The Republican Party platform, approved
today, would bar abortion even in cases of rape and incest. This is
basically Todd Akin's position, but at least the GOP platform doesn't
assert that women's bodies identify and reject rapists' sperm.
Meanwhile, Romney's selection of Paul Ryan provides ample evidence to
seniors (and anyone planning to become a senior) that the GOP wants to
eliminate Medicare.
And it's convincing anyone in America still
needing convincing that the GOP exists primarily to cut taxes on the
wealthy rather than to reduce the budget deficit. The latest estimate of
the non-partisan Center for Tax Policy is Ryan's tax cuts for the rich
would result in $4.6 trillion less revenue over the decade, generating
an average saving for the typical millionaire of almost $400 million a
year.
We're witnessing the implosion of what was once a great party. Its capture by the extreme right is becoming more apparent by the day.
And it's not just women, seniors, budget
hawks, Latinos, gays, and the poor who are becoming alarmed. Average
Americans who don't fall into one of these categories are becoming
concerned, too -- as they should.
Yet, although the GOP crackup
may bode well for Democrats this coming Election Day, it bodes ill for
America. The capture of one of our great parties by fanatics is nothing
to celebrate. A democracy needs at least two sane political parties.
