From: bmb@bluemoon.rn.com (Bryan Bankhead)
Subject: Republican Partie: From the Head Up
Organization: Blue Moon BBS ((614) 868-998[024])
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 92 19:59:13 EDT

In the past the Republicans, whether you agreed with them or not at lest 
had some meaningful alternative to offer.  But after 12 years of 
Reagan/Bush it's pretty clear they don't. Let's look at the list.
1.  Strong on Communism
There is no more communism, as such to be strong on.
Bush likes to take credit for this, but the republicans didn't destroy 
communism,  the inabiltiy to make accurate price calculations did.
2. Fiscal resposibility
I defy any republican to use this arguement.  A quadrupled national debt 
and dectupled deficits make a pretty sorry case. Oh, yes forgett the 'demo

:"democratically controled congress" trip congress only passes budgets 
tendered by the president. Not Bush or Reagan ever came up with a balanced 
budget.
3. Economic growth
About the same, on average as during the CARTER years!  Much of it 
supported by credit expansion schemes that led to the multi-trillion 
dollar S&L bailout and record consumer debt.
4. Getting government of our backs.
The republicans have been the primary supporters of the Bill of Rights 
crushing war on drugs and would ban abortion in ANY circumstances.
About the only element in the Bill they support is the 2nd and that's 
because of all the NRA money. Also since Reagn took office the size of 
goverment as measured by employees has expanded 30%.

5. We;'ll protect you from affirmative action.
This one, has a bitter taste in the year of Rodney King.  This goes for 
all the republican's usual racial divide and conquer strategies.
Also many of the constituency for this (white working class males) believe 
that Bush's much touted NAFTA treaty constitues 100% affirmative action 
for MEXICANS, much more threatening than 10% AA for blacks.

6. Tough on crime
With half the Reagan white house staff wearing prison stripes this one is 
pretty embarassing.  The right wing war on drugs has clogged the prisons 
and brought the court system to the edge of collapse. Result, far more 
urban violence in '92 than '81.  Should have legalized pot when they had 
the chance, cheap plentiful marijuany will do more to bring peace to the 
ghettos than screwing the 4th amendment up even further.  Oh well the 
republicans have always viewed the bill of rights as just that dumb old 
thing that keeps us from putting criminals in jail.  Americak'em up strat
strategy for crime prevention simply doesn't work because the odds of 
being arrested for a felony are less than 1% and prisons just teach you 
how to be a worse criminal.

In short the republicans have nothing to offer this time around except 
'family values, family values, hare rama, hare rama' and 'hate him,hate 
him he's a liberal'.  Unless that republican convention is a REAL doozy 
looks like bush is going to have plenty of time to ride his powerboat in 
Maine come '93. Oh well, I figure a tax-and-spend liberal can't be any 
worse than the last twelve years of tax-and-spend conservatives!

 This is from
     bmb@bluemoon.rn.com
who doesn't have his (or her) own obnoxious signature yet
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