The drift towards irrelevancy

This morning I came across an article on Politico that’s worth reading.  Seems that despite their drubbing in the last two general elections, the Republican party continues to drift to the right.  Meanwhile, the majority of the electorate is moving the other direction.  While the country as a whole, county by county, is actually a shade of purple, the election results show a definite trend toward Democratic victories — except across the Bible belt.

The more I watch the antics of the Republican Party — the obvious lack of real leadership, the floundering on coming up with anything that remotely resembles constructive alternatives on key issues, the hypocrisy, the more I realize that they, or at least the GOP base, are driven solely by ideology, not by reality.  Facts rarely seem to get in the way.

Some months ago, the cartoon Non Sequitor summed it up.  Two cave men were having a discussion, one standing safely in the cave, the other outside in the rain.  The conversation went like this:

“Um, why you stand in rain?”
“It not raining.”
“Yes it is.”
“No it not.”

“Huh? Water fall from sky… That rain.”
“That your opinion.”

At this point, the first caveman sticks his hand outside, and raindrops can be seen falling into his hand.

“Not opinion. Fact. See raindrops?”
“Don’t need to look.  Already know it not rain.”

“If it not rain, then why you wet and me dry”

The dry cave man waits for a response.

“Define ‘wet’…”
“Owww, brain hurt.”

The caption at the bottom reads, “The Invention of Ideology.”

To be sure, ideologues exist on both sides of the political spectrum.  But when ideology over-rides reality, and ignorance of the facts is celebrated rather than incorporated into one’s world view, how can either party hope to establish a viable political coalition?  The intellectual conservatives — people like David Brooks, George Will (his recent diatribe against jeans aside), Christopher Buckley and others –  have been conspicuously silent as the Republican Party kowtows to the likes of Russ Limbaugh and the theocrats.

The Politico piece points out that social issues still influence the GOP base — abortion, same-sex marriage, immigration.  They remain political litmus tests.  Yet, the first two are driven by religious conviction, the third largely by fear.  The other issue upon which the GOP base seems galvanized is that of taxation — or more properly anti-taxation.  There is the perception that all taxes are bad, save perhaps for spending on defense (and possibly including local policing and border enforcement).

The base may be fired up, but where do they go, particularly if they are increasingly out of touch with the majority of Americans? Unless something occurs to energize the rational elements of the Republican Party, it appears that it will become increasingly held captive by its anti-intellectual, religious base, combined with a distinctly anti-government strain that threatens to erupt into violence.  A more effective path into oblivion and ignominy is hard to imagine.

And that would be a shame.  America needs a vibrant multi-party system.  A permanent majority, of any party, is a prescription for corruption and abuse of power.