President George H.W. Bush once said in a private moment of candor that wasn't meant for public consumption-but of course it ended up going public-of the Religious Right, 'Fuck em. There's no pleasing those people.'
I wish I could find the quote-you know I like to give sources- it was in some book by someone in the Religious Right about 20 years ago. It about sums up today's Tea Party. I mean all McConnell has done is reside over the most obstructionist Senate minority in history and precipitate a record number of filibusters. He has stated that his number one priority is making Obama a one term President.
Despite the fact that he's so often been at the forefront of obstruction, the Tea Party has turned against him-to be sure, he already had a Tea Party opponent in next year's election. Now Red State America's Erich Erickson has turned against him.
"Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Friday that he won't apologize for working with Democrats."
I wish I could find the quote-you know I like to give sources- it was in some book by someone in the Religious Right about 20 years ago. It about sums up today's Tea Party. I mean all McConnell has done is reside over the most obstructionist Senate minority in history and precipitate a record number of filibusters. He has stated that his number one priority is making Obama a one term President.
Despite the fact that he's so often been at the forefront of obstruction, the Tea Party has turned against him-to be sure, he already had a Tea Party opponent in next year's election. Now Red State America's Erich Erickson has turned against him.
"Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Friday that he won't apologize for working with Democrats."
“I brokered all three of them with Joe Biden,” McConnell said. “I do not have the view that it’s inappropriate to talk to Democrats.”
"McConnell noted that while he would prefer to have a Republican in the White House and a GOP-controlled Senate, he must accept the current circumstances."
“I’ve fully demonstrated that as much as I would rather have a Republican president and would rather be the majority leader of the Senate, I’m willing to work with the government we have — not the one I wish we had,” he said.
"Alright facing a Republican challenger in his re-election next year, McConnell has taken heat in recent days from conservatives who are upset that he and other GOP leaders have abandoned the effort to halt the Affordable Care Act."
"The Tea Party Nation withdrew its endorsement of the Kentucky senator on Wednesday, while RedState.com editor Erick Erickson wrote Thursday that McConnell and other GOP leaders have paved the way for "a real third party movement that will fully divide the Republican Party."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mcconnell-i-ll-work-with-the-government-we-have-not-the-one-i-wish-we-had
The irony is that this is the outcome the GOP has so feared that it went along with this shutdown farce though it knew this was not the road they wanted to go down and that it would likely hurt them with voters much more than Obama. There really is no pleasing the Tea Party. Yet the GOP doesn't say 'fuck em.' Though McConnell threw a little mud in their eyes there by pointing out the deals he has brokered-this is exactly why they don't trust him.
It will be interesting to see whether they are actually able to take him out-the conventional wisdom is that they won't even come close. Yet if this is true why worry so much about them? You can argue whether the Tea Party is a paper tiger but the actions of the party seem to suggest they don't think so.
"McConnell noted that while he would prefer to have a Republican in the White House and a GOP-controlled Senate, he must accept the current circumstances."
“I’ve fully demonstrated that as much as I would rather have a Republican president and would rather be the majority leader of the Senate, I’m willing to work with the government we have — not the one I wish we had,” he said.
"Alright facing a Republican challenger in his re-election next year, McConnell has taken heat in recent days from conservatives who are upset that he and other GOP leaders have abandoned the effort to halt the Affordable Care Act."
"The Tea Party Nation withdrew its endorsement of the Kentucky senator on Wednesday, while RedState.com editor Erick Erickson wrote Thursday that McConnell and other GOP leaders have paved the way for "a real third party movement that will fully divide the Republican Party."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mcconnell-i-ll-work-with-the-government-we-have-not-the-one-i-wish-we-had
The irony is that this is the outcome the GOP has so feared that it went along with this shutdown farce though it knew this was not the road they wanted to go down and that it would likely hurt them with voters much more than Obama. There really is no pleasing the Tea Party. Yet the GOP doesn't say 'fuck em.' Though McConnell threw a little mud in their eyes there by pointing out the deals he has brokered-this is exactly why they don't trust him.
It will be interesting to see whether they are actually able to take him out-the conventional wisdom is that they won't even come close. Yet if this is true why worry so much about them? You can argue whether the Tea Party is a paper tiger but the actions of the party seem to suggest they don't think so.
Mike, I think a 3rd party would absolutely be the best outcome for the country as a whole. In the short term it would be good for Democrats, but I'm not sure it would in the long term. But it would be GREAT for the country in the long term I think. Here's my thinking (which I first saw an outline of in the WaPo a few days ago, but I'll steal it!)
ReplyDeleteImagine this thing comes down to the wire and 25 or so non-insane GOP members break off from the party and become independents and force a vote on a clean CR and a clean debt limit raise for 1-year. Now say a half dozen or so do likewise in the Senate. Both groups form a new party: "The Conservative Party" (TCP). The TCP is conservative, but interested in governing, not grandstanding. Perhaps they could take the speakership away from Boehner? What do you think? Perhaps the Dems would vote for a member of the new party as a nod to the conservative majority in the house, but the idea is to form more or less a governing coalition between a small band of governing conservatives and the Dems. Obama deals EXCLUSIVELY with this new party as the conservative opposition and they are able to negotiate some good deals for their districts and states. As their influence and popularity grows, more in the GOP want to jump ship and leave the dregs for the Tea Party. Perhaps even Boehner jumps ship to the new party. The small contingent in the Senate is able to prevent most filibusters because their #1 stated goal is to govern, NOT to simply obstruct Obama.
I think such a party would be thought of as heroes. Now the Tea Party has a dilemma about how to primary these folks if at all. In the long run I think this new party would pull support away from both the rump GOP and the Democrats. Bad for the Democrats, but I'm more interested in a functioning government than the well being of the Democratic party. Essentially the Dems and the TCP could govern between them, and the Tea-Party-GOP is left out in the cold on a national level. If the TP-GOP wants to be a force to recon with in local and state races... so be it, but shut them out of national affairs. The TP-GOP is now more "pure" so perhaps they'd like it too. Who knows.
What do you think?
In general I'm skeptical about the virtues of a 3rd party. One reason is that you can see from looking at Britian and Western Europe that it's no panacea.
ReplyDeleteIn Britian the 3rd party is the Liberals. All they really do is play spoiler. They got their moment in the sun after Cameron won in 2010 as they became part of the coalition government. Unfortunately they've totally caved on their supposed principles and have been a rubber stamp for Cameron. Of course, years ago, until the 1920s it was just the Conservatives and lLberals and then Labor basicallay took the Liberals place marginalizing them as spoilers.
As far as the U.S. that was going to my question-is it going to be a consrvative or liberal party. Your idea of another conservative party is kind of interesting. However, if there were GOPers that really weren''t insane and wanted to work with Obama they could do so now-for years, from the late 30 to the 70s, you had conservative Southern Democrats work with conservative Republicans forming an effective coalition.
Overall I'm not that big a fan of 3rd parties I guess, I don't see any groundswell in the GOP to do this. Even the allegedly somewhat less insane Repubs in the Senate still filibustered raising the debt ceiling Saturday.
Ideologically I basically agree with the Dems. I don't desire a party much further to the Left or Right than they are. So I don't really see what I would get from a 3rd party.