Peggy Noonan's excoriation of the ineffably inept Romney campaign has received both remarkable exposure--far beyond the confines of the Wall Street Journal's country-club set--and thundering applause for its blistering truth-telling. And yet, its very opening is but the incoherence of hollowness:
What should Mitt Romney do now? He should peer deep into the abyss. He should look straight into the heart of darkness where lies a Republican defeat in a year the Republican presidential candidate almost couldn’t lose. He should imagine what it will mean for the country, for a great political philosophy, conservatism, for his party and, last, for himself. He must look down unblinkingly.
Well, at least she says it with easy authority, and among the right's many authoritarian personalities, that counts for a lot. As one reads her, though, one must labor to not imagine her saying it with that slurred oversentimentality that seems to pass for High Sincerity, also known buzzingly in the Beltway as "authenticity." OK. I got that off my chest.
More to the point, or her points, rather, beginning with: This is "a year the Republican presidential candidate almost couldn’t lose." Now let's remember that Ms. Noonan's a true political professional, as she modestly reminds us over and over and over in her WSJ piece. However she either deliberately omits or conveniently forgets (hey, I guess she is a professional) that all the competent presidential wannabes--Jeb, Chris, Mitch, Haley--appreciated from the get-go that this would be a year of Republican doom. Thank you, said they, but no thanks.
Ms. Noonan also asks Mitt to "imagine"--here we detect that slur--what it all "will mean for the country, for a great political philosophy, conservatism."
That's a joke, right?
Have you seen any conservatism lately, or heard about any? And by lately I don't mean this campaign; I mean the last 20 or 30 freakin' years. A "great political philosophy" my ass. It--conservatism--was once, but now it's only a euphemism for Debt Explosion and Plutocratic Pampering and Staggering Inequality and Opportunity Denial and Scripture Thumping and Vagina Policing and Voter Suppression and ... you got it, I need not continue.
At any rate, all this humbug is Ms. Noonan's mere starting point, from which she grandly proceeds to give Mitt political advice. Mitt, I say be a man and just blow yourself up in your own way. After all, it was always inevitable, even if Ms. Noonan can't see that.
How is Mitt staring into the abyss going to help anyone? It's the Republican party that needs to do some soul searching.
Posted by: You Don't Say | September 19, 2012 at 02:19 PM
Mitt's shit has hit the proverbial fan!
What is going to be this week's etch-a-sketch er,I mean, blunder-bluster?
Poor Peggy....Poor Mitt!
Posted by: caribbeanobserver | September 19, 2012 at 04:27 PM
They had to run somebody didn't they? It's not like they could slam Obama on a daily basis and not put forward a candidate. So they decided to run the least clownish clown in the car. Or so it seemed such a short time ago. Would it be out of place for me to say, with so many days left to campaign, how much I am enjoying this.
Posted by: Peter G | September 19, 2012 at 08:35 PM
Peggy Noonan. Uggghhh.
Why, Gawd, WHY?
Posted by: MinneapolisPipe | September 19, 2012 at 09:15 PM
Poor Peggums. Look on the bright side -- the liquor stores in DC still deliver.
Posted by: Beauzeaux | September 20, 2012 at 02:24 AM
Yup, go right ahead and look deep into the abyss, MoneyBooBoo. You should totally ignore what that Nietzsche dude said.
Posted by: Ben Cisco | September 20, 2012 at 05:43 AM