There are all these confusing narratives out there:
- McCain is a "maverick" that stands against Wall Street because they apparently weren't deregulated enough
- Conservative Republicans voting "no" while Bush and Democrats vote yes, because they are apparently the responsible-daddy stewards of the economy
- Banks are failing because they were costing taxpayers too much (ok, that was Palin's and went nowhere)
But it stuns me that the easiest narrative of all is not getting more traction:
THIS IS THE FAILURE OF REPUBLICANISM.
Think about it - we gave them everything they wanted.
We gave them the deregulation they asked for. We gave them the tax cuts they asked for. We gave them the increased spending they asked for. We gave them the war they asked for.
The weak dollar was a direct result. The increased deficit was a direct result. The expensive oil was a direct result.
And the current financial crisis is a direct result - of Republicanism.
This isn't just a rant. I'm dismayed that people aren't pounding this message home more. Because each time we say it's because of corrupt Wall Street executives, we miss the point and give them a pass. Each time we say it's because of the mere Bush Administration, we miss the point and give them a pass.
And each time we tie McCain to Bush, we come close to missing the point. It works to tie McCain to Bush, but the reason Bush is such a failure is because he is the purest expression of Republicanism this nation has.
All these policies were a direct result of Republicanism . All these results are a direct result of Republicanism . And all this rhetoric from Republicans that decry the excesses and corruption are indirect admissions of the failures of Republicanism.
They're trying to pull a fast one. By excluding themselves, they want to repackage the philosophy again later. But this is our best opportunity to prove that it's the entire philosophy that's bankrupt.
Keep our eye on the ball here. McCain is a Republican. Bush is a Republican. The Republicans in Congress are Republican. Everything they say, it's all a repackaging of everything that came before.
Don't forget - we gave the Republicans everything they wanted. And John McCain might try to convince us otherwise, but at the end of the day, he's a Republican. He will want the same things all over again.