FreedomWorks CEO says it’s ‘a real possibility’ Republican Party may split in two (via Raw Story )
The CEO of the nearly bankrupt tea party PAC FreedomWorks, Matt Kibbe believes that the Republican Party is facing “a real possibility” of a schism within its ranks. According to Talking Points Memo, Kibbe made the remarks in an interview with CSPAN…
The only individual in Congress who may be able to broker a peace between the establish GOP and the Tea Party is Rand Paul.
ReplyDeleteNonsense. No way they split. Kabuki.
ReplyDeleteThe Republican Establishment is in a tough spot. The current makeup of the House GOP, the same band that almost brought us to default, is probably the most reflective of where the Republican electorate is at ideologically in a very long time. The reason the moderates and the Establishment Rep politicians are rapidly losing influence is because there are just straight up fewer moderate Republicans in the populace overall than there were 20-30 years ago. They're doing what their voters want. That their voters want these things at all is the real problem that needs to be addressed.
ReplyDeleteThe Democrats also almost brought us to default. If you believe this was only a Republican thing then you are sorely wrong...and being duped besides.
ReplyDelete@Malmo
ReplyDeleteI'm not one with any deep abiding love for the Democratic Party, but I'm curious as to what you think they could or should have done differently given the situation?
Matt, the more extreme the GOP becomes the more they lose for a variety of reasons. For example, Ted Cruz is the "anointed one" in more ways than one. He was not only anointed in his father's church as the dominionist king but he has also been anointed by Jim DeMint as the standard bearer of the Tea Party/ultra conservative wing of the GOP. That is sure to drive off more moderate people for whom religion is a factor directly or indirectly.
ReplyDeleteAs the GOP moves further right it is going to be more and more difficult to hold the coalition together. They already burned down the big tent. Now the are burning down little tents on the periphery as they take greater control of the party apparatus.
I don't see how they think this is a winning strategy long-term.
Right Tom usually it is run to the extreme in the primary and to the center in the general...
ReplyDeleteGOP seems to be in a constant "primary mode"... so it is all hard right all the time now... all the GOP POTUS hopefuls are trying to appeal to the hard right crazies like they are already in a primary...
Romney f-ed up when he went with Ryan imo... he should have went more moderate to try to scalp a few % of the "economic justice" Christians from the Dems and he probably pulls it off in the general...
The best the GOP can come up with while alienating the complete economic justice Christian cohort is high 40's for right now... that is a guaranteed loser...
rsp,
As they get more and more extreme, it becomes harder and harder to run to the center after the primary is over. The base wants purists and really doesn't care if they lose as long as the toe the line. I don't see someone like Sarah Palin running to the center and she didn't in McCain-Palin, possibly costing McCain the presidency. I don't see Ted Cruz doing that either and he is now the champion of the extremists, at least those who aren't mad at him for caving in the end and not blocking the Senate unanimity on passage of the CR ending the shutdown and raising in the debt ceiling to avoid default.
ReplyDeleteRand Paul tried to have it both ways, and I think probably pleased few as a result. Looks wishy-washy.
"Rand Paul tried to have it both ways, and I think probably pleased few as a result. Looks wishy-washy."
ReplyDeleteTom - Politico has a different take on it.....
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/rand-paul-shows-softer-side-during-shutdown-98495_Page2.html
However, the comments section suggests polarization
All these need some serious good sex, living repressed all your life must not be mentally healthy.
ReplyDeleteIn so much need of a hug, poor guys.
ROFLMAO
ReplyDeleteEd, as the Politico article notes, Paul is playing a long game and Cruz short. Cruz is wooing the rabid base and Paul is trying to look like a pragmatic, solutions-oriented guy (Very Serious Person with enough gravitas to be president), and Cruz is going for the GOP presidential nomination and the true conservative standard bearer who won't back down or flip-flop.
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't think Cruz has a shot at that at this point, it's looking likely that either Paul or Cruz could the Palin of 2016 as the Vice Presidential candidate to bring the extreme base along.
Jeb Bush could well emerge as the presidential nominee. If he decides to run, he'll command a huge war chest, and it's looking now like he is consider 2016 seriously. Whoever gets the GOP nomination, however, is not likely to make McCain's mistake in VP selection. He was poorly advised. If it's Bush, he won't be poorly advised.
"Jeb Bush could well emerge as the presidential nominee."
ReplyDeleteWould have been a good choice in 2000 instead of his brother George Bush, but now I think there is still way too much Bush fatigue. Christie more likely than Jeb Bush, but either way I think they will run into more competition from Rand Paul in uniting the fractured GOP than from Ted Cruz.
Presidential campaign boil down to money and recognition. Ted Cruz is hardly known by the electorate and most people first finding out about him don't like him, other than Tea Partiers, don't like him much. Rand Paul is a relative newcomer although he has name recognition through his father. They both have some donor support, both grassroots and a some big money, but the Bush name and connection far outweigh Cruz and Paul, if Jeb chooses to run. I think that there is going to be a lot of pressure on him to do so by the GOP Establishment, which is fed up with the monster it created beginning with Nixon's Southern strategy — which has morphed into the Tea Party insurgents that threaten to throw out the Establishment. But the really big bucks are with the Establishment, and if they decide to crush the insurgents, which seems to be in the works since the insurgents don't seem to be willing to compromise, they have the resources to make a good go of it. I doubt they would have much trouble swiftboating either Cruz or Paul.
ReplyDeleteNow that the insurgents led by Cruz are denouncing the Establishment and threatening primaries for anyone not towing the line, together with the Chamber of Commerce leading the Establishment charge, it seems that there is now a civil war brewing in what's left of the big tent, and Reagan's eleventh commandment of never criticizing another Republican went out the window long ago.
It's looking pretty clear that politicians in the GOP are going to have to choose side instead of sitting on the fence and playing it safe by holding their cards close to the chest or waffling.
The Democrats are not going to be sitting idly by, just watching either. They smell blood and will be going for the kill.
It's going to be very tricky being a GOP politician in '14 and '16. even in solid GOP districts unless the district is dominated by one of the warring wings.
For example, Congressman Steve King — he with the big mouth — was considering running for the senate seat that Tom Harkin is vacating. but he decided against it, pretty clearly because he concluded that he could not win statewide with his brand of politics. Fine in rural Western Iowa but not so much in the cities and many Eastern Iowan towns and suburbs.