was clinically Paranoid,Ford was happy to leave it to someone else, HW a ‘yes man’,Billy too arrogant and self absorbed to care, and well W. is mentally challenged. Now Dick has a choice Mac - suffering from deteriorational damage resutling from repeated beatings and Hillary who is Fully indoctrinated in thesociopathtic stratedgy)Last Honest man to hold Office Carter-  but they kneecapped him with the Iran Contra Back room Deal.
So the Real Republicans have been sidelined for a very long time. But the Dem party has had it’s own Covert operative who adhere to the Cheney doctrine- The DLC.
So the real Goal fro this Election to to assure none of their minions get back into the WH. Unfortunatley so far it looks like Mac has Stolen (handed) the nomination. I’d love to see the Old School Republicans Revolt and vote Libertarian or Independent- taht would knock th ewind out of their Sales. If the DLC steals this nomination (like they did for Gore/Lieberman, and Kerry/Edwards) I’ll be voting for anything other then those two corrupt parties (26 yrs Dem and OUT)- Even looking closer at Paul -just in case!
Funny hwo the Media has analyized evey possible aspect to this nominating Process except to ask- ‘why has a DLC memeber not been able to seal the Deal when it comes to the General?Because the Base could smell them a mile away- and if we bothered to vote- we held our noses!They Neve rgot the full force of the Real Base.that is why hillary keeps trying to define who the base is and the oxymoron term ‘Reagan Democrat’ has been flying around. Taht is the most offensive thing a Real Old School Dem could hear- call them either ‘Dixie Craps’ or covert operatives Neo Cons in blue! But Do NOT Call them Democrats in any way, shape or form!
New Millenia it’s time we run these Criminals out of both our Parties and into prison for Treason, War crimes and Crimes against Humanity!Let’s put those oppressive shoes on the Others feet!

“McCain has his own brand. He’s not dragged down by the Republican brand.”

Then why does he pander to the right, if he’s already got them in his pocket?

McCain seems bent on proving his wingnut creds of late. If he’s got them in his hip pocket, why wouldn’t he reach out more to the center, instead of pandering to the “bomb bomb bomb” cretins?

Somethings strange about McCain’s campaigning, he seems to know something we don’t, like THE OLD REPUBLICAN BASE IS G O N E!  And if he doesn’t find a way to reconstitute it, he’s got no hope of winning anything, he’s destined to become the next Bob Dole.

Otherwise, he would just give a wink and a nod to that base, and pander to the center for crossover voters.  And that, quite obviously is not happening, he’s still shoring up his own wingnut base, (not very fruitfully.) He’s obviously not reaching out to the center.

The sincere evangelicals are one example of a group he won’t be able to pander to like Bush did, Rove’s “f*&^%$g faith-based thing” put them on full hypocrisy alert, and McCain’s floating social-issue decimal point, particularly his pro-choice stance, and his aggressive war posturing has many of them backpedalling from their past Bush errors.

And that is just one constituency McCain won’t be able to fool, because Bushco did such a poor job of it last time around.

All the Democrats have to do is replay Rush Limbaugh’s spiteful anti-McCainisms from the early days of the primaries, back when Rove’s minions were scuttling McCain’s campaign from the inside, paying each other exhorbitant salaries until the campaign fund was tapped out, before “Johnny On Top of Things” figured it out and fired the lot of them.

Rush is the gift that keeps on giving to the Democrats, and his Anti-McCainisms will come back to bite him and the entire Republican party in their collective elephant-arse before this election is over.

^ collective heads out of their collective asses the unthinkable will happen; we’ll have a third term of Bushisms/cretinisms (my new favorite adj.).  The only thing that could save us would be a true majority in the two houses of congress.  That wouldn’t however, give me back my faith in America or her citizens.  “America where are ya, I’m your native son….........”  Woody Guthrie.

EJ if the democrats do not clobber the republicans this year after all that has transpired they should start thinking about careers outside of politics.Possibly supplying the Republicans prostitutes at Eliot Spitzer prices.
EJ the surprise would have been if the republicans held onto to those seats.You guys have been wrong all along on reading the anger of the American electorate.I do not know who the pollsters are talking to but it is not anyone I know.To paraphrase an old joke"if McCain votes democratic in Nov he will make it unainomous.My concern is that democrats will be no better than the republicans and my country will lose.