The Republican candidates for president seem like such a bunch of farcical idiots that it’s been difficult to take them seriously, especially if you watch The Daily Show regularly, as I do. It was therefore somewhat sobering to read the Rolling Stone article, “The GOP’s Crackpot Agenda”, which lays out what these candidates are actually promising to do. All of them.

(Well, all except Ron Paul, whom Rolling Stone ignores, as seems to be typical media approach to Ron Paul. Though I’m not sure what he is promising is any better, it seems worth noting that it is different, particularly in areas such as the military. The article also apparently pre-dates Herman Cain’s withdrawal from the race.)

But the point is that one of these people could actually be President of the United States! And this what they say they would do:

• Promote dirty energy jobs—addressing unemployment by increasing carbon emissions.
• Reduce environmental regulations, such as by limiting or even getting rid of the EPA.
• Unleash Wall Street by eliminating safeguards that protect consumers and workers.
• Destroy the safety net: Cancel health care reform, privatize Medicare, and privatize Social Security for young workers.
• Wreck the economy through a brutal austerity plan, likely to bring on a new recession.
• Increase military spending and find new wars to fight.
• Cut taxes on the rich—reduce corporate, estate, and investment taxes.
• Attack abortion rights. (As an aside: Rick Santorum also doesn’t much care for birth control.)
• Harsh crackdowns on illegal immigrants.

As Canadians, not all of this would affect us. But if the US economy goes down, so does Canada’s. If they pollute the air and atmosphere, we all suffer the consequences. If they start a new war, our soldiers could be drawn on.

While Obama has certainly been a disappointment as President, at least he’s not, as the headline says, a crackpot. Let us hope that this article is correct that this Republican agenda is too radical to actually be electable.