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Subscribe to RSSThe New York Times reports that American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS are laying the groundwork to be players after the midterms and also in 2012. Those groups “are planning to keep pushing their agenda in the lame-duck session of Congress that will begin in two weeks and are already laying the groundwork for a more aggressive campaign in the 2012 presidential race.”
“That development is causing Democrats to reassess their early financial plans for President Obama’s re-election campaign while forcing them to balance the administration’s demands for more transparency in campaign finance against the pressure for liberal groups to do more to counteract the strength of their conservative counterparts.”
New GOP goal: Stopping Palin? Politico: “Top Republicans in Washington and in the national GOP establishment say the 2010 campaign highlighted an urgent task that they will begin in earnest as soon as the elections are over: Stop Sarah Palin. Interviews with advisers to the main 2012 presidential contenders and with other veteran Republican operatives make clear they see themselves on a common, if uncoordinated, mission of halting the momentum and credibility Palin gained with conservative activists by plunging so aggressively into this year’s midterm campaigns.”
NBC’s Shawna Thomas reports that John Boehner, the man who would likely be the next Speaker if the GOP takes back the House, predicted, “We’re going to have a big win.”
A Harvard historian writes in a new book: “Tea Party’s Revolution...wasn’t just kooky history; it was antihistory.” The Boston Globe: Jill “Lepore admits that the Tea Party movement belongs to a long tradition of squabbling over the Revolution’s meaning, a tradition that began before the Revolution had even ended and continued through the Civil War, the Civil Rights debate, and up to today. But the Tea Party has outdone its predecessors on both the left and the right, Lepore suggests, in fashioning a nostalgic and inflexible version of that history. The Tea Party simplifies the Founding Fathers — it turns them into an orderly (and angelic) choir when, in fact, they were a confusing and contradictory group. And Lepore sees this as an error not just of historical fact, but also of historical method.”
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So now the Republican leadership wants to stop the monster they created in Palin. Sorry, folks, you have to dance with the person that brought you, and Palin, as simpleminded and stupid as she is appeals to the stupid which is the base of your party. You should HAVE to run her, and I will be delighted if it turns out that way.
Shhhh........
What will be fun to watch to see how the Palin, the Republicans and the teabaggers will react when Rover and the Chamber of Commerce spend their mega millions trying to stop her from being the Pug nominee.
With all the secret money coming into the elections, thanks to the Supreme Court, goodbye democracy!
This is the first salvo that is being fired by the 'establishment' Republicans for Sarah Palin, the de-facto leader of the 'Teap party', to settle down and that THEY run the party, not her.
This is going to be interesting to see.
The GOPers were willing to use the energy and the passion(s) of Sarah Palin and the Tea Party for their own purposes. It seems that Sarah Palin has other ideas and they are not in line with the Republican establishment!! We are going to see a war within the GOP.
You heard it here first.
Good Morning Pietro, you are correct that the GOP will either have to compromise with Palin or watch the Tea Party supporters completely change the image of the GOP. However, I don't see a war developing. Too much is at risk for the GOP. The Dems did not take the Tea Party seriously - big mistake on their part. After it became apparent that the Tea Party was a major player, the Dems attempted to smear members of the Tea Party. The Dems attacked the ideas and/or opinions of the TP; great way to galvanize an organization. Think about it the same way you would react if someone invaded your household; every member of your family may have differing ideas or ideals BUT your family would not allow an 'outsider' to attack the individual family members. The mistake that both parties (Dems & GOP) has made is underestimating the frustration of the American people. I believe that there is no one apparent way to bring about a consensus of agreement for the direction of the country, but denigrating a large portion (TP) and resorting to name-calling strengthens the resolve of the TP supporters. Once upon a time the Independents carried the biggest hammer come election time. The TP has drawn from the Dem, GOP & Independents; the hammer is now a sledge hammer in the hands of the TP. I don't know if this power will continue after this election, but I do believe it will evolve into a more right of center platform that will appeal to a majority of the Republicans & Independents and many southern Democrats. I think that Palin will remain a fixture of the Tea Party but her appeal will be more as a figurehead than Presidential timber. I could be very wrong on Palin but I do not envision her as a Presidential candidate come 2012. She maintains the same love/hate relationship with the public as Hillary Clinton. Very loyal and strong supporters but not enough of a body count to get her over the top.
Hope all is well in your household. By the way, there is a Pietro1 (I think 1) who is also posting; I thought it might be you until I read the post; slightly macabre individual. Either that or you had too much Halloween!
yep a war and nothing getting done in the next two years for the country...yep vote for those repubs America....stupid is as stupid does
Bill N AZ - bello vederti di nuovo.
I think that you underestimate the energy of the GOP's version of the Tea Party. I really do not think that the establishment GOP will be able to control them AFTER the election, no matter who wins. If the GOPs version of the Tea Party win any seats, they will be that much more emboldened to promote THEIR agenda, which just happens to converge with the GOP establishment's agenda NOW. What happens when the agenda changes?
I think it was a shrewd gambit to take the more radical of the Republican party and 'segregate' them into their own entity. That creates 'plausible deniability' for the establishment Republicans.
I have no desire to see moderate Republicans shunted aside, but this radical element is going to do just that so that THEY can get what they want - the Presidency and control. I think that this is a dangerous game that the GOP is playing and it will end up biting you in the end.
As I am seeing with the situation in Alaska with Miller and Murkowski, be warned - and prepared - that there will be more battles like this if the GOP's version of the Tea Party is not 'corraled' and reigned in. Again, I do not believe that the GOP establishment will be able to control what they have unleashed and the Dems are going to sit back and watch the self destruction.
BILL N AZ, Spero che tutto sia bene con voi e la vostra famiglia.
If there is a Pietro1, then it looks like imitation is the best form of flattery!! I havenot seen them post, so I will be on the lookout.
Ciao!
Pietro, good hearing from you too. I won't argue that the TP is more right leaning than the current crop of Republicans BUT the center-moderate Republicans have been too closely tied to the standard Democrat image. Remember, the Republicans came out of a very conciliatory 2nd term GWB administration looking much like the stereotypical tax and spend Dem. This truly upset the core Republicans. The TP was a viable off-shoot of the distaste for RINO politics. (My opinion):The issue isn't how far right the TP will take the Republican Party; it is how many RINOs will be cut loose. There will be concessions made by the old school Republican Party as well as by the TP. Please don't make the mistake that if a 'Republican' loses to a TP backed candidate that the Republican was a rank and file supported party member. You mentioned Murkowski (AK); she was (is) pretty much a moderate (a tad left of center). Having (R) after a name doesn't guaranty that the individual supports the platform of the party.....look at what transpired with Arlen Specter. Understand that I don't place too much faith in any politician; I believe they are in it for themselves. Bottom line, it will be much easier for the republicans to make nice among their flock than for the Repubs and Dems to make peace.
Once you locate one of Pietro1's posts, I don't think you will be too flattered.
Suoi genitori hanno un molto buono figlio! Ciao!
Best Regards
Bill
Excellent points. Tea Partiers, much less many American's really don't know much of what is in the Constitution, nevermind the debate and struggle of our founders to settle and find compromise within the final document as written. To wit, the Tea Partiers and Conservatives are on record questioning the Constitutions elements, seeking change or elimination of those elements they disagree with, most notably in the original ten amendments (including separation of church and state). They want a return to the Constitution, just not the Constitution as written by our founders.
exactly...and when that happens there goes our democracy...in my opinion this teaparty is extremely dangerous to our democracy...other than they would put the country in ruins......
Bill, You have great insight than many others on this blog and I salute you. I know you have hit the nail
on the head. The Dems have been demeaning not only the TP but Palin and that is where they made their
biggest mistake. Never mock you rival nor demean them in politics. The people have caught on to the
message of the TP. Also, as you said, the Dems underestimated the power of the people when they
confronted them in the town halls and it brought out their weakness and contempt. Even in the
Democratic Party. We all saw it on TV. Once again , you are a 100% correct. You know you should be
employed by the Dems as a strategist. You would have advised them in the correct way. A pity. Even as a
TP supporter and Conservative, I saw that they were making a big , big mistake by beginning first to
destroy Palin. My congrats for your shrewd piece and insight.
JuvenBachan: my comment was not solely directed at the Dems. Pietro brought up the potential of a major conflict between Palin (and the TP) and the GOP. The GOP will make the same mistake as the Dems IF they portray Palin and the TP as extremists. The TP across the US has diverse attendance/representation; herein lies the concern. Until a true political platform is codified, the TP movement will begin to parallel the factions that have developed within the Dem Party. As the various factions begin to stake out their territories, conflicts will emerge. The West Coast TP members may become more liberal than the Corn Belt TP members; Southern TP members will see the world a bit different than those from New England. Too many directions with very little guidance. The Dems have the Blue Dogs vs. the ultra left; this is what will eventually happen to the TP unless a consensus of core beliefs is established. Just saying that 'I am a fiscal conservative' does not define what a 'fiscal conservative' is with respect to national interests. If one states that "I am in favor of cutting the budget"; what gets cut and what happens if the cuts completely destroy one state's economy? If the TP is to be successful it must establish specific policy mandates. Once a platform is established, it will remain to be seen how many current TP members remain on board. I am an outsider, I don't belong to a political party. I remain fiercely independent. I see no members of any party who reflect everything I believe in. I am not unique in this aspect. Given the opportunity to vote for candidates, I use the better than 80% method of choosing; if the candidate supports my position more than 80% of the time on MAJOR issues and others do not, I check his/her name on the ballot. I will never get 100% but I know this going into the ballot booth.
the dems arent wanting to destroy Palin...the GOP is...they created a monster now they have to deal with it...as far as Palin ever winning...will never happen...she has her small following but that's it..moderate repubs cant stand her and would not vote for her...
LindafromFlorida: you had better check your lib media with respect to Palin. They have gone out of their way to paint her as ignorant, selfish, and misguided. I don't know how you classify 'small following' but I am willing to bet that her numbers are much higher than 'small'. If given a choice between obama and Palin, the moderates would choose Palin.
Bill N AZ - Interesting comparison with the TP/GOP and the Dems/Blue Dogs. I would think that your assessment is correct, but the GOP's version of the Tea Party is a LOT MORE RABID than you think or give them credit. The GOP plays a zero-sum game - winner take all. The GOP's version ofthe Tea Party plays that same game and takes no prisoners.
I guess we will see how this plays out.
Pietro, for the past 30 years, the zero-sum game is the ONLY way to play politics. I can't think of a more vicious career than politics. In an ideal world, everyone would acquiesce to the ideas/ideals of others; and nothing would be accomplished (a 'can't we all get along' moment). Conflict is good if the opposing parties respect each other. Unfortunately, as referenced by a majority of the posts on this as well as other blogs, there is little to no respect for diverse ideas when it comes to a polarized electorate. The lack of respect has permeated all levels of government; there is no final political victory until the opponent has been eviserated. A 'congratulations on your victory' has been turned in to a 'let's take this to court because I suspect (fill in the blank....voter fraud, criminal activity....etc.)'. No such thing as a gracious loser. Politics has adopted the sports slogan of 'win at any cost'. Sad but true. It is not only the gop but the dems who play this game. Given time, this direction will cause both parties to implode. A result of the public having been fed too many negatives by the parties and the media.
I think I sense a slight shift to the right by you (LOL).
Best Regards
Bill N AZ - a shift to the right? Not a chance.
However, I do see the value of having centrist views that can be used to bend left or right as needed. There is no need - or value - to be completely rigid in anyone's ideology. Sometimes a good idea comes along that you did NOT think of. Do we discard it because it does not fit an ideology?
The danger I see with the GOP and the Tea Party is that there is a purge of all of the Republicans that are open to looking at things with a different viewpoint. The GOPers now are so rigid in their ideaology - and blinded by it - they are missing potential threats (and possible solutions) to the country.
Case in pointwould be the Citizen's United SCOTUS case. More reasonable Republicans would have been appalled at the decision, but most onthe right see no harm in it. They have lost sight of long term harm of this decision for the short-term gain of the financial backing. If someone is paying, then who is paying? There isa DEBT that is owed to those who are paying if we accept the monies; what if you found out that the country's most vaunted enemy has contributed to a campaign that you are a part of? What do you do then? What do you do when the debt is called in?
The GOP's Version of the Tea Party doesn't care as this is a means to an end. What happens when the favours given to this 'Tea Party' are called in?
I have no delusions that this does not happen on the Democratic side as well. Democrats, more than not, tend to act more upon logic and thought processes than raw emotion, as we are seeing with the Tea Parties.
So, Bill N AZ, we may agree to disagree here, but I sincerely hope that I am wrong in my assessment.
solo più tardi ...
I have often wondered if the DEMs aren't actually underestimating the GOP (and TP) or if they are just giving them more rope to hang themselves with when it comes to 2012. I figure that an additional 2 years of the Republicans holding their breath, stomping there feet and taking their balls and going home, will have a major impact on the next election. Once the political platform of "Vote for me , I don't have a clue but at least I'm not this guy over here" is over and the voters realize that they have just been had, how big of a turn around will it be? I'm curious...
Rove; One step sigh of Satan himself!
I dont like Rove either...but he is right about Palin...much of the country knows she is not capable of being President...she used Reagan as an example that she is...well she neglected to mention one important thing...Reagan was governor of California...one of the most populated states in the union...and for two terms...she was governor of a population of 600,000...(the size of a small city in California)...and she quit midterm...sorry Sarah...your argument doesnt hold water at all. But Reagan wasnt all that great as a President..we had a nasty depression when he was in...and I believe the downward spiral of this country began with Reaganomics.
LindafromFlorida....' But Reagan wasnt all that great as a President..we had a nasty depression when he was in..' really? We had a 'depression' when Reagan was President? You denigrate Palin for being the Governor of the largest state because it has a small population? Nice way to spit in the face of ALL the people of states with small populations...."Hey, little bitty state....you don't count 'cause you just don't have enough people to be important". So Palin left after two years(?)! At least SHE had some executive experience. I am neutral when it comes to Mrs. Palin, but at least she got off her butt and has accomplished something....whether you agree with her or not, she has become involved.