Maybe we were all spoiled by the 2008 primary where Edwards, Clinton, Obama, and others had detailed policies on health care that they regularly defended. They had different plans for getting out of Iraq and other foreign policy positions. They differed on how to fix the over 4 dollar gas. In short, whatever silly nonsense distracted us throughout the campaign, the issues got discussed and hashed out in a meaningful way. I could tell people that even though I liked Clinton generally, I preferred Obama’s timetable in Iraq, etc.
Compared to the 2012 GOP contest, holy cow. I don’t know any of Romney’s plans. Well, that’s not entirely true: I know he put out a 523 (approximately, I didn’t look it up) point plan to fix the economy, but I can’t remember the last time he’s had to defend it, let alone speak intelligently about it. And I don’t know what’s in it. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think so: I’ve listened to several debates and read countless articles and blog posts about the campaign, so it isn’t like I’m uninformed.
And I haven’t heard any of the other candidates fill in the void. Newt Gingrich’s big plan seems to be to mine the Moon (a plan I’m fine with, but I don’t think it’s the easiest thing in space to get back to Earth once it’s mined) and he gets billed as their idea person. Huntsman was known (to the extent he was known for anything) for not thinking global warming was bunk, but he didn’t have a plan to fix it so far as I can tell. Perry is proud of Jesus, or something. No one really debated what it means to be a Republican or even basic policy other than Paul.
I’m not sure why that’s the case. Maybe an anti-incumbency mood in the Republican Party has pushed the candidates to explain why they hate Obama more than to explain their own policies. I mean we had a pretty anti-incumbent mood in 2008, but we knew he’d be out of the White House no matter what, so we could focus on issues a bit more. Maybe it’s the Romney inevitability, but Clinton’s health plan came out when she was still perceived in many circles to be inevitable. Maybe Democratic voters actually care about issues more than the Republicans. I don’t know, but after today’s 100,005th (approximately, I didn’t look it up) GOP debate, I still don’t know much about what kind of president Romney, or the other people running for the office would be or what policies they’re pushing.
I’m not sure why that’s the case.
It’s the case because the only priority the vast majority of GOP voters care about is not having Obama as President. That’s why the supposedly anti-Tea Party Mitt Romney is actually winning a high percentage of Tea Party votes. It’s because they think he can win. They’ve been convinced by some very clever con artists that Obama is someone he’s not, a militant socialist with Muslim sympathies. And even though Romney has been quite similar to Obama on a number of policies, the GOP base will still be convinced that they represent a vast contrast between freedom and tyranny.
What remains to be seen is – once Romney becomes the nominee – if the Democratic base continues to talk policy, or create their own good vs evil that ignores the fact that Romney and Obama aren’t that much different.
Carl,
At least since Reagan, the GOP has been a party of anti-intellectualism. Feelings count far more than do ideas, at least ideas that can be supported with facts and reason. Empiricism is out. Going from the gut, and preaching fear, is in. It’s sad, really. The GOP used to have some principles.
Mitt’s plans are no mystery: Repeal everything, even if he supported it in the past. No Obamacare. No Dodd-Frank. No Sarbanes Oxley. No stimulus. No unemployment extension. No taxes on the rich. No nuthin’. He’s the candidate of the Party of No.
The mystery is, what demons are lurking in Mitt’s tax returns? In last night’s debate, Rick Perry pressed him, saying “we can’t fire our nominee in September — we need to know now” what’s in Romney’s tax returns. But the Mittster only promised to “probably” release his tax returns in April — after he likely will have sewed up the GOP nomination.
Ah come on!
Who could argue with Willard’s Day One promises?
Oh there’s even more Willard goodness, but we can start here. WTF is this?
In the debates only one candidate running against Willard ever brought any of this up, Huntsman attacked Willard’s plan on “Day One” to
Lot’s of useless and meaningless policy positions on Willard’s web site.
Republican voters don’t do policy. Or even facts. Fear and loathing? Yes, that they do.
I’ve learned that he’s an animal-abusing, corporate-raiding cult member whose grandfather fled to Mexico to avoid charges of polygamy. WTF more is there to know?
Because shipping our jobs to other countries and filling our stores with cheap, foreign made, crap has worked so well for us. Romney doesn’t seem to get that what works well for the top couple of % of American’s who make their money off stocks doesn’t work so well for the rest of us or create real wealth.
That’s really no different than what we have now and have had for the last 100 years.
So instead of having a handful of federal programs we have at least 50 state ones? How does that fix anything? You want to fix something make it one stop shopping at the federal level and make it so that all “board” type tests and standards are national.
Good luck with that one.
Someone needs to whip theirs out and piss right in Romney’s face. He’s that fucking clueless. Maybe that might wake him up, but I doubt it.