[lbo-talk] Ronnie's very timely death

[snit snat]

At 10:49 AM 6/10/2004, dano wrote:
>At 10:21 AM -0400 6/10/04, Doug Henwood wrote:
>>Carl Remick wrote:
>>
>>>Above all, Reagan's death lures the troublesome paleo-conservatives back 
>>>into the Big Tent.
>>
>>Not necessarily. Reagan's political genius was in part about finessing 
>>all these divisions within the right - traditionalist vs. libertarian, 
>>religious vs. market, paleo- vs. neo-. (Since a lot of people on the left 
>>don't understand these divisions, that's yet another reason they 
>>underestimate RR's importance.) Bush can't do that. If anything, he's 
>>opening up the fissures. After all the misty-eyed crap clears, people 
>>will be able to see that Bush is no Reagan.
>
>Very true. GWB could not even keep Brent Scowcroft and James Baker inside 
>the tent *before* the fertilizer went into the propeller.
>Pat Buchanan doesn't think much of him these days, and hasn't ever since 
>Buchanan took a big part of the vote in West Palm Beach.

The question is: will Scowcroft, Baker, and the rest actually _do_ 
something so the Republican party will lose this fall? They may not have 
any commitment to the neocons, but they probably will put the party above 
all that because, after all, it's about winning. Keeping the nation's 
political discourse oriented to the right is the goal.

"We're in a fucking stagmire."

       --Little Carmine, 'The Sopranos'