Henninger over at the WSJ gets what so many Republicans apparently do not: Obama has changed politics in America and if the GOP doesn't figure out the how and why of it and accordingly adjust their thinking, behaviour and tactics they may never win another presidential election. Unfortunately for us all [for it is the country as a whole that will suffer, not just Republicans] the recent shutdown farce and the redoubtable 'defund Obamacare' idiocy of Cruz et al that made it possible would seem to indicate that such an adjustment could prove a long shot.
I've always maintained that the whole key to Obama is his shameless willingness to exploit the populist allure of identity politics, both to beguile low info voters and of course flatter the naive sympathies of the enraptured liberal elite, and then manipulatively leverage a pliant and submissive media to wield that quite hollow but wholly effective demagoguery with a ruthless Machiavellian glee across the electoral landscape. But as Henninger rightly points out: expressing outrage over this state of affairs [which, let's face it, is a form of proto fascism and certainly worthy of outrage] does not amount to a strategy and worse merely plays right into Obama's hands. I still hear, amazingly enough, conservatives speaking with disdain of Christie's infamous hug of Dear Leader as if that disdain, that outrage in and of themselves were proof of something legitimate - these fools seem incapable of understanding or accepting the reality that that hug was a demonstration of Christie knowing how the game must be played if you hope to win - that hug was Christie winning over moderates, winning over independents and most importantly of all, winning over the media.
I have no idea what kind of president Christie would be - I tend to believe good, but who knows - regardless, as of now he seems to be the only potential candidate who has a grasp of what will be required to defeat the challenge Obama has thrown up and if the 'outrage caucus' led by fools like Cruz can't figure that out and continue to sabotage conservative fortunes through idiotic stunts like the 'defund' then, I dunno... expect calamity... 'cause every Democratic presidential candidate from now till whenever is gonna follow the Obama playbook and if all the GOP can manage to do in response is stamp their feet in anger, well... a generational hold on the White House by liberals of Obama's ilk will essentially at best turn the country into a sadder version of Europe, at worst break it apart.
I've always maintained that the whole key to Obama is his shameless willingness to exploit the populist allure of identity politics, both to beguile low info voters and of course flatter the naive sympathies of the enraptured liberal elite, and then manipulatively leverage a pliant and submissive media to wield that quite hollow but wholly effective demagoguery with a ruthless Machiavellian glee across the electoral landscape. But as Henninger rightly points out: expressing outrage over this state of affairs [which, let's face it, is a form of proto fascism and certainly worthy of outrage] does not amount to a strategy and worse merely plays right into Obama's hands. I still hear, amazingly enough, conservatives speaking with disdain of Christie's infamous hug of Dear Leader as if that disdain, that outrage in and of themselves were proof of something legitimate - these fools seem incapable of understanding or accepting the reality that that hug was a demonstration of Christie knowing how the game must be played if you hope to win - that hug was Christie winning over moderates, winning over independents and most importantly of all, winning over the media.
I have no idea what kind of president Christie would be - I tend to believe good, but who knows - regardless, as of now he seems to be the only potential candidate who has a grasp of what will be required to defeat the challenge Obama has thrown up and if the 'outrage caucus' led by fools like Cruz can't figure that out and continue to sabotage conservative fortunes through idiotic stunts like the 'defund' then, I dunno... expect calamity... 'cause every Democratic presidential candidate from now till whenever is gonna follow the Obama playbook and if all the GOP can manage to do in response is stamp their feet in anger, well... a generational hold on the White House by liberals of Obama's ilk will essentially at best turn the country into a sadder version of Europe, at worst break it apart.