And This Is How You Relate To Normal Folks?
By spending $180,000 of other people’s money on spa treatments and other inconsequential crap for yourself and your family in the space of a few months? See the article at Politico. The GOP is a train wreck.
Why Polls Should Be Taken With a Grain of Salt
The Wall Street Journal did a nice job of deconstructing the ways in which the recent Ziegler/Zogby poll is problematic. I won’t go into it, because I can’t hold a candle to the column itself. Suffice to say that certain members of the Right Wing are more interested in slighting those who voted for Obama than doing any soul-searching about how to revitalize the GOP. To wit, the conservative Ziegler, who bankrolled the poll, said the poll shows that “a group of monkeys” know more about politics than Obama supporters. Nice, huh? I’m taking it somewhat out of context but, really, is there a good way to take it? Now, read the Wall Street Journal piece and educate yourselves — just to prove Ziegler wrong.
-Ship
Now that Ted Stevens has officially lost the Alaska Senate race to Mark Begich, the eyes of political junkies everywhere turn to Minnesota and Georgia. If Dems win the Senate seats up for grabs in those two states, they will have a 60-member caucus that can override stalling tactics in that chamber. Minnesota is engaged in a closely watched recount between former-comedian Al Franken and incumbent GOP Senator Norm Coleman. But Georgia, quite frankly, is where all the action is.
Unlikely, and Interesting, Praise
Today’s column from David Brooks in the NY Times is filled with cautious praise for Obama’s early moves in terms of filling key positions in the upcoming administration. It is surprising, inasmuch as Brooks is a conservative Republican columnist, but not as surprising as one might think. Brooks is definitely part of the intellectual branch of the GOP, and considers events carefully — rather than going into attack mode regardless of the evidence. At any rate, his column is worth reading. He provides lucid insight into the thinking of many GOP insiders — though not necessarily into the thinking of the party rank-and-file. Take this quote from today’s column: “I’m trying not to join in the vast, heaving O-phoria now sweeping the coastal haut-bourgeoisie. But the personnel decisions have been superb.” I doubt we’ll ever hear Rush Limbaugh say anything like that.
My favorite quote from the column? Here you go: “And yet as much as I want to resent these overeducated Achievatrons … I find myself tremendously impressed by the Obama transition.” I’m all for inventing new words (ala “Achievatron”), as needed!
-Ship
Religion is killing the Republican Party
Kathleen Parker has an excellent piece in the Washington Post.
In it she states that the problem with the Republican party is that they have tried too hard to cling to the religious (white, Christian) conservatives that brought Reagan to power and in the process have alienated other religious and ethnic groups.
Simply put: Armband religion is killing the Republican Party. And, the truth — as long as we’re setting ourselves free — is that if one were to eavesdrop on private conversations among the party intelligentsia, one would hear precisely that.
…
Religious conservatives become defensive at any suggestion that they’ve had something to do with the GOP’s erosion. And, though the recent Democratic sweep can be attributed in large part to a referendum on Bush and the failing economy, three long-term trends identified by Emory University’s Alan Abramowitz have been devastating to the Republican Party: increasing racial diversity, declining marriage rates and changes in religious beliefs.
Suffice it to say, the Republican Party is largely comprised of white, married Christians. Anyone watching the two conventions last summer can’t have missed the stark differences: One party was brimming with energy, youth and diversity; the other felt like an annual Depends sales meeting.
I don’t know if I would have said “Depends sales meeting” but if you look through photos or videos of the conventions, rallies and the acceptance/concession speeches it is painfully clear that the crowds at the Democratic functions were much more diverse ethnically, economically and socially.
Which way will it go for Holder (and bipartisanship)?
Every media outlet you can imagine has announced that Eric Holder will be Attorney General under the Barack Obama administration. This is another historic first for the federal government, as Holder will become the first African-American AG. However, it also sets up a number of interesting scenarios for his confirmation hearings. Given the overwhelming Democratic majority in the Senate, and the fact that Obama has almost certainly already tested the waters, I’m sure Holder will be confirmed fairly quickly. That being said, his confirmation hearings should give us a good idea as to how well Republicans and Democrats will work together in the new Congress. Here’s how …
While Holder has an exemplary record of public service (as a federal prosecutor, judge and DOJ official), he made one much-publicized mistake: he gave then-President Bill Clinton his de facto blessing to pardon Marc Rich. He has since stated publicly that it was an error. In other words, he has done something that Senate Republicans can bludgeon him with. If the GOP chooses to do so, it can pillory Holder for a day or two and try to present him as a partisan political hack — undermining his authority and dirtying his image before he has even taken office. This would signal another season of partisan strife in the Senate (the more even-keeled of the two houses of legislature), and would not bode well for behavior in the House. But Holder’s history gives the GOP another option …
In 1994, as the U.S. District Attorney for Washington, D.C., Holder prosecuted then-Democratic House Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski (a powerful man at the time). Rostenkowski ultimately pled guilty. This action gives Republicans an out. They can choose to remember Holder as an arbiter of justice, regardless of political affiliation, and use the Rostenkowski prosecution to counterbalance the Rich pardon. Sure, Holden still gets a slap on the wrist, but it would signal that the GOP (at least in the Senate) is not out for blood. If this happens, the signs would certainly be a little better for bipartisan legislative dealmaking.
In other words, pay close attention to these confirmation hearings — they could tell us a lot about how this Congress will comport itself.
-Ship
PS: It appears that Mark Begich has unseated Ted Stevens for the Alaska Senate seat. This keeps the Democratic dream of 60 seats in the Senate alive.
It’s been a good week for Sarah Palin. Let us count the ways: The New York Times reports that she does know that Africa is not a country, and that reports to the contrary from unnamed GOP sources were a hoax. She has been the media darling of the GOP governors’ meeting in Florida. And now it looks like former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, one of her main competitors for the title of Republican Presidential Candidate in 2012, has been rattled by Palin’s popularity in the party. The Associated Press reports today that the “surprising ascendancy of … Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and her popularity among some GOP conservatives have left Romney wondering whether he could wage a viable second campaign for the White House, according to friends and advisers.”
Sarah was supposed to give a news conference today at the Republican Governer’s Conference, but instead of a press conference it turned into a briefing session with four questions. Of those four questions she actually answered zero.
Asked why she had held no news conferences during the election season, Palin responded that “I don’t even want to talk about strategy within a campaign that’s over.”
To each of the three other questions — about how she would use her political celebrity, why the ticket didn’t do better with women and Hispanic voters and what the message would be going forward — Palin turned each answer into a comment on Republican governors.
Isn’t it wonderful? She is well on her way to “plow(ing) through that door” in 2012 as she said in her FOX News Interview over the weekend.
As Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council said, “She is the future of the party. She can bring in those independents, those who have not historically voted Republican, like Ronald Reagan did.”
So I guess the future of the Republican Party is not answering questions in a press conference that you call.
The rallying cries have already started by the Republican faithful (read wacko Christian fundamentalist Republican core).
Are Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin really the future of the Republican Party? Let’s hope so.
In case you don’t know about Piyush “Bobby” Jindal, he believes that he performed an exorcism that miraculously cured melanoma whilst expelling those nasty evil spirits. He takes his nickname “Bobby” from a 1970’s TV character that he was too young to see, except for in syndication (Jindal was 6 when the show went off the air).
The Republican Party can’t be serious, can they? Sure Jindal is a good public speaker, sure he can handle himself well under fire, but don’t they think that he and Palin are a bit too much to the right of majority of Americans?
This should be fun!
In her interview with Matt Lauer that was broadcast yesterday on The Today Show, Sarah blames “bloggers in their parents’ basement just talking garbage” for all of the bad press she got during her campaign.
Sarah was also on Fox News’ Greta this week, where she coined the term “sarah-centric”.
Not much new comes out in these interviews, she gives a great non answer about taking over Ted Stevens’ US Senate seat and a Presidential bid in 2012. She denies having anything to do with the wardrobe scandal. The NY Times has a more in depth analysis of her interviews.
Hopefully she’ll have some more interesting things to say during the Republican Governors Association Conference in Miami today. Wonkette has a nice schedule of events to attend if you happen to be at the conference.
And Sarah, I’ll have you know that I am in my own basement, I moved out of my parents’ basement in 1984.
GOP Bashes Its Intellectuals, But Faces Two Major Hurdles
The problem, many GOP pundits are claiming, is that the McCain/Palin ticket was too liberal. Salon.com’s Gary Kamiya lays the argument out in a great article that can be found here. The idea that McCain lost because he was not sufficiently conservative does not help explain the significant GOP losses in the House, Senate and gubernatorial races this year or in 2006. Nonetheless, that is the argument that is being made. Citing a poll that shows 69 percent of Republicans support Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh says, “So all of you wizards of smart on our side, all of you intellectualoids who think that Palin was a drag, the party loves Sarah Palin.” But, as always, hyperbole isn’t a solution to the GOP’s problem. The GOP faces two complicated hurdles:
Yikes! Jockeying Already Under Way for 2012 GOP Presidential Bid
Well, it’s happening sooner rather than later. Politico is reporting that Republicans are already jockeying for position to be the presidential candidate of the GOP in 2012. It’s a long list, but one thing really jumps out: the list is heavy on candidates with strong social conservative backgrounds and short on politicos with any real credentials as small-government fiscal conservatives. Here’s the list (with a few additions of my own). Let me know what you think of the contenders:
Where Have All The Goldwaters Gone?
Ship’s and Haid’s recent articles regarding the internal discussion of direction of the Republican Party speak to indications of, what I believe is, a larger undercurrent of America’s growing dissatisfaction with our political system. I am currently reading former Congressman Mickey Edwards’ book Reclaiming Conservatism. It touches on numerous aspects of why the Republican Party has become the institution it is today, and how to return the Republican Party to its core conservative roots. What is most interesting is former Congressman Edwards’ early statement.
“[George Bush's Republican] Congress had become…a weak and barely functioning institution, precisely because conservatives had become what they are now - highly partisan activists almost devoid of any governing principle greater than maintaining power and using the considerable weight of their highly public positions to impose their personal ideologies over areas of private life that properly lie far outside any constitutional grant of federal authority.”
I personally hope for a resurgence of Goldwater conservatives in the Republican Party, rather than dominance by populist Republicans, which Edwards attributes to the political rise of George Wallace in response to passage of the Civil Rights Act. Whether or not you agree with Goldwater’s conservative positions, they at least bring a reasoned and rational argument to our political debate that they hope will maximize individual freedom. Reasoned debate among our elected officials is the cornerstone of our representative democracy. Unquestioned deference to the Executive branch to solidify political party power is far removed from conserving the principles of our Constitution.
The role of the economy in the election is being overstated
I’m cribbing liberally from Steven Greene’s blog (Fully Myelinated), but thought it worth mentioning that the effect of the economy on the election has been overstated — particularly by Republican pundits. The trend among many GOP talking heads (and others) over the past day or two has been that John McCain lost this election because of the economy and President Bush’s unpopularity. While the economy certainly played a major role, focusing on it as the primary factor in McCain’s loss gives the GOP campaign a free pass on its many strategic errors and does not give the Obama campaign enough credit. A breakdown of the issue can be found at the Monkey Cage blog, which shows that Obama’s numbers took off before the Wall Street meltdown — and did not get a significant boost from the crisis. A good reminder to take all of the post-election analysis with a healthy degree of skepticism (or “cum grano salis” as my old teacher Susy Hatchett would say).
-Ship
The political future of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) still remains unclear as no clear victor has been declared in Alaska’s close Senate race and counting of votes continues. A win for Stevens will not ensure him another term, since Senate Republican leaders have called for his expulsion or resignation. Pundits say Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is his likely successor.
From this All Headline News report.
As The Wall Street Journal said today:
If (Stevens) is re-elected and later resigns, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin must call for a special election. State law is unclear on whether she can appoint someone to fill the seat temporarily.
I could see Sarah appointing herself to the Senate now that she has a taste of the national stage. Washington DC has a lot of nice malls and it is easy to get to New York City to shop.
If Alaska elects her in a special election, (which I think they would since they are on the verge of electing a convicted felon) they will not be doing themselves a favor towards improving their image (see first video here) to the rest of the US. They would be going from a guy who described the Internet as “a series of tubes” to a gal that doesn’t know that Africa is a continent.
Palin as a senator, would also put her on track for candidacy for the 2012 presidential election or possibly 2016, as she alluded to in the Masked Avengers’ prank call.
So I think that we are stuck with her for the long haul. Stay tuned to Palined.com for more updates.
Alaskans wonder if Sarah can return to normal
After being yanked out of Alaska and groomed for national office can she return to govern the state that she was elected to govern?
In the 68 days since Alaska’s governor began her run for vice president, things have changed on the home front. Some of her former allies are fuming, and former enemies are lying in wait. Public perceptions of the governor have also changed. Has the governor changed as well?
From ADN.com
The odds for Sarah’s run for president in 2012 have been published.
Ireland’s leading online bookmaker, Paddy Power (US customers prohibited at this time) has wasted little time posting odds on the 2012 US Presidential election, making Sarah Palin a 3-1 favorite to get the Republican nominee, followed by Mitt Romney at 5-1 odds. Palin is also listed with the next best odds (7-1) after President-Elect Barack Obama, to become the next US President. She is listed with better odds than Hillary Clinton (10-1). We can also anticipate a wide list of novelty bets involving Palin, probably in the next few weeks.
So should we keep the MPAV movement and palined.com going?
They are trying to lose. (my weirdo conspiracy theory)
Early in the race, before the primaries, I thought that maybe the Republicans were trying to lose the election and Congress. The reasoning for my prediction was that the last eight years have put this country into such a hole that it will definitely take more than four years to recover; most Americans have a short attention span and no patience; therefore, the Republican party will use the fact that the Democrats have not fixed all of the problems against them in the next midterm and presidential elections.
John McCain taking an early lead in the primary season was perfect for this.
His more centrist view and “straight talk” made him popular, but he wasn’t a perfect match for the party’s conservative social values, and the neoconservatives did not like him. With McCain, the nominee would be someone who would not win in 2008 - but in 2012 a new neocon will be put before America with the tag line “We tried it their way”.
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Well, Duh! Why do you think we started this site?
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former secretary of state and supporter of Republican John McCain, Laurence Eagleburger, says that McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, isn’t up to the task of taking over the presidency in a crisis but could become “adequate” if not “a genius in the job.”
Neal Conan of National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation” posed the following question to Eagleburger yesterday; “Are you entirely comfortable with Sarah Palin as the Vice President of the United States, that should she would be ready to take over in a crisis if she should be called upon to do so?”. After facetiously saying “That is a very good question” and stating “Of course not. I don’t think at the moment she is ready to take over the reigns of the presidency. I can name for you any number of other vice presidents who were not particularly up to it either.” answers, “Give her some time and I think she will be adequate”.
I’ll keep this short. I’m terrified that the GOP is going to take this election from the ballot box to the courthouse — putting its outcome in the hands of a judge instead of the hands of the people. Reports are coming in that Republicans in Nevada are actively looking for people who would be willing to file a lawsuit over voter registrations in Washoe County (a former Republican stronghold that has turned Democratic since 2004). Both parties, and numerous unaffiliated organizations, are involved in legal maneuvering in search of an electoral advantage. But it is the GOP efforts that strike me as the scariest (note: I voted for Barack Obama, but I am a political Independent). The voter fraud allegations related to ACORN, for example, have created concern among many voters that this election will be “rigged” — despite the fact that the allegations against ACORN have been shown to be essentially false. Hopefully our courts will continue to dismiss the GOP suits as scurrilous attempts to undermine voter confidence, as they have in Pennsylvania. Nobody wants a repeat of the 2000 fiasco (except reporters — you’ve got to admit that was a hell of a story).
-Ship