Posted on 01/13/2012 11:13:10 AM PST by landsbaum
Ronald Reagan famously set the GOP standard for intra-party campaigning with his 11th commandment – Thou shall not speak ill of any fellow Republican.
It would appear the commandment has been amended, if not entirely revoked. The current presidential campaign might be said to follow the new rule of thumb: “Say as many bad things about fellow Republicans as you can.”
(Excerpt) Read more at orangepunch.ocregister.com ...
Hey, Romney drew first blood and set the bar at a scortched earth standard. The die has been cast.
Good thing Reagan never went on FR.
I don’t recognise Paul or Romney Republicans.
No disrespect to the Gipper.
I think it’s ridiculous that we take such exception to mr. Gingrich and mr. Romney’s tiff when the republican establishment has been calling dr. Paul. “Kook” or orse for several cycles.
they’ll take his r in the house to get a majority but won’t uphold this most basic of political rules. Don’t bash your own.
Everyday the rnc resembles the dnc more and more.
Any political party is a coallition of several differing viepoints alligned around common central tennants.
I think you’ve let the media machine blind you to the forrest for a few tall trees.
In Reagan’s day, the over-riding concern was defeating the USSR. The US budget, while a concern, wasn’t THE issue of the day.
Now everyone can plaining see that the light at the other end of the tunnel is indeed a train coming this way. The party is fracturing along fault lines that have always been there, but have been suppressed since Reagan won in 1980. When Reagan ran first in 1976 for POTUS, the fault lines were very clearly seen. They were even clearly seen in the early part of the 1980 campaign (ie, “I paid for this microphone!”).
As the RINO’s realized that all they had to go up against Reagan was the lukewarm Geo. HW Bush, they got out of Reagan’s way. Since HW Bush was formerly of the CIA and very much an anti-communist, Reagan and Bush could paper over their differences on domestic issues with foreign policy agreement.
Now, the budget problem has grown so large that we cannot afford to do what Reagan did - ie, outspend the USSR until they collapsed. Another 10 year effort like that one would truly bankrupt the US. There is nothing to talk about now except domestic financial and fiscal issues, and everyone knows it, even if they’re too dumb to formulate a coherent domestic economic policy.
Now the long knives will come out, because there’s limited funds with which to implement any grand plans.
Just as academia, the politics will get nasty. I like to say that the politics in academia are so cutthroat because the stakes are so low. That’s now the case here.
... Smaller the trough, the meaner the hogs
Ronald Reagan had a name for “Republicans” like Slick Willard. He called them Democrats.
The GOP 11th Commandment was always a myth to begin with. Politics ain’t bean bag. Has always been a contact sport.
It was not HIS rule. It was written by a California party head, Gaylord B. Parkinson. Reagan finally quit using it during primaries with Gerald Ford as Reagan was losing.
Thanks for introducing reality. I seem to remember politics always being pretty rough and tumble even during Reagan’s time. The leader always wants to dictate the rules of the game and determine when the contest is over but doesn’t always get his way.
Back in the day they used to duel. LOL
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.