Home > Jay Bookman > Archives > 2008 > October > 23 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USGOP establishment needs to be defeated
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Republican Party is lashing back at its presidential nominee for his frankness about George W. Bush and congressional Republicans.
According to Mike Allen of Politico, “The Republican establishment is beginning to express long-suppressed exasperation with the McCain pirate ship. In an early-morning phone call to Playbook, one of the most senior Republican strategists in the land warns the McCain campaign after reading the WashTimes interview:
“Lashing out at past Republican Congresses instead of Pelosi and Reid, and echoing your opponent’s attacks on you instead of attacking your opponent, and spending 150,000 hard dollars on designer clothes when congressional Republicans are struggling for money, and when your senior campaign staff are blaming each other for the loss in The New York Times [Magazine] 10 days before the election, you’re not doing much to energize your supporters.
The fact is, when you’re the party standard-bearer, you have an obligation to fight to the finish. I think they can still win. But if they don’t think that, they need to look at how Bob Dole finished out his campaign in 1996 and not try to take down as many Republicans with them as they can. Instead of campaigning in Electoral College states, Dole was campaigning in places he knew he didn’t have a chance to beat Clinton, but where he could energize key House and Senate races. I think you’ll find these sentiments shared by MANY of my fellow Republican strategists.”
The Republican establishment, in other words, has not learned its lesson and still clings to the belief that its policies are wise and its ideology correct. They don’t want to change. They see no reason to change. They still believe they have the support of the American people. And that’s always been part of the problem with McCain’s candidacy.
To some degree, McCain does have maverick inclinations. To some degree, he does “get it” about the collapse of the GOP world view.
But if elected president, McCain would be a captive of the same party apparatus that created and protected Bush, a fact he has confirmed in the way he has run this campaign. He chose Sarah Palin not because she was most qualified or even qualified at all, but to placate the GOP base. He embraced the Bush tax cuts he once rejected as unfairly tilted toward the rich. He publicly kissed the ring of Jerry Falwell, the man he once described as an agent of intolerance. And the pool of Washington Republicans he would draw from to man his administration would be the same pool of Republicans that filled the Bush administration. Nothing would change.
Nothing.
Libertarian Radley Balko, writing in Reason, reaches the same conclusion in a piece headlined “Why the Republicans Must Lose.”
“First, they had their shot at holding power, and they failed. They’ve failed in staying true to their principles of limited government and free markets. They’ve failed in preventing elected leaders of their party from becoming corrupted by the trappings of power, and they’ve failed to hold those leaders accountable after the fact. Congressional Republicans failed to rein in the Bush administration’s naked bid to vastly expand the power of the presidency (a failure they’re going to come to regret should Obama take office in January). They failed to apply due scrutiny and skepticism to the administration’s claims before undertaking Congress’ most solemn task—sending the nation to war. I could go on.
As for the Bush administration, the only consistent principle we’ve seen from the White House over the last eight years is that of elevating the American president (and, I guess, the vice president) to that of an elected dictator. That isn’t hyperbole. This administration believes that on any issue that can remotely be tied to foreign policy or national security (and on quite a few other issues as well), the president has boundless, limitless, unchecked power to do anything he wants. They believe that on these matters, neither Congress nor the courts can restrain him.
That’s the second reason the GOP needs to lose. American voters need to send a clear, convincing repudiation of these dangerous ideas….. Big-government conservatism has bloated the federal government, bogged us down in what will ultimately be a trillion-dollar war, and set us down the road to European-style socialism. It’s hard to think of how Obama could be worse. He’ll just be bad in different way.”
I’m struck by the fact that so many Republicans absolutely refuse to believe that the American people would elect Barack Obama as president. It is utterly inconceivable to them, and that disbelief is the source of much of the anger you see at McCain-Palin rallies. They have been fed a distorted, twisted idea of what this nation is all about, and only a resounding rejection of their approach at the voting booth can force them to “true up” their image of America with reality.
Comments
By Mrs. Godzilla
October 23, 2008 1:26 PM | Link to this
CAN I GET A BIG AMEN TO THAT BROTHERS AND SISTERS!
By E
October 23, 2008 1:33 PM | Link to this
AMEN, SISTER!
I listen to McCain/Palin, and their speeches are full of ‘be afraid,’ ‘be suspicious,’ ‘watch out for …,’ and ‘they aren’t like us.’
I listen to Obama/Biden, and hear words of hope, encouragement to stand up and be proud without that pride being at the expense of others, and that we are all Americans.
Obama/Biden ‘08
By tcoach
October 23, 2008 1:34 PM | Link to this
See this I do not understand. One would think you would praise McCain for his differing from the party line. But No your interest to do whatever and write whatever for the Obama Campaign allows you only bitterness toward anything Republican. You are like the worst of racist or bigots. You think all of a group must fall into YOUR idea iof that group. Jay you know nothing about me but I fear if I told you I was republican you would judge me in unjust ways. You would be doing so only on your need to promote Obama and any democrate.
The democrates and you have went after McCain for being another 4 years and calling him McBush. Then he comes out with a statement against some of those policies and you then tell him why he should not make them, or why he is not credible becaue of his past actions. Which by the way you used a personal opinion and stated as fact. You do not know for any amount of certainty why he chose Palin.
Guess he poked some holes in the Bush theory you pushed so hard and now you change to say nope too late and all republicans are bad. Why?
By RW-(the original)
October 23, 2008 1:35 PM | Link to this
After two years of Karl Marx as President and a filibuster proof Democrat Senate the country will be unrecognizable and probably beyond saving, but hey at least you got Republicans to “true up” their image.
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I left this down below, but it’s important.
If you’re running Windows XP be sure to go to Windows Update this afternoon for an emergency security patch.
By Midori
October 23, 2008 1:36 PM | Link to this
Mrs. G and E: Great trip down memory lane here
By Midori
October 23, 2008 1:39 PM | Link to this
RW,
what’s the deal with that security patch?
By bdatlanta
October 23, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this
tcoach. McCain differing from the party line?
Me thinks you speak of the old Johnny Mac. This is the new Johnny Mac. They aren’t the same person. McCain has jettisoned all self respect this year. He is a shell of what he once was.
At least Obama doesn’t have to change his entire persona to get elected.
I love the picture of McC snuggling up in the arm pit of his daddy. Jeez, where did you go Johnny Mac?
By RW-(the original)
October 23, 2008 1:45 PM | Link to this
Midori,
Nobody seems to know, but Microsoft doesn’t release these things off schedule like this unless it’s something that is already being exploited.
By Taxpayer
October 23, 2008 1:48 PM | Link to this
You have a big, really big, AMEN from me. Bush is just so wrapped up in himself that he apparently cannot see what he is or has become — a danger to these United States. As for the Republican Party, we are past that time to once again replace it with a new and “improved” version — perhaps the Libertarian or Constitution Party or something else? The Republican Party as it now stands is one of principled hatred and pandered votes — it’s just plain ugly.
By Midori
October 23, 2008 1:48 PM | Link to this
See this I do not understand.
what else is new?
By E
October 23, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this
Midori at 1:36,
OMG, that was wonderful! Ron, Andy and Henry ROCK!
Have you seen this? Obama in Richmond, VA yesterday: There are no “real” parts of the country and “fake” parts of the country. It is AWESOME!
(http://crooksandliars.com/node/23572)
Obama/Biden ‘08
By RW-(the original)
October 23, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this
At least Obama doesn’t have to change his entire persona to get elected
That’s hysterical. General election Obama doesn’t even resemble primary season Obama. At least until he let the mask slip when he wandered into Joe the Plumber’s driveway.
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My apologies Jay and this will be the last mention of this, but the emergency security patch also affects you if you’re on Windows 2000 or Server 2003.
By Mrs. Godzilla
October 23, 2008 1:54 PM | Link to this
MIDORI
Thanks for that great link.
I have sent it everywhere!
Now I wonder….Ernest T. Bass - Obama or McCain? Or Charlene Darling?
By tcoach
October 23, 2008 2:00 PM | Link to this
bdatlanta, So you are saying McCain is lying now?
It sounds like you heard the Obama campaign say that McCain is Bush that you yourself began to believe it. Look at the records. McCain has consistanly went across party lines. While there is no solid, consistant showing from Obama to do the same.
You cannot listen to what politicians say in an election year. Look at their record.
They ALL lie. Look at the record. Of course I understand not wanting to do that as it is not as favorable for your chosen candidate.
By "The Corporal"
October 23, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this
HURRICAN Obama is coming. Be prepared to watch the righteous winds spread YOUR wealth around.
No whining when it happens ………
By AmVet
October 23, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this
Mr. Bookman, it is gratifying to see not just Democrats, but Libertarians, moderates, centrists, greens, disgusted and willing-to-change Republicans themselves and Nader’s Independent Party excoriate this self-hijacked Republican Party.
I contend that George Walker Bush, Richard Bruce Cheney and Karl Christian Rove et al have taken the most sacred document in human history, the United States Constitution, and practically wiped their fat arses with it.
They have put an honorable man, unlike themselves, Senator John McCain in a hopeless no-win situation.
They, nor their petulant, incorrigible “base”, ever wanted him as their candidate.
And it appears that these old and dying neo-con dogs will never, ever change their ways or learn from their countless mistakes.
Therefore the GOP has no choice left.
A new vanguard of young, decent Republicans must cast off these frauds and bunglers. They must reinvent the party and return to the pre-Reagan principles of reasonableness, sacrifice and integrity.
But where are they?
The many young, battle-tested Democrats, though still floundering along with an awful leadership, seem to have at least begun this journey.
But I fear for the once Grand Old Party, it is going to take a long, long time…
By Shawny
October 23, 2008 2:03 PM | Link to this
Note to Bookman and any other D.A.s out there…. Bush isn’t running in 2008. As much as you want to keep him the focus, it just isn’t so. McCain is not Bush, nor does he and Bush see eye to eye on many many issues. Poor McCain just didn’t make this clear in his talks.
As far as tossing out the ‘establishment’, yes, it is true that they need to go. ALL OF THEM. Including dems that are way to entrenched to actually be providing public ‘service’, such as Frank, Murtha, Durbin, Biden, Kerry, etc. Limiting it to GOP establishment is simply more of your partisan crap.
A couple of days back, Booko has a stupid blog regarding Queda in favor of McCain. Even Lucko the Clown doodles the same today. Well, Iran is in favor of Obama, for what it is worth (and it isn’t worth anything, nor was the previous gab).
By joey
October 23, 2008 2:04 PM | Link to this
More and more of the same-old, same-old fodder for the herd from Jay Blogman.
Yawn!
By Shawny
October 23, 2008 2:05 PM | Link to this
Anyone ignorant of how the business world actually works can easily be sucked in to this Obamamania. It all sounds good, but isn’t really practical when you pick apart the math. Another piece of how Obamanomics will kill small business, the engine of growth in America
By No presidential vote for me
October 23, 2008 2:06 PM | Link to this
“It’s hard to think of how Obama could be worse. He’ll just be bad in different way.”
That’s why neither of these losers - one’s a fascist, the other’s a marxist (or is it leninist, can’t decide) - gets my vote.
By "The Corporal"
October 23, 2008 2:09 PM | Link to this
I guess these two items that everyone ignored yesterday were too tough for you liberals??
By “The Corporal”
October 22, 2008 9:17 PM | Link to this
1) Washington Post
Media Notes Study: Coverage of McCain Much More Negative Than That of Obama By Howard Kurtz
“Media coverage of John McCain has been heavily unfavorable since the political conventions, more than three times as negative as the portrayal of Barack Obama, a new study says.
Fifty-seven percent of the print and broadcast stories about the Republican nominee were decidedly negative, the Project for Excellence in Journalism says in a report out today, while 14 percent were positive. The McCain campaign has repeatedly complained that the mainstream media are biased toward the senator from Illinois.”
2) Meridian Magazine Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn On the Lights? By Orson Scott Card
Editor’s note: Orson Scott Card is a Democrat and a newspaper columnist, and in this opinion piece he takes on both while lamenting the current state of journalism.
http://www.ldsmag.com/ideas/081017light.html
JAY: #2 IS REQUIRED READING FOR YOU
By TW
October 23, 2008 2:11 PM | Link to this
This ‘differing’ on the party line is a bit of a joke. I’m supposed to pat McSame on the back when he breaks from this party to do the right thing? The GOP wanted to send all the ‘illegals’ back home in shipping containers, but McSame’s a good guy because he doesn’t go along with it?
Hooray for McSame - he’s not a selfish child ALL the time…
By E
October 23, 2008 2:17 PM | Link to this
My heart yearns to have a literate and intelligent President that actually cares for us worker bees.
How wonderful to return to a time when we can look up to our President, we can be confident our President knows more about current affairs than the average Joe, and is no longer an embarrassment.
Is our long national nightmare finally coming to an end? I can barely remember what it is like to have a thoughtful leader in the White House, not to mention one who has so much charisma and sincerity.
Obama/Biden ‘08
By tcoach
October 23, 2008 2:25 PM | Link to this
TW with my comments I am certainly not saying applaud mediocrity. But am I wrong or has the rally cry and reason some have given for their vote not been that McCain and Bush are the same. Yet when he goes against and denounces what the administration and leadership have done in his party, some choose to then attack him for that.
I understand wanting your guy to win but you seem void of ethics if you claim one thing then when discredited do not offer any retraction remarks, instead continue and accuse, the senator of lying or being too late.
Seems liberals have a tough time admitting they are wrong, kinda how Griffin from CNN drastically and intentionally misquoted a column by Byron York in the National Review. Still No apology or retraction from CNN.
It is a sign of strength not weakness to be able to admit fault
By Booger
October 23, 2008 2:26 PM | Link to this
“Anyone ignorant of how the business world actually works can easily be sucked in to this Obamamania. It all sounds good, but isn’t really practical when you pick apart the math,” Shawny says.
Yeah, that Warren Buffett, he’s real ignorant of how the business world works. He’s terrible at math too, which is a problem when he has to try to count all those billions he has earned.
By joey
October 23, 2008 2:28 PM | Link to this
After 7+ years of repeatedly attacking Bush, Jay’s brain is train to make his fingers type Bush. It will be a difficult task for him to retrain that brain to make the fingers type McCain or Palin after January’s inaugeration. I foresee cramps and frustration. But he will have two months to make the transition.
By "The Corporal"
October 23, 2008 2:28 PM | Link to this
To E
Was Clinton an embarassment to you because he know a lot about affairs, like in the workplace, like with a very young subordinate employee under his supervision ?
I would have been fired for that.
By TW
October 23, 2008 2:30 PM | Link to this
tcoach - feel sorry for you - really, I do.
I was in your shoes, once upon a time, and I was told that I ‘didn’t support the troops.’
Make no mistake about it - the rightwing set this table.
By Abomi Nation
October 23, 2008 2:39 PM | Link to this
“Bush isn’t running in 2008.”
You wish!!
Just because he is hiding on the sidelines doesn’t mean he’s not there. Our current Republican President is living in semi-seclusion. His current approval (Gallup/Oct) is 25%
This same Republican President issued NO vetoes during his first 6 years. This partnership between the Republican President and Republican Congress is what McCain was running away from. Republicans laid the foundation for the current disaster we’re in. You can’t just pretend Bush and the Republican Congress never happened.
Now we have McCain running towards the disaster, instead of away from it. The Palin pick reminded everyone why we hate the old regime so much.
You can’t hide Bush.
By "The Corporal"
October 23, 2008 4:45 PM | Link to this
Heard this today ……….
Robbing Peter to pay Paul makes Paul a good supporter.
By @@
October 23, 2008 5:07 PM | Link to this
Hewoah! jay’s sitting on another pole upstairs.
By Paul
October 23, 2008 5:13 PM | Link to this
[[The Republican establishment, in other words, has not learned its lesson and still clings to the belief that its policies are wise and its ideology correct. They don’t want to change.
The Republican Party is lashing back at its presidential nominee for his frankness about George W. Bush and congressional Republicans.]]
First thought: then who is the real candidate of change from the traditional power base of the Party? You seem to head that off with what you wrote about how he would be ‘a captive of the party apparatus.’ Another view – he used the power base to get nominated. No difference from Obama – I think that’s the lesson of his early Chicago associations, then on through the MoveOn/DailyKos/rich donor/ultraleft power brokers agreements to get himself associated from the pack of the also-rans.
Now he’s the nominee, his response to questions about those folks is essentially “who?” As Krauthamer wrote in his Oct 10 column, “Obama and Friends: Judge Not?”
“They tell us two important things about Obama.
First, his cynicism and ruthlessness. He found these men useful, and use them he did. “
I noted earlier I rather think these are fine qualities in a President, particularly when pursuing American interests. All you disenchanted friends looking for an inexperienced president who wants to be ‘friends’ again: watch out.
If one disagrees with that, then the flip side is he does agree with and will pursue the agenda of those groups. Then, who is the candidate who’s the captive of the party apparatus?
RW-(the original)
Thanks for the Windows notice earlier -
By Abomi Nation
October 23, 2008 5:25 PM | Link to this
Jay don’t forget the role the new conservative blogger has played in the destruction of the conservative establishment. The conservative blogger crowed early about how they were changing the political world and would be a new force in the world of politics.
The conservative bloggers were right there in perfect sync with the Republican propaganda machine “leading the way.” When teamed up with fake conservative journalists like Jeff Guckert Gannon the new media stooges pumped up the Bush myth real good.
We keep waiting for them to be right about something.
Now they keep saying “Trust me, vote for McCain.”
You’ve got to be kidding! You conservative bloggers have been wrong more than Bush.
“Trust me,” they say, LMAO!
By Kev the Electrician
October 24, 2008 1:12 PM | Link to this
$150K and the pants suit still don’t fit. You repugs just can’t admit Palin is the wrong choice, an air-head is an air-head no matter how you dress it up. Speaking of killing small business, I don’t see any doing too well right now…. the $10 billion a week spent in Iraq would go along way to solving the economic crisis here. Oh, you do remember the lies the current administration told us!!! Wasn’t this war supposed to be funded with Iraqi oil profits? Instead we’re paying record prices at the pump and big oil is racking up record quarterly profits. Keep tuning into the Fox Opinion Network for your news and you’ll be a fool 3 times
By Steegs
October 24, 2008 4:19 PM | Link to this
To all of you Dem’s out there…Do you really want to become a socialist government? Because if Obama gets in office that is what we are headed for. And to those of you who see Palin as a bad choice, c’mon, he picked her becasue she is one of us. She sees things the way we do. The woman is not even close to an air head. Of course a person is not going to sound smart when you ask questions about stuff you know nothing about. Oh, and another thing, you guys need to open yours eyes…I can see why some christians are calling Obama the anitchrist. If you believe in the Bible maybe you should open it up and read it a little. I believe it goes a little something like this “He would come from nowhere, be virtually unknown, be slight of toungue, be very karasmatic, groups of hundreds would flock to see him, and no matter what evidence is brought against him no one will believe it.” Does any of that sound even remotely familiar to you people? Even I understand why McCain is coming out with some of these ads. You call them negative, I would call them need know, because we do. How can you even trust someone who has ties with so much bad? I just can’t. We don’t need more government we need less. And to be honest I don’t want my hard earned money to go to all those programs Obama is presenting, you know those on wellfare. I am all for the government helping those who really need it, but the majority of those people could get out and get jobs they just choose not to, because they are lazy. I am for helping single mothers too, but not a single mother who sleeps around and has five kids by five different daddies. We have traded religion in for government, do any of you see the problem with that? No wonder our country has gone to crap, we have turned our backs on everything this country was founded on.
By Eleutheria
October 27, 2008 5:02 PM | Link to this
Nice opinion article. Those of us who are not Americans and yet lose sleep over who gets to helm the economy of the US (i.e. practically the whole world), hope you are right.