Republicans No Longer Mainstream as They Embrace Hard Right CPAC

A Republican Party who considers CPAC part of their establishment is no longer Mainstream as it has gone hard to the right. 

After hearing yesterday that Mitt Romney was going to be one of this year's main speakers, thought it is time to spotlight the invitees to this year's Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) which is hosted by the American Conservative Union to be held in DC March 14-16.  CPAC has lived up to my low expectations by not inviting Governor Christie (R-NJ) which is good for Christie who is not only running for reelection as Governor but if he wants to run for President in 2016.

Politicus has the take on the Christie snub as well as other information on CPAC that makes those of us who have said we won't support this group of hard right Republicans in 2014 smile:

CPAC is suggesting that they snubbed Chris Christie this year. He is not “invited” to the cray-cray. That’s what he gets for helping his constituents by dealing with the President. 

Another way of looking at this is that only Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) is smart enough to avoid addressing CPAC this year. He’s already proven that he’s able to strategize for the long term and knows the value of being seen working with the President and Democrats. 

The rest of the clowns are piling into the shrinking GOP tent, including electoral losers Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney. Of course, neither of them have a thing to lose; they’ve already lost.
For some reason, NBC suggests that this means CPAC is mainstream. While I get how they got there (CPAC used to be far right of the party, anti-establishment), I think what it really means is that the entire Republican Party has gone fringe. They just don’t know it yet.

From Politicus

This political cartoon says it all - the era of the big tent Republican Party is dead as they have gone more hard right and now cater to the while male southern voter.

Republican Party has gone so far hard right that those considered the hard right fringe movement four years ago are now the establishment of the Republican Party while those of us center right are considered progressives and liberals.  No wonder only 22% of people identify with Republicans today.  When CPAC becomes part of the Establishment, you know how far right the GOP has become.

Since Mitt Romney, the loser of the 2012 Presidential election, is now a speaker several questions come to mind.  Could Romney be getting ready to run in 2016 a third time?  Is Romney going to try to out hard right other speakers in his speech as he plays to the hard right conservative attendees at CPAC?

Here is the list of Speakers for this year's CPAC which is a who's who list of hard right Republicans:

Kelly Ayotte, U.S. Senator
Jeb Bush, Former FL Governor
Eric Cantor, House Majority Leader
Al Cardenas, ACU Chairman
Francesca Chambers, Editor, Red Alert Politics
Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator
Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia Attorney General
Artur Davis, Former U.S. Representative
Carly Fiorina, Jeff Frazee, President, Young Americans for Liberty
Newt Gingrich, Former House Speaker
Kristan Hawkins, President, Students for Life
Ron Johnson, U.S. Senator
David Keene, President, NRA (Former Chair of ACU)
Katie Kieffer Wayne LaPierre, Executive VP, NRA
Mike Lee, U.S. Senator
Dana Loesch, Host, The Dana Loesch Show
Alexander McCobin, President, Students for Liberty
Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate Republican Leader
Sarah Palin, Former Governor of Alasa
Rand Paul, U.S. Senator
Katie Pavlich, News Editor, Town Hall
Mitt Romney, Former Republican Presidential Candidate
Wayne Allyn Root, 2008 Libertarian Nominee for Vice President
Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator
Paul Ryan, U.S. Representative
Rick Santorum, Former U.S. Senator
Pat Toomey, U.S. Senator
Scott Walker, Wisconsin Governor
Allen West, Former U.S. Representative

The only person I can see on this list who has not gone hard right is Jeb Bush.  Is he thinking of running in 2016 for President or trying to put a more moderate face on this group?  No other explanation for his attendance.

This is mostly the hard right of the Republican Party who lack empathy for those worse off as they prefer to obstruct in Congress to protect wealthy tax loopholes, want no gun control, no regulations, are social conservatives who are part of a War on Women, and are in the hip pockets of wealthy donors for starters.

As CPAC and the Republican Party has moved even harder right they are losing support rapidly among Republicans with Common Sense:

Let’s recap: Republicans, including the headliners at CPAC, are all polling poorly and have lost national elections precisely because of their positions. CPAC is the driver of those losing positions (wrong on immigration, wrong on gay rights, wrong on women’s rights, wrong on taxing the rich, etc). 

CPAC is also a happy home for white supremacists and the NRA while banning gay Republicans like GOProud. If you were planning to run for President in 2016 and thought you might like to actually win, would you want to be seen pallin’ around with plummeting poll contagion? Would you want your picture taken with Mitt 47% Cayman Romney or Sarah Death Panels Palin? 

Still have not recovered from the John Birchers being welcomed back in the Republican Party - that blows my mind along with having Republican candidates who want the militia to be the military arm of the Tea Party.  They obviously don't understand the Constitution which talks about a well-regulated milita which is equal to the National Guard in the states today.  Their reading comprehension to miss "well regulated" says it all as everything they do has to fit a narrative whether true or not.

A good example is the 'Friends of Hamas' that Ted Cruz (R-TX) and others tried to tie to Chuck Hagel, nominee for Secretary of Defense as having given a speech there.  There is no such group but that didn't stop the hard right from going after Hagel and making themselves look like fools.  Did the hard right in the Senate say they made a mistake?  No way they doubled down sending a letter to President Obama wanting a different nominee.  Remind me again who won the last election.  Here are the names of the  15 who signed the letter who are all hard right:

Signing the letter were John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican; Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott of South Carolina; Roger Wicker of Mississippi; David Vitter of Louisiana; Ted Cruz of Texas; Mike Lee of Utah; Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania; Marco Rubio of Florida; Dan Coats of Indiana; Ron Johnson of Wisconsin; James E. Risch of Idaho; John Barrasso of Wyoming; and Tom Coburn and James Inhofe of Oklahoma. 

It is not the prerogative of the Republican Senators to choose any nominee for President Obama.  Using phony information during the confirmation definitely put Hagel off his game as you could tell he was taken back by the venom and lies from Republicans.  Their attacks on Hagel about Israel  made you think they were interviewing the Secretary of Defense for Israel.  Obviously some of these Senators are bought and paid for by big defense and Israel hard right lobbying groups who support Republicans.

The Hagel nomination is an example of just how far hard right the Republican Party has gone today to the point many of us think there is no return to common sense.  IMHO, the GOP will continue to lose elections until it is a minor blip on the screen as more and more Americans are fed up with the hard right obstructionism of today's Republicans in Congress.  The following from Politicus points out what so many of us have had to admit who are/were Republican -- establishment Republicans are no longer mainstream but hard right:

CPAC is snubbing the Republican with the highest approval ratings (Chris Christie), while cozying up to already-losts and never-will-bes. So while CPAC may be establishment Republican now, it’s not mainstream. And that’s because the Republican Party is no longer mainstream. 

The Tea Party has driven the Republican Party off of the cliff of reality and national electability. Republican “stars” Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and Paul Ryan will all be hawking their wares at CPAC (anyone want to buy a water bottle?). 

Anyone seen their polling numbers lately? They have to go to CPAC. A section of the conservative fringe is all they have.