The Charge of the White Brigade

Looking at the stage at the Reagan library, and comparing it to the stage of Democratic candidates last week in South Carolina, let me ask you: which one looks more like America in the 21st century?

This is a debate that would be well-suited for 1984, but not today. This is a pastiche of backward-looking thinking. I think I've heard Ronald Reagan's name about 200 times more than George W. Bush. Outside of scaring the devil out of the population (OK, not Ron Paul, but he's somewhat out of place here), there's nothing here that articulates a vision of the future. It's just an unrelenting partriarchy that wants to control everything you do in your home, wants to put up walls and blame brown people for every societal problem, and wants to bomb our way to victory abroad. There's absolutely no vision beyond fear and control.

UPDATE: Romney and Brownback want to pardon Scooter Libby. Wow, it's hilarious how obstruction of justice and lying to a grand jury aren't crimes anymore.

UPDATE II: Just so you know, 30% of the Republican field for President, in 2007, don't believe in evolution. 30%. I hope none of them ever have to be treated with penicillin.

And perusing the conservative Internets, it seems like the winner of the debate was Fred Thompson.

UPDATE III: Let me just say that there was a LOT of abortion talk in that debate, with near-unanimity save Giuliani on the pro-forced pregnancy side. Resident expert commenter Hooper aside, this is in a county where a total forced pregnancy statute couldn't even get passed in South Dakota. Can you say "out of touch"?

UPDATE IV: By the way, gays fired just for being gay? No problem. And then Tommy "You Jews with your money" Thompson retracted the statement within minutes. What a field of candidates!