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Young Voters Speak Out: RR.com spotlights politically-minded youth writers speaking their minds on the issues of the day. Young Democrats, Republicans and ‘Independent’ Americans are eager to be heard within the political arena.
Read Zachary Aronow's thoughts from a left-leaning perspective:
Believe it or not, I don't actually get too much joy from this. I mean sure, there is some satisfaction in calling out the craziness that has controlled the GOP, but when it's been happening for nearly 20 years, it just gets sad. GOP representatives latch to one outlandish conspiracy theory after another while ignoring real problems because they refuse to accept reality.
Diminishing Returns
One case in point is their increasingly diminishing witch hunt against Susan Rice. What happened in Benghazi was a tragedy and mistakes were clearly made, but rather than accept basic facts or wait for official investigative reports, the Republican Party has embraced conspiracy theories that defy common sense. If the likes of John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte actually believe that the Obama Administration downplayed or lied about the Benghazi attack for electoral gain, then they have lost their collective sanity. The idea that there could be anything to benefit Obama by downplaying the role of terrorists in this tragedy has been dismantled by New York Times and no wonder: the theory simply makes no sense. It is not much of a cover-up if the truth can be uncovered within a day and the supposed spin doesn't benefit anyone. Likewise, the GOP's brief flirtation with the theory that David Petraeus's resignation was somehow connected to this matter was quickly disproven.
We've Been Here Before
The GOP's excessive pursuit of the Benghazi affair only demonstrates a long trend that can be blamed on its overdependence on right-wing media. For example, during the Clinton years, Vince Foster didn't kill himself, the Clintons had to have murdered him: Rush Limbaugh still brushes off this chestnut from time to time. Millions of dollars were spent on investigating the conspiracies on Whitewater, Paula Jones, and Monica Lewinsky but resulted in no prosecutions or convictions. Of course it's been more of the same with their attacks on Obama, except now the GOP has its own cable network to amplify it. As a result we've seen Fox News drone on about Solyndra, Fast and Furious, and voter fraud, each as the big scandal that will derail the Obama presidency. Each time, the scandal fizzles out as it's revealed that no, there is no deep and dark plot. Solyndra was merely a failed investment. Fast and Furious was a complete botch-up (which began under the Bush administration), but it was NOT a plan to somehow institute gun control. And of course the never-say-die birther claims are simple racism.
Meanwhile, Back In Realityland
I said it before and I will say it again: the tragic consequence of the GOP's witch hunts is that real issues are being ignored. The GOP could look into how to prevent future attacks on our embassies and consulates. Or perhaps investigate issues that are potentially unconstitutional, like indefinite detention, President Obama's use of drones, or the administration's belief that they have the authority to kill any suspected terrorists, even American citizens, without trial. Of course that is all unlikely since the GOP supports everything I just listed; it's also just easier to slander Susan Rice for following the instructions of intelligence officials.
In the end, it is up to the Republican Party. They can continue to live within this bubble that they have created, where all their information comes from Fox News, talk radio and right wing publications and they only hear what they want to hear. Or they can move forward and become a political party that, while I will likely disagree with their philosophical stances, I won't have to fear if they ever should retake the White House. The choice is theirs.
