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Subscribe to RSSGOP tries to regroup as RNC begins its winter meeting in Charlotte, NC… Bad news, good news for the GOP… Hillary Clinton testifies -- at last -- on Benghazi… House to vote on extending the debt ceiling… NRA’s LaPierre defends “absolutism”… The center strikes back in Israel… Lautenberg says Booker deserves a “spanking,” though a new Quinnipiac poll shows who’s giving the real spanking so far… And 2016 watch: Rubio speaks at 2:00 pm ET before U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
*** GOP tries to regroup: Two days after President Obama’s inauguration, all the Democratic celebrations, the parades and inaugural balls, Republicans today begin heading to Charlotte, NC for the RNC’s winter meeting, where they will lick their electoral wounds and start to regroup. Here’s the bad news for the GOP: According to the most recent NBC/WSJ poll, the party’s unfavorable rating (49%) is at its highest point since 2008. The Obama White House and Democrats forced the GOP to fold its opposition to raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans (though the agreement extended tax breaks for everyone else). And it has retreated -- for now -- on using the debt ceiling to demand additional spending cuts (and will instead use the budget process for that fiscal fight).
*** Bad news, good news: So that’s the bad news for a party that has lost two-straight presidential contests -- and has lost them decisively. The good news is that politics and circumstances can change. After all, it was just eight years ago when Democrats were coming off their second-straight presidential loss and many were talking about a permanent conservative majority. What’s more, the 2014 midterm season looks potentially bright for the GOP, given the Democratic Senate seats that are up next year and given that the Obama coalition of voters isn’t as likely to participate in elections when the president’s name isn’t at the top of the ticket. And finally, as Obama proved, a charismatic presidential candidate can help turn around a party’s fortunes. The challenge, of course, is finding that candidate, as well as improving the party’s overall brand. So yes, a party’s political fortunes can change. But how it uses its time out of power -- and how it learns from its past losses -- is perhaps the most important component to getting back on the right track.
*** The real action in Charlotte begins tomorrow: That brings us to the upcoming RNC meeting in Charlotte, which happens to be the same city where Democrats held their triumphant convention last year. Per NBC’s Carrie Dann, the real action begins taking place tomorrow, when Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal speaks at a dinner and when the RNC’s “Growth and Opportunity Project” -- the party’s effort to improve upon what went wrong in the last election -- will discuss its research. And on Friday, the 168 RNC members will elect the party chairman for the next years. It’s widely expected that current RNC Chair Reince Priebus will win re-election.
*** Hillary Clinton testifies on Benghazi: As the RNC begins to huddle in Charlotte, Capitol Hill today braces itself for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s long-awaited congressional testimony on the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi. Clinton’s testimony -- at 9:00 am ET before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and 2:00 pm ET before the House Foreign Affairs Committee -- comes after an independent study criticized Clinton’s State Department “for a lack of seasoned security personnel and for relying on untested local militias to safeguard the compound,” the New York Times reported at the time. After that report, four top State Department were removed from their posts. While the hearings could get testy, Clinton comes into them in a strong political shape. According to the last NBC/WSJ poll, her approval rating stands at 69%, which is higher than any other outgoing secretary of state measured in a poll since 1948 -- with one exception: Colin Powell in 2004. Also, don’t miss that another 2016 hopeful Marco Rubio will be asking some of the questions today (more on Rubio below).
*** House to vote on extending debt ceiling: Also on Capitol Hill today, the House will vote to raise the debt ceiling for three months. NBC’s Luke Russert reported that House Speaker John Boehner yesterday implored his GOP conference to pass this extension -- under the promise that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan will be working on a plan to balance the budget over the next 10 years. "Passing a short-term hike buys time for the House and Senate both to pass a budget,” Boehner said, per a source in the room. Technically, today’s vote is to SUSPEND the debt limit rather than RAISE it. As NBC’s Frank Thorp explains, the legislation suspends the debt ceiling until May 18, so during that time the U.S. government would have no debt limit. After May 18, Thorp adds, Congress would then pass a debt-limit extension to retroactively cover the debt that was incurred during the suspension of the limit. The vote is expected to take place around 12:30 pm ET, and it’s supposed the pass. The Obama White House yesterday said it supports this three-month extension/suspension. By the way, in convincing the rank-and-file to go along with this, Politico reports that Boehner made the pitch, but Ryan made the sale.
*** NRA’s LaPierre defends “absolutism”: The NRA’s Wayne LaPierre made the case yesterday that “absolutism” is a good thing. In an address, LaPierre said, “Obama wants to turn the idea of absolutism into a dirty word. Just another word for extremism. He wants you, all of you, and Americans throughout all of this country, to accept the idea of principles as he sees fit. It’s a way of redefining words so that common sense is turned upside down and that nobody knows the difference… We believe in our right to defend ourselves and our families with semi-automatic firearms technology… I’ve got news for the president: Absolutes do exist. Words do have specific meaning in language and in law. It’s the basis of all civilization... Without those absolutes, without those protections, democracy decays into nothing more than two wolves and one lamb voting on, well, who to eat for lunch.”
*** The center strikes back in Israel: Yesterday, we wrote that everyone was expecting Tuesday’s Israeli elections to produce a government that was even more conservative than the current government. But that expectation turned out to be wrong. The Washington Post says the elections “weakened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and raised the prospect of a more centrist government that could ease strained relations with Washington and signal more flexibility in peace efforts with the Palestinians.” More: “With 99 percent of the votes counted, results showed the combined ticket of Likud and the ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu faction losing a quarter of its seats in parliament, along with a surprising surge for a new centrist party, Yesh Atid, which looks set to become a key element of a future coalition. The result meant that Netanyahu, whose faction remained the largest in parliament, would almost certainly have to join forces with Yesh Atid, now second in size. The centrist party’s demands include resuming negotiations with the Palestinians, and an alliance could result in a government less tilted to the right than Netanyahu’s outgoing administration.”
*** Lautenberg says Booker deserves a “spanking”: There’s never a dull political moment in New Jersey, that’s for sure. As National Journal writes, “Sen. Frank Lautenberg made his first public comments about Newark Mayor Cory Booker, comparing him to his disobedient children, and suggesting the upstart mayor needed a ‘spanking.’” Lautenberg told the Philly Inquirer: "I have four children, I love each one of them. I can't tell [you] that one of them wasn't occasionally disrespectful, so I gave them a spanking and everything was OK.” But according to a new Quinnipiac poll, New Jersey Democratic voters prefer Booker over Lautenberg by 51%-30%, and a plurality say Lautenberg doesn’t deserve re-election. What’s more, And 71% think his age -- he’s 89 and will be 90 by the 2014 election -- “makes the work too difficult,” versus 21% who say it “gives him the wisdom and experience to do a good job.” The same Quinnipiac poll has Gov. Chris Christie with a whopping 74% job-approval rating.
*** 2016 watch: Rubio speaks to Chamber: Lastly today, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at 2:00 pm ET. The speech is on education and middle-class opportunity.
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Wouldn't it be More Productive if Our Elected Leaders Started Working Together as AMERICANS for AMERICANS and AMERICA, instead of just bickering, stalling and posturing for the next election as democrats and republicans! The American People have had it with this unproductive BS! The way that both parties having been operating for years just stinks! Neither party has really been looking out for the best interests of the US Citizens who elect them and who they're supposed to represent.
Both parties have sold out the bulk of the American citizens, who they're supposed to represent, by allowing the "out-sourcing" floodgates to open wider and wider without taking any sensible measures to stem the tide.
It shouldn't be all about Democrats or Republicans! It should be about Americans, especially our elected officials, doing the right thing for our country and its citizens. All the single-minded, left versus right, ideological one dimensional bull has got to go!
Both parties need to start working together and actually start doing something to fix the real problems in our country like "out-sourcing", illegal immigration, the out of control costs of health care insurance and our reliance on foreign fuel. If they don't start working together and actually start making progress by the next election, then American citizens should run a nation-wide campaign to vote out all incumbents regardless of party. Maybe then, they'll finally get the message.
The ONLY REAL FIX is to Raise Revenue, by Bringing Back Jobs to US Citizens who Pay Income Tax.
Massive cutting just puts more people on unemployment, which just depresses the economy even further.
Returning private sector jobs to American Citizens will provide income tax revenue to OUR Government versus our government having to pay unemployment benefits to those who would be jobless instead. We need our elected officials to Start Protecting American Jobs and do whatever it takes to bring back the jobs they let go. We need leaders who will actually stand up for the American people.
The bottom line is that “Our Government” has to protect domestic industry and the jobs that those industries provide. If they do that, the rest will take care of itself.
We may have to pay a bit more for products made here in the USA by US citizens, but at least we'll still have jobs and a future for our children.
Wouldn't it be more productive if both parties worked together as AMERICANS to draft bills that could be put up for a vote together, rather than each party trying to draft their own bills an just trying to pass them as Republicans or Democrats.
Bills drafted and proposed by members of both parties as AMERICANS, rather than as a Democrat's bill or Republican's bill, would be much more likely to pass and be much more likely to actually do some good. Or does that make too much sense?
WAY too much sense!
To me, the "Tea Party"/Republicans spend way too much time trashing the President. They blame him for everything back to the beginning of time. People are sick of hearing this whining and trashing of the President. I feel they need to focus on issues that will unite our country and move us forward. Ooops, I know, their number 1 objective is to get the President out of office!!!! For 4 years, I was bombarded by all this radical trash and thought that once the election was over that it would cease. WRONG..... I feel Republicans need to unite in a "saner" manner and focus on the issues and not one man.............
Please notice that Leftisfascist responds with name-calling, usually in the first sentence. I have it on IGNORE, so I cannot see what he says, but I wager the name-calling is flying from him...
I looked back at some of his older posts and notice that "LMAO" is another of his rant closings. He must have an indented @$$ from having laughed it off so many times!
Yes. The GOP will regroup just like i am sure General Custer and his men did before the bitter ending.
Indians? What Indians? I don't see any Indians!....................................oh THOSE Indians!
Judee...
Most of us agree with you, but there are still lots of bigots, haters, liars, and just plain losers who cannot stand that the GOP lost the White House to a man of color twice, that his popularity is at 55%, highest since bin Laden killed, stock market up, jobs being gained, and so much more.
America is blessed to have a great leader, despite what the right-wing wants to say!
BTW, looks like Leftisfascist went to his cave to lick his wounds.
GOP is going to regroup? Regroup for what?
Well, they can also try to repeal Obama care by taking another roll-call vote...it would only be the 34th.
Please notice that Leftisfascist responds with name-calling, usually in the first sentence. I have it on IGNORE, so I cannot see what he says, but I wager the name-calling is flying from him...
I looked back at some of his older posts and notice that "LMAO" is another of his rant closings. He must have an indented @$$ from having laughed it off so many times!
LIF does not know what the left is, nor does he know that Fascism is a right wing ideology.
He is busy trying to figure out which hand to wipe with today...left or right....I tried to explain to him once that most people use paper, but he could not understand.
LaPierre is apparently unaware that absolutism ALREADY is a word for extremism.
Maybe because the postions they hold are so extreme...ism.
Please notice that Leftisfascist responds with name-calling, usually in the first sentence. I have it on IGNORE, so I cannot see what he says, but I wager the name-calling is flying from him...
I looked back at some of his older posts and notice that "LMAO" is another of his rant closings. He must have an indented @$$ from having laughed it off so many times!
Leftisfacist is the poster child of why so many people are turned off by the Republican party....
Could not agree more!
Please notice that Leftisfascist responds with name-calling, usually in the first sentence. I have it on IGNORE, so I cannot see what he says, but I wager the name-calling is flying from him...
One thing about him that really stands out....he will never let a fact interfere with his rants and lies.
We should all click 'ignore' on the posters who profess either racist or violent views!
Don't feed the trolls!
The only way the repubs can 'regroup' is to get new members and dump the old, especially teabaggers.
The old-white-guy-panty-party boys with old fashioned views are not viable in the US today!
Can you spell I-G-N-O-R-E - now look it up in your dictionary.
Hispanic unemployment in Dec. 2012 was 9.6%.
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t03.htm
Black unemployment in Dec. 2012 was 14%
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t02.htm
Nowhere near close to 20%.
Please notice that Leftisfascist responds with name-calling, usually in the first sentence. I have it on IGNORE, so I cannot see what he says, but I wager the name-calling is flying from him...
One thing about him that really stands out....he will never let a fact interfere with his rants and lies.
There is one thing I admire about Lefty. He is reliable! Every hour,on the hour, he pulls on his boots, gets up, and goose-steps around the kitchen 5 times, calling out Sieg Heil as loud as he can. Then pulls off the boots, and goes back to posting his lunacy.
The REPUKES suck @!$%# like bottomfeeders. GET THEM OUT THEY ARE CRAZIES !!!!!!
There is one thing I admire about Lefty. He is reliable! Every hour,on the hour, he pulls on his boots, gets up, and goose-steps around the kitchen 5 times, calling out Sieg Heil as loud as he can. He has his right arm extended, palm down. Then pulls off the boots, and goes back to posting his lunacy.
Please notice that Leftisfascist responds with name-calling, usually in the first sentence. I have it on IGNORE, so I cannot see what he says, but I wager the name-calling is flying from him...
One thing about him that really stands out....he will never let a fact interfere with his rants and lies.
So, Hillary bitch slapped McCant? Lol!!! She would certainly make a fine President!
Hillary 2016/20
Boy! Did she ever....she listened while he cried and ranted...and then cleanly and crisply made a eunuch of him!
When Republican start to formulate their platform going forward, I think they have learned what mistakes they made in the last election.
1. Although Romney talked like a Conservative, he really isn't one. Republicans should make a clearer Conservative stance.
2. They have given minorities the impression that the GOP hates them. Republicans should stop being evasive about their hatred. It should be written in their platform in big bold letters: We Hate Minorities.
This is a much clearer message of their beliefs.
3. Republicans are constantly tiptoeing around their deeply held belief that this country should be a Christian Country. Again, the lack of clarity. They should say what they mean America should be a Theocracy.
4. Republicans say they believe that everyone should have the right to vote. In practice this is not how they behave. Their platform should state clearly Minorities and Liberals should not have the right to vote.
5. Equality under the law: Everyone should be equal under the law, wealthy people should be MORE EQUAL than the middle class and the poor.
6. Corporations are People, and since there is no doubt that their employees believe as the owners do, they should have one vote for every person they employ.
7. Stop being so timid about abortions. Since abortion is against Christian beliefs, a woman's health care choices should be made by the government, in concert with selected Bishops and Priests of course.
8. In every classroom, in every school, in every city, county and state, students will be led in Christian Prayer by a government employee, the teacher, before every class.
9. Republicans do not make it clear enough that they believe we should be constantly at war. As soon as one war ends, another must be started. After all, how else will Defense Contractors make billions.
10. Republican Candidates have been too elite and too intellectual. Future candidates should be illiterate, and unable to construct a complete sentence in the English Language. Possible candidates: Michelle Bachman, Sarah Palin, George W. Bush, Rick Perry.
Don't forget LIF...
Regroup? What for?
So, leftisfacist, You seem to know many things that are wrong with this country. Can you answer a question that no Republican seemed to be able to answer in the last election? What are your specific plans to improve our country. I feel that if one is not part of the solution then they are part of the problem.
Judee...
It is right on the hour....his goose-stepping time....
In my experience, Lefty doesn't answer questions. He's a flame thrower!
Yup...
He cannot stand the pressure....
The country has fully lost trust in GOP, maybe half their trust in Dems but that comes from dems trusting repubs too much from 2001-9 after 9/11 and letting them have total control at least through 2006 and almost ever since then with their filibustering, Citizens United (fascism booster), and gerrymandering. Of course I can't blame dems totally for that, the repubs are the best liars on earth and probably could fool anyone for a while.
GOP is a joke, they have become the laughingstock of not only America but the world.
Be careful, please, you do not want to taking away Leftisfascists talking points. It is just after the top of the hour, he should have his boots on, a on his way goose-stepping.
When he gets done he will need to brush his tooth.
good one Say!
Lefty just called...
His left nutjob boot heel (the one with the big steel taps on it) got caught in a crack in his floor.
He said the RIGHT one is never a problem, but the LEFT one gives him fits.
<i>"What’s more, the 2014 midterm season looks potentially bright for the GOP, given the Democratic Senate seats that are up next year and given that the Obama coalition of voters isn’t as likely to participate in elections when the president’s name isn’t at the top of the ticket."</i>
If your trying to imply that Democratic voters will be slackers 2016 because Obama won't be on the ballot, I think you should rethink your position. As I recall, you also thought Romney was going to be triumphant last November and, as you've also mentioned in this column today, you were wrong about the resounding victory you expected in the Israeli elections yesterday.
If the GOP doesn't rethink their war on women, reign in their jingoism and forgo their extreme ideology that more guns are the answer to the violence overtaking our country, (you know, the More Guns, More Better logic) the Democratic voters will certainly turn out in droves to defeat them.
Now I wasn't born yesterday. I'm fully aware that time marches on and things can change, but another thing you're overlooking is the fact that there's a good possibility Hillary will run for POTUS. If you think we'll stay home and not vote for her, then you REALLY have lost the pulse of the country.
I agree. It's really hard to figure out where that came from. And, just like before, the right and the media is underestimating us. As long as the right continues to support the gun lobby, stonewall economic progress, ignore minorities and treat women as less than human, I would say that this is the beginning of something way, way, larger, and something they may find they didn't see coming and cannot stop.
I'd expect a sizable Democratic turnout in 2014 for two reasons ~ Democrats could lose the Senate with an anemic voter turnout while it could gain the House with a robust one. I dare say the DNC will hammer those facts home and I also expect Pres. Obama to be very active in rallying the Democratic turnout. He may not be running but a Democratic majority in congress could be extremely beneficial for his second term agenda. Unless Republicans can actually 'regroup' and end the internal fighting, they could be in for some troubles in November 2014. Many House districts are gerrymandered to favor GOP candidates but the party still has to rely on "likely" voters. If Democrats rise to the challenge, they can overwhelm the GOP in numbers even in some of the most heavily Republican districts. Should be fun ~ nobody is safe in 2014.
Lefty is really having a problem with that boot! He pulled and pulled and simply ended up with his hoof in his mouth!
As soon as he pulls the hoof out he promised to start some new nonsense, lies, tripe, and name-calling!
***USATODAY.com Breaking News***
The House approved, 285-144, a bill to extend the nation's debt limit through May 18 to avert default and buy more time for budget negotiations.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the Senate will pass it and send it to President Obama. The White House already announced the president will sign it when it reaches his desk.
The Republicans keep caving!
Want a little cheese to go with your whine, Say What?
Pigotry---You've got it exactly right. The Constitution says that only Congress can levy taxes and spend money. Not the Executive branch. The President has to wheedle Congress to fund what he knows is vital for the country. So to say that the President is the one who is spending too much money is inaccurate. Those of you who yowl about knowing what's in the Constitution should actually read it instead of listening to Fox, et al. Oh--and you lost, twice!
Clinton Erupts Over Libya: 'What
Difference at This Point Does It Make?'
This was her initial response to McCain, who sat with his lower jaw in his lap! LOL!
What a pleasant surprise. Neat avatar. Good charicture!. Love it!
Somebody vandalized mine......LOL.
Thanks....I love it...Leftisfascist does not! LOL!
So the GOP is going to regroup to figure out how to fool us into thinking they're going to change their message to rebuild their brand. They will change nothing except the wording. They will simple stop talking about their social agenda, and that's a form of lying. They will never, ever change their policies as long as the Teabagers rule. They know that they will never win a presidential election if it's fair and square. They have to cheat to win. That's why they are in the states trying to make a GOP vote worth more than a Democratic vote. They want to decide who wins by how many districts in a state a party wins instead of how many votes a candidate wins. This makes some votes worth more than other votes. That's probably not Constitutional, anyway.