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It isn't often that I completely agree with the NYT:
It is enough to make a self-respecting Republican want to tear his hair out in frustration, especially as the party is trying to defend an unpopular war, contain the power of the new Democratic majority on Capitol Hill and generate some enthusiasm among voters heading toward the presidential election in 2008.
“The real question for Republicans in Washington is how low can you go, because we are approaching a level of ridiculousness,” said Mr. Reed, sounding exasperated in an interview on Tuesday morning. “You can’t make this stuff up. And the impact this is having on the grass-roots around the country is devastating. Republicans think the governing class in Washington are a bunch of buffoons who have total disregard for the principles of the party, the law of the land and the future of the country.”
. . .
... And at the rate things are going, says Mr. Reed ..., it might be only a matter of time before a new scandal pushes Mr. Craig’s woes off the front page. “I’m a little afraid to say anything, because you don’t know what happens tomorrow....”
Another quote is from Dennis Hastert's former press secretary, John Feehery, who says that “[i]f we had a coach, the coach would take us in the locker room and scream at us.” If by "we" you mean the CGOP rather than the party at large, John, you're wrong. If you had a team performing this badly, the coach would throw out the team and get players who weren't so obviously unfit to wear the jersey.
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Where was Hastert?
I think the problem is exemplified by the statement from Feehery. We lost the House on Hastert's watch. If the Speaker is not the coach, who the heck is?
And what Reed is that being quoted? The Times editing staff screwed up and failed to mention his first name in the story at all. If it's Ralph Reed, he's got a lot of damn gall criticizing. There's not that much anybody can do about the sex stuff, but the Abramoff scandals can be prevented easily with strong leadership from the top of the party. Reed got into bed with Abramoff and the DeLay "seek power for power's sake" wing of the party, and we're paying the price now.
They mention who Reed is in
They mention who Reed is in the first ¶...
"When someone says their heart needs lifting, don't ask how come, ask how high."
Man, not when I looked...
I used the Find feature in Firefox, and it found only one instance of Reed in the whole article. I swear!
The coach was in the cafeteria
Though I'm not a Republican, I find the self-pity out there on the blog a bit strange. Poverty is down a bit. Several Blue States lead the nation in median income. Musharraf has moved in the direction the administration suggested (without bombing, Obama) and is now getting ready for the November election. Israel is pulling back from Syrian border having observed a reduction of force on the Syrian side. France visited Iraq. Brown reaffirmed closeness to the US. The Surge has worked to a limited degree as McCain and others said it would. Congress passed new security reforms. AQ has not hit us yet.
I wouldn't let GOP leadership meltdowns and personality disorders, corruption, greed and cronyism get Republicans down. Given the over-reach, lame policies, pandering by my side, there is plenty to run on. My guess fielding a Presidential candidate that believes the earth is 6000 years old or that gay marriage is a burning issue is not a great starting point for repackaging.
My fear is that as things get worse for Republicans, they will launch an attack against the Democrats with the typical personal and relentless effort they did the last decade. Republicans deserve some blasting after seven years and to retaliate in an over the top fashion misses the point. I would focus on the bright side and lay out a picture of how Republicans have reformed their thinking and navigated difficult waters (no restroom pun intended). Accent the positive and pose real questions to the Democrats rather than question their morals, intelligence or patriotism. If there is a battle come November, it will be among Independents.