GOP Mind Tricks Aren’t Working This Time

Filed in National by on May 2, 2012

E. J. Dionne has an interesting theory on why the typical Republican game plan isn’t working − Because the screwed the pooch on foreign policy last time around.

For the first time since the early 1960s, the Republican Party enters a presidential campaign at a decided disadvantage on foreign policy. Republicans find it hard to get accustomed to the fact that when they pull their favorite political levers — accusations that Democrats are “weak” or Romney’s persistent and false claims that Obama “apologizes” for America — nothing happens.

[snip]

How did this happen? The primary reason, to borrow a term from science, is negative signaling: By the end of Bush’s second term, the Republicans’ approach to foreign policy was discredited in the eyes of a majority of Americans. The war in Iraq turned out (and this is being quite charitable) much differently than the Bush administration had predicted.

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Comments (3)

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  1. bamboozer says:

    All good things must end and a variety of evil ones as well, in this case it’s the Republican’s foriegn policy song and dance, at some point the lack of cloths on the emporer becomes obvious even to the blind. Pray the same fate befalls the supply side tax cuts for the rich, or shall we call them the “job creators”. Even the American people wake up upon occasion, it’s been thirty years so perhaps we’ve arrived at that point.

  2. Jason330 says:

    Amen to that bamboozer.

    One nit to pick with E.J. “The war in Iraq turned out (and this is being quite charitable) much differently than the Bush administration had predicted.”

    That sentence assumes that the Bush administration gave some consideration to what would happen in Iraq after the invasion. I’ve never seen any evidence to support that assumption.

  3. Liberal Elite says:

    @J “…assumes that the Bush administration gave some consideration…”

    They thought they were liberating Paris.

    I honestly think they were expecting a celebratory welcome.