Too much fun not to share. Matt Taibbi:
… The news came in the Wall Street Journal, where the Chamber of Commerce disclosed that it will be teaming up with Republican establishment leaders to spend $50 million in an effort to stem the tide of “fools” who have overwhelmed Republican ballots in recent seasons. Check out the language Chamber strategist Scott Reed used in announcing the new campaign:
Our No. 1 focus is to make sure, when it comes to the Senate, that we have no loser candidates… That will be our mantra: No fools on our ticket.
The blunt choice of words is no accident. All year long, as they’ve crept closer and closer to having to face the reality of a Ted Cruz presidential candidacy in 2016 (with Cruz maybe picking recently-redeemed Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson as his more moderate running mate?), the Beltway’s Republican kingmakers have drifted into ever more alarmist language about the need to change course….
There’s almost no end to the comedy of this story. First of all, there’s the sheer size of the endowment. Fifty million dollars is enough money to fund half a dozen or more Senate campaigns. That the big-business donors who traditionally have funded the Republican Party believe they need to make that kind of monster investment just to keep “fools” from getting on the ballot of a party they basically control is an incredible reflection of the state of things on that side of the political aisle.
Then, of course, there’s the irony. Men like Karl Rove and Dick Armey practically invented the politics of stupid. In fact, they practically invented the politics of winning millions of votes every time some oversexed cosmopolitan liberal of the Matt Damon/Sean Penn genus used words like “dumb” or “stupid” to describe the preoccupations of Middle America’s God-and-guns culture.
To see these same Beltway Svengalis trapped now in this crazy role reversal, denounced by the far right for being the same kind of condescending establishment snot-bags they themselves spent decades trying to find and campaign against – well, that’s just seriously funny.
The situation with Rove is particularly delicious. This is someone who foisted upon the world the eight-year presidency of George W. Bush, a man who couldn’t speak English, didn’t read books or newspapers, and won his second term via the political version of an Inspector Clouseau routine, rallying middle America behind an enraged invasion of the wrong country in retaliation for 9/11.
Rove’s sole insight as a political thinker was that if you completely dispense with the patriotic aspects of governing – you know, that whole doing-what’s-right-for-the-country thing – then winning elections is no different than selling cheeseburgers or scoring high sitcom ratings. You give people what they want, and it doesn’t matter if it’s bad for them…
The problem with blowing off the whole governing thing in favor of a decade-plus of cynical pandering and generally treating presidential politics like a fraternity pranking competition is that it eventually comes back to bite you.
If you spend years letting your voters think Saddam Hussein was an agent of al-Qaeda, that passing a national health care program will result in the formation of Stalinist “death panels,” or that Barack Obama is secretly a foreigner, you’re going to end up with some loopy candidates prone to saying crazy things that will turn off voting majorities, which in turn will make it hard to the deliver policy objectives you actually care about for your big-money donors…
I still think the winner of the Fool Vote in 2016’s primaries will be Rick Santorum, though. The GOP id voters may like the idea of a Harvard-edumacated smrt guy like Cruz showin’ all those blue-state elitists up, but when it comes to the crunch, my bet is on the pocket Savonarola and established petty grifter whose response to the President’s call for expanding access to college was “What a snob!”
But on one thing we can, gleefully, agree: There will be fools!
***********
Assuming it’s not too cold for you Midwesterners to leave your homes (and believe me, you have my sympathy, it’s a balmy 20F here right now), what’s on the agenda for the evening?
debbie
Hey, Scott: What about that fool in the mirror?
MattF
We mock the Tea Partiers, but TPer’s opponents tend to have certain unmentionable problems of their own:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/04/us/politics/tangled-role-in-gop-war-over-tea-party.html?ref=politics
“Well, sir, I note that you’re pretty well lawyered up. Are you anticipating… a problem?”
Jennifer
The Tea Party will push back with a massive voter registration effort. They’re calling it Derp the Vote.
Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader
I don’t think we can predict the assortment of Republican wackos, vanity candidates and ayatollahs for the 2016 race. Who ever saw Herman Cain barreling down the pike in the Bang Bus?
ETA: I’m going to stay with Mitt for 2016.
raven
Football as soon as the Illini dispense with Penn State!
Villago Delenda Est
Which indicates that that word, snob, does not mean what he thinks it means.
Violet
How are Democrats going to use this godsend? Ads with “The Republican establishment thinks you’re stupid.” ? Or somesuch? I hope someone can find a way to put it to use.
Jennifer
@Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader: Nope. They won’t re-nominate Mitt because he is a LoserMan. I think it probably WILL be Santorum, because the GOP is big on nominating people because it’s “their turn.” About the only time they’ve deviated from this rule in 50 years was in 2000, when Bush bought the nomination; even then, there wasn’t anyone running who was the acknowledged next in line for coronation.
gene108
I wonder if Pope Francis’ statements about giving damn for the poor will hurt Catholic Republican candidates like Santorum or Christie, because I really could see someone sneak in a “whisper campaign” about “how can you by good Christians and disobey your church leaders?” sort of thing “when your church leader advocates redistribution of wealth, what will a politician do?”
***********************************************
Anyway, I don’t understand why liberals mock Republicans for perceived stupidity. They have had a strangle hold on the House for most of the past 20 years.
45% of the country will vote for them in Presidential elections, no matter what.
Whatever Democrats do is not enough to overcome this, never mind how utterly powerless true left-wing-socialist-liberalism is in the USA to make a dint in the thinking of the folks, who always vote Republican.
Until “conservative” gets turned into a dirty word, like “liberal” was throughout the 1980’s, 1990’s and early 2000’s, I do not get why people on the left feel smug about the state of politics in this country.
We’re getting beaten by those fools.
Even when we win, with the PPACA getting fully implemented, we still lose because those “fools” have dragged down the Democrats and President’s credibility because private insurance cancelled more plans than anticipated three years ago and a heavily used website was wonky on its debut.
I’m sorry, but until Republicans are running scared from being called “conservative” there’s nothing good about this news. The only thing that’s saved Democrats, for the last 5 years, has been entirely due to Republican candidate’s miscues.
If they get that cleaned up, it will be worth the $50 million dollar investment.
Not only is the media wired for Republicans, but I think enough of this country is entirely wired for Republicans and conservatism that there’s no power in hell that can change things right now.
JPL
@Jennifer: Peter King will be the nominee cuz the whackos will think he can carry New York… (ok I’m kidding) I think they will get behind Christi.
As if MTP couldn’t become more irrelevant, tomorrow Jim Cramer will be on.
Omnes Omnibus
@gene108:
No, we just aren’t winning as quickly as we should.
MattF
I just find it hard to believe that Santorum will get the nomination. I don’t think he’ll ever live down his 17 point loss to Casey as the incumbent Senator from Pennsylvania. I don’t think he has a real political constituency. I also think he’s getting more and more doctrinaire as time goes on. But we shall see.
Baud
@Omnes Omnibus:
Thanks.
lamh36
@gene108: speaking of Pope Francis, I hope the people who protect him or loyal to him and not the the old order…cause after this, they gotta have the knives out for him…
Pope calls for fresh Church approach to children of gay parents
gene108
@Omnes Omnibus:
Same thing as losing.
Anoniminous
This faction fight has been predicted for a long time. TeaBaggers have the numbers, local activists, and some local and state organizations. RNC and Beltway GOP have the money and some local and state organizations.
If this really gets to going, and I’m thinking it will, the GOP is going to rip itself apart in the 2014 election.
Baud
@gene108:
Only among losers.
IowaOldLady
I’m hoping the schism results in a third-party candidate.
Baud
@IowaOldLady:
That would be ideal.
Greg
@gene108:
The people who benefit from the ACA or gay marriage or Lilly Ledbetter or any of the other positive steps made over the last five years would tend to disagree.
dmsilev
@IowaOldLady: Unlikely, I think. As much as the different wings of the GOP dislike each other, that pales in comparison with the burning hatred they have for the Democrats. Whoever comes out on top in the struggle, the remnants of the other side will end up backing them, since the alternative would be handing the Presidency to Hillary or Martin O’Malley or whoever.
Anoniminous
@IowaOldLady:
Maybe, but that’s not how it usually works. Typically disgruntled voters stay home or they spite-vote for the candidate of another party.
Omnes Omnibus
@gene108: No. No, it isn’t. Or what Greg said.
Violet
Don’t forget Mike Huckabee is making moves that look like he’s going to run again. He’s ended his radio show, for instance. Wasn’t he Next In Line in 2008? Could he have a claim to be Next In Line this time, since Santorum is kind of a loser? Of course he’s got the Pardoned the Murderer problem.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@gene108: Well said.
While “demographics is destiny” we can’t assume that everything will just fall into place in a few years so we can just sit back and relax, or just point and laugh at the stupidity on the other side. We shouldn’t forget that W ran as the “compassionate conservative” who was going to bring people together and stuff like that. History and current events has shown us the Republicans are going to do everything they can to retain and expand their power using whatever tools they have available.
We need to work to advance our side and our policies and not underestimate them.
Cheers,
Scott.
Elizabelle
@Greg:
Thank you for saying that.
Just because Republicans and mainstream media act like Obama and the Democrats haven’t accomplished anything does not mean it’s true.
I hope the Republicans split badly.
I think 2014 could be a very good year for Democrats, since our ideas are better, and best to know now that we have do the heavy lifting, person to person to person, because most of the major corporation-owned media are an obstacle too.
They value eyeballs and money. Not accuracy.
Villago Delenda Est
@Violet:
Yeah, there are all sorts of problems with a Huckabee candidacy, totally aside from his Jeebofascist ideology.
Davis X. Machina
@gene108:
The answer is “No”. They’re Republicans first, and Catholics as much as it conveniences them.
They’ve long since made their choice.
GregB
@Anoniminous:
NH has one certified lunatic winger running for Governor and she’s going to be giving us some great sound bites to club the whole party with.
We also have Scott Brown flirting with a run and the gun strokers are already showing up strapped, locked and loaded because he’s a gun grabbing RINO.
I am hoping that 2014 will be a rerun of their 1964.
Elizabelle
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:
So true.
Tools.
See: Gregory, David. Tapper, Jake. 60 MinutesBenghazi!! Most of the liberalWashingtonPost editorial page, aside from Eugene Robinson and EJ Dionne.
And David “Toke” Brooks. NPR. Tools, tools, tools.
Violet
@Davis X. Machina: Didn’t someone ask Santorum about what the Pope said about supply-side economics and Santorum said it proves that Republicans were right all along? In other words, he completely turned around what the Pope said. That’s really all they have to do unless the media decides to call them on it. Like that’ll happen.
Anoniminous
@Violet:
The 2016 GOP Presidential candidate field and the support for specific candidates is going to utterly depend on the outcome of the 2014 elections.
Baud
No D yet in Chiefs-Colts.
Violet
@JPL:
Oh, good Lord. At least Cramer is amusing. I wonder if he’ll have that crazy camera that swings around and sound effects. Will his sleeves be rolled up? MTP might be worth watching if he had his usual tools available. David Gregory’s inability to cope with it would make it fun.
Violet
@Anoniminous: Oh, yeah. For sure. It’s just idle speculation at this point. I hope the Republican schism happens in earnest in 2014. Then it can play out big time in 2016.
MattF
@JPL: Srsly? Sell NBC! Or, um, GE! Or, um, Comcast!
Anoniminous
@GregB:
What about the Congressional districts?
Rex Everything
Taibbi’s “Married With Children” analogy is a perfect enough take on the Bush era to forgive its coming 5 years late.
Mandalay
Only slightly OT, this is good news for John McCain!….
McCain can now do the rounds on all the Sunday shows tomorrow, urging US intervention to ensure that our brave young men and women did not die there in vain.
James E Powell
@Violet:
Pardoning murderer is no problem as long as he brings the right amount of hatred for the right people. Republican voters can be very forgiving.
WereBear
Going ice fishing tomorrow, for the first time. Job related – I’m all about having fun in our vacation paradise!
Supposed to be a truly balmy 30 degrees. It was great today! Went out early to drag the trashcans to the curb; in my jammies, boots, and fleece. My husband was beaming (he handled the heavier one.)
“You’re a real Adirondacker, honey! It’s 3 out here!”
geg6
Like Taibbi, apparently, I am just rooting for injuries in this little dustup. Which is all it is because, fundamentally, both factions want exactly the same thing. It’s only that the Teabaggers are all so gauche about it.
Anyway, I’m having a lazy day. Got my hair cut this morning and took Koda down to the Agway store in Beaver to get dog food (my doggies’ digestive systems seem to require expensive and hard to find kibble). First time I took her in and it was just like the first time a kid sees Disney World for the first time. She thought she was in heaven.
Got a decent cabernet and we’re just ordering pizza. A guy my John went to high school with owns a pretty good Italian place a couple of miles away and they do take out. They have the most heavenly woodfire pizza and that’s what I’m craving. Half topped with red onions and green olives and the other half with roasted red peppers and pepperoni. We have a couple of slices left of the cherry pie we had for dessert on Wednesday and some vanilla bean ice cream in the freezer. Anything good on tv tonight, anyone?
Greg
@Mandalay:
No way. That so-called “reporting” by the liberal news media is wrong and lies and anti-American. How do I know this? BECAUSE THE SURGE WORKED that’s why.
raven
@geg6: Eagles and the Saints.
Suffern ACE
Goodness. It’s possible that trent Richardson might have been overrated.
Elizabelle
@efgoldman:
Hey there.
History hasn’t been with us a lot. We’re living through a historic era, a hinge era with a lot of change. I think even those who don’t follow politics much have twigged how radical and ridiculous the GOP has become.
I like waking up in Obama America, with Pope Francis rattling the right cages. Things can change for the better, when you least expect it too.
Baud
@raven:
In the 20’s in Philly. Just like the Saints like it. :-(
raven
@Baud: Dru Freeze
Hungry Joe
The problem I have with coming up with prediction for GOP ’16 is that the candidate seems, in every case, preposterous, in ways that neither Romney nor McCain was.* I mean, name one and I say, “Him? Oh, give me a break”; name another and I say, “No way in hell”: name a third … etc., etc., None of them even seems real.
Agenda? Stirrin’ my brandy with a nail, boys. Stirrin’ my brandy with a nail. (Artist/song?)
* And, yeah, in ways that Bush the Second CERTAINLY was. So maybe the lesson is, “Uh-oh.”
Baud
@raven:
Heh.
srv
@Mandalay: And they’re called ISIS. WTF is Archer going to do?
Same group is fighting the FSA next door.
Poor McCain, he’s not going to know who to support. The friend-enemies of his friends or the enemies of his enemies.
geg6
@raven:
I’d rather stick knitting needles in my eyes.
I’m ignoring football. It’s hockey season.
ETA: And yes, before you ask, I am bitter. And I don’t care.
trollhattan
I think it’s going to be Scott Walker or a Scott Walker clone.
Mike in NC
@Mandalay: Well, it appears unlikely that Johnny Mac will be back in time for the Sunday bobblehead events, much as he loves them. I believe he and his consort Lindsey Graham are still in Israel, undermining the efforts of Secretary Kerry. This followed yet another trip to Afghanistan, where he probably was pushing for American boots on the ground for another hundred years.
raven
@geg6:
what
raven
@geg6:
ever
raven
@Mike in NC: The Committee for the Re-Invasion of Vietnam!
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
Notice how the non partisan C of C still has to bankroll non-stupid Republicans. If they wanted to put their money behind candidates who know what they’re talking about they could bankroll some Democrats. But I guess some things are just not done.
Suffern ACE
The Colts never seem to show up prepared to play. They may win, but they certainly like to remove the cobwebs after the first half.
WereBear
The best part of this is that some pings are coming back from the ocean bottom and freaking out the Republicans. I’m not even sure what those pings are, but it’s great!
BruceFromOhio
@Suffern ACE: I was just wondering how this will unfold in the second half, because KC is stuffing them in their lockers up to now.
gene108
@Greg:
95% of the country probably does not know what the Lilly Ledbetter law is and I’m being generous.
I’m not sure how Democrats are going to squeeze more votes out of the gay marriage issue, unless a lot of people change their minds. If you support Democrats on social issues, I do not see how this is going to increase your voter base and split off votes from Republicans.
Given Obama’s current popularity, I will put the PPACA as a game changer on hold.
Sure stories are going to come out that folks are getting insurance, but expanding the social safety net is not the sort of game changing issue it was in the 1930’s or even the 1960’s, when Americans initially approved of the “War on Poverty”.
Too many people have been wired to view “government is the problem” as the norm and as long as people feel government is not working for them – it does not matter, who is making it suck – the political climate will favor Republicans.
I guess Kentucky will be a great test case for the PPACA, where you have Mitch McConnell who did his damnedest in the Senate to keep it from becoming law, whereas Kentucky is actually trying to implement it successfully. If McConnell’s record on the PPACA can’t switch voters minds in Kentucky, it won’t be the wedge issue Democrats sorely need.
There are plenty of “wedge” issues people agree with, like raising the minimum wage, passing gun control, etc., but very few of the supporters are going to get up in the middle of a blizzard / hurricane / tornado to get out and vote to make sure those things become law.
The gun-nuts, anti-abortion zealots, etc. would not sit home and not vote, if their wedge issue was threatened and a hurricane was making landfall near them.
There really is a view among most of this country that these issues are nice – raising the minimum wage, gun control, etc. – but that their votes do not matter in making these things happen and the current political climate will just discourage many more people from voting.
The problem with this country is not “people voting against their interests” but people, who have a vested interest in issues like environmental protection, raising the minimum wage, gun control, etc. deciding to not bother to vote.
PsiFighter37
KC is absolutely killing the Colts this quarter. People can shit on Alex Smith all they want, but put him in a stable offense, and look at what he’s done the past 3 years. I’m not a Chiefs fan, but I am happy to see him do well these past few years, and particularly this year after Harbaugh shafted him in SF.
BruceFromOhio
Two turnovers might make for a nice breakfast, but it makes a poor playoff performance.
the Conster
Luck needs luck. Nyuk nyuk nyuk
Republicans are in the dead cat bounce phase. Everything is overtaking them and they’re dinosaurs and they’re all eventually going to give themselves well deserved heart attacks like their fucktard king Breitbart.
ruemara
And, I’m back. Auditions are nerve wracking, but once you’re done, the sense of pride in not making an utter fool of yourself is euphoric.
Suffern ACE
@PsiFighter37: I think Joe Montana has suited up in Akex Smith’s uniform.
kindness
Watchin’ the Chiefs destroy the Colts right now. Hope the later game is better.
Elizabelle
@the Conster: I think you’re right. Dead cat bounce.
@ruemara: Wonderful ruemara. Hope you are chosen. What was the audition for?
WereBear
@ruemara: Break a leg!
Omnes Omnibus
@trollhattan: Scott Walker is a charisma vacuum. Romney appears human and sympathetic in comparison.
Davis X. Machina
@gene108: It’s not so much as people voting against their interests as assuming people don’t have any interests except economic ones on which they’re prepared to cast a vote.
People vote more than pocketbook. They vote race, class, religion — and the lack of it. They vote age group, region, and union — if they’re lucky enough to have one. They vote the way their neighbors vote, and the way their parents voted.
They define ‘self-interest’ in all sorts of ways.
SiubhanDuinne
o pleeze o pleeze o pleeze o pleeze o pleeze o pleeze o pleeze o pleeze o pleeze o pleeze o pleeze o pleeze o pleeze o pleeze o pleeze
ruemara
@Elizabelle: Anfisa in Chekhov’s “The Three Sisters”. I play an old nanny. Or rather, I auditioned to play an old nanny. I may be too robust for the role without having some sort of a cold.
@WereBear: thanks!
Jeremy
When some people talk about republicans controlling the house of rep for the past 20 years they need to remember that democrats held control of the house and senate and a large amount of state houses when Nixon, Reagan, and Bush I were winning by massive landslides. Eventually the political changes in the country lead to 1994 where the democrats lost both the house and the senate.
When a realignment happens it takes time for it to come into full effect. I think what we are seeing now is the same thing but in reverse. The republicans only held onto the house due to gerrymandering and they can’t count on that forever just like the democrats couldn’t count on it during the 80’s.
SiubhanDuinne
@ruemara:
Yay! And please talk more about this, or point me to a thread where you already did. What auditions, for what? I’ve done a few myself, and they can be up-all-night-sick-making. Whatever it was, glad you came out intact on the other side!
SiubhanDuinne
@ruemara:
Ignore my query, just saw your reply to Elizabelle. Hope it went well.
Elizabelle
@ruemara:
Chekhov role. Well done, ruemara.
Petorado
The CofC may think the issue is that stupid candidates have overrun the Republican Party, which they have, but the central issue behind the stupidity is that the glue holding the right’s coalition together is hatred of their fellow Americans. The stupid is just a feature of that unvarnished hatred.
I can’t see the wingnuts climbing in off their purity ledge and going along with the “doing-what’s-right-for-the-country” aspect of governance any time soon, because the right is all about winning and to find common ground with their sworn enemy would be heresy. Besides, what the CofC really wants is to get back to is the earnest business of plutocracy, and the stupid works really well for furthering that agenda.
cokane
A good call on Santorum. He’s a proven campaigner. None of the other expected runners really are, at least not yet.