Jerry Brown: GOP must move out of their "reactionary cul-de-sac"

(CBS News) Although California's Democratic Governor Jerry Brown had harsh words about the entire political system on "Face the Nation," he saved his most striking criticism for the GOP.

"I think the Republicans have to move out of that reactionary cul-de-sac that some of the more extreme members are pushing them," Brown told host Bob Schieffer.

"There's an enforcement of discipline that's ideological and, as was mentioned today in The Washington Post, takes on the quality of a cult," the California governor said.

Brown provided one example of Republican ideology, on immigration. The party largely opposes a path to citizenship for those in the country illegally.

"They're so hostile to millions and millions of people in this country, and while they can't vote, they have millions and millions of people who they're related to or who identify with them. And you just can't ignore 12 million people, particularly when they're picking our food, they're working in the hotels and restaurants, and now they're increasingly in very important jobs," Brown said.

But Brown, who is 74 years old and has been in the political realm for more than 40 years, criticized the entire political system, which he calls "more polarized" than he's ever seen it.

"The great power can't govern itself with this kind of dysfunction. It just won't work," Brown said.

Referring to political gridlock, Brown told Schieffer, "We're in a much more adversarial environment. We've always had it historically, but now it's ramped up several degrees.

"The money is more centrally collected and distributed by the two major parties," Brown added, which he said is going to be a major player this election.

"These big, secret super PACs are going to load the money in and it's going to be nasty," Brown said.

However, Brown offered some praise of President Obama.

"I have to say this: I've never seen a cooler, more reasoned, intelligent candidate and leader than Obama. This man, under pressure, shows a lot of grace and a lot of thoughtfulness, and that's going to serve him well," Brown said.

[joe1022joe]

Do you want the USA to become the United States of Latin America? All it takes is the political will to rid ourselves of illegal aliens. The way to begin fixing the illegal alien problem: Build the fence system, fully manned and equipped, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. Then begin deporting illegal aliens at a rate of 50,000 per month. Since the vast majority of illegal aliens are Mexicans these two actions will prevent most new illegal alien invaders from coming into the USA (the fence system), begin getting rid of large numbers of illegal aliens, and cause many others to voluntarily leave the country. If we just keep deporting them at a rate of at least 50,000 a month, in about 20 years we'll rid of most of them. The alternative: In time we will become the United States of Latin America.

[audemus]

If we rid this country of illegal aliens, the food industry and the service sector will fall apart basically over night.

Would you be willing, (or able), to pick fruits and vegetables all day in the hot summer sun, or change sheets in a few hundred hotel rooms ? Didn't think so....

Unless people entering this country have criminal intentions, a way must be found to welcome and incorporate them within our system...after all, unless you are native to this soil, we all came from different places for identical reasons.

[parrots7]

joe, i guess repugs could give a damn bout the cost .... dumb dumb Repugs !!

[WorldRider]

I hope reason over rascism, religionism, and richism have the day this November. There are no easy answers. But if we work together as Gov. Brown implores we can find our center and restore our greatness, which is ultimately our ability to recreate ourselves and become better in the process.

[rayward73446]

If republican voters can't see the huge numbers of people that the GOP has turned agaist, they must be dumb and blind. The GOP has moved against women, hispanics, the poor, the disabled, and the middleclass. The people in these groups number in the 100 million range. The GOP continues to bite the hands that feed them. They have huddled with the 1%, and their actions will come back to haunt them in upcoming elections. Gov Brown is absolutely correct in his accessment of the GOP.

[myth1958]

Leigh Ann Caldwell profiles the indomitable California governor, still feisty and forthright in his latter years. His acerbic comments about the de-evolution of the Republican party are spot on: this crowd has painted themselves into a shrinking corner with improbable attacks on women, Hispanics, gays and anyone else they can think of. It really looks like a suicide pact from here: women alone are over half the population (and half the voters). Couldn't they imagine the consequences of poking that sleeping dragon in the eye for sport? Our Hispanic brothers and sisters are justifiably miffed that state after Republican-controlled state has passed legislation that targets their demographic with a vengeance. Even US-born people of color can be stopped at the whim of any sheriff regardless of whether or not they've done anything wrong (like speeding). Keep it up, GOP. You still have a chance to alienate the elderly, dog lovers and college students before November if you get to work,

[smirk5]

The answer to our problems in this country is obvious. We just need to listen to Romney and borrow tens of thousands of dollars from our parents to start sandwich shops or office supply stores.

[myth1958]

Imagine if it went that way: we'd see dozens of sandwich shops a lined up on some block, with a plethora of computer stores upstairs all competing for a byte of your dollars.

[joe1022joe]

Jerry hasn't been known as Governor Moonbeam for over 30 years for nothing.

[smirk5]

Great comeback. It's up there with "oh, yeah?"

[NinthSt78]

He is right, and he has expressed things very well.

[Fox_Rush_Zombie]

OBAMA - 2012!!
CLINTON - 2016!!

[USSAmerikan]

The Chinese own the Obama cabinet. That is the only viable explanation for our government's adherence to a direction that has doubled our foreign debt in three years and can only end up with China influencing many of our future decisions (essentially owning us!!!). I envision a situation like with Iran, where if China decides to let them have their nuke, and we don't agree, they can just simply threaten us with stopping future purchases of our near-junk Government Bonds. Guess what, Iran would end up with their weapon of mass destruction!!!

[stevehamilton858]

USSAmerikan: Your comment is without a doubt the dumbest, most uneducated comment I've read in the last 6 months. Do you know anything at all about accounting, and the difference between accruals and cash financial statements? I doubt it. Under "accrual accounting", which all US businesses use, liabilities are recognized as they are incurred. In the US Government, when you speak of borrowings you are dealing with "cash accounting", which is nothing more than the need to pay for past liabilities the government has assumed, irrespective of which Congress or which President incurred the liabilities. So, the federal government must pay its legal, contractual obligations to avoid having a credit rating like Greece or Spain, which means that the government has to borrow money. The legal obligations are such things as increased Medicare costs, to cover the cost of prescription drugs that the Bush administration rammed through Congress, the costs of providing medical services to veterans wounded in the service of their country, the costs of contracts with government contractors who have entered into legally binding contracts with the US Government, the salaries of our elected officials in all three branches of the federal government, and so on. Default is not an option; it would ruin the economy of America for at least 50 years.

You are unintelligent and uneducated, and you should keep your opinions to yourself. Remember, "it is better to keep silent and be thought to be stupid, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt".

With respect to Iran, you are clueless. In about 6 weeks, Israel will run out of patience with the sanctions that still don't work, and they will launch a precision surgical bombing strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. And we will join them, probably with the F22's that were just shipped to their region, and completely destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities within less that three months.

President Obama will return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with a more lopsided victory than LBJ had over Barry Goldwater in 1964. I don't know what your background is, but it can't be much. Keep your dumb thoughts to yourself until you get some education and real world military experience. Don't parrot dopey conspiracy theories you hear from right wing extremists/wingnuts.

[sucori]

What's wrong with me? I found Bush likeable and I find Obama likable. I don't agree with both of them but I like both. The last couple of decades it's been hatred for the Potus. how did we get here?

[USSAmerikan]

8%??? 23 Million Americans are unemployed and underemployed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Doubled our foreign debt!!!!!! Barack Hussein Obama is improving our economic future by ensuring our children are employed at Chinese factories here in the U.S. once he turns us into a third world country!!!

[stevehamilton858]

My vote is the radicalization of the Republican Party. The RNC has been asleep at the switch for years and allowed radical elements to gain control of the party. Here's something to think about. If you read the US Constitution carefully, you will realize that it is constructed so that laws that get passed must be negotiated. Negotiation requires compromise. Radicals and extremists hate to compromise, so you get gridlock - and disapproval of Congress by 90% of the population, according to FoxNews. Do you realize that the current members of the GOP would not today nominate someone like Dwight Eisenhower - the most effective Republican president of the 20th century. There is the answer to your question. If the GOP doesn't reconstitute its base to one that is right leaning centrist, the party will be a Rump party by 2013, and totally irrelevant at the national level. The Tea Party and Norquist's ATR have done more damage to this country than bin Laden did.