Since 1966, the Republican Party has been held together by a tripod of issues and standpoints: foreign policy, economic and fiscal conservatism and the creation of cultural resentment. Today, its case for the presidency has been whittled down to one argument.
Republicans' credibility on foreign policy ended the day Fallujah blew up in 2004, and consequently, the Bush War PR machine fell apart.
Republicans praise the god of deregulation, tax cuts and free markets. However, what remain of the Republican economic credentials have been shredded in the last week as a result of huge government bailouts of the Wall Street financial industry.
As an American taxpayer, you will ultimately foot the bill.
Republicans' worst nightmare, socialism, has been fulfilled by their ignorance, incompetence and greed.
This leaves us with Sen. John McCain and the Republicans resorting to their last viable option to take the White House this year. Their plan is to play off voters' fears, stirring up cultural and racial resentment to divide and conquer. This disheartening show was nowhere more apparent than at the Republican National Convention where they showcased their best and brightest. Rudy Giuliani, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney let the slander fly, distinguishing small town from uptown and elitist from decent.
The use of language is key to this year's election. The names are different than in years past, but the consequences are the same.
During the Cold War, you labeled someone a communist to discredit an opponent. Now, the race and sexism cards are charged to distract from the dialogue that needs to be taking place.
While Romney (Mormotron 5000) and McCain were praising the wisdom of the late President Reagan during the Republican primary, what they weren't mentioning was another genius of the Republican legacy.
Perfected by Richard Nixon, positive polarization was used to divide the electorate over values during the 1960s. Using this tactic, Nixon rose to the highest office in the land in 1968.
He played on people's cultural resentment and fears. He capitalized off the "silent majority." He found that the politics of culture could overcome the politics of economics. He relied on division and did not reach out to other constituencies.
This is where '08 looks like '68 - politics over policy. Right now, this country cannot afford that, both literally and figuratively.
McCain made a weak attempt at trying to gain inroads outside his divided constituency. Choosing Palin as his running mate was a transparent political ploy to unite his party and try to gain women's votes.
That is not how to build a coalition. Showing people it is in their best economic interest to vote for competency and intelligence is how a working majority is established.
A united country is a prerequisite for any sort of comprehensive solution to our foreign policy woes, lack of affordable health care, energy dependence and economic instability.
The same old story is playing itself out again this election year. Hopefully, this time it will have a different ending: an ending where honesty, intelligence and accountability trump politics.
Learning from past mistakes is the only way to progress. As a nation, America must learn from the mistakes that were made a generation ago.
The majority of Americans are ready to move past these superficial divisions and elect a president who can lead them there. We deserve better than this. We are better than this.
Anthony Paglino is an economics senior.
