South Park Republicans

Reason Online has a great article on so called "South Park Republicans and their increasing distance from "mainstream Republicans" and their turning toward more traditional Libertarian groups.

The G.O.P. used to have a sizable libertarian bloc, but I couldn't see any sign of it at the conference. Stone and Parker said they were rooting for Hillary Clinton in 2008 simply because it would be weird to have her as president. The prevailing sentiment among the rest of the libertarians was that the best outcome this November would be a Democratic majority in the House, because then at least there'd be gridlock.

"We're the long-suffering, battered spouse in a dysfunctional political marriage of convenience," said Nick Gillespie, the editor in chief of Reason. "Most of the libertarians I know have given up on the G.O.P. The odds that we'll stick around for the midterm election are about as good as the odds that Rick Santorum will join the Village People."

Andrew Sullivan, the blogger who coined "South Park Republican," was at the conference with a preview of "The Conservative Soul," his new book on the spiritual corruption of Republicans. He said he now prefers to call himself a South Park conservative, not Republican.

That is exactly how I feel. I feel that the Republican part has lost me. They have been in power so long, that they ARE the establishment. Government has grown increasingly large under their stewardship, and they have abandoned the Newt Gingrich Contract with America.

Here is one story that shows why I am upset with the GOP. Recently a bill that would have allowed easier access by Americans to see where our tax money was being spent was blocked by an unknown senator. That senator's name was recently unveiled. He is is Republican Senator Ted Stevens.

Stevens placed the hold on the bill because he was worried that it would create more bureaucracy to create and maintain such a massive database, Saunders said. He also wanted to see a cost-benefit analysis before granting approval, he said.

But Stevens could have raised those concerns as a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which approved the bill by voice vote on July 27. He is also a member of the panel's subcommittee, which held an extensive hearing on the measure earlier in July, John Hart, a spokesman for Colburn, said.

Stevens did not attend either hearing. Hart pointed out that he could have discussed it with Coburn or the committee chairman at any point. Instead, Stevens waited until just before Congress left town.

Isn't he the guy who wants to censor satellite radio and build a highway to nowhere in Alaska?

That is why I might just vote for Bob Casey instead of Rick Santorum this November.

Posted by psugrad98 at September 1, 2006 01:23 PM | TrackBack