Relegating the G.O.P. to the Dustbin of History

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican John Boehner of Ohio bitterly complained to members of the Ripon Society the other day saying that President Obama wants to annihilate the G.O.P. and relegate the Republican Party to "the dustbin of history." Boehner's remarks are kind of ironic, because Boehner's leadership partner in the U.S. Senate, Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, famously remarked after the 2010 elections that the Republican Party's primary goal in the two years that followed would be to destroy President Obama and replace him with a Republican. So, instead of working and compromising with Democrats to build better lives for every American, the G.O.P. in Congress wasted the last two years trying to annihilate President Obama. You'll have to pardon me for having no sympathy for the G.O.P. because it deserves none.

There's a second bit of irony in Boehner's words at the Ripon Society gathering, and that irony lies with the folks in Boehner's audience. The Ripon Society is a moderate Republican think tank that promotes social tolerance, conservation of natural resources, a strong public educational system, health and safety for all Americans and increased public participation in our Nation's political system. Boehner's G.O.P. has spent the past two years trying to undermine every one of those goals, and he has the nerve blame President Obama. Wow! That's hubris!

Need I remind anybody that it's been the G.O.P. at the forefront of social intolerance with gay bashing and anti-reproductive rights legislation. The G.O.P. has led the charge in advocating for natural gas fracking, mountaintop removal in coal mining, oil drilling in environmentally fragile areas, easing clean air and water regulations and elimination of the Environmental Protection Agency. The G.O.P. has undertaken a relentless assault on America's public education system and stonewalled all efforts to insure that all Americans have access to health care. Despite the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year from guns, the G.O.P. has refused to entertain any government efforts to improve public safety through firearm regulation. Finally, it's been the G.O.P. that spear-headed voter sign-up, voter-ID laws and other election regulations that served to hinder, not increase public participation in our democratic election process. Every one of those efforts run contrary to the stated goals of the Ripon Society.

I wouldn't blame President Obama if he really did want to annihilate the Republican Party, but I'm fairly certain that President Obama has more important issues on his mind. He's also a smart guy, and I'm equally certain he realizes that the G.O.P. is more than capable of annihilating itself without his help. Those who get relegated to the dustbin of history are there because they deserve to be. If that includes the Republican Party, so be it!