Morning Briefing for April 30, 2009
1. Barack Obama: King of Strawmen
Through it all he created enough straw men that ACORN could spend the next year and not get them all registered to vote.
2. Are Republicans Finally Uniting?
All the major players are on board for uniting the message
3. I guess Obama knows about the Tea Parties *now*.
“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.” - M. Gandhi
4. It’s Not About Forcing Out a Moderate
It’s About Arlen Specter’s History of Assault on Republicans.
5. Blackballing Toomey and Hating DeMint
In which I am forced to disagree with a whole heap of guys far smarter than myself and who I greatly admire.
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1. Barack Obama: King of Strawmen
Through it all he created enough straw men that ACORN could spend the next year and not get them all registered to vote.
Barack Obama, oddly cast in orange makeup, was asked tonight about water boarding and said he thought water boarding was torture, but kept going back to referring to them as “enhanced interrogation techniques.”
He patently refused to answer whether members of the prior administration should be prosecuted. Of interest, he took the bait by saying that he will be judged on how safe he keeps the American people. Through it all he created enough straw men that ACORN could spend the next year and not get them all registered to vote.
With plans to release prisoners from GTMO, bring some of them to the United States, release the names of CIA officers and others who structured the War on Terror, and undermine key efforts to gather information in the war — which we will no longer call a war — we’re going to keep this sound bite on file.
Most interesting of all, during this press conference, Obama continued to rely on the Teleprompter, though morphed into a large screen television with a huge carbon footprint. Likewise, Obama continued to go through a pre-cleared list of reporters who got to ask questions.
With a nice summation of his first 100 days excluding a willingness to admit his stimulus package and budget have had anything at all to do with a massive growth in the deficit, we have learned nothing new tonight other than Obama has a terrible make up artist.
The funniest part? Obama used the word “consistent” to describe his position on abortion. In fact, it is the only position thus far that has not come with an expiration date. Of course, with a smile he said the “Freedom of Choice Act” was not his highest legislative prior. That’s not what he said on the campaign trail.
I can’t watch any more — but 45 minutes in, I’m pretty sure Major Garrett from Fox News will not get to ask a question despite representing the largest cable news network on earth — larger than CNN and MSNBC combined.
2. Are Republicans Finally Uniting?
All the major players are on board for uniting the message
Not waiting for the RNC to lead, House, Senate, and Gubernatorial Republicans have decided to unite and form a new organization to speak with one message. It is very similar to that which Haley Barbour did in 1993-1994. In fact, Haley Barbour is involved in this effort.
Called the National Council For A New America, Congressional Republicans tell me they “hope that it will form the foundation of a concerted, policy-based forum to listen to, partner with, and empower the American people with ideas and solutions that speak directly to the needs of our great nation.” It is not, interestingly enough, a fund raising vehicle.
More importantly, the major players intend to get all the big players and big egos in the same room and on the same page to combat Obama with one voice. Hopefully that will last. While they are trying to cast it as bipartisan, I don’t think anyone is going to treat it that way. What people should see is Republicans recognizing the precariousness of their position and that they are committed to doing something about it.
That Bobby JIndal, Haley Barbour, Mitt Romney, and Jeb Bush have all signed on should be very encouraging to very many people.
3. I guess Obama knows about the Tea Parties *now*.
“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.” - M. Gandhi
Because he’s sounding just a little bit self-conscious on the subject:
Obama targets tea bags at town hall
At his 100th-day town hall meeting in St. Louis Wednesday, President Barack Obama took direct aim at the anti-tax “tea party” demonstrations that have cropped up over the last month and took a veiled shot at the Fox News Channel, the cable news network closely associated with the protests.
[snip]
“Those of you who are watching certain news channels on which I’m not very popular, and you see folks waving tea bags around, Obama said, “let me just remind them that I am happy to have a serious conversation about how we are going to cut our health care costs down over the long term, how we are going to stabilize Social Security.”
He’s not really all that gracious when it comes to dealing with people that don’t already love him, is he? Kind of smirky, with a faint flavor of exasperation. But perhaps I’m just being mean and cynical: if you really want to have a conversation on our financial situation, Mr. President, that’d be great.
4. It’s Not About Forcing Out a Moderate
It’s About Arlen Specter’s History of Assault on Republicans.
Virtually everyone agrees that Arlen Specter left the Republican Party in a completely selfish, hypocritical and unprincipled effort to save his own political hide in the face of opposition from a principled conservative who has a proven ability to win votes in Pennsylvania. The only question seems to be, why did this happen?
Some want to blame Toomey, the Club for Growth, Jim DeMint and others who have advocated a return to fundamental conservative principles by Republicans. Erick counters that well (or see below). But for those of us who really know how things work in the Senate, the answer is much more simple: Arlen Specter turned his guns on his own “friends” a few times too often…
Arlen Specter has long been a thorn in the side of Senate Republicans – and many of his antics are well known, be it voting against the confirmations of eventual colleague Jeff Sessions (for District Judge) and Robert Bork (Supreme Court), or his odd invocation of Scottish law in his vote of “not proved” during the Clinton impeachment trial. Still more people will point to his recent vote on the so-called stimulus bill and his massive spending proclivities as an Appropriator. All points are well taken.
But the damage done by Specter goes far deeper than this and has stayed largely off the radar screen of most close observers, much less most Americans. In his tenure as Chairman, and now ranking Republican member, of the Senate Judiciary Committee – Arlen Specter has employed marginal and often liberal staff, drained resources that could have been used by more productive conservative members of the Committee, refused to fight the liberal agenda of Patrick Leahy – often endorsing it, promoted legislation counter to Republican principles, and failed to defend President Bush’s nominees when the camera was not on him.
5. Blackballing Toomey and Hating DeMint
In which I am forced to disagree with a whole heap of guys far smarter than myself and who I greatly admire.
I, for one, have no problem with a big tent. I welcome Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe. I welcome Rudy Giuliani. I’m fine with Charlie Crist as long as he stays where he is because a real conservative could actually win the Florida Senate seat. I’m fine with John McCain.
I think most Republicans and most conservatives realize we are never going to have a majority without tolerating a certain number of more liberal party members in areas that have decided to shut out conservatives for one reason or another.
But here’s the thing: if you are going to wring your hands, save it for someone worthwhile. If you can get worked up about Lincoln Chaffee or Arlen Specter you’ve lost your moorings.
Exactly what good does it do for the Republican Party, which has a serious credibility problem right now with voters over losing its way, to keep in positions of power those people who caused us to lose our way? As much as someone like John McCain is an annoyance, Arlen Specter has actively worked to undermine not conservatives, but Republicans, on a host of issues from judges to spending. Ask any rank and file Judiciary Committee staffer just how good Arlen was at fighting for the GOP.
Here’s the other thing that gets me. All these guys having coronaries because Jim DeMint dared to be principled and all these guys who are convinced that Pat Toomey cannot win are some of the brightest guys I know. But they are being pretty lame on this.
Last I checked the calendar, November 2010 is well over 400 days away. A hell of a lot can happen between now and then. Everyone tends to get in their academic bubble of present polling trends and states in play and then ignore one word, “events.” Events can work against us and can work for us. Historically, events work against the party in charge, which helps us. By November 2010, Pennsylvania may be clamoring for a Pat Toomey.
One thing I know for sure is this: no one will be clamoring for a Republican Party in November 2010 that has not found its way back to fiscal discipline. And the GOP is incapable of finding its way back with Arlen Specter in senior leadership. The GOP lost because the public no longer trusted it. The party had decided to barter away people’s freedom to the highest bidder and no longer stood for any sort of principles other than holding on to power. A party that stands for nothing does not stand.
Throwing Jim DeMint under the bus for not being a team player and crying that Arlen Specter left us when he was never really with us to begin with gets the Republican Party no where on the road back to the majority.
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