Stupid once more?

Republicans used to be known as the “stupid party.” But by the time the blogosphere got going, the party had become sufficiently successful that we didn’t hear much about the “stupidity” of its leaders Rather, it was the Democratic bloggers who portrayed their party’s leaders as weak, hide-bound idiots who could succeed only if they followed the wise prescriptions of the blogosphere, which consisted mostly of lungeing to the left.
But now that the Republicans have lost an election, its leaders are stupid once more. Exhibit A consists of recent appointments and selections. Mel Martinez’s selection as RNC Chair proves that the Republicans have learned nothing. Trent Lott’s election to the position of Senate minority whip proves they have forgotten much. The Gates nomination to run the Defense Department suggests that the administration may have lost its nerve in Iraq and elsewhere (I’ve been guilty of making that case, but at least the top job at DoD is potentially a helluva lot more important than Senate minority whip).
Many conservative bloggers seem unwilling to entertain the thought that it may be reasonable to have an Hispanic Senator as a public face of the party, while politicos at the RNC do the nuts-and-bolts work. Or that the advantages of having a procedural wizard in the number two Senate minority job may outweigh a few bad headlines and a little digust two years before the next election.
I’m not saying that these thoughts are correct, necessarily. I’m saying it’s amazing how smart the conservative blogophere suddenly has become compared to the Republican leadership.
UPDATE: I should add that, in some ways, the conservative blogosphere’s reaction to last week’s defeat is admirable. Leftists take out their frustrations not just by deeming Democratic leaders stupid but by saying the same thing about the American public, threatening to move to Canada, calling for separation from the Sun Belt, etc, etc. Conservatives largely confine themselves to overreacting to some not-so-terribly-important appointments.

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses