But I think they were knocked flat by all the other races they lost, especially in the West and Virginia, and by the desertion of the women and un-decideds. The leadership is really struggling now to overcome the Party Of No tag, and the lack of viable new faces. I sure didn’t forsee the collapse of the Republican Party coming at all!

Atwater was a complete cynic, and for him, it was all a game. Winning the game was the most important thing for him. His tactics worked. He was Rove’s mentor, and they worked for Rove, too, until 2006, when they didn’t work any more at all. They were too slow in recognizing the depth of the majority’s discontent, and stuck with the losing tactics through 2008, and the tactics completely failed then.
Republicans have failed their intellectual former leaders. The old guard was replaced by the Neo-Cons, and the entire Neo-Con philosophy was a total failure. Catering the bottom of the base was a terrible idea in 2008, and only hastened the bottom dropping clear out of the already spongy sack.

I do agree about the fear and desperation. They for sure never imagined losing the While House, and especially not to a minority candidate. It’s like the end must be nigh…

“Atwater: You start out in 1954 by saying, “Nigger, nigger, nigger.” By 1968 you can’t say “nigger”—that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states’ rights and all that stuff. …”

Atwater went on with further comments about how the code speak became increasingly abstract. Nowadays, the base’s Con code is so abstract that they actually support lower taxes for the rich, while much of the base is in dire economic straits.

Deciphering the Con Code is hard for me, because most of it is real insider stuff, but I detect a real element of fear and desperation in it. That, in part, is why they’re resorting to the Guns, Liberty and Freedom stuff so much, in so many abstract fuzzy ways. They’re looking for inconsequentials they can wrap their minds around because Big Change suddenly happened, and it scared the crap out of them.
The worst is I see the Con Code spreading all over Boise now. The last session was chock full of it. They are being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century, and don’t like it one bit.

Some of the “base” absolutely believe the smoke and fire concept of what they hear on the AM radio. The moderates of both parties believe almost nothing that they hear or read. I’d say it’s wacky but it really is business as usual for us, no different than in Adams/Jefferson days.

One would think that there has to be some intellectuals left in the party- they can’t all be know-nothing redneck crazies, can they? If they are so bereft of anything positive, maybe the party should break up… leadership should never come from one side only if we want things to work.

But I’m in total agreement with you there, boomer, that it beggars belief, some of the crazy ideas the teabagging wingnut crowd gets in their pointy little heads.

He explained that in his opinion, the more effort and time and resources and sheer stupidity these “birthers” put into the idea that Obama is not a citizen, chasing the fantasy, then the less time they have to spend on serious issues such as health care and the economy, etc.

It’s distracting to them and we oughtta let them be distracted to high heaven, because then they’re not monkeying with real issues and creating havoc there.

I thought, that’s a pretty good game plan, all in all.