It’s been a while since I’ve paid much attention to Florida’s Junior Senator, Lex Luthor to some; my eyes see the Weekly World News’s Bat Boy.
Maybe the worst of both, with a generous helping of boilerplate GOP Wingnut, occasionally lurching from surprising-obscurity-for-a-Senator-from-a-large-State to spew Grapefruit League Kevin McCarthy-ish sound bites…
Sound, fury, signifying nothing, though with the assumption (sadly, correct) that his bigoted rhetoric will automatically be given serious consideration.
If nothing else, Politico will deem it savvy enough to offer a direct link, even if reality forces them to admit it’s, um, Bat (Boy) Shit Insane
When you’re in the opposition and your party lacks a clear leader (other than your mad exiled king), there are plenty of opportunities for political entrepreneurship. If you come up with a new way to threaten trans kids or a bold new agenda for Republicans to follow should they take over Congress, you can get a bunch of attention and perhaps boost your profile and ambitions.
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The 11 points resemble policy proposals, but every one is wrapped in culture-war provocation.
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…it doesn’t hurt to have something you can call an agenda, no matter how phony or insincere it is. It garners news coverage that paints you, however inaccurately, as serious about governing. Then after you win, it allows you to propagate a story about the election — again, however inaccurately — that claims you have a mandate from the public for whatever ludicrous ideas you want to pursue.
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The Republican Party has become little more than an engine of resentment, one that runs on whatever fuel seems to be supercharging its supporters’ anger this month. Putting it in a glossy brochure doesn’t make it any more legitimate.
A year ago, none of them had heard of critical race theory; now they all claim it’s the most important thing in the world, once they remembered how powerful a motivator White grievance can be. A few weeks from now, they might decide that making trans kids’ lives miserable has politically run its course, and they’ll turn to something else. What it adds up to is not so much an “agenda” as a rotating list of things to be mad about.
One thing’s for sure: Republicans are feeling as confident as they ever have, and they won’t be bothered with complicated problems that demand difficult policy solutions. It’s going to be nothing but culture war from here on out.
Yep.
Add a media that prefers clickbait to actual journalism, with a generous helping of Murdoch media that pushes equivalent garbage (e.g., Biden crack pipes)…
It’s almost a miracle we haven’t already degenerated into a real-life version of Succession…yet.
It’s true, culture wars is all they have. I haven’t seen any policy issues from the GOP (with the exception of lowering taxes for the rich until they are eliminated). A must-read.