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(s)Elections See other (s)Elections Articles Title: GOP leaders warn of election disaster Shellshocked House Republicans got warnings from leaders past and present Tuesday: Your party’s message isn’t good enough to prevent disaster in November, and neither is the NRCC’s money. The double shot of bad news had one veteran Republican House member worrying aloud that the party’s electoral woes — brought into sharp focus by Woody Jenkins’ loss to Don Cazayoux in Louisiana on Saturday — have the House Republican Conference splitting apart in “everybody for himself” mode. “There is an attitude that, ‘I better watch out for myself, because nobody else is going to do it,’” the member said. “There are all these different factions out there, everyone is sniping at each other, and we have no real plan. We have a lot of people fighting to be the captain of the lifeboat instead of everybody pulling together.” In a piece published in Human Events, the Republicans’ onetime captain, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, warned his old colleagues that they face “real disaster” on Election Day unless they move immediately to “chart a bold course of real reform” for the country. And in a closed-door session at the Capitol, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told members that the NRCC doesn’t have enough cash to “save them” in November if they don’t raise enough money or run strong campaigns themselves. See Also Obama takes decisive step toward nomination Newest superdelegate skirts decision GOP loss could threaten leadership Although a top House Republican brushed aside Gingrich’s broadside as “hype from a has-been who desperately wants to be a player but can’t anymore,” the harsh words from Cole were harder to ignore. “It was a pretty stern line that he took with us,” said one House Republican. Cole, on the defensive in the wake of special election losses in Louisiana and Illinois, pointed his finger Tuesday at his Republican colleagues, telling them that they had been too stingy in helping fund party efforts. He also complained that the Republicans ran weak candidates in both Louisiana and Illinois — a charge Cole made despite the fact that, as NRCC chairman, he could have played a major role in choosing the party’s candidates if he hadn’t made the decision to stay out of GOP primaries. In his meeting with members, Cole distributed a document showing that even former Republican political guru Karl Rove had badmouthed Jenkins, according to GOP sources. It’s not clear whether Cole meant it as a criticism of Rove or of Jenkins. But Cole’s overall message was clear, said members who sat through the meeting: “If you’re not out doing your own work, and you’re waiting for the NRCC to come in at the last minute and save you, it ain’t gonna happen.” That’s how one lawmaker characterized Cole’s talk, adding that the NRCC is “not going to have the resources” to help all members “and Democrats will have a lot more money.” Republicans are suffering a crisis of confidence after the two special election losses. There’s talk that House Minority Leader John A. Boehner and other GOP leaders could be ousted if the party suffers double-digit losses in November. Gingrich’s broadside did little to calm the GOP jitters. While Gingrich softened his blow by circulating it privately to the GOP leadership on Monday — a day before it was publicly released — his language was still strong, and his message was seen as a broad attack on Boehner, Cole and the rest of the Republican leadership. “The Republican loss in the special election for Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District last Saturday should be a sharp wake-up call for Republicans,” Gingrich wrote. “Either congressional Republicans are going to chart a bold course of real change or they are going to suffer decisive losses this November.” ...continued Poster Comment: Tragic. Just tragic. Woe is me.
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#12. To: PSUSA (#0)
Not surprising, more than a little disappointing. This bunch had potential and a window of opportunity big enough to throw a 757 through. There was a mandate in '94 that should have set the agenda for the next 12 years. Instead there were good intentions, lip service and partial victories. Those were followed by the disaster that we call the bush administration. The bush administration took everything that could be harmful to America and Americans and made it much, much worse. Fortunately the bush administration will soon end. It will wrap up 8 years of failure with a whimper and preside over the extinction the party of Lincoln. It won't even be close. This is but one component of the bush legacy.
The infiltration of the Rs by the neocons was the final straw on the bail of hay. They eroded it from within. I wonder if those who survive the tsunami will get to keep their country club membership?
The smart ruthless ones are leaving the system as quickly as they can. The country club will remain as a social event as long as it can stay afloat. A lot of the smaller ones are hurting.
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