The National Journal released a poll today that shows that 93% of Democrats (or is that Democrat Socialists?) and 57% of Republicans believe that “Dick” Cheney has hurt the Republican party since leaving office.
The mistake that is made is to see this as unintentional and to accept “Dick” Cheney as part of a political landscape in which you are either liberal or conservative. The fact is that this is no longer true. The political landscape is dominated by three political worldviews: The Liberal Democrats, The Conservative Republicans and The Neoconservatives.
So, yes, “Dick” Cheney is hurting the Republicans but this is most decidedly an inside job by a third group who is in a life and death struggle to stage a coup within the Republican party. He isn’t hurting them accidentally. I believe that Cheney, his daughter, Bill Kristol and all their neocon colleagues are very intentionally hurting the Republican brand so that they can rebrand it with their own political slant.
It’s no secret that the eight year administration of George W. Bush was dominated by the key players in the Neocon hierarchy. “Dick” Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith, Richard Perle, Bill Kristol, “Scooter” Libby, David Frum, and Condoleezza Rice – all of these people (and others) played a roll in shaping governmental policy and at least attempted to sway public opinion, all the while operating under the guise of being “Republicans”.
Clearly the Great Neoconservative Experiment has failed. Their ridiculous national security stance, culminating in the so-called “Bush Doctine” led us into two wars, one particularly unnecessary but openly pushed for by the Neoconservatives well in advance of the Bush administration. Their anti-regulation business policies, shared in large part with traditional Republicans, along with their profligate spending habits have bankrupted the country. And, above all, they have been remarkably successful in lining their own pockets and those of their supporters. Whether it’s Haliburton/KBR, the Big Oil companies or financiers in the banking industry, all businesses with whom they were involved benefitted mightily from their eight-year reign.
After the stunning demise of their power with the election of Barack Obama to the presidency, the Neocons once again find themselves grappling for power in an arena where they hold little. They are saavy enough to know that in this country no third party will ever prevail. In order to gain political power once again, it is essential that the Neocons regain control of one of the major political parties. They must. There’s no other way for them to continue to pursue their international policy goals or to ensure the ongoing personal financial gain they have become accustomed to.
So, when you see “Dick” and Liz Cheney on the talk show circuit, criticizing the president and defending his sickening legacy, their ulterior motive is to use damage the Republican brand so completely that it is prime for take-over once again. As they move forward with this, aided and abetted by the monolithic incompetence of Republican “leaders” like John Boehner, Michael Steele, Eric Cantor and others, you can expect to see the Neoconservative media representatives like Bill Kristol helping to shape the public image of the Republican party. He and others like him will promote their own members and tear down those that oppose them within the Republican party.
Over time they will infiltrate every aspect of the Republican Party to exert their influence. Did you notice who recently appeared beside Eric Cantor and Mitt Romney as they rolled out their new “National Council for a New America”? Yes, after being under the radar for quite some time, Jeb Bush, brother of the acting figurehead of the Neocons for the past eight years, is now back on the national stage.
This is no longer a country that has two political sides, in tension, keeping us going down the center of the road. With the Neocons now in the picture, using fear and operating under the guise of the Republican Party, there are now actually three groups vying for power. Two of them, the Republicans and the Democrats, operate in the open for the most part and are out front with their goals and efforts. The third, the Neocons, operate in the shadows, using their financial and other influence in an attempt shape the international political landscape in their image and to their benefit.
So, yes, no question “Dick” Cheney is hurting the Republican Party. But that’s no accident. And it’s working out just the way he planned it.
I’m just sayin’…
