In trying to capture the significance of the radicalization of today's Republican Party, it's sometimes helpful to take note of who has been pushed from the GOP mainstream. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, for example, used to be considered a conservative Republican. But since he believes in using monetary policy to improve the economy, today's GOP considers him too liberal.
Ronald Reagan used to be considered a Republican on a near-demigod status, but he's practically a Democrat by 21st century standards.
And then there's Richard Posner, a conservative judicial icon and Reagan appointee, who marvels at what's become of his party.
Judge Richard Posner, a conservative on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, has long been one of the nation's most respected and admired legal thinkers on the right. But in an interview with NPR, he expressed exasperation at the modern Republican Party, and confessed that he has become "less conservative" as a result.
Posner expressed admiration for President Ronald Reagan and the economist Milton Friedman, two pillars of conservatism. But over the past 10 years, Posner said, "there's been a real deterioration in conservative thinking. And that has to lead people to re-examine and modify their thinking."
"I've become less conservative since the Republican Party started becoming goofy," he said.
Congratulations, GOP. You've even gone too far for Posner.
What's more, looking at the reaction to the Supreme Court's ruling on the Affordable Care Act, and the right's apoplexy towards Chief Justice John Roberts, Posner added, "Because if you put [yourself] in his position ... what's he supposed to think? That he finds his allies to be a bunch of crackpots? Does that help the conservative movement? I mean, what would you do if you were Roberts? All the sudden you find out that the people you thought were your friends have turned against you, they despise you, they mistreat you, they leak to the press. What do you do? Do you become more conservative? Or do you say, 'What am I doing with this crowd of lunatics?' Right? Maybe you have to re-examine your position."
Keep in mind, when Posner uses words like "lunatics" and "crackpots," he's apparently referring to the other conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court.
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If Posner started becoming less conservative when the Republican Party started becoming goofy, why has it taken him 30 years to speak up. The Laffer curve, the Clinton Chronicles, apologies to Rush Limbaugh, etc. This is nothing new. I'm guessing Posner is looking for the kind of redemption Lee Atwater sought.
It's not the goofiness that bothers me so much as the... mendacity.
Posner, like many conservatives, hasn't quite figured out that just because people call themselves "conservative" doesn't mean they actually are. Right wingers are NOT "conservatives." They are "far right wing radicals", for which a good one-word synonym is "fascist." As an old friend who lived through the bad times in Germany said, "Hitler wasn't elected by the Nazis, he was elected by the conservatives who believed him when he said he was one of them, a lie they discovered too late."
It would be good if blogs like this one stopped using the word "conservative" to describe the Right. If the "F" word scares you, use "Far right wing radical."
I'm still thinking of them as far right-wing reactionaries.
The German army was happy when Hitler recaptured Alsace-Lorraine. They thought it was going to end there.
Surprise!
Posner is one of the authors I turn to for an understanding of what's going on!!! One question I have is: This election is critical because of the definite Supreme Court justice appointments that will be coming up soon. This is of concern to me because of the fear that Roe v. Wade will be overturned by a conservative bench. My question is, if we need an amendment to the US Constitution to, in effect, overturn Citizens United, why wouldn't there need to be an amendment to effectively overrule Roe v. Wade? I'm actively supporting "Move To Amend" http://www.movetoamend.org/
They've lost Posner. (Assuming he doesn't follow the usual pattern and do the walk-back. And why should he? He's got no reason to.) This is huge and our idiot MSM won't even notice it.
Alas that our imbecilic MSM is either constrained from, or incapable of, grasping the crisis for the Republican Party and the nation that the fact that the GOP has become too radical for people like Richard Posner represents and conveying that crisis to the people whostill rely on them to do stuff like that.
Uhhh...then what article are you commenting on?
If Posner thinks his uber rationalist legal colleagues have gone lunatic, then isn't is about time that MSNBC have a few more psycho-pundits on?
Jonathon Haidt, a fellow I often disagree with but who usually has some thought provoking points to make is at NYU now, so you guys should develop him as a psych-soc shrink on call when the news for the day gets particularly nuts. (NYTimes review of his latest book)
Take a look at his appearance on Bill Moyers.... (link) He comes off as friendly and comfortable on camera- he's got looks and all that entertainment crap you television folks know is important for rating and what not.
But losing someone like Posner is only minimally reassuring. Republicans have gained BECAUSE they've become so outrageously stupid. That is the alarming thing. There are SO many Americans that find the outrageous, nauseating bile spewing out of the Republicans party convincing -- such as the crap like McConnell, Boehner, Ryan, Cantor spout -- that the country is on a very slippery precipice. Posner isn't going to convince Americans that are clueless enough to buy into the today's conservative nonsense to change their outlook. If they've even heard of him, they'll just dismiss him as some candyass RINO without the required Galtian viciousness.
That may have something to do with the fact that the Republican Party is easy.
Listening to them, is this a party that challenges it's constituents to be better people, to stand up with courage to face local, national, global issues? Not really, what I hear is the more critical the need to address critical issues, the more assuaging and denying this party does.
At the individual level, there are of course, caring philanthropic intelligent people at the wellspring of conservatism. But it seems that conservatives of this kind have such worthy traits not because of, but in spite of the moral and political examples set for them by their leadership, leadership which seems to celebrate national stagnation and prefers to regulate mass opinion and direct financial currents rather than encourage individual exploration of humanity's potential.
Our nation is increasing in its load of folks who don't want to concern themselves with our serious problems, folks who are migrating further and further to the right to find justification and/or mollification at the fanatical end of their party where it's general lack of empathy or justice is strongest.
This has been a concerted effort since what were the Southern Democrats (Dixicrats) defected to the Republican party (after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed) and began to change the American Public's core views, and they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams - and all that time the Democrats let it happen - I am not even sure they were aware of what these radicals were up to.
I remember there was a "How to" book being passed around at the time, but I can't remember its name.
Where is the outrage by republicans on the Supreme Court leak?Are they affraid it will probably lead back to Scalia,Alito,Thomas,or maybe all three in collusion?These three are the reason the Supreme Court is being held in such low esteem.
They're busy saying it's because Roberts is on anti-epilepsy meds.
Did Posner become less conservative or has the party moved it's goal posts.
Posner has a few things to apologize for such as his shamelessly political justification of Bush v. Gore. These current right wingers are so awful that he's embarrassed. He should be. He helped to set the stage for them.
The last true fiscal conservative was Calvin Coolidge.....repubs since then have become more liberal progressive creating the monster that has become the taxpayer looting federal gov. Save us Rand Paul 2016
Rand Paul epitomizes that "kook" factor in the modern republican party. Ideological in the extreme, not actually dealing with current problems and instead pandering to religious extremists (see personhood amendment holding up much needed legislation), unable to compromise lest they lose their kook supporters, and uninterested in governing unless it means dismantling government (except for the military of course)
"Intellectual integrity is more essential to virtue than whatever one's high-minded 'ism.' President Obama and Judge Posner have it; Mitt Romney and Antonin Scalia do not."
http://pmcarpenter.blogs.com/p_m_carpenters_commentary/2012/07/judge-posner-and-intellectual-integrity.html