Dear Commons Community,

There has been a good deal of media attention since the presidential election in November 2012, on the future of the Republican Party.  Over the past several weeks, there have been calls by various prominent members of the Republican Party on what it must do to appeal to more voters especially minorities, women, immigrants, and gays.  Paul Krugman examines this issue in his column today in terms of the poor and middle class.

“…prominent Republicans have begun acknowledging that their party needs to improve its image. But here’s the thing: Their proposals for a makeover all involve changing the sales pitch rather than the product. When it comes to substance, the G.O.P. is more committed than ever to policies that take from most Americans and give to a wealthy handful…

…In the past, Republicans would justify tax cuts for the rich either by claiming that they would pay for themselves or by claiming that they could make up for lost revenue by cutting wasteful spending. But what we’re seeing now is open, explicit reverse Robin Hoodism: taking from ordinary families and giving to the rich. That is, even as Republicans look for a way to sound more sympathetic and less extreme, their actual policies are taking another sharp right turn.

Why is this happening? In particular, why is it happening now, just after an election in which the G.O.P. paid a price for its anti-populist stand?

Well, I don’t have a full answer, but I think it’s important to understand the extent to which leading Republicans live in an intellectual bubble. They get their news from Fox and other captive media, they get their policy analysis from billionaire-financed right-wing think tanks, and they’re often blissfully unaware both of contrary evidence and of how their positions sound to outsiders.”

As part of his analysis, Krugman specifically examines the “need to reform” rhetoric of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal versus his anti-poor/middle class policies in his home state.

Krugman has it right on all fronts.

Tony