Tune in to Republican debates lately? If you have then you might be surprised to see that the party of Ronald Reagan has turned into the party of Muhammad Ali. Ready for a fight at every turn.
Instead of debating in the arena of ideas the Republicans have decided the quickest way to victory is a knockout punch to your opponent!
For those not familiar with the eleventh commandment, it was established by the Republican party back in 1966 when Ronald Reagan was running for Governor of California. The phrase "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican" was established to avoid a repeat of what had happened 2 years earlier - the party had experienced a terrible defeat as Barry Goldwater was criticized within his own party during the primaries by more liberal Republicans. He ended up losing the election for president in a landslide in 1964. The phrase was not created by Reagan but by the chairman of the Republican party of California at the time - Gaylord Parkinson.
We thought the Republicans had learned their lesson from the 1964 campaign, but apparently that is not the case. They have forgotten that Barry Goldwater was so wounded by his encounter with Nelson Rockefeller in the primaries that he did not stand a chance in the general election as many Republican's refused to support him.
What happened next is history as the Johnson Administration was sworn in and the road to war in Vietnam continued in earnest.
In the primaries for the 2008 election, the attack-dogs are back. If you tuned in to the most recent Republication debate you would have witnessed a battle in the very beginning between former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Governor Mitt Romney over illegal immigration. There was only one point to that exchange, to tear down their fellow republicans!
Here are some recent campaign headlines to illustrate the point:
- CNN,
November 24th: “Romney attacks Giuliani's fiscal record.”
- Politico,
October 4th: “Romney attacks Giuliani on economy.”
- Sun Sentinal,
November 27th: “Romney attacks Giuliani on health care positions.”
- Fox News, November 25th: “Giuliani Attacks Romney on Health Care Record”
- The New York Sun, December 5th: “Giuliani Attacks Romney on Record as Mass. Governor”
- McClatchy Newspapers, November 8th: “Huckabee attacks Thompson as both fight for conservative voters”
If history is any indication, the Republicans may be hurting their chances to win in 2008. You've probably heard the philosopher George Santayana's quote a million times - “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” The republican candidates for president would be wise to remember that saying and stay away from trashing other republicans during the primaries. Failure to do so may have the same affect that it did over 40 years ago - the republicans defeated by their own hands!
