As Ramesh convincingly argues, it was the Democratic disaster in Vietnam, combined with the upheavals over integration and “the Sixties,” that broke the once-famed Roosevelt Coalition. But the end of the Cold War took the Republican foreign policy advantage off the table, and as for middle-class values, well, the U.S. ain’t quite as white or as bourgeois as it used to be. It’s not the Roosevelt Coalition any more. It’s Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition—minus Jesse, of course. It’s Moses’ fate never to make it to the Promised Land.
Hey, wasn’t I talking about Ramesh? I guess I was. Well, my point is, Ramesh wasn’t always quite the voice of reason that he is today. Six years ago, he was hawking a book called “The Party of Death,” which had the following blurb:
“Is the Democratic Party the “Party of Death”? IT’S NOT JUST abortion-on-demand. It’s euthanasia, embryo destruction, even infanticide—and a potentially deadly concern with “the quality of life” of disabled people. If you think these issues don’t concern you—guess again. The Party of Death is roaring into the White House! In The Party of Death, Ponnuru details how left-wing radicals, using abortion as their lever, took over the Democratic Party—and how they have used their power to corrupt our law and politics, abolish our fundamental right to life, and push the envelope in ever more dangerous directions. In The Party of Death, Ponnuru reveals: How Hillary Clinton could use the abortion issue (but not in the way you think) Why the conventional wisdom about Roe v.Wade is a lie How the party of death—a coalition of special interests ranging from Planned Parenthood to Hollywood—came to own the Democratic Party How the mainstream media promotes the party of death Why Jesse Jackson, Al Gore, and other leading liberals gave up being pro-life How liberals use animal rights to displace human rights The Democratic presidential candidate who said that infanticide is a mother’s “choice” How doctors—and other health care professionals—are being coerced, by law, into violating their consciences The ultrasound revolution: why there’s hope to stop the party of death Ponnuru’s shocking exposé shows just how extreme the Party of Death has become as they seek to destroy every inconvenient life, demand fealty to their radical agenda, and punish anyone who defies them.*
Afterwords
One can guess that Ramesh was trying to horn in on Ann Coulter’s territory with this tome. Like all “sensible” Republicans, he deplores “dumb Republican” talk about rape and abortion, although he doesn’t call for any change in the Party’s platform, which, if one followed logic, would not allow rape victims to obtain abortions. Like all Republicans, he also ignores the fact that Republican efforts to make an issue over mandatory provision of birth control services under employer-provided health plans failed completely. And, like all Republicans, his post-mortem ignores foreign policy completely as well. Has Obama “thrown our allies [i.e., Great Britain† and Israel] under a bus,” as Romney used to charge? I guess Americans like it that way.
*Dunno why Ramesh’s publicist stopped using periods after the colon. I guess he got tired.
†What was the deal about Great Britain in the first place? Did Romney want to go to war over the Falklands/Las Malvinas/Los What the Fuck? What was the problem, dude? Margaret Thatcher is dead, or at least ga-ga.
