Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

RedMassGroup founder says RMG community “wallow(s) in ignorance”?

By

Just two days before announcing he was “resigning” as the owner of RMG, Patrick responded to a question I asked about who were the “up and comers” in the Libertarian movement by writing

There isn’t any sign that the conservative movement wants to do anything other than wallow in ignorance, and that absolutely benefits (Palin).

 

Patrick hyperlinked “wallow in ignorance” and when you clicked on it, you come to the RMG homepage.  Not very subtle.  Now maybe Patrick made a mistake and did not mean to link to the very site he founded.  Maybe, but I doubt it.  (NOTE: Patrick says in the comments that he did, indeed, make a mistake. -David) In a comment he made in an Oct 26th diary I wrote about how much “whacko fringe posts” were being posted at RMG during the election, Patrick agreed, writing…

I’m in agreement.  All the conspiracy stuff doesn’t interest me at all.  But like you said, RMG is a microcosm of the right at large.  This is, sadly, what the right is consumed with at the moment.  Even National Review is getting in on it!

http://corner.nationalreview.c…

I’d love to do something, but I don’t think there is much that can be done besides watch.  The McCain people at this stage in the game aren’t in a state of mind where they are open to discussing things rationally.  I suspect that on Nov 5th many of the McCain supporters here will be suffering from massive hangovers, not only from drinking too much the night before but also from the past month of binge conspiramongering.

So whatever motivated Patrick to resigning, it is clear that RedMassGroup is a macrocosm of the current state of the Conservative movement: Complete ideological disarray, with SocialCons claiming the Republican Party must emphasis “family values”; traditionalist who think they can refurbish the “fiscal conservative” brand that has been completely destroyed by W and his Republican Congressional lackeys and the Ron Paul followers who endorse an economic and foreign policy platform that was embraced by President Rutherford B. Hayes.

Watching how well Obama does in the next four (to eight) years will be interesting.  But the real entertainment looks like it will be in the Republican Party.

Please share widely!
fb-share-icon
Tweet
0

Comments

  1. I’m sorry to see Patrick go.  If we’re lucky, he’ll now have time to hang out over here.  We could use some thoughtful libertarian voices to spice things up.

      • While it’s nice to see a libertarian conservatives join hands with paleo-conservatives in opposition to the stupid foreign entanglement in Iraq, libertarian conservatives are also adamantly opposed to that which most needs doing to keep banks from failing, credit from freezing, and demand from disappearing.

        <

        p>A recession is enough. They want a morally superior depression.

        • but i think there is a lot we may agree on.  at least, i’m curious to find out how much.  and to see if there are ways to cooperate on those issues, despite our other differences.

  2. It’s tough to forge a coalition between the folks who want limited government and those who want to use the government to establish a nanny-state.

    <

    p>As the Republicans retreat to Utah, Idaho, Oklahoma, and the Deep South, what will happen in the rest of the nation?  The return of the Whigs?

    <

    p>More important for us on the blue side of the street, what happens to the Democrats when the Republicans vanish (as in MA).  How do we deal with a party that includes Finneran and Frank?

    • I long for a healthy competition for seats with a healthy (minority) Green-Rainbow coalition party.  Just think: how about a 90:60:10 D-G/R-R split in the House?  Heck, even a 100:35:25 split would be ab-fab… enough to require some greens on some votes would force the Dems to the left.  Maybe we get a few more GOP reps, but if we get real competition from both sides it would certainly make things interesting!  If there’s not enough room for both parties, I’d “settle” for a 100:60 D-G/R split…

      <

      p>Unfortunately, the G/R party can’t seem to run a really credible candidate in an open race, just to get a foot in the door.  Wherever they’re viable, the Dems produce a solid progressive.  Such is the reality of a median voter first past the post system.

  3. I must have fat fingered a few keys when cutting and pasting my link.  The “wallow in ignorance” link should have gone here:
    http://blog.beliefnet.com/crun…

    <

    p>Not only am I down on Palin, but the Plumber too!  My disagreements with the other editors on things like this were all amicable.  Just last night, I caught dinner with Eabo Clipper and Garrett3000.  When I resigned it just to free up time to do other things (part of a New Year’s resolution of mine).

  4. Two articles. Rep. Tom Davis on the Ripon Society site suggests that Republicans have been over-emphasizing social issues to the detriment of bread-and-butter issues affecting Americans. He avoids, to my surprise, the Reagan hagiography:

    What we can’t do is go back. I’ve heard much talk of going back to our conservative roots, to the issues that helped us win in 1980 and 1994. That issue matrix has changed so much as to be nearly unrecognizable now. The voters who dealt us our electoral disasters in 2006 and 2008 did so because they thought we were all too true to our roots. That we were exclusive, favored rich over poor, and didn’t care sufficiently for the plight of the little person.

    Later:

    But we won’t get there by waiting for the Democrats to fumble the ball. We won’t get there by trying to divine what Ronald Reagan would do in any given situation. We can get there, though, if we stop the infighting and show we have a better way.

    Good luck with that one, Rep. Davis.

    <

    p>John Avlon at New Majority (Frum’s website) asks how Republicans can win in the Northeast again. He offers six points:

    1. Admit the mistakes of the Bush era.
    2. Regain credibility on fiscal responsibility
    3. Stay strong on national security
    4. Embrace the big tent.
    5. Look like the party of Lincoln
    6. Run against Congress, not Obama

    In particular while mixing metaphors and embracing tents, Mr Avlon wants to welcome libertarians who “are losing any logical reason to affiliate with the GOP.” He also bemoans conservatives rooting for Coleman’s loss. To look like the party of Lincoln (note emphasis on PR not substance), he proposes they elect Steele or Blackwell to be be RNC chair and tread more carefully on immigration issues.

    <

    p>These two are notable because they are not advocating a return to Reagan, but what they’re advocating doesn’t seem too appealing either. I suspect it will neither draw independents nor rally their base. Guess they’re stuck with the Palin/Wurzelbacher ticket to “progress” the country.

Archives