The Politics of Spite ["Republican Party= emotional maturity of a bratty 13-year-old"]

NY Times ^ | 10.4.09 | Paul Krugman

[libh8er]

...So what did we learn from this moment? For one thing, we learned that the modern conservative movement, which dominates the modern Republican Party, has the emotional maturity of a bratty 13-year-old...

...The key point is that ever since the Reagan years, the Republican Party has been dominated by radicals — ideologues and/or apparatchiks who, at a fundamental level, do not accept anyone else’s right to govern.

Anyone surprised by the venomous, over-the-top opposition to Mr. Obama must have forgotten the Clinton years. Remember when Rush Limbaugh suggested that Hillary Clinton was a party to murder? When Newt Gingrich shut down the federal government in an attempt to bully Bill Clinton into accepting those Medicare cuts? And let’s not even talk about the impeachment saga.

The only difference now is that the G.O.P. is in a weaker position, having lost control not just of Congress but, to a large extent, of the terms of debate. The public no longer buys conservative ideology the way it used to; the old attacks on Big Government and paeans to the magic of the marketplace have lost their resonance. Yet conservatives retain their belief that they, and only they, should govern...

[HiTech RedNeck]

LOL what projection.

Tell me just WHO reaches across the aisle?

[dirtboy]

Anyone surprised by the venomous, over-the-top opposition to Mr. Obama must have forgotten the Clinton years.

Can't forget the venemous attacks by the left against Reagan and both Bushes. Oh, that's right, Krugman is a liberal, he WILL forget those. Deliberately.

[tumblindice]

Go boil your bottom, Paul.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The key point is that ever since the Reagan years, the Republican Party has been dominated by radicals — ideologues and/or apparatchiks who, at a fundamental level, do not accept anyone else’s right to govern.

So "the election(s) was(were) stolen" is accepting someone else's right to govern?

[Tzimisce]

I’ll tell you what bratty and puerile are: going to the IOC and acting like having your chosen city should just be handed too you because you’re the first black American president.

[DDLL]

oh good grief. They always accuse conservatives of doing exactly what they ARE doing. .. deflect attention from the obvious. If they’re whining about the GOP, then there must be some parts of the GOP who are starting to get it right. .. “When you’re taking flack, you must be over the target”.

[ReneeLynn]

Methinks you forgot the Reagan years, the Bush years and now with Sarah Palin. Liberals have been having hissy fits like demented children for a very long time. This article is a joke.

[Callahan]

This from the Fifth Column clowns whose entire world view is based on the idea that the USA is just too wealthy and powerful and needs to submit Globo-Socialist vision.

Can a 60yo man with a white beard look pre-pubescent? Krugman manages it?

[FlingWingFlyer]

That makes us 10 years more emotionally mature than Krugman and his ObamaCom comrades.

[tonyome]

Hey Krugman! I know what we should do! Let’s arrest all the Republicans in America...all 55 million of them. Maybe build some re-education camps for them to all live. Maybe abolish the Republican Party completely. Outlaw it, ban it. They’re just a bunch of racists anyway, right? That just spew out a ton of “over the top venom” right? Not that you do that - no - you never, ever spew any venom towards anyone...except conservatives that is. But that’s ok, because they just deserve it anyway. You’re not really a hypocrite because conservatives don’t count as real people. Then maybe we can seize all of their property and turn it over to the state...then finally, we can have worldwide utopia. How does that sound Krugman? Sort of like some of your other friends, like Stalin, Hitler, Castro, etc. huh?

[mrsmel]

Obviously the NYWhore hasn’t seen the study (I saw the results posted here at FR-I think- but don’t know where it is) which showed that for the first time in a while, more Americans oppose abortion, more Americans lean towards conservatism, and other signs that the Right is on its feet after getting a knock-down. I wish I could find the study.

[Lorianne]

The “right to govern” is determined by the voters regardless of what “apparatchiks” from either side of the spectrum may think or want.

And speaking of thinking, why are Krugman and others so intent on engaging in speculative group think on behalf of their oppponents. That’s what is really childish.

[greyfoxx39]

I guessed Krugman before even clicking on the link.

[ElayneJ]

The name calling is more effective when economic times are good. But when unemployment is around 10% and the outlook is bad, it can’t be helpful to talk about how mean the Republicans are. But I guess that’s all they have right now.

[silverleaf]

projection for true- Krugman must lurk here

Many of us see our bratty adolescents in the behavior, actions and narcissism of BO

[BertWheeler]

Why is Paul Krugman harping on Republicans? It doesn’t make a lick of sense to me. The Dems have all the votes they need to pass socialized medicine.

The dems have ALL the VOTES they need!

So, why is Krugman harping on Republicans??????

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

You forgot to add that once the ReThuglicans are re-programmed and released from the camps, they can each have 40 acres and a mule.

[FourPeas]

Again, I am forced to believe Krugman is the most brilliant satirist since no sane human can seriously believe the opinions expressed in his column.

[wac3rd]

It strange when you control the Presidency, are deadlocked at 4-4 with one moderate in the SCOTUS, have majoritites in both House and Senate plus own every news outlet BUT Fox News and Talk Radio...

You still bitch...because truth rings louder than Leftist lies.