Reading Between The Lines In Joseph Cotto's Article About Why Gov. Scott Walker Should Lose

Show me a coach who wants to strategically lose a game or two and I'll show you a bad coach.

FLORIDA, May 17, 2012 — In Wisconsin’s ever contentious gubernatorial recall, most would probably expect the garden variety Republican to support incumbent Scott Walker. After all, he is a standard bearer for America’s gut-the-government movement and unapologetically brash about his beliefs to boot.

 This is the standard introduction before the big 'BUT' of my appeal. 

While this sort of thing might appeal to certain factions of the Republican base — specifically elements of it which are so far right that they have come to despise the GOP’s traditional form — it does not appeal to me.

This is why I believe that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett must claim victory come June 5th.

You knuckle-dragging bitter clingers just don't appreciate the fine work the Republican party has done these last 10 years.

Pundits have speculated that the recall is about far more than local affairs; it is a referendum of sorts on the distinct breed of right wing politics that has taken hold since the 2010 midterm elections. Despite being rooted in fiscal matters, like curtailing collective bargaining for labor unions, it has transcended them to include social policy as well; as the continuing siege on women’s reproductive rights is a shameful testament to.

Even though the GOP was almost beaten to obscurity in 06 and 08 and it too the help of all the local Tea Parties to make a record breaking change in the House of Representatives in 2010, shut up and let the policy people like me make decisions for you all. 

And I've also fallen for the Democrat lie about the GOP's "War On Women" when it's about the government telling what should and shouldn't be covered with insurance.  

If the Republican Party has any desire to remain electorally viable in both the immediate and distant futures, then such radicalism must be addressed. In the event that Walker were to lose, the national party — in spite of its chairman, Reince Priebus, who never seems to have surpassed amateur hour as far as the science of practical politics is concerned — would most certainly promote a more temperate dialogue.

Despite the evidence of history to the contrary that Republicans have been gaining in electoral ground, moderation, moderation, moderation.  


But what will never be addressed is the extremism in the Democrat party.  That would offend the moderates to point that out and send them running to those same Democrat extremists. 

Even more importantly, presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney could finally seize the opportunity to do something revolutionary: run on his own extensive record as a moderate. Throughout this year’s primaries, he was left with little choice other than to pose as a rock ribbed rightist; an cringeworthy feat that produced a plethora of unintentionally comedic moments.

Blah blah blah, shut up bitter clingers and get back to stuffing envelopes.  Your opinions are not needed.

Following a Walker loss, the far right would become almost completely devoid of political capital. Consequently, its ability to tack Romney down to a host of extremist positions should vanish. The Tea Party, which originally functioned as a positive influence of fiscal restraint during an era of runaway government spending, has morphed into a strange hybrid of the Religious Right and the John Birch Society. One of Walker’s most prominent supporters, its current incarnation might be decisively repudiated in the event that its star politico is sent packing.

Yes, I am seriously talking about demoralizing the Republican base.  You know, the people who do volunteer for candidates, knock on doors, stuff envelopes and actually donate to the causes they believe in. 

As a Republican in the vein of Dwight Eisenhower and Nelson Rockefeller, I believe that this is the best case scenario. Of course, a great deal of those on the far right may threaten to leave the GOP and start their own party in the event of a centrist shift. If that is what they wish, then no one should try to stop them. After a few election cycles yielding returns no higher than five percent of the popular vote, they ought to get the message that extremism is anything but a virtue.

 While everyone remembers fondly the Reagan years, I'm above that.  I would even add in Nixon if it wasn't for Watergate.  

While it is regrettable to advocate the defeat of a fellow Republican, the Party’s temper has reached the point of this becoming an absolute necessity. Hopefully, not too far down the line, said scenario will be rendered obsolete, as adequate room will have been made inside of the supposedly big tent for not only differing viewpoints, but that nagging inconvenience known as reality.

The sooner this can be accomplished, the brighter America’s horizon stands to shine.

They say that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and-- nothing personal--  Scott Walker is that first step to glorious moderation.  

Now go out there and lose one for the Gipper.  

Character mode off:  Now that pretty much all the candidates have dropped out and endorsed Mitt, there hasn't been much reluctance about Mitt's nomination that I can tell.  And this is obviously more anectdotal rather than data but my father-- who has voted third party and his beliefs for the last 40 years or so-- is pondering a Mitt vote.

And sorry this is about two weeks old but it was in my queue and finally had some time to get it finished. 

But if what Cotto wrote is what the Republican Party thinks, it's time for a new party.

Video: A Failure Of Leadership

For anyone else, this would be embarrassing. But this wasn't addressing just anybody.

In order for the modern Democrat Party to be embarrassed, they first much possess a 'sense of shame'. But seeing how they are progressives-- Latin for "Having no Shame Whatsoever"-- they are impossible to embarrass.

Which is how Teddy Kennedy was able physically abuse women with Chris Dodd in a sort of human sandwich but still be considered a champion of "woman's rights".

So any criticism of which more often than not falls onto willfully deaf ears and purposefully blind eyes. Which is sad because it really is a well made video.

Thanks to Viv.

Video: Change Direction

From Robert Stacy who has this:

Readers will note that this ad was produced by the Republican National Committee, and was released Monday on YouTube where, as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, it had been viewed 307 times. I didn’t see the video until it was Tweeted by my friend Opus 6, a self-described “soccer mom” in Orange County, Calif., who has 3,716 Twitter followers and posted the video on her blog, American Perspective.

You might suppose that I would have been alerted to this new RNC video by the RNC itself. But while I get e-mails from Democrats like Debbie Wasserman-Schultz — and from every random dude with an Internet connection who is trying to promote anything to do with conservative/Republican politics — I never get anything from the RNC.

Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

This isn't that big of a blog-- yet-- but I'm on enough lists were people know I'm a blogger and am sent enough "Notice Me" emails from them where blogging is easy some days. But after going through my old emails, there was nothing from the RNC asking to watch this video. The weekly form letter asking for money, sure. A messaging asking all their readers to send out that video? Nothing.

So much for the Army of David's approach.

The Crystal Ball

Larry Sabato has his baseline 2012 electoral college map available. This is the map upon which all the campaign strategies (and predictions) will begin for candidates considering a run against Obama.

There are 270 electoral college votes needed for victory. Looking at the map and the baseline votes, the optimistic view suggests Republicans will need to gain 100 electoral votes beyond their solid red states (safe and likely). The "leans" Republican and "toss up" states total to 121 votes, if every one of those is won by a Republican nominee.

This is going to be extremely difficult and challenging, with or without a strong GOP nominee. Here's why. Several of those states are union states, which will fight to the death for Obama. They are going to focus on those states heavily with money and their SEIU thug tactics. Another factor will again be retirement states such as Florida and North Carolina. Those two toss up states alone comprise 44 electoral votes. It is close to impossible, basing estimates on this baseline, to see a Republican 2012 victory without those two states.

The good news here is that we have some newly-elected Republican governors in the union states and in Florida. If they are building strong GOP state chapters and the RNC is focusing on helping them organize, this could help a Republican nominee. Also, there are some redistricting factors that haven't even been realized yet and they could play heavily into the favor of the Republicans.

Bottom line: if the GOP puts up a weak candidate, who can't generate enthusiasm for a GOP "big tent" by reaching conservatives and independents, then the optimistic scenario is completely unattainable. Polarizing candidates won't win the electoral votes needed in the toss-up states. Difficult and controversial issues (entitlement spending and the national debt) are going to have to be treated with kid gloves by the GOP nominee. He or she will have to swing hard at Obama and present realistic and maybe even reserved solutions. It can't be emphasized enough how important it will be to select a candidate who can win. It may not be the favorite of the Tea Party or the establishment GOP or the independents or the social conservatives, etc..., but a Republican who can unseat Obama will certainly be my favorite.

I won't go into the gory analysis of the pessimistic viewpoint of the electoral votes needed by the GOP in 2012. I think the "optimistic" view sets a difficult enough tone by itself.

Nice Work If You Can Find It

Sounded like Michael Steele's old job as the head of the RNC was only resume padding.

These Are The People Who Will Cancel Out Your Vote

So get out there and punch that ticket, dislodge that hanging chad, touch the computer screen, fill in the line between the two brackets on the oversize ballot and-- who knows if these machines are still out there-- pull that lever tomorrow.



Then the real work begins.

Because for the most part, we'll be turning over the keys to the Republicans. They didn't drive the car into the ditch-- that was the Democrats in Congress-- but they damn well came pretty close before giving up and handing the keys off to someone else. And we all know who that is.

So get out and vote. Except for Democrats. They are voting on Wednesday.

Is A Third Party Possible?

Donald Rumsfeld once said that, "You got to war with the army you have."* Well, we are in this election with the candidates we have. And no, I'm not talking about Rand Paul or Christine O'Donnell.

I'm speaking more along the lines of Eric Cantor** and other Republicans who were in office when the Republican growth of government happened and who did nothing or very little to stop it.

And if he's not careful, he'll find himself in the minority of a third party that will emerge out from under his feet.

*And he got into trouble over it although I don't know why. Other than saying the dreaded 'W-Word'(War. For whatever reason, the word ties a liberal panties up into knots), what exactly was wrong with what he said?

**A quick note to Eric Cantor: I've been hearing your election ads on the radio. Just so you know, it's not just jobs. It's about creating wealth. It's about fostering an environment that's friendly to start ups and businesses so they can grow without much regulation. Last thing entrepreneurs need is the heavy hand of Big Brother on their backside, picking their wallet.

It's Not Enough That A Republican Wins But The Right Kind Of Republican

One more Republican who lost his primary supports the Democrat. What was that about conservatives having to suck it up and support McCain two years ago? That doesn't work both ways.

David Brady -- the Republican who lost to West in the primary -- also endorsed Klein. West beat Brady by a landslide in the primary so his endorsement isn't a big boost to [U.S. Rep. Ron Klein (D-Boca Raton)]'s campaign -- though if the race is close every vote could count.

I've heard this tune several times this year. Charlie Crist, Arlen Spector, Lisa Madcowski, and-- he's not running on an independent bid or third party, he did take his ball and go home-- Mike Castle.

Brady lost out to Allen West. Excuse me, that's Lieutenant Colonel Allen West (US Army, Retired). Who once said about his mission in Iraq, "If it's about the lives of my men and their safety, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can".

So it boils down to a man accepting the endorsement from someone who has no honor (Ron Klein and David Brady) to a man who has honor in spades.

This should be an easy call.

This Was Mighty Big Of Him

John Cornyn emailed me to say, "She is the nominee and I am in charge of the NRSC. I guess I ought to do something".

Let there be no mistake: The National Republican Senatorial Committee – and I personally as the committee’s chairman – strongly stand by all of our Republican nominees, including Christine O’Donnell in Delaware.

The larger issue is why was this letter of clarification sent out if there was any confusion on the matter?

Well, This Was Money Well Spent

Via Jim Treacher.

If the Republicans manage to take over Congress this fall, it will be because the Democrats lost. Not because the Republicans were able to win with a coherent message on fiscal responsibility.



It comes close but doesn't top Hank Johnson's campaign song, however. Which since has been scrubbed off of the intertubes but a sampling of the lyrics can be found here.

Ann Coulter To The GOP

There are some notable exceptions but too many Republicans are sitting back on cruise control for this election cycle. Assuming that 50 plus seats in the House of Representatives are theirs for the taking.

Is it that irrational for me to think that if the Republicans gain control of Congress that they might revert back to their old habits when George W. Bush was pushing the agenda?

To put it briefly: Earn it!

Note to Republicans: Whenever possible, victory parties should be held after the election, not before it.
[. . .]
Why were Republicans predicting victory in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1? Given a choice between two candidates who both hate ObamaCare, why would lifelong Democrats not vote for the Democrat?

Republicans are playing the same raised-expectations game with the November elections. Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner is ludicrously predicting Republicans will pick up 100 seats in the House in November. Newt Gingrich puts the figure at an equally insane (and weirdly precise) 78. He also predicts the Cubs will win 132 games this season and six games will be rained out.

Keep it up, Republicans, and I'm going to keep naming names. I have Nexis.

For more than half a century, the average midterm pickup for the party out of power has been 24 seats.

Your job, Republicans, is not to go on Fox News and whisper sweet nothings in conservatives' ears. Your job is to repeal the Obama agenda. Raising expectations so high that a 30-seat Republican pickup will seem like a loss is not helping.

Be sure to read the rest.

Tea Party Take Over In Maine?

From the looks of it, the business as usual for Republicans hit a snag.

If there was a recurring theme at the Republican State Convention this weekend, it was a reminder for party loyalists to keep their eyes on the prize.
[. . .]
It started with former Gov. John McKernan on Saturday morning, who urged the more than 2,000 Republicans to unite after the primary in support of one candidate for the November general election. McKernan's presence alone was a stark reminder of Republicans' Blaine House banishment. He was the last Republican governor, and left office in 1995 -- 15 years ago. The last Republican before him was in office in 1967.
[. . .]
But during the middle of the convention, amid the recurring calls for unity, a mini-revolt occurred in the party.

The two-page platform that a Republican Party committee had drafted was replaced by a three-page platform proposed by the Knox County Republican Committee and strongly reflective of tea party ideals.

The new party platform, as adopted Saturday, begins with a lengthy introduction that, in part, praises the current Tea Party Movement. It has six main sections, with numerous subsections. Many deal with issues of state sovereignty and personal liberties. Many express stances on federal government issues. [You can find the platform here]

I know the platform is merely a guideline, not the party's rule of law but it is nice to see some Tea Party folks getting involved with a political party on the state level.

This Does Not Bode Confidence

This is part of the reason why people shouldn't just vote for "The Other Person" in an election. With the crap sandwich that is the Democrat Congress as bread and ObamaCare as the filling, way too many Republicans think they can coast into a Congressional victory this November.

Hold your Congressman's feet to the fire to make sure he should know the basic tenets of his job. Cripes, the Constitution is something every high school civics student should know by semester's end. Is it really too much to require an actual factual Congressman know it as well?



Via Hot Air.

This Is Easily Explained

He was there recruiting for the big tent.

Once on the ground, FEC filings suggest, Steele travels in style. A February RNC trip to California, for example, included a $9,099 stop at the Beverly Hills Hotel, $6,596 dropped at the nearby Four Seasons, and $1,620.71 spent [update: the amount is actually $1,946.25] at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.

No, I'm not going to do a joke about a tent in his pants either.

Is This Really A Shock?

Eight years of the RNC sowing 'Compassionate Conservatism'* now being reaped.

The latest example is the special election in the 23rd district of New York. The RNC 'wisely' decided to invest over a million dollars into a candidate that was approved by Kos himself (Of the controversial left wing blog, The Daily Kos). Then Dede Scozzafava tanked in the polls and quit the weekend before the election and endorsed the Democrat, Owens. Heck of a job there, Newt.

This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

The largest GOP party committee has $8.7 million in the bank heading into an election year with 37 governors’ races, a dozen major Senate contests, dozens more in the House and an all-important redistricting cycle on the horizon.

Said one RNC official: “It is very troubling, and the thing is, most people don’t understand this. But it is really troubling.”
[. . .]
While the RNC continues to spend heavily on consultants and outside help — about half of the $90 million it spent between January and November — the DNC has moved much of its operation indoors.

The RNC has spent about twice as much as the DNC on consultants this cycle, according to a review of Federal Election Commission (FEC) data.

David Frum's dream of a big tent is coming back to bite the GOP in the ass. In spades. His vision was to spur the true believers** on the right side of the spectrum in order to woe the moderates in the middle. Not really a winning plan because moderates by definition do not have many strong feelings about the issues of the day. And when campaigns live and die by the amount of money raised, the assumption that the true believers will still donate to the cause is damn insulting. The coffers drying up is cause and effect.

*The problem with 'Compassionate Conservatism' is that the social side always outweighs the fiscal side. Same can be said of 'Blue Dog Democrats'.

**True Believer being someone willing to stand up for their ideals with their voice and their wallet.

Thanks to Lisa for the find.

Wrap Up

Updated and bumped: It's official
.
Not official yet. But it is sounding like Cuccinelli and Bolling are in.

Nothing about the Party Chair yet. Must still be close.

I have to say that the location from Bloggers Row was excellent. If this was a Miley Cyres concert, I would have to have been a relative of either Billy Ray or Michael Eisner. The old media was near the back. Heh.

UPDATE: Having to leave a bit early for personal reasons. Something about wanting a check deposited and about not wanting the lights shut off. Thanks to the guys at Bering Drift, they have the final result.

Patrick Muldoon, John Brownlee, and Dave Foster move to elect Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli by acclimation as the Republican nominees for LG and AG respectively.

Place goes nuts!

“I will endorse [Sen. Ken Cuccinelli], support him, do everything I can to ensure he is the next attorney general of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Brownlee.

Cuccinelli thanked Brownlee and Foster for running a hard and fair campaign.

Bill Stanley also moved that Pat Mullins be elected as chairman by acclimation

Day Two

At the Virginia State Convention.

With a few primative tools, I was able to fashion a connection to file this.

And a hike to the nosebleed section to secure an actual laptop to, you know, actually live blog.

Bob McDonnall gave a good speech. Seing how he was running unopposed on the Republican side, it's a forgone conclustion he will be the GOP Candidate.

The big wait now is for Attorney General, Lt. Governor and RPV chair.

Ken Cuccinelli had the rock star intro with his speech and everyone in the crowd waving the classic, "Don't Tread On Me" rattlesnake flag (note to self, I have to get one of those). The lights went out and an audio montage started to play with clips of the recent news talking about nationalization of banks, so called domestic terrorist (Tea Parties.. Yeah, right..) and other items. Then the smoke and lights. I almost expected 'Rock and Roll Part I'. Ken looks to be the favorite of the crowd here. When the other candidates mention his name, it's not a good sign when the cheers drown out their speech.

UPDATE 2:40: George Allen just finished speaking. Eric Cantor is speaking now.

Line up other speakers for the Virginia GOP to help fill the time until all the voting has been done for the other three races.

Breaking rumor; Cuccinelli is the Republican Canidate for Attorney General.

More here at the Wrap Up.

First Attempt at a Live Blog

I'll be at the Republican Convention covering the progress for the races in the commonwealth of Virginia. I have a tin can at home tied to a string stretched out to the convention center so I will have to tap everything in by binary. We'll see how everything works out.

UPDATE: The string broke. Something about laying out 30 miles of twine and someone is bound to muck with it. Wrote out a note with a charred stick and plank of wood to remind me to bring a laptop for Saturday.

Have You Heard About The 12th Commandment?

The first I heard of it was today. Read the read to find out what it is.

Success is attractive. But any successful effort also attracts cowardly punks, who desire to benefit parasitically from the vision and hard work of others. And so during what we might call The Golden Age of Conservatism -- the 25 years from Reagan's 1981 inauguration to the GOP debacle of the 2006 election -- the conservative movement attracted a lot of shrewd self-interested people who saw the "conservative" label as a vehicle for their own personal ambition. Hello, David Brooks.

Say It Ain't So

Ye Gods, John McCain needs help with principles?

Bless his heart and call me old fashioned but didn't principles use to be what helped make a man's character?

This is why the Republicans have lost and lost big these last two election cycles. To have to go to an outside source to see what they should believe.

Sen. John McCain is putting together a major economic plan that will be structured, in some ways, off of Newt Gingrich's famous Contract With America.

In an email obtained by the Huffington Post, the Arizona Republican's chief of staff, Marc Buse, asked an outside adviser for help with a "ten principles" program that the senator could use as a "definitive" platform.

"We are looking for some guidance on a definitive plan (aka contract with america style) on the economy...principles," writes Buse. "Ten principles that JSM could point to on what MUST BE DONE to address the problems our nation faces."

No principles to stand on, no character, and no dinner plate at the policy table.