Gloomy Gus Republicans

Richmond, Va. — Here in the onetime capital city of the Confederacy, a city I once flippantly referred to as “a hotbed of social rest,” a dozen solidly Republican voters spent more than two hours on a recent Thursday night pessimistically assessing their party and their children’s future in a session moderated by pollster Peter Hart for the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

Every one of the dozen had voted twice for George W Bush. But they were far from upbeat about his presidency. “Mixed results,” was the assessment of Brian Matt, a 48-year-old mortgage banker. “Uneven,” offered another. Fitness instructor Ann Turner, 34, said simply: “Disappointment. I think we need a breath of fresh air.”

But even more ominously, all 12 Republicans — the political “children” of Mr. Optimism himself, Ronald Reagan — believe that their own children’s future lives will be worse economically than their own lives have been.

Republicans have long proudly trumpeted their own optimism and that of their party about the nation’s future, frequently contrasting it to the occasional “Chicken Little” tendencies of Democrats. The psychic burden of an unpopular president whom they chose leading an unpopular war he chose while the nation’s economy turns shaky before their eyes hurts. One inescapable conclusion, after listening for two hours, is that these Virginia Republicans are demoralized about the condition and prospects of their party.

Toward the 2008 stable of GOP candidates, their feelings were ambivalent. Forty-four-year-old substitute teacher Jill Morley, the mother of six, found the Republican field contained “no standouts.” Insurance salesman David Armstrong, 42, called them “second-string.”

While there were some positive words about former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s 9-11 leadership, Arizona Sen. John McCain’s heroic patriotism and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson unpretentious likeability, as well as for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s strong presence and good looks (but with five of them candidly expressing reservations about and hostility toward his Mormon faith), pollster Peter Hart concluded after the session: “They are dying to find somebody. But nobody has yet emerged.”

While these Richmond-area Republicans have failed to rally behind a single 2008 champion, there is one candidate who enthusiastically unites them all: the Democratic front-runner, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton. She succeeds in making Republicans forget the perceived liabilities of their own candidates.

To David Armstrong, who had earlier said he “couldn’t vote for a Mormon,” the prospect of another President Clinton changed his mind: “There’s Mormons, and there’s insects, and there’s Democrats.”

Beyond the candidate preferences and prejudices, what was most memorable about the evening with these Republicans was their gloominess. That this was no one-time aberration was indicated in the November Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll, which asked, “Do you think America is in a state of decline, or do you feel this is not the case?”

“America ... in a state of decline,” you would agree, is a pretty bleak evaluation. Well, 57 percent of the respondents, including majorities of whites, blacks and Hispanics, agreed, while 38 percent disagreed. Pessimism among Hispanics is especially significant. Immigrants have always been the most optimistic of Americans, while Hispanics in general — and most especially Hispanic immigrants — have been consistently more upbeat about how their children’s generation will live than have been white and black Americans.

The consequences of “Gloomy Gus” Republicans and downbeat voters mean a lot more than who will win or lose the White House. Optimism is the parent of confidence, which nurtures large dreams and bold initiatives. Pervasive pessimism breeds timidity and self-centeredness, hardly the basic ingredients for seeking, let alone writing, the next Great American Era.

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE INC. COPYRIGHT 2007 MARK SHIELDS

"Gloomy Gus" Republicans

Submitted by Sniffles on Mon, 11/19/2007 - 12:53pm.

If I were a Republican, I'd be pretty darned "gloomy" as well. 7+ years of Republican mis-rule have left America pretty much in a shambles. Our military has been dented and banged up from 5 years of near-constant combat, and one out of five new enlistees in the military has a criminal conviction. These aren't the best of times for America.

The voters are poised to swing a political baseball bat at the unprotected head of the Republican party. I predict the next election will be a rout, with 57-60% of all voters going Democratic. The electoral vote will likely be closer, but we're going to have a Democratic president in 2008. And, in my humble opinion, not a moment too soon.

The tenuous coalition between social conservatives and fiscal conservatives in the Republican party lies in ruin. The fiscal Republicans thought they were getting a fiscal conservative in George W. Bush, and obviously did not get what they expected. The social conservatives proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they cannot govern effectively. These two groups need each other, but there is no candidate who can unite these squabbling children. The social conservative movement, which was never more than 20-25% of the electorate to begin with, is fading. Ironically, having tasted power, the social conservatives are now loathe to give it up, and have begun treating their erstwhile partners, the fiscal conservatives, as little more than lackeys. They do not seem to realize that they need fiscal conservatives as much as fiscal conservatives need social conservatives.

The only way I see the Republicans triumphing is if they manage to instigate a groundswell of anti-Clinton hatred sufficient to push one of their lesser candidates over Hillary, the Democratic heir apparant.

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Not So Gloomy...

Submitted by cogitoergofay on Mon, 11/19/2007 - 1:08pm.

Not So Gloomy...I go in cycles being discouraged and encouraged about our country. The Dems and Repubs both seem indistinguishable since both are heavily committed mainly to (1) perserving incumbency and (2) doling out record levels of pork. (Trivia question: Only one President was able to pay off the national debt...Only time in history that America was debt free).

However, the Electoral College may yet again save us with a moderate or conservative Republican in the White House.

The Democrats have controlled both House of Congress for a year now. And what have they done? Nothing. All they want to do is repeat the mantra "Failed Policies of the last 7 years."

However, the Democrats can pass legislation to do anything and put it on Bush's desk. They can pass a bill to end the war. See if Bush will veto. But the Dems would prefer not to innovate. They would rather sit back and throw stones.

There is hope for the GOP keeping the White House.

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Gee, So I'm Not The Only One Of My Kind

Submitted by Git Real on Sun, 11/18/2007 - 9:43pm.

Politically, I'm trying to find a reason not to sound like Eeyore. But, it seems like it's going to be another glooming election cycle.

All the presidential and congressional candidates seem to be a bunch of spineless duds....regardless of party affiliation. Heck...at this point someone pleaaassse throw me a Harry Truman or an Ike to vote for. I'll even settle for a Nixon or a Zell Miller.

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Git

Submitted by Nitpickers on Mon, 11/19/2007 - 6:05am.

What is wrong with McCain and Clinton?
Fred could run with McCain and Dennis with Clinton!
Sounds pretty good to me.

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I hear you Git...

Submitted by Hoosier Fan on Sun, 11/18/2007 - 10:17pm.

I'm having hard time finding a word to describe ANY of the candidates.

What's the opposite of "charisma"?

It seems like it's been a long time since "it's morning in America".

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