A Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

The GOP seems to be campaigning on “deficit” reduction, extension of the Bush tax cuts, and a response of “Hell No!” to any attempts to work on the long term entitlement reforms necessary to actually balance the federal budget. This brings an important question to the front of my mind that any person with a center right political orientation must answer if they want to vote Republican in the future without feeling a bit dirty and used.

Does the GOP have any intention of governing responsibly or are they playing a deep game that involves precipitating a debt crisis which would require serious austerity in the form of slashing and burning federal programs of all types, from Social Security and Medicare on down? Do they want to wreck the Federal Government, or is the rhetoric that leads to that conclusion merely populism and rabble rousing aimed at winning elections?

If you feel that the role of government should be more limited than it is now, but that it still has a valid role to play, can you, with a clear conscience,  vote to destroy the government? And while we are pondering the validity of proposed Republican conspiracy theories, are they really thwarting efforts to help the economy in an attempt to increase their electoral chances, or do they really think that they are doing the right thing?

It’s enough to make one consider filling in the bubble for Cthulhu for president. “Why vote for a lesser evil?” indeed.