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About David Jeffers David Jeffers writes for the Talon. He is a lay preacher, retired Army Master Sergeant and author of Understanding Evangelicals: A Guide to Jesusland. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Liberty University where he received his degree in Biblical Studies, Mr. Jeffers frequently comments on the Evangelical perspective of current affairs in the media. Mr. Jeffers has published numerous articles on The New Media Journal and appears regularly on talk radio shows around the country. Mr. Jeffers is available for public speaking engagements. |
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Recent Articles Magic MuShrum “He Is Not Here” America’s Real Anxiety Automatically Under Suspicion For the Greater Good He Was My Hero It’s My Party |
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David Jeffers
Magic MuShrum
April 17, 2009
Mr. Shrum's latest trip to Happyland has him believing the Republican Party has “rendered itself irrelevant on every major issue” and consoling themselves “with a delusional round robin.” Bob Shrum is describing someone as delusional. Talk about it taking one to know one.
Mr. Shrum’s example of GOP delusion is based on “a conscious misreading of the Pew report” that shows Barack Obama to be the most polarizing president since Richard Nixon. Bob the Kingmaker contends that it is Republicans that are polarized, not the nation. Earth to Bob...Republicans are a part of the nation. In fact Bob, you should know that Republicans are part of the United States because all the Democratic Presidential campaigns you ran ended up in defeat to the Republican Party candidate.
Mr. Shrum deceptively quotes the Pew Poll statistic of “only 24 percent of voters identifying themselves as Republicans,” coming to the “hope so” conclusion that “the GOP is being miniaturized.” Okay Bob, Americans are not yet ready to identify with the Republican Party but since we are quoting polls, may I?
Mr. Shrum writes “the Pew poll really shows is that Obama is on his way to redrawing the political demography of America.” Actually Bob it shows simply that only a quarter of the country identifies itself as Republican. What it does not qualify as is an embracing of Obama's policies as is shown in the latest Real Clear Politics poll average where 61.2% of the country still believes we are headed in the wrong direction. Oh, and Bob? Your beloved Pew Research has it as 70% believing were headed in the wrong direction.
And if you look at the bar graph you will see that on election night the numbers were much higher and then they dropped significantly and flatlined until Inauguration Day. The numbers have indeed dropped more but they do not represent a redrawing of the political demography of America. What it means Bob is that Americans are fed up with both parties who never deliver on their promises. Additionally, Congress approval ratings are still a dismal 33%.
The part of Mr. Shrum’s article that shows the apex of his magic mushroom moment is when he writes this about the Obamessiah:
This is the Republican Party the country sees, a spectacle of resentments and recriminations vying for attention with a president who pursues sweeping economic change while conquering hearts and minds overseas and coolly dispatching the shoot-to-kill order that freed an American ship captain from Somali Pirates.
DUDE! You trippin’!
Obama never gave a “shoot-to-kill” order; Obama signed legal authorization for the Navy to use force. Coolly signing an order that White House lawyers tell you is normal use of presidential powers is not the same as Bob’s vision of Obama watching satellites and saying, “Um now, shoot now!!” (Imagine a Kool filtered cigarette hanging from his lips Robert Mitchum style)
And Mr. Shrum if you want a shred of credibility of being more than a party hack (who loses the big one), don’t quote New York Times’ polls. The only thing worse than that would be a poll from the Robert Shrum Center for Political Victory.
And what are the examples of Republican cynicism and countercharges the country sees and how is it that those within the Beltway always assume to know what the country wants, thinks, and sees? What any casual observer will see is over 4,000 angry Americans in Orlando on March 21, 2009 and more than 200 cities planning tea parties for tax day. What Americans see when they look at the Republican Party is finally they have taken a principled stand against the insane spending of the Democrats. Finally, finally not one Republican voted for the obese Obama budget.
While I am not a huge fan of the GOP (I'm one of those dinosaurs who believes Goldwater/Reagan Conservatism is still alive and well), I believe Mr. Shrum should put his GOP funeral plans on hold. You can plug your ears and close your eyes to the tea parties and grass roots ground swell of American dissatisfaction and believe the Democratic Party is safe for 2010. In fact I encourage it.
Perhaps it wasn’t the mushrooms Bob; maybe it’s history and talk radio. That’s right, you couldn’t help but take a swipe at 2000 contending that Democrats “had every reason to be bitter.” And Bob, why blame “the say-anything attacks of right wing radio”? Isn’t this leading to the Incredible Shrinking Republican Party? It seems that your elephantine apparitions are much more deep-seated than some taboo toadstool trip.
However, you may want to pick those mushrooms out of the spaghetti sauce next time...just to be safe.
