# Dems Dumb For Making Repubs SecDef **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 6, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dems-dumb-for-making-repubs-secdef/646265 "2013-01-06T17:16:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dems-dumb-for-making-repubs-secdef/646265/61 "2013-01-07T22:52:57Z")
I do agree with you about Obama in particular, but the underlying image still exists and can recur if it isn’t kept quashed. Fox & Co. certainly aren’t done pushing the “Democrats are soft on terror” edition of it, or getting low-information audiences to believe it, as the Benghazi bullshit demonstrates. I’d really like to know if we can finally declare the Cold War over, and stop this foolishness of using China as a replacement for the USSR as the bogeyman we must prepare ourselves to defend against. If Obama and Hagel can help institute the needed change of mindset in DC on that, and put more focus on the types of things the military will actually need to do in the next few decades, they’ll have done a great service. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dems-dumb-for-making-repubs-secdef/646265/62 "2013-01-07T23:02:26Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > Don’t we normally decry when decisions are made purely for political reasons? If Hagel is the best person for the job it doesn’t matter what party he’s from. If he’s the best person for the job, why wasn’t he nominated first, instead of Susan Rice? > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It also puts Congressional Republicans in a hard place. If they attack Hagel, they’ll end up looking so obstructionist that they’re even willing to attack a fellow Republican to get at Obama. If they support Hagel and oppose other nominations, they’ll look like they’re just following party lines. And if they back off and let the nominations slide, then the Obama administration gets what it wants with minimal fuss. Check my game theory here, because maybe I am wrong: Of those three, the best option for the hard right wing GOP _is_ to follow party lines. Why not refuse to confirm anyone for any cabinet post unless that person is GOP? OK, the really hard right is in the House, not the Senate. But they’ve already gone for two years refusing to confirm the nominees Obama wants for pretty much everything. It’s an article of faith for the GOP base that the federal government is evil, and anything that impedes it or makes it incompetent is thus a lesser evil if not good. Sheer uncompromising obstructionism makes them look positively uncompromising, principled, and strong-willed. It is to the career advantage of the GOP minority to filibuster everything; short of not having a filibuster this session, they will. So I wonder if your analysis is too optimistic. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dems-dumb-for-making-repubs-secdef/646265/63 "2013-01-07T23:02:35Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > I do agree with you about Obama in particular, but the underlying image still exists and can recur if it isn’t kept quashed. Fox & Co. certainly aren’t done pushing the “Democrats are soft on terror” edition of it, or getting low-information audiences to believe it, as the Benghazi bullshit demonstrates. But the Benghazi bullshit failed. Nobody cared, and certainly didn’t think it projected weakness on the part of Democrats. Fox News did, sure, but if they only convince 35% of the voters that doesn’t really matter. What matters, at least to me, is that the institutions involved (DoD in particular, but Congress as well) learn the lessons from these failed wars in order to prevent them in the future. I think a Hagel term as SecDef could help that. I could, of course, be wrong. And the way to fix an “image problem” of being “soft on defense” is to, well, not be soft on defense. Keep killing bad guys while protecting American interests. Pick battles more wisely and win them when we fight them. Build smarter, more capable organizations. Ya know, governing. 🙂 > [@](#): > > I’d really like to know if we can finally declare the Cold War over, and stop this foolishness of using China as a replacement for the USSR as the bogeyman we must prepare ourselves to defend against. If Obama and Hagel can help institute the needed change of mindset in DC on that, and put more focus on the types of things the military will actually need to do in the next few decades, they’ll have done a great service. Absolutely right. A nice side effect is that you’ll have a GOP head of DoD when the sequester cuts (or any other defense cuts) come through. We saw Pannetta going in to overdrive about how fatal any cuts would be - perhaps Hagel won’t be so deferential to the Generals. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dems-dumb-for-making-repubs-secdef/646265/64 "2013-01-07T23:04:10Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > If he’s the best person for the job, why wasn’t he nominated first, instead of Susan Rice? Susan Rice was a candidate for SecState, not SecDef. ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dems-dumb-for-making-repubs-secdef/646265/65 "2013-01-07T23:06:52Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > It is kind of amusing the way the Republicans are trying to play the anti-gay card. I suppose it’s progress, of a sort. And let me know when major jewish organizations come out against Hagel, instead of pundits and anonymous staffers. Abe of ADL suggested Hagel is anti-Semitic - > **[Foxman Calls Hagel Anti-Semitic, But Won't Oppose His Nomination](https://www.thedailybeast.com/foxman-calls-hagel-anti-semitic-but-wont-oppose-his-nomination/)** > > Ali Gharib on Abe Foxman's dueling statements about Chuck Hagel's potential Defense gig. However, AIPAC is “sitting this one down” so we’re good - [Pro-Israel Lobby, AIPAC, Sitting Out Hagel Fight](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/07/pro-israel-lobby-aipac-sitting-out-hagel-fight.html) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dems-dumb-for-making-repubs-secdef/646265/66 "2013-01-07T23:07:59Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Check my game theory here, because maybe I am wrong: Of those three, the best option for the hard right wing GOP _is_ to follow party lines. Why not refuse to confirm anyone for any cabinet post unless that person is GOP? The problem is that the GOP is losing that game now by appearing to be unreasonable, refusing to compromise, and putting party ahead of country. It’s not a good idea to follow a party line that isn’t winning elections for you. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dems-dumb-for-making-repubs-secdef/646265/67 "2013-01-07T23:18:38Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Susan Rice was a candidate for SecState, not SecDef. I stand corrected. > [@TriPolar](#): > > The problem is that the GOP is losing that game now by appearing to be unreasonable, refusing to compromise, and putting party ahead of country. It’s not a good idea to follow a party line that isn’t winning elections for you. Maybe. I hope **Little Nemo** ’s analysis is right. And if it isn’t, there’s not much to do but end the filibuster, put together the best cabinet possible and accept that no bills will pass the House this session. Hagel sounds all right. Heck, if AIPAC hates him, I like him better already. And it probably is the right way to get a real reformer into DoD. But I share **2sense** ’s worry about the larger political landscape. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dems-dumb-for-making-repubs-secdef/646265/68 "2013-01-08T02:29:34Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > It is kind of amusing the way the Republicans are trying to play the anti-gay card. I suppose it’s progress, of a sort. And let me know when major jewish organizations come out against Hagel, instead of pundits and anonymous staffers. _Isn’t_ it amusing? Kinda like the kid who murders his parents and begs for mercy because he’s an orphan. Oh, wait, that’s the definition of “chutzpah”. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dems-dumb-for-making-repubs-secdef/646265/69 "2013-01-08T03:20:13Z")
> [@newcomer](#): > > Abe of ADL suggested Hagel is anti-Semitic - > [Foxman Calls Hagel Anti-Semitic, But Won't Oppose His Nomination](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/18/foxman-calls-hagel-anti-semitic-but-won-t-oppose-his-nomination.html) No, it was _Hegel_ who was anti-Semitic. Or not. Actually, I could never really tell. Chuck Hagel just doesn’t like AIPAC, but who does? They can be a mite annoying. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dems-dumb-for-making-repubs-secdef/646265.md?page=3)