In an article titled, The GOP's dysfunction all started with Sarah Palin, William M. Daley, the White House chief of staff from 2011 to 2012 writes in the washington post that the GOP's " carnival-like GOP presidential primary" and it's inability to get things done started with Sarah Palin.
Daley writes,
"Once McCain put Palin on the ticket, Republican "grown-ups," who presumably knew better, had to bite their tongues. But after the election, when they were free to speak their minds, they either remained quiet or abetted the dumbing-down of the party. They stood by as Donald Trump and others noisily pushed claims that Obama was born in Kenya. And they gladly rode the tea party tiger to sweeping victories in 2010 and 2014.Now that tiger is devouring the GOP establishment. Party elders had hoped new presidential debate rules would give them greater control. But they are watching helplessly as Trump leads the pack and House Republicans engage in fratricide."
Daley recites a litany of examples of crazy, "wacko bird" GOP candidates, to use John McCain's description of members of congress Ted Cruz and Justin Amash, such as Delaware's Christine O'Donnell, who assured us she was not a witch, and GOP nominee Todd Akin, who assured us that the female body could prevent pregnancy from "a legitimate rape."
Daley finishes up by pointing out that the GOP wants the nation to give it control of the White House in addition to the House and Senate, and points out,
"Trump calls Palin "a special person" he'd like in his Cabinet. That seems only fair, because he's thriving in the same cynical value system that puts opportunistic soundbites above seriousness, preparedness and intellectual heft."
The truth is, while McCain started this and Fox news magnified it, by giving Sarah Palin's craziness and Donald Trump's Birtherism such massive free, or paid airtime, all the networks contributed to this red meat feeding frenzy.
The result is now evident in too many walks of political life-- in congress members Justin Amash, Allen West, Ted Cruz, Michelle Bachman, Pete Sessions, governors, Mike Pence, Rick Scott, and Paul LePage. The list is frighteningly long. Pandora's box has been open for eight years. The cat is out of the bag, the bull is in the china shop and it's only going to get worse.
2
1
1
