The GOP May Write Itself Out of the Future [OpEd]

Kyle Brady — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 07:05:07 +0000

Republicans, in general, have been having a hard time relating to modern America and its citizens, as their ideas, policies, and politicians fall flat, one after another. The choice of John McCain as their Presidential Candidate in the 2008 election was their first misstep, after having such a hated President in Office, and the months since McCain’s loss to Barack Obama – in no small part thanks to the choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate – have been painful to watch, as their decline from relevancy continues at an accelerated rate.

The GOP’s insistence on fighting any and all policies of President Obama, or other Democrats, is embarrassing given their unilateral unconcern for the issue at hand – claiming said policy will be a reversal of what the party has worked for is not a sufficient argument in a disaster-ridden time that was largely sparked by Conservative rule. Additionally, the majority of Republican politicians continue to use defense arguments laughably based on policy cost, without considering their own expenditures for war and other party-line failures, and anti-American ideals, hoping to rally and inspire the American people to their side.

This is not happening, nor will it in the foreseeable future.

President Obama was elected because the country was largely interested in a change of political ideals, and the very vocal minority of disgruntled Americans screaming about socialism, fascism, or whatever the smear du jour may be are not changing the minds of those that voted. Obama is not perfect, nor is he a political savior, but he’s managing to do enough things properly to keep most people happy – whereas the Republican party continues to degrade itself.

Recent history has demonstrated this very party degradation, as Senators have converted to Democrats and the Democratic stronghold within Congress grows – which the Republican minority battles with filibusters, threats, and smokescreens. Even further loss of relevance and respect comes via the very figureheads and posterchildren of the party itself: the list starts with Sarah Palin and Mark Sanford, continues with the likes of Michael Steele, and adds to itself on what seems to be a daily basis.

These politicians are not just ruining their own careers, but are, in fact, taking down the party in piecemeal fashion. Sarah Palin was the Vice Presidential candidate just a year ago, Mark Sanford was a possible candidate for 2012 (along with Sarah Palin), and Dick Cheney, the former Vice President, is publicly defaming Obama via any method possible. These are the individuals the American people are supposed to trust and endorse? Many more examples can be found of sexual hypocrites, unintelligent ramblings, and incoherent policies – most non-FOX News outfits will provide easy access to this information.

However, the degradation comes not only from politicians, but from the pundits and talkshow hosts who consider themselves essential to their political party. Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck are the easiest three to recognize, but the number of such public figures using media access to push “extreme right wing” Republican rhetoric is astonishing. These talking heads may have large, and growing audiences, but they will always cater to the American minority: the less educated, the unintelligent, and the racially biased population that is easily swayed by big words and scary propaganda. While the politicians are making fools of themselves via policy, the conservative media is largely doing the same, thanks to conspiracy theories, inaccurate “facts”, and manipulation of their guests – all of this can be countered with a dose of intelligence and a small amount of fact checking.

As the sex scandals continue, the political rhetoric becomes more heated and embattled, and the party continues to alienate entire swaths of demographic targets (young adults, non-whites, gays and lesbians, etc.), the question of whether their current irrelevance may turn into complete disappearance becomes pertinent. How can a party that has little-to-no support from the voting public continue to exist, let alone have any hope at regaining power (in any fashion) without changing their ways? Such actions are no better than political suicide – yet they continue.

American Democracy has relied on what amounts to a two party system for almost its entire history, but it does not require that the most modern incarnation of Democrats and Republicans has to continue. Parties have risen, grown, and died many times over the last two centuries, sometimes with the party continuing to exist while changing nearly every facet of their ideology. If the GOP’s current pace of self-destruction continues, the 2012 Presidential Election may prove to be the watershed event that allows another party into the spotlight while the old and tired Republicans fade not-so-quietly into the night.

When rooting for the Republicans to fail as a party, it is important to remember two crucial points. First, if the Republican Party can reinvent itself into a relatable, sensible, modern political party, they can then once again become relevant and acceptable. It remains to be seen, however, whether they are willing to do so. Second, it is absolutely crucial that the Democratic Party is not allowed to run unopposed in any level or form of government – a viable party, or candidate at a minimum, needs to be seated in direct opposition. Modern Democrats are fairly reasonable, sometimes progressive, and occasionally intelligent, but all such qualities can be quickly shed in order to protect themselves and their interests in what would amount to an American form of despotism.

It is high time the GOP recognize their defeat by their own hands, and take prepare for their future – this would require reigning in the loudmouthed pundits spewing nonsense across America, replacing the unfavorable and aging politicians with their younger counterparts, and reforming their party-line politics into a cooperative group of individuals that are interested in a core set of values truly for the betterment of the American people. If this cannot, or will not, be accomplished within the coming months and years, they will likely continue to fail in their political endeavors, until they have written themselves out of existence, and the deadline is both very tangible and very close…

Early November, 2012.

Michael Jackson: Time to Move On [OpEd]

Kyle Brady — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:05:39 +0000

Last week, Michael Jackson died. The “King of Pop” may have been unintentionally murdered by his doctor the victim of unintentional manslaughter, but the larger story is that the Internet essentially broke due to his death. More importantly, the metaphorical presses of the media stopped for days on end, and are only just beginning to recover – a full week after the initial event. For most people, his death was just the passing of a former celebrity turned modern eccentricity, but for a small minority it was earth shattering. It was for this highly emotional minority that the entirety of the American news media, both on and offline, mainstream and non, decided to have round-the-clock dedicated coverage.

It was highly embarrassing to see the media fawn over Michael Jackson’s death as if he were a beloved icon, when the very same groups loved to crucify his every odd move and decision. Even more embarrassing was that they decided constant coverage was an appropriate reaction so such a small-scale event, shunning crucial events in both North Korea and Iran for chasing a dead celebrity’s body around the state of California. No major media outlet was an exception: CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, NPR, and The BBC all had similar amounts, and depth, of coverage – FOX News too, if they can be included as a news source.

While the death of a former celebrity, possibly the world’s most popular, is sad and marks the end of an era, such 24/7 coverage was both unnecessary and unproductive. Iran had large protests in the streets over an election (which still remains in dispute), and North Korea was brandishing words of war against the Western World – was this not news? Additionally, America’s politicians are in a highly agitated state of fact versus rhetoric over “healthcare reform” – something the general population knows little, if anything, about.

In a culture that gets most of its news via media infotainment, the level of gossip on these networks is already absurdly high – Michael Jackson managed to eclipse every other event in both America and the world. Due to such an eclipse, American citizens tuned into the so-called news at record levels, only to receive unintelligent and garbled fodder pieces instead of intellectual stimulation. FOX News’ usual ranting rhetoric would have been preferable to the “MJ Watch”, since it would have at least elucidated the important issues – even if the facts and spin were entirely incorrect.

This week is no better in the media: Michael Jackson is beginning to fade, as there is nothing left to talk about, but South Carolina’s Governor Mark Sanford has taken his place as the nonsense sensationalized news piece du jour. True, he disappeared completely from his office for days to have an affair with a woman in Argentina. Yes, it was possibly achieved using government funds, and his previous trysts may have involved improper uses of state money as well. He should be forced to resign, and fade from the political life completely – potentially even prosecuted for his misuse of funds. But he is not deserving of constant coverage and attention. Such public scrutiny may destroy his career, but rumors are he is already considering his future as an author thanks to his new-found celebrity.

When will the American media learn? Or the news media at large? What entertains or attracts a large viewership is not part of the definition of “news story” – it shouldn’t be difficult to discern what is truly important versus what is pandering fluff, and yet the 24/7 news cycle is continuing to produce larger quantities of unimportant pieces. The only places to find in-depth coverage of politics or otherwise ignored issues are blogs, and even then they cater to audiences that are already interested in such topics – previously ignorant individuals are not being informed by Politico, DailyKos, or Donklephant.

The American political culture continues to split even further into argumentative factions, prohibiting even the most basic of legislation from being passed, and the majority of America is too concerned with the daily life of C-list celebrities to even notice. This is not what should be happening, and it is contributing to our potential future decline.

It’s time to let the Michael Jacksons and Mark Sanfords of the country fade into the background, permanently, so the real issues can be addressed, however briefly.

Kyle Brady: Blog » Mark Sanford

The GOP May Write Itself Out of the Future [OpEd]

Michael Jackson: Time to Move On [OpEd]