Hiatt: Republicans Might Be Beatable
In one of the most delusional articles I’ve ever read, The Washington Posts’s Fred Hiatt proclaims:
Not so long ago, the talk was all about the self-perpetuating machine the Republicans were constructing in Washington. The image was of links in a chain of power that the Democrats could never break. The GOP, having captured both houses of Congress and the White House, could press lobbyists to hire only Republicans and give money only to Republicans. The money would guarantee dominance in state legislatures. The legislatures would redraw congressional districts so that Democrats could never win. And if anyone objected, too bad; Republican-appointed judges could be counted on to slap down any complainers.
It isn’t often that you start an article saying that someone’s delusional but it isn’t often that I’ve read articles like what Mr. Hiatt has written, either. What made Mr. Hiatt come up with the image of the White House pressing lobbyists to “hire only Republicans and give money only to Republicans”? The picture that Hiatt paints is that of a totalitarian regime impervious to elections. If that’s what he thinks, he should visit Putin’s Russia or China. Then he’d find out what totalitarianism looks like.
Republicans picked up House and Senate seats each of the last two elections because they were the party of optimistic ideas, ideas that caused people to vote for something. At this point, Democrats must hope to sweep into power because people voted against something. That’s foolish.
Hiatt’s further implication is that Republicans gained control of Congress and the White House by bullying people. Yes, they’ve taken strong stands but that’s what you do in times of war. The two biggest causes of GOP control of the White House and Capitol Hill are (1) the unseriousness of the Democrats on national security issues and (b) Bush’s and Rove’s presenting something to vote for.
Democrats won’t regain control of Congress until they dump the anti-war left. Take that to the bank.
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRing