Behold the power of triangulation!

Oftentimes on DU you will see posts about how the Republicans want to outlaw abortion, break the wall between church and state, dismantle the public education system, eliminate social services and put them in the hands of private religious charities, outlaw birth control, etcetera.

But this hasn't happened yet, at least not to the degree that people fear it will. What this says to me is that if you believe they really want these things, then you'd have to grant that they are probably engaging in some degree of triangulation, and have had much success because of or in spite of it, and thus it is not an unsuccessful strategy.

your remarks are sophist.

From what I know, they avoided the issue of abortion during the convention, and had several moderate speakers during prime time. It was actually Zell Miller who came off as the most extreme.

Plus if you recall in 2000, George W. Bush ran as a moderate.

THINKING that they want to create a theocracy, but the Repugs are actually the big bux party, beholden to the Haves and the Have Mores. The fundies are actually merely useful idiots whom the Pugs keep on the hook with their talk about God, Gays & Guns. In fact, the Pugs would be fools to give up the 3-Gs as campaign issues--then what are they toing to use as sucker bait for the fundies? So in fact, there will be rumblings about Consitutional amendments & the like, & some peripheral legislation (e.g. late-term abortions), but that will all be for show while the TRUE business moves right along: elimination of taxes on the wealthy, wars for oil, handing SocSec over to Wall Street, making things nice for Big Pharma & the HMOs (e.g. via tort deform), etc.

With weakened opposition in the Senate in the 109th, the Republicans will stack the federal courts with extremists who will eventually outlaw abortion, break the wall between church and state, etc.

Indeed, triangulation has been successful for them. But the power on display is not due to the inherent effectiveness of the strategy. Rather the extremists on their side have understood the game and agreed to play by its rules. They put their trust in Bush--and why not, he's earned it, giving them almost everything they ask for--, and stfu when it was necessary for them to do so. That's the power of organization, knowledge and effective communication.

It makes me ill.