Posted on 08/13/2022 6:18:55 PM PDT by Ennis85
As readers of The Washington Post and his syndicated column know, Dana Milbank covers politics with snap and crackle. His gift, and his dogged reporting, serve him well in his new book, “The Destructionists” (good title), on the quarter-century-long crackup of the Republican Party.
While reading it, a line by the late P.J. O’Rourke came to mind: “The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work and then they get elected and prove it.”
Another line kept coming to me — Ronald Reagan’s farewell letter to the American people, which ends: “I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.”
Reagan’s letter was dated Nov. 5, 1994. Three days later, Republicans won control of the House and the Senate, led by a pale rider named Newt Gingrich. And hell followed with him.
Milbank traces the descent of the party once led by Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole and John McCain as it became the party of Gingrich and Mitch McConnell and, ultimately, the cult of Donald Trump. For those once fond of the GOP, it’s like switching the channel from “Father Knows Best” to “The Sopranos.”
That’s a dated but not altogether inapt reference. The ’94 election that ushered in Gingrich’s Republican Revolution also ushered out a Congress led by veterans of World War II. Four years later, the Un-Greatest Generation became its dominant demographic.
As an exercise, try thinking “Party of Lincoln” (or Reagan) as you recite aloud this partial list of post-1994 GOP leaders, grandees, enablers and influencers: Gingrich, Kenneth Starr, Roger Ailes, Rush Limbaugh, Ralph
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
“All I know is that after reading “The Destructionists,” I needed a drink. Perhaps this much is safe to say: that as long as there are Republicans like Liz Cheney, Mike Pence (sigh),”
Love how Mike Pence gets the sigh but not Liz Cheney.
Why are you posting WP’s pornography here?
Dana Milbank is a tool.
I’ve been watching him for decades.
Rush would destroy this in 2 seconds.
I do miss that guy.
Christopher Buckley?! His father is spinning in his grave.
“...The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer...”
Tell that to the 70 million leaches on welfare.
I appreciate the post. It’s helpful to know what is being said across the political spectrum.
Washington Compost.
And lies, upon lies, upon lies, upon lies.
What a pile of filth this article is.
Interesting. Talking with a coworker he blamed Sarah Palin and I was like “no it started way before that, like in the mid-90s with Newt Gingrech while Clinton was president etc.”.
Gingrich was great. As usual, the GOP didn’t back him up when the Dems brought up their fake charges in revenge for his success with the “Contract with America.”
He was regarded as a right-wing radical but the GOPe, so some of them didn’t back him for that reason. At the same time the Evangelical crowd (much more important then) didn’t back him because he had been married three times. Sigh.
It’s a pity, because he had great ideas and just plowed ahead and carried them out, as far as he could.
The truth is the GOP has been mostly a fake opposition party since the Bush League took over in 1989.
Their part was to make sure the citizens could not elect anyone who would stop the Bush Plan for North Mexico (aka USA).
Until Trump, we were only allowed to vote for open borders/amnesty candidates.
Newt was awesome, I was proud to vote for him for several cycles.
“Rush would destroy this in 2 seconds.”
Rush is as dead as the Constitutional Republic.
Wow.
Rush jumped aboard the “birther” bandwagon and help squelch those of us who know what natural born citizen means and that Obama is not one.
Christopher Buckley, the “conservative” who endorsed Barack Hussein Obama.
I don’t give a damn what that guy thinks.
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